Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-27
Singular Accident Happens to the
Washington Aqueduet.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DAMAGE
The Water Supply Will Be Short
Until Monday.
PROMPT ACTION TAKEN

aqueduct this morning about 3 o'clock, and
as result the city will have to be placed
on a short supply for probably about thir
ty-six hours from this time Prompt ac-
titn on the part of the authorities in charge
Of the water supply prevented what might
have been more serious calamity, as i'm
mediately after the accident measures were
taken to prevent a waste Of the water, and
there Is now available a supply that can
certainly last for two days from the time
Of the accident.
Friday morning all the water in the Del
carlia reservoir, the old basin north OF
the distributing reservoir that was aban-
doned some years ago and recently re-
paired, was drawn off for the purpose of
permitting a thorough examination to be
made of the bottom of the reservoir. This
released the pressure from the walls of the
basin and causing sloughtng away OF
the soil in the embankment that covered
the bye-conduit that has for several years
been used to conduct the water from Great
Falls around the Delcarlia basin into the
main conduit and so to the distributing res
ervoir. This bye-conduit was not incorpor ;
ated in the general plan OF Gen. Melgs' put
was proposed to the Secretary of the In
terror by Silas Seymour, chief engineer of
the aqueduct, in 1854
The plan that he proposed was to use
the Delcarlia reservoir as a settling basln
fer several days h order to settle, mean
while supplying the lower reservoir from
the Great Falls dam by means OF this bye
conduit.
had settled in the other basin the gates
would be opened and the purer water
would be allowed to flow directly through
the conduit through the city mains by way
several years and only abandoned when 1t
was discovered that the Delcarlia reservoir
was subject to the pollution of the surface
drainage from the neighboring farms
The Bye-Conduit Breaks.
The bye-conduit is partly tunneled
through the rock and the remainder Is
built of stone masonry. Some time after
the construction part OF the tuneling
caved in and it was then lined with brick.
At about o. clock this morning watchmen
at the reservoir discovered that water was
coming in a considerable stream from
section of the masonry conduit near the
outlet of the Delcarla basin, within few
yards of the southern end of the bye
conduit. 1t seemed to be squirting upward
near the crown of the arch. and in short
time a considerable gap was opened IN the
stone work. which had been exposed by the
falling away of the soft soil that formed
the embankment.
The bank has been saturated with the
water that had lain against 1t in the reser.
was about ten feet long on the horizontal
axis of the conduit and four to five feet
high. 1t Is Of irregular shape and for
about one-third of Its length the side wall
is cut from the crown to the bottom. 1t Is
thought that the first weakening came at
the haunch Of the arch. which depended for
its strength largely upon the soldity of
the embankment beyond.
A Serious Danger Averted.
Maj knight, the officer in charge of the
aqueduct, was notified by the watchman
Immediately by telephone. and he fastened
at once to the scene of the disaster. Mean
while the gate Of the conduit leading to
the distributing reservoir was hastily
closed to prevent any further flow south
ward, and as quickly as word could be sent
to the distributing reservoir the watchman
there was reused. and as a double check
upon the flow the infiuent gate there was
also shut. so that in short time after the
accident had occurred there was not drop
of water passing between the two reSer-
voirs If this had not been done 1t is prob
able that in a short time the lower reser-
voir would have been completely emptied
into the upper one leaving the city's mains
without a source of supply.
This is due to the fact that the Delcarla
reservoir being emptiad wat at that time
considerably below the level OF the dis
fall in the conduit of about eighteen
inches in its course to the south. the diff
ference in level would have prac ticaily
emptied the lower basin, and so have de-
prived the city of Its supply fore good
many hours.
Meanwhile the entire flow Of water from
Great Falls through the conduit was pour
gap thus made. Maj. Knight caused care
full examinations to be made Of the aper-
ture, and it was soon decided that there
was no danger of an immediate enlarge
~ ,,rtI hraa lyd n
should occur, would be on the side Of the
reservoir so that there was no probability
of any waste of the supply. The bank on
the other side is hard. solid and dry, and,
the pressure being relieved by the breaking
Of the inner bank, there is no possibility
now that the conduit will give way in the
opposite direction.
May BE n Blessing In Disguise.
Maj. knight said to Star reporter this
afternoon that the only thing to be done
was to wait and economic water for few
hours The relief necessary can only come
when the level in the Delcarlia reservoir
equals or exceeds that in the distributing
reservoir. At the rate of consumption from
the latter and of the inflow at the former
he estimated this morning at the time of
the accident that it would take about forty
eight hours to complete the equilibrium and
to warrant his opening the gates and
throwing the Delcarlia reservoir into the
city system. When that Is done he will not
attempt at the present time to repair the
break in the bye-conduit, but will permit
the supply to flow into that basin through
the gap thus formed by accident. The prac-
tical effect of the disaster then will be to
place the Delcarlia basin in service few
days sooner than was intended and with
an influent gate that was not provided for
in the original specifications.
If, upon observation, it is found that the
conduit is suffering damage from the flow
of water through the gap, some measures
may be taken to repair the break or to
establish at this point a more regular place
of ir flux. The flow through the bye-con-
duit could be stopped at any moment by
shutting the gate at the upper end and
allowing the supply to pass into the Del
carlia basin. through the original gate that
was built before the bye-conduit was con-
structed.
The Delcarlia reservoir Is in excellent
condition to be used at once, having been
thoroughly drained of the water that had
been standing in it early in the week.
There was perhaps few thousand gallons
Immediately around the southern gate
house, owing to a lower level having been
provided there for the elaborate system of
gates and outlets. This water, however, is
fairly pure and fresh. and will probably
have no deleterious effect whatever ,1pai,