Evening star., 1895-02-21

terials are abundant and convenient. Gran
ite is to be had in the vicinity"
Some one asked how much the raised
dam would increase the city's water sup
ply.
About 2O,OOO,OOO gallons" said Col. Ell
lot. But the greatest advantage would
be gained in the greater head and increased
velocity of water in the conduit. Our
present trouble is in keeping the reservoir
full. 1t has not been full this winter. We
can't get it full. 1t stands sometimes at
five feet, then runs down to four and
half or even less.
The Tunnel.
A sharp interest in the Lydecker tunnel
kept cropping out all through the session.
| To the questions in regard to 1t Col. Ell
liot said: II am inclined to think the pro-
posed test will show that the tunnel not
| withstanding the fraud done in packing
| and filling behind the back hnlng, VII!
| work. When water is let in and the GROUND
| is saturated think it will hold. There Is
a big horizontal hole 100 feet undergrounaa
| In some places. 1t is lined with brick, ana
the experts who examined 1t said the brick
work was good.
The first question is whether II water
were let into it the exfiltration Woulo 40
harm 1 think not. If water should per-
colate through the rock, what harm can
| it do? 1 have never observed any springs
resulting from the aQueduct. Now, the
| whether drainage from the surface would
get into the tunnel and affect the water
| there. The water supply of Berlin ana
| other cities is filtered through about eight
pure. If eight feet of sand will do that
will not $50 feet of earth, sand and rock
| do as much or more to purify the 1nhltra-
| tion into the tunnel.
Mr.. Cowsell asked If pipes could not be
| put in the tunnel-two mains, side by side,
| so that if burst failed the other
| could be relied on.
| Col. Elliot thought this impracticable. If
| a six-foot main with it's four-inch flanges
| were put i'll the tunnel, but one such pipe
could be placed there. Then, If 1t burst,
| there would be no room to get "a new
| length in. Later, he said, the tunnel would
| bring to the Howard University reservoir
| as much water as twelve forty-eight-inch
mains, because the tunnel had far less
| friction. In this line, also, he made a
statement that gave great satisfaction to
| said that when Howard University reser-
| voir was once filled the mains would lead
| directly from it to Capitol Hill. where
now the water for that part Of the city
came all the way from Great Falls.
The difference in friction was very great
| and he thought that where now there was
but 81 or So feet head for the supply on
| Capitol Hill. when the tunnel could be used
| the head would be 135 feet-high enough to
| supply any building in the city, except the
Schneider flats
Whether the tunnel could be utilized
would be known next fal! beyond all ques-
tion or doubt. If the tunnel should not be
used another 4S-inch main would have to
be put down. In any event. whatever al
tentative was followed. the dam must be
raised some time. In no way could that be
avoided or evaded.
Mr. DnbsOn's Speech.
Mr.. j. w. Babson, president of the East
Washington Citizens Association, was pres
ent by invitation, and made speech eX-
pressing the fullest sympathy of the citi-
Zens of East Washington with the object
of the meeting. Touching the question of
an adequate supply Mr.. Babson put the
matter very we'll. He said:
This word adequate l wish to empha-
size. 1t has been :tated in official reports
that the supply in times past has been as
high as I5J and even 1866 gallons per capita
daily. Those who have criticised these
figures have demonstrated that after de-
Quoting waste. leakage, use by government
and governmental departments there re-
mained but 2,4%S, 322 gallons to be dstrib-
uted to 26,uUO water-takers, giving a little
less than 94 gallons to each building or, al
lowing nine inmates to each building. in
cludinS hotels restaurants. &c, less than
lOla gallons per capita to the actual water
takers.
"Iustead of questioning whether we have
supply of 10 or 100 gallons per capita n
day, L would say. give us 800 gallons! Pro-
vide n sufficient supply to let the water
run from every faucet in every house 81
| multaneously. if need be-for supply at
every sink and closet, whether on the first
or fourth floor. We live during the sum-
mer months almost under a torrid sun.
Our streets are wide; If Taved they become
heated; if nnimproved. dusty. The space
from our curbstones to the building line is
sufficiently wide to allow parking. These
heated pavements should be cooled and
washed by a free use of water, the dusty
streets should be frequently wet, and the
householder should be permitted to use his
hose freely to preserve his green sward.
and, possibly, u few flowers, in condition
to delight his eye and beautify his home.
1T is officially stated that Rome has a
water supply of 4OO gallons per capita, and
the public press has announced that the
fountains play day and night, and that the
company which furnishes it sent printed
| notices to the citizens. requesting them to
| let 1t run in their houses and yards contil-
uouSy, to more thoroughly flush the sew
erS.
rs Washington less than Rome? Has this
great empire. extending from the Atlantic
| to the Pacific. less CT public spirit and pride
| in its capital city than the kingdom upon
| the Adriatic? Appeal to the representatives
Of 65.OOO,OOO American people who make
the laws for thes. few square miles set
apart for the national capital to begin here
and now to reconstruct this long-neglected
city upon the lines of that greater Wash
ington which is just unfolding to the eyes
of the world!'
Mr.. DOdge's Resolution.
Mr. w. c. Dodge of the committee on
water supply said Capitol Hill was elevat-
ed eighty feet. and that he had much
trouble getting water on the second floor
of his house. He detailed some Of the
efforts to obtain more water, and declared
that If citizens ever had reason to rebel
against government 1t was on this very
question. He believed the action necessary
| was the raising of the dam and the clear
! ing of the tunnel Mr. Dodge then offered
| the following resolution:
Whereas the present water supply is so
| deficient as to cause distress in the houses
of citizens generally, which supply is con-
stantly decreasing; and
Whereas the opinion Of the engineer in
| charge is that the raising of the dam at
Great Falls is absolutely necessary TO a
proper supply, and that said work will re-
| quire two years to complete: Therefore
Resolved, by the board of trade, That the
| committee of conference of the District
| bill be, and it is hereby. urgently requested
to provide in the pending bill for the i'm
| mediate prosecution of said work by re-
storing the appropriation for the dam, and
also to provide for testing the new tunnel.
Capt. Edward Burr, assistant to the
Engineer Commissioner of the District,
| was then introduced, and said it was i'm
possible to equally distribute the supply
/ MI l..