Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-26
SEWAGE STATION WORK
Pumping Plant Now Nearing
Completion.
END Is IN IG H T
WILL HAVE LARGE CAPACITY
THAT CANNOT BE oVERTAXED.
Located at Foot of New Jersey Avenue
Cost to Complete 100000
The Details.

The magnificent new sewage pumping sta
ton. which for all time to come, it is claim
ed will be sufficient for the needs of the
city of Washington, has left the realm of
theory and is fast becoming a real and tan
gible structure. The sub-surface work,
which, in fact, is the principal part of the
Improvement is nearly complete, and the
masons and engineers are turning Their
attention to the walls and the supporting
columns of the roof. Construction has been
under way for more than a year and ac-
cording to the contract the plant will be
ready for operation by the end of June
next. Because of the change in certain
plans the work may be delayed few
weeks. but it is assured that all will be
ready in any event by the end of the sum-
mer.
The station is located at the foot of New
Jersey avenue and I'd street southeast the
sub-surface work is of tile and concrete,
while the walls are to be of faced bflck'
with terra Gotta and sandstone trimmings
upon granite base. The entire pant oNei
all is about 300 feet long by l26 feet "lde'
and represents an expenditure or approx
mately 100000. Interest, of course, cen
tiers in the engine room, 10 feet long by w
feet wide. which contains the giant pumps
through which the city's sewage VIII pass
on it's mad rush TO the river and dis s
ton For the storm water and Ordinary
street sewage there are eight pumps tdCh
with a capacity of 65O1O,oH gallons per
tventy-four hours. These will handle the
drainage from what is known as the low
surface area" which covers about 100 acres
I'm the heart of the city from b street south
to F. street north and from the Capltol 10
the treasury. The rain water is carried IN
mammoth sewage mains, by gravity, 10 tie
pumpS which are twenty feet or more be-
low the level of the river and it is claimed
for this system that such floods as the one
which in 1889 made Pennsylvania avenue
look like street in Venice Will be forever
preCluded. SiXty-five million gallons Is
somewhat of a waterfall in itself, but his
tory fails to record fall of 80 N0,WO gal
Ions of rain water in twenty-four hours IN
the area drained by this new plant, and as
the capacity of the eight pumps is 32oooo,-
ODO gallons in twentyfOur hours there is no
probability of another flood unless the city
should be visited by a deluge or nineteen
enthusiastic cloudbursts.
Four Sewage Pumps.
On The east side of the engine room are the
four sewage pumps. three of which are of
the same capacity the rain water pumps,
while the fourth is sort of pony pump,
having the capacity of 2o,0JOOC0 gallons in
sistaut engineer in charge of the work, ex-
planned yesterday to a reporter for The
Star that these pumps will be sufficient TO
dispose of the sewage even if the city
grows to three times its present size. Mr.
Philips pointed out that as the average per
capita consumption of water in the city is
900 gallons in twenty-four hours, that the
total water consumption by, say 3VO,uJO
persons. would not exceed sixty million gal
Ions lie said as the sewage never exceeds
the water consumption, and usually about
equals it, one pump of GJUpO,COJ gallons ca
paCity could take care of the entire sew
age with 100000 gallons and three other
pumps in reserve. The four pumps, how
ever, are not more than enough for the
reason that the sewage of a large city is
serious problem, and if by any accident one
or even two pumps should be disabled or
blocked the disposal of waste matter would
not be checked or delayed.
Each of the twelve pumps has its indi-
vidual engine, and power is furnished from
the big boilers now being installed i'm
medately TO the south of the engine room.
The coal supply will be stored in overhead
bins, supported by eight cotton girders, and
the fires beneath the boilers will be fed
tOmatically. Everything connected with
the operating department of the plant is
modern, and every facility is
being installed to save time, labor and
money without sacrificing in any manner
the efficiency of the system.
Unique and Interesting.
The manner of building is unique and in
teresting. The site of the station three
years ago was nothing but a Slew of the
river. in which were anchored sail boats,
and row boats and diverse and varied other
sorts Of water craft. The contractor, Am
brose h. Stannard, of New York, who is
the contractor also for the new agricul-
tural building, the municipal building and
the addition to the bureau of engraving
and printing. built a dam across the slew,
pumped out the water, and drove something
like 5000 piles into the mud and mire be-
fore a good solid foundation could be Sc
cured. Most all the work is below the level
of the river and is what is known as the
Holland dixie system Of construction" The
sewage is brought into the north end of
the plant through the big mains and is
conducted first into the sediment cham
Der" Here the solids are permitted to set
tie and the liquid is drawn off into a
screen chamber" where It passes through
a screen and into the pumps. The screen
is calculated to detaiu any large solids
the pumps the liquid is sent through five
foot syphOns under the river to the outlet
on the opposite side, a distance of about
four miles. These SypLon pipes are TO be
laid twenty feet below the channel, so as
to avoid Interference with any future
dredging of the river. This work is now
being done by the hydraulic dredge
Dewey which for the past year has been
employed in deepening the channel of the
Eastern branch of the Potomac from the
arsenal 10 the navy yard
The solids which are retained in the
sediment chamber will be disposed of bv
other methods and will not be part of the
operation of the pumping station The
storm water will be raised to the water
level by the eight pumps, and discharged
into the river at the station through a
hfteen-ioot aqueduct. There is also in
stack $50 feet high to be buiIt If
the same material as the station. Mr.
Thomas Jones is in charge of the con-
strucuon OF the entire plant. as the repre-
sentative OF the contractor, Mr.. Stannard
A Cure for Nervousness.