The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-20
OLD-TINE WATER SPRINGS
How the Capital Was Supplied in
Years Long Gone.
The Establishment of Fire Plugs in
the City-GenernI Totten's Report
on the Aqueduct From Great Faiis.
Opposition From the State of Mary
Iand-Growth of the Enterprise.


| ties. as well as OF the citizens of Wash
ington, generally, being at present di-
rected to the question of the impurities OF
| Potomac water, and a plan of filtration
being now under advisemept b. the city
powers. a short history of our present
method of water supply. must, of course,
| have at least modicum of interest.
The inhabitants OF early Washington de-
rived their water from number Of springs
| which we're located as follows: The most
| important one was that on Smiths farm
at the head of North Capitol Street above
Boundary Street. 1t had great flow of
water. From it were two mains-one down
North Capitol Street to the Capitol
grounds, which still supplies the grotto To-
Gated therein with is constant flow of wa
ter. and the other going down Pennsyl-
vania Avenue nearly to Fifteenth Street.
There was also a spring in the City Hall
lot, about fifty feet west of the building,
which supplied pumps on Second Street
as far as the Lafayette House, and another
lire OF pipe went down Louisiana Avenue
to Seventeenth Street South Of the City
Hall, on C Street between Four-and-a-
half and Sixth Streets, was another ia
| nous spring. 1t was on lot owned by
the corporation, and upon which the
, building first used for a Police Court aft
| erward stood.
| There was another spring in 1884 under
| where the Masonic Temple stands, which
was tapped by pipes running along F
| Street and down Ninth Streets. There
was a spring in Franklin Square. another
| just outside the square. The old Car
| roll spring on Capitol Hill, located at the
| intersection of New Jersey and New York
Avenues, had a most copious flow. and
the water was both cool and of excellent
quality. The best spring in the north
western part of the the city was on p
Street, near the Georgetown Bridge,
which for many years supplied the Metro
| politan street car stables. in Georgetown,
| by pipe under the bridge. There is a
| splendid spring on Virginia Avenue. be-
| tween Twenty sixth and Twenty -seventh
Streets, near the gas works.
These springs supplied the requirements
of the early-day Washingtonians for sew
| eral years, but with the increase OF pop
ulation they. of course, became made
quate. In 1881. Congress appropriated
$1,000 to bring to the Capitol the waters
from one of the springs of the Tiber,
rising on the farm of ]. y. Smith. about
one mile distant. The water was conduct
ed in iron pipes from the reservoir. at
the head of the stream, and supplied the
marble fountain at the foot of the terrace
on the west front of the Capitol. the sur
plus being discharged into basins one on
the east and one on the west front Of the
building. The one on the west contained
IS, S27 gallons, and that on the west Ill 241
gallons per minute.
1t was about this time that the neces-
sity for a larger supply OF water began
seriously to engage the minds of the peo-
pie. Robert Mills, engineer and architect,
wrote and published a series of powerful
articles on the question of water supply
| in general, giving graphic description of
| the matter from the earliest ages down
! to that period. The natural supply de-
rived in Washington from underground
springs had appealed strongly In the irst
instance. to the founders of the city when
they laid it out. After the fire which de-
stroyed the Treasury building and the
General Postoffice and Patent Office build
ings, Mr.. Mills, as architect of the city,
recommended that a supply OF water
should be conducted from the basins at
the Capitol to those buildings when re-
constructed, where, being under head OF
sixty feet, the water might be conducted
to their top by means of a hose. 1t was
with this view that Congress appropriated
gestion into execution, and in order to
benefit that portion of the city through
which the pipe passed fire plugs were
stationed at proper distances. easily &C
cessible in case of need.
On March 80 1880, Mr.. Mills addressed
letter to Mr.. G. C. Verplanck. Chairman
OF the Committee of Public Buildings, upon
the subject of supplying the city Of Wash
ingtou with water, the sources being first,
the Tiber and second Rock Creek. With
reference to the Tiber, it was the nearer
to the Capitol, and its waters could be
brought there at the least expense; but
the supply was limited, and 1t was not
certain that its yield would be pernla-
nent.
On February II, 1853, Brig. Gen. Joseph
| G. Totten made a report to the Secretary
OF War on the subject of supplying water
to the cities of Washington and George
| town. embodying in his report that ad-
dressed to himself by Montgomery C. Meigs,
| of which the following is a synopsis: The
| aqueduct from Rock Creek. complete.sto
| the Capitol and Navy Yard. and public
| buildings, would cost 81, 25s, S63. The sup
| ply of water in winter and spring would
| be &c. 1872 900 gallons. and would run down
| in summer to 9.S60000 gallons. The Little
| Falls work. complete. would cost 1887.
| AS. and the supply would be steadily L.
0OO 600 gallons. The Great Falls project
would cost S1,921, ga. and the constant
| daily supply would be $4,000. 900 gallons.
| This latter project had numerous and
great advantages over every other. The
work OF constructing the Washington
! Aqueduct which was 10 supply the citizens
| of Washington and Georgetown with wa
! ter was assigned to the Engineering De-
| partment, and General Totten with the
| approval of the Secretary OF War, placed
Capt Montgomery C. Meigs in charge.
| But this work, so necessary to the cities
| of Washington and Georgetown, received
a back-set in April, 1853 by the refusal of
che Legislature of Maryland to permit
the Washington Aqueduct to convey the
water from the Great Falls to these cit
les. This action was surprise and dis
appointment. The construction OF this
aqueduect was looked upon as n more i'm
portant measure than the extension Of the
Capitol. which was then in progress.
Pressure was brought to bear upon the
refractory Legislature. and, on May 3,
1853. an act was passed consenting to
the draft Of water from the Potomac, and
| its conveyance to the District OF Column
bia.
November s. 1853. was a memorable day
in the history of Washington and George
town, for on that date work wasOcom-
menced upon the great aqueduct that was
to bring into them the waters of the Po-
tomac. The President and a portion OF
his Cabinet with the municipal authori-
ties of Washington. went by steamboat
and pack horses from Georgetown, up the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal to Crommelin.
near the Great Falls of the Potomac, in
the vicinity OF which the aquduct COM
menced The spot having been marked by
flag erected upon pole. the President