Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-22
INTO THE TUNNEL
An Investigating Tour Made Today
by Maj. Knight.
ITS PRESENT CONDITION DESCRIBED
The Descent Made Through the
Howard University Shaft.
SAND, GRAVEL AND MUD

SAND, GRAVEL AND MUD
1t is somewhat an unusual experience for
a Washingtonian to go suddenly from n
temperature of 90 degrees in the shade to
one o! w. vet Star reporter this morn.
ing accomplished such transition in the
orleI period OF half minute, and after an
nour's enjoyment of the lower Temperature
ne returned to the regions SO uncomfort-
ably heated with the suns rays. This 1T
tie excursion into semi-arctic conditions
was made by way of the hole that was
some years ago pierced through the earth
Tor distance of nearly five miles from the
new reservoir near Howard University in
westerly direction. This is the old auue-
duet tunnel that unfortunate project that
has cost the government and the District
SO many hundreds of thousands of dollars
and has been such a tremendous scandal
The story Of the tunnel is so well known
that Its repetition at this time is a waste
OF words. Il has been Investigated by a
court OF inquiry. by court-martial, and
nhaiiy by congressional Committee. For
Ten years past II has been before the pub
lie in one form or another, and for seven
years 1t has been Laughing stock, though
q serious one.
Just at present there is an effort be-
Ing made. under the direction of Congress,
TO ascertain whether or not the tunnel can
ever be utilized for the purpose for which
1t was originally intended. namely, the
transmission Of water from the conduit
that leads from the Great Falls dam to fill
the great reservoir north of the city.
Maj. Knight the engineer officer now in
charge Of the Washington aqueduct, has
been conducting this investigation, and to-
day. In the company of one of his assist
ants and Star reporter, he made his last
visit into the tunnel before it shall be al
lowed to refill with the water, as a part
of the tests that are now being supplied.
Filling With Water.
When the active operations of lining the
tunnel were abandoned late in the fall of
1888. after the court-marfal had tried
Major Lydecker for neglect of duty the
tunnel was allowed to fill with the water
that naturally scopes or drains through
the rocks and that found natural course
into this horizontal shaft. So great was
the volume of this water that 1t overflowed
at the lowest point of the earths surface,
Immediately above the line of the shaft,
Eamely, Rock creek where one OF the five
vertical shafts connecting the tunnel with
the surface is located Fer over seven
years this has gone on, and the abandoned
tunnel has wept away as IL in self-appre-
citation of the disgrace of its being The
overflow at this point has been measured,
and has been found to be many thousands
OF gallons per cay. There have been two
fears entertained by the engineers during
these years of abandonment. One was
that the tunnel would cave in, owing to the
action of the water, and SO render itself
practically useless, and so unfit for further
rehabilitation; and the other was that even
II the tunnel should eventually be found to
be in such condition as to render its COM
pletion practicable, the great amount of
drainage Into it might prove a source Of
danger. as it was possible that the supply
would be contaminated by the seepage.
Fears Upfounded.
The investigation so far conducted has
proven both of these fears to be unfound-
ed. as the tunnel is today, after seven
years of abandonment or more, in practi-
cally the same condition as when the work
was stopped: and i. has been thoroughly
demonstrated by chemical and bacteriolog-
lcal analyses that the water is perfectly
pure. and would be an improN ement rather
than detriment to the water supply.
Through the courtesy of Major knight q
reporter for The Star was this morning
permitted to visit the tannel and to obtain
ocular evidence of the good condition Of
the tunnel 1t is not a pleasant trip.
Notwithstanding the pleasant ccolress Of
the atmosphere one hundred and fifty feet
below the surface the conditions in the tur-
mel are not favorable to a hilarious en-
joyment Of the promenade. In the first
place, the nature of things underneath
ton necessary. The oldest of clothes are
requisite if the invader of these subter-
ranean depths is to enjoy any peace Of
mind. A pair of rubber boots, reaching to
the hips, is also necessary, as netwith-
standing the work of a powerful steam
pump that extracts an average of go gal
Ions of water a minute, there is at all times
more or less water running down the
slopes that are formed in the different
headings. If the tunnel were TO be used
as summer resort 1t would have to be
pretty thoroughly cleaned out first. as the
first hundred feet from the entrance is
courage society patronage.
The Descent Down the Shnft.
The descent in the tunnel was made at
the Howard University shaft a little after
10 o'clock this morning. One of the pumps
at this shaft had been disabled by the
sand that continues to silt into the packing
and there was some delay in getting the
tunnel clear enough OF water to permit an
entrance. Finally Major Knight and his
assistant stepped into one of the great iron
buckets that is used to hoist the mud and
sand out of the shaft, while one of the
workingmen stood on the edge and gave
the signal. There was throbbing of the
snuffy little engine that stands by the
boiler house near the mouth Of the pit
and in a trice the bucket with its human
freight went swinging over the timbered
orifice and soon sank out of sight. In q
few minutes it was rehoisted and the re-
porter, accompanied by the civil engineer
who is at present engaged on the work.
was carried to the depths below In the
same manner
The trip downward was not unlike a ride
in a rapidly moving elevator, with the dis
advantage, however, of an erratic twisting
motion, that might have produced a species
of seasickness IL continued long enough.
Suddenly the bucket stopped with bump;
there were hoarse shouts of the working
men below to those above to stop the en-
gine and the invasion of the tunnel was
begun The bottom of the shaft was COM
pletely filled with water to depth of about
three feet, SO that the rubber boots were
just capable of keeping out the yellow.
mucky fluid. There is a tangle Of water
and steam pipes, and a maze of timbering,
while the mouth Of the tunnel itself looms
black and forbidding on the western side.
Sand and Gravel and Mud.
Each of the party was provided with q
small copper lamp. with long handle'
that gave a Pickering, yellow blaze. ac-
companied by dense black smoke For
seyenty-five' feet from the shaft the tun@
mel is so filed with sand and gravel that
have been drifted and blown into the tun-
mel from the surface that walking erect ss
impossible. The water comes down from
the western side with a pretty good cur
rent. being drawn into the suction pipes Of
the pumps with great force. A man with q
shovel is stationed at the inlet of tine pump
.l-.