The times., 1898-10-26

Important local as well as general mat
ters are treated in the annual report of
Brig. Gen. John NJ. Wilson, chief of en-
gineers, which was made public at the
War Department yesterday. Measures of
defense that were taken by the engineer
department during the war with Spain,
the armament contemplated in the future,
and the improvement of rivers and har-
bors are described at length.
The local features of the report refer
20 the proposed increased water supply
for Washington, the continuation OF river
improvements, local engineering work,
defenses of Washington, the maintenance
and repair of public buildings and parks,
the proposed memorial bridge across the
Potomac to Arlington, the repair of the
Aqueduct Bridge, and other work.
Referring to the defenses of Washing
ton, which are situated on the Potomac
in the immediate vicinity of Fort Foote
and Fort Washington, the report states
that at the close of the previous fiscal
year emplacements for three ten-inch
guns on disappearing carriages had been
completed, and the guns mounted, and
operations were in progress upon an addi-
tional emplacement for a ten-inch gun on
disappearing carriage, and for three en-
placements for eight-inch guns on disap-
pearing carriages, the latter by contract
under the provisions of the act of June 6,
1886. AT the close of the fiscal year all
the foregoing emplacements were COM
pleted and the guns mounted ready for
service.
Two sections of experimental parapets
were constructed one of sand with a re-
tanning wall of steel rails; the other of
the type form, with a view to testing
their relative efficiency under the fire of a
ten-inch gun.
A concrete cable tank was built during
the year and a torpedo storehouse nearly
completed for the storage of cable and
other material required for the submarine
mine defenses.
Emplacements for two ten-inch guns on
disappearing carriages were authorized
AT the close of the fiscal year the ten-inch
emplacements We're well advanced and
ready for their armament. The emplace-
ments for two four-inch rapid-tire guns
were nearing completion and their arma-
ment was being put in position.
Washfngton's Water Supply.
That portion of the report devoted to
the water supply of Washington states
that measurements of the daily and hour
ly consumption and waste of water were
made on June-23, and 2S-29, 1885, and a
mean of the two results gave the daily
consumption as 47,2SS 733 gallons, an in
crease above that of the preceding year.
Based upon an estimate of 264, ,302 con-
sumers of Potomac water, this corre-
spends to a per capita daily consumption
and waste of 10 gallons. Based upon a
population of 2S0,7S2 in the District OF
Columbia, as determined by the police
census taken in April, 1897. with an esti-
mated increase in population of 5000, ir-
respective of their source of water sup
ply. 1t corresponds to a daily per capita
of l6s gallons.
The fact was disclosed by an extensive
series of gaugings that at the lowest
stage of the Potomac. with all the de-
posits removed from the conduit and the
distributing reservoir, the conduit is cap.
able OF discharging into the reservoir
about 76,50o,coo gallons of water per day
Gen. Wilson says: 1.-The necessity for
the construction of a new conduit be.
tween Great Falls and the distributing
reservoir is only question of time, ant
! strongly recommend that provision bt
made for this work in the near future
The new conduit should be completed anC
ready for operation before the daily con
sumption equals the maximum capacit!
of the present conduit.
ITO make the preliminary surveys ant