Evening star., 1896-01-20
[ YDECKER TUNNEL
Report Of the Board Of Expert En-
gineers Submitted.
WHAT GEN. CRAIGHILL SAYS
It is Recommended to Complete It
on the Original Plan.
T H E P r OBJ BILE COST

Gen. Craighill. chief Of engineers, today
submitted to the Secretary Of War the re-
port of the board of expert engineers on
the subject of an increased water supply
for the city of Washington, together with
his Endorsement thereon. 1t will be trans
mitted to Congress tomorrow or the next
day. Gen. Craighill had conference with
Secretary Lamont with reference to max
ing the report public today. At its close
he informed Star reporter that the Sec
retary had authorized him to say that 1.-The
expert engineers had reported unanimously
and strongly in favor of completing the
Lydeclker tunnel conduit under the original
project, and that it was estimated that the
work could be done at cost considerably
less than million dollars
Gen. Craighill said that he could say
nothing more on the subject in advance of
the submission of the report to Congress
Although he would not admit 1t, 1t is
known that Gen. Craighill has approved
the recommendation for the completion of
the tunnel as the best and most economical
means of increasing the water supply Of
Washington.
Authority for the Investigation.
The Investigation of the water supply
question was DdScu Ol a pONiSAOA VI ehS
District Of Columbia appropriation BILL ap-
proved March 9, 1892, as follows:
For testing the tunnel conduit to deter
mine the amount Of its leakage. $4,000. to
be taken from the appropriation for in
creasing the water supply OF Washington,
DC, to be Immediately available.
There shall be prepared. upon careful in
vestigation by the proper officer of the
MT hox xyinD charge OF the
Washington aqueduct and the water supply
of the city of Washington, full and de-
tailed report, which shall be submitted to
Congress on the first Monday in December,
1895, upon the feasibility and propriety Of
&C mpleting the tunnel conduit as now pro-
iected; the completion of the new reser-
voir. including it's dam or any notifications
to the same deemed necessary; and upon
the results as to the supply Of water to
the city when said dam, the raising of the
dam at Great Falls, the conduit and reser-
voir are completed.
"And II such officer and consulting engi-
reer shall conclude that it is impracticable
or too expensive to repair such tunnel con-
duit, then they shall report some plan for
bringing increased water supply from the
reservoir In Georgetown to Washington by
pipes or otherwise.
Each separate item of the report shall
be accompanied by a detailed estimate Of
the cost of the work required: and the
necessary costs, not to exceed $1,000. con-
nected with the inquiry and reports shall
Le betrayed from the appropriation for
increasing the water supply of Washing
ton, D. c.
Provided, That in the preparation of this
re port Gen. Thomas L. Casey, United States
army, shall be associated with the proper
officer Of the government in charge Of the
aqueduct as consulting engineer, and his
signature shall be appended to said report
in said capacity and said report shall also
be accompanied with the judgment Of the
chief of engineers, and made to the Secre-
tary of War, who shall transmit the same
to Congress, with his views thereon.
Different Reports Made.
Major Knight then in charge Of aqueducD
made a report on this matter, but it was
not entirely satisfactory to the chief OF
engineers. and he convened a board Of ex-
perts to further investigate it.
This board consisted Of Maj. Marshall
and Capt. Lusk of the corps Of engineers,
Mr.. Fteley, IN charge of the water service
of New York city, and Mr.. Fitzgerald of
the Boston aqueduct commission, with
Capt. Gaillard, corps of engineers, as re-
corder. The civil engineers were specially
adapted for the work because they have
conducted engineering works almost iden-
tical with that required to complete the
Lydecker tunnel.