Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-04
TO BE RELIEVED
Major Knight to Go to Willets
Point for Duty.
THE TUNNEL INVESTIGATION REPORT
This Must Be Completed Before
He Leaves.
THE WASHINGTON AQUEDUCr

The shifting about of officers of the en-
gineer corps of the army since Gen. Craig
Mill assumed the duties Of chief Of engineers
mas resulted In change Of great import
ance to the citizens of washineton. Mai
John g. D. Knight Is relieved from dutv
in charge of the Washington aaueduot and
auxiliary works and is ordered to ..prooeed
to and take station at Willets Point. N. y.
and relieve Capt. William T, Rossell of
the duties temporarily transferred to him
py Lieut.. Col. William r. King" This
means that Maj. Knight has been placed
IN command Of the post and the school of
engineers at Willets Point. The order takes
ehect when he shall have completed his
present special duty pertaining to the
Washington aqueduct"
Testing the Tunnel.
The special duty referred to in the order
relates entirely to the increase of the water
supply Of the District. Under a special pro
vision OF an act of Congress, Maj. Knight
is now engaged in testing the tunnel con-
duit to determine the amount of its leakage
and general utility. He is preparing data
for a full and detailed report upon the
feasibility and propriety Of completing the
tunnel conduit as now projected. This
work 1ncl'lCeS an 1nVeSQgatlon as TO the
feasibility of completing the new reservoir
at Howard University, including its dam.
He is also to report what, If any, modifi-
cations are necessary to the completion of
the reservoir, and to show how the COM
pleticn of said dam, the raising Of the dam
at Great Falls and the use Of the conduit
and reservoir will affect the water supply
of the city. Gen. T. L. Casey, late chief Of
engineers, and now on the retired list, was
specially designated by act of Congress TO
act as consulting engineer in this investi-
cation and report
The act of Congress provided that If the
engineer ofTice in charge of the Washing
ton aqueduct and the consulting engineer
should conclude that it is impossible or too
expensive to repair the tunnel conduit,
they should report some plan for bringing
increased water supply from the reservoir
in Georgetown to Washington by pipes OF
otherwise. 1t was also provided that each
separate item of the report should be ac-
companied by a detailed estimate of the
cost of the work required. Another pro-
vision was that this report should be SUBJ
mitted to Congress upon its assembling on
the first Monday in December next.
VIII Complete His Report Next Month.
Maj. Knight has been engaged on this
work for several months, in fact, from the
very day that he took charge of the WASH
ington aqueduct. March 80 last. He has
worked faithfully and conscientiously in his
study of the subject of the tunnel conduit
and has managed it so as not to interfere
with his regular duties in charge of the
Washington aqueduct proper.
He is pretty well along with the work
and will probably be prepared to submit his
report to the chief of engineers for trans
mission to Congress about the middle of
October. His transfer to Willet's Point
Will take place when mis- report is submit
ted to the chief of engineers, without re-
gard to the time of its submission to Con-
gress, and he will retain sll his present
duties until that time.
The Washington Aqueduct.
There is no special occasion for haste in
the selection of his successor in charge Of
the Washington aqueduct, and It is not ex-
pected that he will be selected until shortly
before Maj. knight shall be relieved. AL
though not settled, it is strongly probable
that one of the engineer officers on duty in
this vicinity will be assigned to the charge
of the Washington aqueduct, in addition to
his present duties Maj. c. Z. L. B. Davis,
the officer in charge of the Potomac river
improvement and similar engineering work
in Virginia and North Carolina, is men,
toned as most likely to be given that as
signment.
Mai. knights Promotion.
In the event that he is placed in charge
of the eaueduct, Maj. Davis will be re-
Eeved. of all bis present duties excepting
these pertaining especially to the works
in the District of Columbia, which include,
OF course, the Improvement Of the Potomac
river and the repair of the Aqueduct
bridge and the Long bridge.
Gen. Craighill said to Star reporter this
afterno on that the change in the duties of
Maj. Knight is in the nature of promo
tion. The duties at Willet's Point are
highly important and exacting, and Maj.
Knight is regarded as especially fitted for
the place. I'VE consider all officers of the
engineer corps as good men," remarked
Gen. Craighill, but Maj Knight is one of
the best men We have" He said that Maj.
knights assignment to the Washington
aqueduct was never intended to be perma-
rent, ard that his transfer TO Willets
Point is highly pleasing to that officer.
Tie change would take effect at once were
it not for the special work upon which
Maj. knight is engaged on the tunnel.
Gen. Cra!ghill said he did not know yet
who would succeed him in charge of the
Washington aqueduct, but that 1t would
be assigned to one of the officers now
stationed in this vicinity and, in case 1t
would be given one of the younger Of
fioers of the corps an assistant to have
personal supervision over the aqueduct.
If the Conduit Can BE Utilised.
Maj. knight has been on duty in this city
Stree June, 1890, and has many staunch
friends and admirers here. Prior to his
assignment to his present duty he was sta
toned in the War Department as one of
the assistants of the chief of engineers.
In case he and Gen. Casey agree as to the
practicability of utilizing the tunnel con-
Guit and the Howard University reservoir,
and Congress authorizes the execution OF
tlieir project for increasing the water sup
ply of the District, ii will be necessary to
assign one or more of the higher engineer
officers to the supervision of that most I'M
portant work.