Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-05
LYDECKER'S TUNNEL
The Board Of Experts to Meet Here
Next Monday.
HIGH CHARACTER OF THE MEMBERS
They viii Pass Upon Maj, Knights
Investigation.
NO COSTLY EXPERIMENT

The board of expert engineers appointed
by Gen. Craigkill, chief of engineers, with
the approval of the Secretary of War, to
consider ami report a plan for increasing
the water supply of the city of Wash
inGton, will meet at the War Department
Monday morning at o'clock. This board
consists of Major w. E. Marshall and
Capt. j. L. Lusk, corp of engineers. and
Mr. Alphonse Fteley, chief engineer of the
New York adueduct commission, and Mr..
Desmond Fitzgerald, resident engineer of
additional supply Of the water works sys-
tenn of Boston. with Lieut.. D. D. Gaillard,
corps of engineers. assistant to Major Da-
Wis, in charge of the Washington aque-
duct, as recorder
The Civilian Members.
Messrs. Fteley and Fitzgerald, the civil
ian members of the board have notified
Gen. Cra:ghill of their willingness to serve
and of their purpose of reporting to him
for duty Monday morning next. These two
gentlemen were selected by Gen. Craighill
becauce of their high standing as hydraulic
engineers and because Of their great prac
teal experience with engineering problems
similar 20 those involved in the pres ant
instance. Mr.. Fteley personally supervised
the repair of the great Croton aqueddct,
which supplies New FORK city with water
and Mr. Fftze Gerald repaired the Sudbury
aGueduct of the Boston water works sys-
TEN. when its condition was almost. iden-
teal with that of the Lydecker tunnel of
msavory reputation.
Both gentlemen are members of the Amer
lean Society of Civil Engineers, and Mr..
Fitzgerald is vice president of that high
standing organization. In his correspon-
dence with Gen Craighill, Mr. Fitzgerald
has indicated his willingness to deliver a
lecture in Washington during his service as
q ,lAnf-n ft,..h
ject of public water service with special
reference to the construction Of the Sud-
bury aqueduct The arrangements for the
lecture have not yet been completed, but it
Will be delivered some evening next week
Iefcr either the Cosmos Club or the Geo
graphical Society. Mr.. Fitzgerald has al
ready spoken to Boston audiences on this
subject and is prepared to elucidate his re-
marks with appropriate lantern Slides He
Is recognized as an authority on the sub
ject, and his lecture will undoubtedly prove
interesting to this community.
VIII Finish in a Week.
1t Is expected that the engineer board will
be able to complete their duties in this city
within a weeks time. Generally speaking
they are called upon to determine the aues-
ton of the cheapest and best method of
conveying the water of the Potomac from
tie distributing reservoir above George
town TO the Howard University reservoir
north of Washington, and in that way Sc
cure an increased supply of water TO all
parts of the city TIE determination of
this question involves the completion of
the long abandoned Lydecker tunnel or the
construction Of an entirely new system OF
conduit.
Mai. knights Examination.
Acting under special instructions from
Congress, Maj. Knight of the corps of en-
gineers, recently in charge of the Washing
ton aqueduct, made 4 thorough examina-
ton of the tunnel conduit during the past
summer with view to its utility in the
direction indicated.
He consulted freely on the subject with
Gen. T. l.. Casey, corps of engineers
tired, and the two gentlemen made joint
report to the chief of engineers for trans
m mSs.on to Congress, as required by the act.
Their report has not yet been made public,
but it's inconclus.ve character may be in
ferred from the action of the chief of en-
gineers in submitting the question to the
judgment of a board of engineers as u
further preliminary to expressing his own
final judgment the subject in accordance
WITH the terms of the statute. Mag Knight
Gen. Casey concurring. reported that it was
entirely feasible to make use of the tunnel
as conduit between the distributing res
ervoir and the Howard University. They
estimate that It's repair and completion for
that purpose would cost $500, 900, and they
are rot prepared to say that it affords the
best means of accomplishing the desired
results. 1t is understood, they say, that an
entirely new gravity tunnel or pipe system
could be constructed at a slightly increased
expense and might be decidedly more de-
sirahle because of its accessibility and
greater security. Their main objections to
the Lydecker tunnel are it's alleged inacces-
s.bilty for repair, especially at the Rock
creek crossing, and the great expense at
tending it's operation and maintenance be-
cause of its peculiar physical character
iSticS. AS understood, Gen. Casey and Mai
Knight have merely presented the facts in
cApra arf n CT triI-
t.mateS of the cost of completing the tun-
mel well the cost of other methods of
conveying water to the Howard University
reservoir. without, however, committing
themselves as in favor of the adoption of
any particular plan, leaving that matter
entirely to the judgment of the chief of en-
g.neers on the complete data presented as a
result of their researches.
Unwilling to Commit Himself.
Gen. Craighill was unwilling to commit
himself finally on this presentation of the
question, and at his suggestion the Secre-
tary of War, as an additional measure of
precaution, decided to secure the Judgment
of a special board of experts before SUBJ
mitting the question to Congress for legis-
Iative action. Gen. Craghill has his own
views as to the best course of action in the
premises, but in view of the extreme i'm
portance of the question and the great ex-
pense involved in its solution, he deems
1t best to suspend action until he can Sc
cure the judgment of competent board of
engineers, specially charged with its inves-
tigation. He does not propose there shall
be any further failure in this work. and
he is satisfied that the board will evolve
the best and most economical method to
overcome the difficulty. He realizes the
growing necessity of an additional water
supply for Washington, but he does not
propose that the accomplishment of that
much desired improvement shall be at
tended by any costly mistakes such as ac-
companied the carrying out of the original
Lydecker tunnel project
Hopes to Submit Il Plan.
1t is his hope that he will be able to SUBJ
init plan to Congress for an increased
water supply service that can be accepted
without cavil or criticism, and which, if
once undertaken, can be successfully and
eXpeditiously accomplished. That is un-
derstood to be his main idea in having a
special board pass upon the Investigations
conducted by Maj. Knight and indorsed by
Gen. Casey.
An Adverse Decision.