Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-28
practicable for a canal from the head OF
the falls to these sites.
Guards Every Interest.

and few others, the objects Of which will
be apparent, would, / believe, thoroughly
guard the interests of the United States
and the District of Columbia, and, for the
reasons that follow. I think It of very great
importance that. as amended, the bill be
passed as soon as possible. The legislation
provided for In the bill as amended is. in
my estimation, more important than any
other that has been enacted since the con-
struction of the aqueduct.
The decision of the. Court Of Claims of
! 1879 having been mainly in respect Of the
damage to the owners of Conn's Island, by
reason of the abutting on that island of
| the dam across the Maryland channel (or
rather by reason of an agreement as to this
damage in 1862 between the Secretary of
| the Interior and the Great Falls Manufac-
turing Company, which the United States,
In the suit decided in 1870, claimed to have
been fiiegaD, there has not been since the
extension of the dam to the Virginia shore,
not at any time, judicial decision of the
extent of the rights of the United States at
Great Falls and this bill furnishes an op-
portunity for such decision. When the de-
cision Las been made, II would operate for
all time. and, when future additions to the
Washington water supply have to be made
from time to time as the population in
creases. the required quantities can be taken
from the river without further action of
the courts, and without further legislation
Of Congress except the making of the APP
preparations necessary for raising the dam
and other works, IL any, required for these
additions.
The question Of what are the rights of
the United States at Great Falls, how much
of the water of the river 1t Is entitled to,
should be settled. The language Of the DILL
seems to imply that these rights are very
| small in comparison with other rights; that
the drawing for the Washington supply of
the small quantity of water heretofore used
and now used that Is to say, small In COM
parison with future wants-has been. and
Is, an irfring ement on the rights of others,
and that damage has been done to others
II this be the case, the facts should be
Known before any new obligations are Great
ed. The time has now come when the wa
ter supply Of Washington must be increas-
ed. 1t is imperative that the present dam
| at Great Falls be raised throughout it's en-
tire length as soon as an appropriation can
be obtained for this purpose, and IL is my in
tention to submit estimate for the work
in my next annual estimates. The necessity
| for this arises from the fact that in summer
| during the low stages of the river 1 find 1t
| impossible to keep the distributing reservoir
UP to the height of 146 feet above datum,
which is required for the full service of the
rains leading from the reservoir to the
] city. During these low stages of the river
the aqueduct at its intake lacks, in respect
| of It's height, about 1-2 feet of being full,
and the dam must be raised accordingly
II the dam be raised 1-2 feet, not only
| would the aqueduct never fail to run full
but the head of water being raised at the
| intake, the velocity through the aqueduct
| would be very much increased. II the bill
be passed before raising the dam. the right
| or the United States to draw the additional
quantity of water from Great Falls will
| have been obtained by the exercise of the
| right of eminent domain provided for in the
bill, and the work can go on without delay.
Otherwise the work may be enjoined in the
Maryland court and have to be suspended
until legal questions be decided. 1t is de-
sirable that all existing contentious and
| claims against the United States be settled
judicially and fairly in the manner proposed
| in the bill amended.
| Other Uses for the Water.
TT is not apparent that should the bill
| become a law the use of Potomac water
would be extended to purposes other than
| the purposes of its present USE viz, do
| nestle supply, supply of the public build
| ings, street washings and hydraulic power
in the District of Columbia. The use for
hydraulic power in the District Of Column
| bia must be very limited by reason of the
capacity of the aqueduct and of any proba-
| BILE additions to the aqueduct. Should il
| be desired to use turbines below the falls
| to operate electric generators for trans
hitting electric power to Washington and
| lighting the public buildings no portion of
| the water to be acquired under the bill
| could be used for these turbines. If Con-
g-ess would authorize the taking under the
| operation of the provisions of the bill, of
| all the water flowing at Great Falls, there
would not only be no limit to the quantity
! of water available for supply to the Dis
| trict. but there would doubtless be an
abundance of water remaining for hy-
! draulic machinery (turbines) below the
| falls, sufficient to operate a number of
electric generators adequate not only for
| the lighting of the Capitol and ali the
other public buildings. the lighting of all
| OF our streets and possibly for the working
| of machinery for the raising of water to
| the rapidly increasing portion of the Dis
| trict that is above the area that can be
| supplied by gravity.
For these reasons 1 think 1t would be
| vi nj cd tat
under the exercise of the right of eminent
| domain provided for in the bill, all of the
water and water rights at Great Falls.
| their owners to be paid the amounts to be
F., ascertained in the fair and just manner de-
| scribed in the bill.
| For the reason that the capacity of a
| river for supply or power both should
] probably be measured by it's low-water
| dow,its greater flows being intermittent, the
| capacity of the Potomac at Great Falls
may, according to the finding of the Court
| OF Claims in 1873, be considered as 7O0,-
| 100000 gallons of water per diem De-
| Quoting, say, 200, 000, 900 gallons for the
| supply of the Washington of the future
there would never fail to remain for power
| 10 be used for the purposes suggested and
| any others that the public wants of the
1 United States and the District of Column
bia may develop, a daily supply of less
| than 5OO000,0O0 gallons, say 7T2 cubic feet
| per second. The fall is, before stated,
/ about 30 feet.
1T Is we'll understood that the land and
! water rights OF the Great Falls Manufac-
| turing Company have been for some years
| for sale; also that there is now pending in
! the Maryland legislature charter giving to
| corporation, entitled the Great Falls Pow
| er Company, authority to erect such dams
! or other structures in the Potomac river
| between the Great Falls and the United
states aqueduct dam, as may be necessary
| for the objects ard purposes set forth in
| the charter, which include the selling and
| leasing of water power, the using of the
same for manufacturing and other purposes
and for generating, transmitting, selling or
leasing electricity, electric power and light
/ with the provision that nothing in the act
shall be construed to give said Great Falls
| Power Company authority to interfere with
any existing rights of the United States >
In case of sale of the company's land and
water rights there might be no result other
than the succession of a new claimant and
| litigant against the United States to the
] Great Falls Manufacturing Company, but in
| case of the granting of the charter lust
mentioned by the state of Maryland Qt has
as 1 understand. been already granted by
] the state of Virginia), l should say that IL
| II be held or claimed that such increase is
not covered by an existing right, any at
tempt by the United States to Increase the
water supply of the District Of Columbia
would. in the absence of legislation such as
is proposed by Senate bill No. 1859, be very
| likely to lead to contention and litigation.
| II understand that the charter referred to
| has been granted, but that before the pass
age Of the act the Chesapeake and Ohio