The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-01
OLD WASHINGTON PUMPS
Ancient Fountains That Supplied
the City With Water.
Adjuncts to n Host of Noted Springs
Few Only Left rs Reminders OF
Their Old Time Bcneiicepcc-The
Streams From Which the Crystal
Liquids Once Poured Forth.

| pie provision OF water. Indeed, what Is
row its central portion seemed TO promise
the future & Venice or Amsterdam, fof
Goose, James, and Tybber Greeks were IN
the first plans converted into canals that
made an inland waterway from the Po-
tomac at what is now the Monument
Grounds to the Eastern Branch. while a
special lake was designed to ELL that por-
ton Of the city now occupied by tae
| Botanic Gardens at the fo)t o. Capitol
Hill, SO that, if the first plan had b e1
carried out the President might have I'd :
den to the base of the Capitol in gondoia
OF state
The olden engineering looked to uti IL
! ing and beartifyiD, the great marsh wnlah
stretched westward from the Capitol al1ns-
side the Mall to the Potomac at Sven
teenth Street, but later engineers have
filed up the marsh and dotted the d.
| time streams from sight in ssXer5 and SUI
! terranean water courses. the B Street sew
er, which passes Centre Market, being the
! first, and tho gigantic sewer ROW com
! pIeted from Garfield Park sOutheas. to the
| Eastern Branch being the latest OF these
| constructions. Occasionally, in times OF
| storms these waters under the city protest
! against their darksome Imprisonment and
| burst out into tho open air to deluge por-
ton OF the city and mako South Washing
/ ton once more tie island
| OF course. tho water OF the marzh
| streams could he drunk. but it was not such
water as men like to drink. and. even whsn
the Washington ground val made up o.
seven or eight farms. sp:ing water was pre-
| ferred to marsh water. In the first days
Of the city before punps came into general
use, these springs were Of essential va ue
The great spring on the Smith farm IN TIE
highlands. where the great tunnel rsservoir
Is built was early made to supply, as 1t
does still. some of tho fountains AZ tie
Capitol with water. Tho spring in Fralk!in
SQUARE was so valuable that the TRIED
States bought the ground and iaid pes
from the spring there to supply tho Pres
dents house with water, and it today 81 es
President Mckinley drink from TIA bow
els OF the EARTH as it furnished President
Madison with ready means OF mi1in; his
ta9dy. Water was supplied. also, from tie
cid Willow spring, near Fifth and X Streets
northwest, the Carroll spring, near So1jh
Capitol and Street southeast: Moore's
spring. Gales spring. this Federal or Glib
son spring, at Isheruocd, and the spring
Just between the rear OF the District build
ing on Street which still supplies ky-
tfrants in that neighborhcot; the spring
what is now the basement o. the Masonic
Hall, and many score OF others from tae
hills which. as Captain john Smith deacrib-
ed them two centuries before distilled in
numsfable sweet and pleasant springz.
Above or below ground, near co.rfeGs OF
Capitol, they still live.
Tho springs, however. were not con-
veniently situated to supply rising city.
When men do not have the choice of set
Ting near spring, but are forced to build /
their. homes in long lines called streets, /.
they are forced to bring the spring to
them. and fortunately mother earths
great breast affords drink to all her chill !
dren who seek for it; and SO wells and
pumps began at the opening Of 1900 to fur |
nish water in sections to which springs |
were inconvenient.
It is notable that the sage OF history
does not know the origin OF pumps. The
turning beams ard buckets ard water |
wheels that lift the waters OF the Niie |
to the higher lands were in motion before |
the pen OF the scribe had begun to form. /,
its little curves, lines, and dots that have
made history possible; before tho Chal- !
dean characters OF tho Ba6yioniaI baked
his bricks TO tell the world his story.
''Rarper's Magazine says that General
Washington designed a special pump for
use in Alexandria, but the late Dr.. Toner,
in his history. does not mention pump as
among The useful devices made By the |
Father OF His Country. Pumps were how |
ever, no small item in the municipal work !
Of the old corporation of Washington. and |
these useful water sources numbered more |
than thousand within city limits before |
they were superseded. The ward com
missioneTs were. Of old. the masters OF !
pumps, and the municipal policy of pumps !
and wells is well outlined By the regula- |
items of tho city council upon the subject. .
which were as follows:
The mayer shall annually advertise in |
some newspaper printed in the city OF |
Washington, for one month. for proposals |
for the digging of wells. erecting pumps !
and hydrants. anu keeping the same in !
repair. And the proposal. or proposals, |
which the mayor shall deem most advan-
tageous for the corporation shall be ac- |
cepted. The mayor shall. upon applica- |
tioG to him in writing. signed by two |
thirds, or of SO many as in his opinion
constitute that proportion Of the inhabi
tantJ of any nsighborhooi in either of he /
wards. praying for the sinking of well .
and the erection of a pump or the con-
veyance of water in pipes, and the fixing
of a hydrant or the Improvement of a /
spring direct the Commissioner of I'm /
provements for the district in which the /
whole. or the majority, of the applicants
may reside to cause the object Of the APP
plication to be executed by the contractor,
or contractors, If in the opinion of the
mayor it shall be deemed reasonable and |
expedent: and on the completion of a
pump, hydrant or spring. the mayor is
authorized to cause the expenses thereof
to be paid out Of any money in the treas
ury not otherwise appropriated. dssignat-
ing the ward. or wards. if more than ere
is benefited by the improvements, and
the proportion of each for which each may
be properly chargeable.
wherever the expense OF well pump
ard aqueduct and hydrant. or the improve
ment of a spring. Is ascertained in pur-
suance of the provisions Of this act it shall
be the duty of the Commissioner of I'M
for the ward or wards in which
the applicants resids TO assess the whole
Of the property within such distance of the
well, hydrsnt, or spring may in their
opinion be benefited or the value thereof
thereby, under such equitable
rule as they may devise or adopt to such
amount as will reimburse the treasury for
one half of said expense.
III any such owner or owners shall feel
aggrieved by the assessment and shall
within thirty days after the delivery of the
notice make complaint in writing to the
mayor setting forth the grounds of grew
ance it shall be the duty of the mayor, If
he deems sufficient grounds to have been
shown to cause without delay two OF the