Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-11
Board Of Engineer Experts Visit the
Lydecker Tunnel.
ITS INTERIOR CAREFULLY. EXAMINED
Result of Their Conclusions Can
not Be Ascertained.
WILL FIN H soon

The board OF expert engineers expect to
complete the consideration of the question
of the best plan of increasing the water
supply of the District by the end of the
present week. Although they may reach
conclusion on the subject by that time, it
IS not likely that their report will be ready
for submission to Gen. Craighill. chief of
engineers, for a week or two yet. All the
members of the board are impressed with
the Importance of expedition in this matter.
1t is the general desire of the officials as
well as of the public generally that the
matter be presented for the action of Con-
gress with the least possible delay.
The Question to BE Determined.
The main question to be determined by
the board is the avail. bility of the Lydeck
er tunnel for conveying the water from the
distributing reservoir to the new Howard
University reservoir. In case they con-
clude that the tunnel affords the best and
cheapest mode of conduit their task will be
accomplished with much less difficulty
than if it shall be found nece ssary to pro
vide some ether system of conduit. The
beard has invited Gen. I. L. Casey, form
erly chief of engineers. to appear before
them, in order that they may have the
benefit of his knowledge and judgment on
the subject. He is out of town at present.
however. and it is probable that the board
will have adjourned before he returns.
MIR. FitzgernId's Lecture.
Mr.. Desmond Fitzgerald, one of the civil
ian members of the board, will deliver
free lecture in regard to the water supply
system of Boston, at Wizards Hall this
evening He is hydraulic engineer of
the highest standing, ard is said to be
most entertaining talker. In view of the
present agitation of the question of in
al ms rha ltnv yyNT,tN- .N-
pert comments on the general subject will
undoubtedly prove of interest to our citi-
ZenS.
4 Visit to the Tunnel.
The members of the board of expert en-
glneers made.a personal investigation today
of the kydecker tunnel from the receiving
reservoir on the Conduit road as far east
| as the Foundry branch station and pump.
The members of the board, Maj. W. L.
Marshall, corps of engineers. stationed at
Chicago; Capt. James l.. Lusk, corps of
engineers stationed at West Point; Mr..
Desmond Fitzgerald, civil engineer, and
Lieut.. d. d. Ga!llard, corps of engineers,
were in the tunnel for about three hours.
They entered a few minutes after 10 o'clock
and it was after l o'clock when they again
saw the light of day.
Entrance to the tunnel was had through
the shaft on the north side of the Conduit
road. 1t is ninety feet from the surface of
the earth to the bottom of the tunnel below.
There is no handsome elevator yet in place,
and the decent is made in iron car not
unlike an overgrown ash can, which is let
down by derrick and steam engine 1t
would accommodate two or three passengers
at time sitting on the edge Of the bucket
and hanging for dear life to the chain, and
several trips were necessary Ia addition
to the members of the board Col Elliot Che
engineer in charge of the aqGcduCt, Assist
ant Engineer Spead, two or three laborers
and a couple of newspaper men We're in the
exploring party.
1t is not altogether E pleasant, sensation
to be dropped into the bowels OF. the earth
at the end of a rope, feeling all the time that
II the engineers foot should slip or he should
forget his business. there would be nothing
| to stop ones fall but the harl brick floor of
the tunnel below.
4 Tour Along the Bottom.
After the bottom was reached it was
comparatively easy sailing Hip boots were
requisite and necessary. however for the
bottom of the tunnel Is wet ali the way.
and in places the water is nearly three
feet deep. 1t was in no sense a pleasure
expedition, for the experts were there to
examine the condition of the walls At
intervals Of every twenty-five or fifty feet
cuts have been made through the brick
work by previous inspection parties, where
the sounding bar gave forth hollow sound
on the primary test and showed that the
space between the arch and the rock had
not been properly filled in.
At each and every one of these openings
ladder was put up. and one or more of
the party made thorough Investigation
of the conditions at that point. Copious
notes were made, which they will use in
making up their report and recommended
lions. On this section of the tunnel, which
is perhaps half a mile in length or less
the brickwork was found to be of an un-
usually good character, and Maj. Mar
shall expressed the opinion that, on the
whole. it was better than could be found
q in
above and behind the brick arch were
found scores and scores of places where
the interstices had not been properly flied
Up with rubble- Large cavities were ex-
posed in number OF places. Cavities"
as ore of the experts expressed it, which
would require a gold filing
Not all of the tunnel from the western
entrance to the Foundry branch shaft is
bricked in. There are large portions where
the excavation is still in the rough though
for the most part large enough for the
s saa which is ABOUT nine feet from the
One may walk the whole length without be-
ing compelled to stoop except in a few
places where the debris has accumulated
or where the rock was purposely left to be
used for filling when the brick work should
be DONE For the most part the walk was
about as good as it would be on the avenue
on rainy day. and the walls were sur
priSingly dry. There was comparatiyeI
little dripping. The temperature in the tun-
mel was about 60 degrees, and while rubber
boots were needed for wading, the few who
wore rubber coats found them an iucum-
brance and not at all necessary.
Weird and Curious Sight,
1t vas weird and curious sight to watch
this little band of men wormng their way
through the earth, lighted only by a few
miners lamps filled with lard oil. They
went single file as rule. and of the party
only one met with any mishap Col Elliot
relied too much on a slippery stone and the
result was that he went into the water ever
his boot tops. Every rod or two the sound
ing bar-a heavy crowbar-was driven
against the brick work. and by the sound it
gave back it was possible to estimate the
character of the filling behind the arch
A sharp metallic ring showed that the
bricks were solidly backed. while a dull,
hollow sound made it certain that there
were cavities, which would have to be
filled in properly before the tunnel can be
called a successful piece of work
Within few hundred feet of the Foun-
dry branch shaft, where further progress
was barred, the water became quite deep,
as the shaft takes drop here, and the in
flow from either end fccumulates here A
big aat-bottomed boat has been taken into
the tunnel and number of the party
made use of this for continuing bai ior,