Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-30
A Board to Consider Its General
Practicability.
CAN IT Be UTILIZED TO CARRY WATER?
The Investigation Already Con-
Quoted by Maj. Knight.
PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED

tary of War has appointed board of eX-
pert engineers to consider the general ques-
ton of the pracucability of the use of the
Lydecker tunnel conduit in increasing the
water supply of the District of Columbia
The board is composed of the following
members: Maj. w. E. Marshall, corps of
engineers stationed at Chicago, ILL.,; Capt.
Jas. L. Lusk, corps of engineers, stationed
at West Point, N. Y; Mr.. Alphonse Fteley,
civil engineer, chief engineer of the aque-
duct commission of New York; Mr.. Des-
mond Fitzgerald, civil engineer, resident
engineer of the additional supply of the
Boston water works, at Brookline, Mass,
with First Lieut.. d. ID. Gaillard, corps OF
engineers as recorder. These gentlemen
are regarded as expert hydraulic engineers,
and each was selected because of his par
ticular fitness, by education and experience,
to pass upon the important questions in
volved in the repair of the tunnel conduit.
Personnel of the Board.
Mai. Marshall, besides being an able mill
itary engineer is a civil engineer of high
standing. He will be president of the board
Capt. Lusk is well known in Washington,
having served here as an assistant to the
Engineer Commissioner of the District from
June, 1888. to March, 1898. He is thorough
ly familiar with the water system of Wash
ington as well as with the history and cor
dition of the tunnel Mr.. Fteley's selection
outside of his general engineering skill, was
due principally to the fact that he super
vised the repairs of the Croton aqueduct
when 1t had been left in condition closely
resembling that of the Lydecker tunnel
The cavities and defects in the Croton auue-
duct, while of the same general character,
were, however, of much greater extent. Mr.
Fitzgerald of Massachusetts, is recognized
as one of the best hydraulic engineers in the
country, and his special usefulness in the
coming investigation will be enhanced by
connection with the Sudbury aqueduct,
where grossly defective work was subSe-
quently repaired. Lieut.. Gaillaf1, the re-
corder of the board, is one of the brightest
duty in this city assistant to Maj.
Davis of the engineer corps in local charge
of the water supply system of the District.
Instructions Given.
The members of the board have been in
structed to prosecute their work with
little delay as possible. and it is expected
that they will assemble here for that pur-
pose in a few days. The main question for
them to determine is whether the tunnel
can be utilized in carrying water from the
distributing reservoir above Georgetown to
the Howard University reservoir north of
the city of Washington without too great
expense, and if the tunnel cannot be
used, to suggest some other method of ac-
compliShing the same result. In view OF
the high standing of the board, it is eX-
pected that Congress will accept it's judg-
ment on the question and legislate accord
ingly.
The Investigation Already Made.
The engineer department of the army was
not prepared to pass final judgment on the
question under existing conditions. AT the
last session of Congress appropriation
of $4,000 was made for an examination
and test of the tunnel conduit to ascertain
its condition and the propriety of its COM
pIetion for use in the water supply system
of the District.
The statutory provisions on this subject
are as follows:
For testing the tunnel conduit to deter
mine the amount of its leakage, $25,0OO. to
be taken from the appropriation for in
creasing the water supply of Washington.
District of Columbia to be Immediately
available.
There shall be prepared, upon careful in
vestigation by the proper officer of the gov
erL ment having the charge of the Washing
ton aq. educt and the water supply to the
city of Washington, a full and detailed re-
pert, which shall lie submitted to Congress
Oil the first Monday in December, 1895, upon
the feasibility and proprety of completing
the tunnel conduit as now projected; the
completion of the new reservoir, including
its dam or any notifications to the same
deemed recessary; and upon the results
to the supply of water to the city when said
dam, the raising of the dam at the Great
pleted. And if such officer and consulting
engineer shall conclude that it is imprac-
ticable, or too expensive, to repair such
tunnel conduit. then they shall report some
plan for bringing increased water supply
frGm the reservoir in Georgetown to Wash
ington by pipes or otherwise.
Each separate item of the report shall be
accompanied by detailed estimate of the
cost of the work required and the necessary
costs, not to exceed $lO,U0O, connected with
the inquiry and reports, shall be betrayed
from the appropriation for increasing the
water supply of Washington, District of
Columbian Provided, That in the prepara-
tion of this report Gen. Thomas l.. Casey,
United States army, shall be associated
with the proper officer of the government in
charge of the aqueduct as consulting en-
gineer, and his signature shall be appended
to said report in said capacity, and said re-
port shall also be accompanied with the
judgment of the chief of engineers, and
made to the Secretary of War; who shall
transmit the same to Congress with his
views thereon"
Major knights Tests.
The tunnel was thoroughly tested during
the past summer, under the direction of
Gen. Craighill, chief of engineers, by Mai
J. G. d. Knight, corps of engineers, at that
time In charge of the Washington aqueduct
and now on duty in New York Mai.
Knight consulted freely with Gen Casey
formerly chief of engineers, but now on the
retired list, and the two officers made a
joint report to the chief of engineers
Although the exact nature of that report
has not been disclosed, there is an impress
sion that it's general tendency was favor
able to the completion and ultimate use OF
the long-abandoned tunnel as a means of
increasing the water supply of the District
The tests already made, however. have not
been entirely conclusive on that important
POINT, and tie situation is such that Gen.
Craighill desires a further study of the
question before passing official judgment
rpoE it. required by the statute The
report has been in his possession only q few
weeks, and his time has been SO much en-
crossed by other questions of more general
importance that he is not as yet fully pre-
pared to submit the report with his indorse-
rent to the Secretary Of War for transmits
sion to Congress. ION the first Monday of
December, 1905" as required by the act.
Important Engineering Problems.
There are several important engineering
problems yet to be solved to Gen. Craig
bills satisfaction before he will be entirely
ready to express his official opinion as to
the propriety of completing the tunnel.
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