Evening star., 1895-02-21
Every Phase of the Question Ably
Discussed.
MEETING CT THE E0ARD CT TRADE
Col. Eliot Thinks the Tunnel viii
Work.
THE DAM MUST BE RAISED

The board of trade met last night for
sympos,. I'm OF water. The meeting held in
Builders Exchange. was largely attended
and was IN Itself a splendid school of in
1truction in hydraulic engineering. II
uke eAteI.t of information and degree of
interest could gather about the subject of
Wash.Lstons need of better water sup
ply wherever the matter comes up in Con-
gress there IS little doubt but ample pro-
vision for tie necessity would soon be
made.
The meeting had been announced to the
memb,rs of the board for several days.
and while il vas necessarily limit
cd in numbers and in no sense a mass
meeting. II was large gathering of repre-
seniat.e citizens OF the District.
Large Attendnncc.
Among those present were \. Z. Brown.T.
A. Harding A. ID. Hazen, J. II. Gheen. Lewis
Clephane. John Il. Cotton. w. c. Dodge.
DR. F-rlon Daniel Fraser, w. j. FrizZeH,
E j. Hanuan. S j. Meess. H. b. F. Mcfar-
Snd. ". q. Ordway. Jackson H. Ralston'
- A. iitt,eted William Aolmead. Z. =.
R.ngwalt. fl. l.. Rust, Thomas W. oEn!tn,
J. l.. S:.l' thlneyer, y. II Shea, Col Jno VI;
Wiisoa. John " Babson, Capt. Edward
Smith. " alter C. C.ephane. George I. Dun
Iop. Job barnard Prof. W. ID. Cabeli, AZ
Leidy. Gecrse ~ ArIars. pr. Magruder. W
A Meioy. Charles ". Needhdm, l.. W.
R..chte ed D. Il, Mckee.
In he absence Of Sir. B. II. Warner pres
idtrt of TIE board. Nr. Theodore w.
Noycs. second vice president. presided.
Mr. u .ght, secretary Of the board, an
nouucell the special committees appointed
BY President Warner in pursuance 10
resolution of the board on the subject or
gas AMI ele, tric light rates and telephone
charges. special report was mace by
E.E tb.s 1FNr4n eIINt . a.
on public schools. stating that the resoid-
tions of the board urging liberal congress
souJl treatment of the public schools or
the District had been presented to the sub
committee of the Senate committee on APP
Preparations by Mr.. Harries and Mr. Daniel
Murray OF tina committee Of the board,
VINO gcre courteousiy received. Their re-
quests we're embodied in the bill and pass
ell the Sc'ate. The committee are now
trying to have the House conferees on the
bill recommend concuryenCeS in the SENATE
amendment
The Water supply.
Mr.. Archibald Greenless. chairman of the
committee On water supply. submitted the
following report for that committee:
The board of trade in the past has in
terestcd itself in the promotion of many
questions Of public importance. and given
Its aid in securing mitch needed legislation
but there las ccmc before it no subject OF
deeper Corcern than the subject of the
eve,lng: TIE need of an increase in the
water supply Of the District.
The Importance az Il urgency of this In
creass have been emphasized during the
p2Et few weeks, when a partial famine was
feit i'm nearly all parts OF our city.
pec'aiiy in those sectiors supplied by gray
tty pressure. IL has now become clearly
evident that the present water supply
CUtier the most favorable conditions, falls
FAR short of the needs of our city: and in
weather such as We have passed through.
u-tth - Ich 10 I'D in
when The river is low tdnd this Is quite fire.
QueGO. the supply of water at the disposal
OF the ci;y Is painfully Inadequate. This
condition is not Only followed by great dis
comfort. but becomes serious menace to
health. The modern home requires full
and constant supply or water. and our
sewers should be freely and constantly
flushed.
'.Such being the condition today. IL must
become worse and worse as our city in
creases ard we undertake to meet the
needs of rapidly crossing suburbs.
More water is our plea tonight, and why
should We not have il? No city could be
more favorably located for securing the
most abundant supp : = far beyond our
present neads-and the highest engineering
skill is patiently waiting to make the Poto-
mac river obedient to our needs. Happily
for us an aroused public sentiment is now
demanding that the right of our people to
an ample supply of water be speedily
recognized and granted. We have the
money and the method of securing this in
creased supply has been clearly Indicated.
Thanks to Col Elliot.
"The citizens of the District are greatly
Indebted to Col. George III. Elliot for his
mastery annual report for 1S9I recently
submitted to the Secretary of War. in
which the Washington aqueduct,' 'increas-
Ing the water supply of the city Of Wash
ington' and kindred topics are most eX-
hauStivsly treated.
Of ~ rt ttIf f,~h
Is of most immediate interest to us Is To he
found in his recomme ndation that the
dam at Great Falls be raised two and a
half feet. This increase of the dam has
been repeatedly urged by him since 1851,
but renewed IN this last report with in
creasinS eaTnes tness. No Increase Of
water, he assures the War Dope rtment. is
possible without first increasing the height
of the dam. In reference to this We quote
from his report as follows:
" i should further remark in connection
with this subject that the object of rails
ing the water at the intake of the con-
dut Is to increase the velocity through
the conduit, and thus enable it to bring
more water down from Great t'alls and
into the distributing reservoir, to the end
that tAe water in this reserv DIR may be
kept up to its proper height of li5 feet
above datum. 1t may be found, however,
that even with the water in the distribut-
ing reservoir at this height it will not re-
store tine pressures in the city (Which, by
reason of the rapid increase i'll consump-
ton and waste. are constantly faliiGg) to
what they were when the forty -eight-inch
main. " hich / laid down in lSyO WAS first
put in operation.
The Dnm Must he Raised.
=" IN this case it will be necessary at
once to finish the tunnel connecting the
distributing reservoir with the reseT-
voir near Howard University. or to lay an
other forty-eight-inch main from the dis
Gibuting reservoir to and through the
city. 1t should he understood. however,
that neither of these is the alternative of
raising TIE dam at Great Fails, which
must be done in any case, and with the
least delay practicable.
In reference to the cost Col. Elliot also
says: Il estimate the cost of raising the
dam, together with the cost of such other
works may be found necessary in con-
n.ction Herewith, including the cost of
Strengthening the Corduit and including
the payment for damages on account of
floodlrS ~ lands and other damages, at
Sl2I. 600.
The urgency OF this recommendation,
which was approved by the chief OF en-
gineers. Gen. Casey: the Secretary of War
and the District Commissioners. reinforced
by the prev ai!ius scarcity of water. in
duced the House of Representatives % in