Evening star., 1895-10-10
The Conduit Gates.

Major knight says it has been impossible
for an indefinite period to work two Of the
iron gates regulating the flow of water
into the CONDUIT at Great Falls. The water
as shut off September "a, to enable the
removal of deposits from the conduit to be
continued, and this opportunity was taken
to drill holes into the gates and partially
prepare to break them out, when the con-
duit is again emptied. At the same time
leakage about the frames of gates in waste
weir No. 9 was reduced by using pine
wedges. The frames were found in good
condition. The upper brick corners and q
capstone were renewed at culvert No. g..
Repairs to the wooden bridge crossing the
spillway Of the receiving reservoir were
completed, and repairs were started on the
woodwork of the roadway of the PennSyl-
vania avenue bridge. The latter bridge has
been closed to prevent accidents. 1t is ex-
pected to complete repairs to this bridge
this month.
The approved project for removing de-
tying the conduit as cften as Is considered
advisable, loosening up the deposits and
sluicing them out through the waste gates.
Water was shut off from the conduit, and
the gates at waste weirs l and 2 opened at
10 o'clock pm, September %. Cleaning
commenced at am the next day. and was
continued sixteen hours, until IL p. m, when
gates at waste weir No. l were closed and
fer seven hours. The inlet to the conduit,
as far as the Great Falls gate house, were
thoroughly cleaned, as well as about 1900
feet between manholes 46 and 81. The de-
posit ran from ten to twenty inches in
depth. Taken from the conduit, it was
shoveled into tubs. which in turn were
wheeled to manholes and then raised and
emptied outside of the conduit. The cost
of this method was between 5 and & cents
per foot of conduit cleaned 1t Is more ex-
pensive than the method previously tried,
but is regarded as more effective, especially
for parts of the conduit far distant from
outlets The total cost, however, will be
much less than the appropriation for the
work, but 1t will probably not be possible to
complete the work this fiscal year, mas
much as the cleaning of the conduit cannot
continue for more than two days at any
one time, on account of the rapid reduction
Of the amount. of water stored in the
reservoirs, and because 1t cannot be re-
sumed until this reduction has been made
good. During the September operations
ater in the receiving reservoir was lower
ed 20 feet, and in the distributing reservoir.
2.55 feet. In the case of the latter falling to
3.O7 feet below its full stage. Six days later
the water rose LIS feet.
Increasing the Water Supply.
Good progress is reported in the project
for increasing the water supply of Wash
ington by raising the height of the dam at
Great Falls IL feet. There are now 973
ste mes at Great Falls for this work. They
were quarried and cut at Seneca. The cop
ing has been removed from the section of
the dam crossing Conn's Island. Bench
marks have been established and railroad
track has been laid across Conn's Island.
The contract for setting up a suspension
galloway for raising Virginia channel sec
tons of the dam requires its completion
November 4 next Authority was received
to pay $4,000 to the Chesapeake and Ohio
Canal Company, upon the condition that
States from all claims for damages to the
canal embankment and tow path by the
raising of the dam.
Testing the Tunnel.
The final report of the work of testing
the tunnel conduit was submitted Septem-
tunnel, close the four easterly shafts and
then fill the tunnel with water. The amount
appropriated for this test was $25,OOO Its
actual cost was $1727O.39. During the
month borings were continued about the
Howard University reservoir, and a study
ditional water supply by completing the
tunnel conduit or otherwise. This work
will be continued during the present month
Maj. Knight says that he turned over all
the works in his charge to Maj. c. E. L. B.
Davis September 80, with the exception OF
the work pertaining to the test of the tun-
mel conduit and its possible use in increas.
ing the water supply Of the District Mai
Knights report in regard TO the tunnel
will not be made public until after its
transmission to Congress.