The Washington times., 1908-11-16
Take First Train If Conduit
Fails, Superintendent
McFarland's Advice.
RESERVOIR SUPPLY
WOULD LAST 4 DAYS
Appropriation for Another Big
Main viii Be Again Sought
by Commissioners.

That the District Of Columbia is in
peril of a water famine In the wake Of
which would follow death. disease. ami
pestiIcuCe, is known by the Engineer
Department Of the District and officials
OF the War Department
Half Of the population Of Washington,
according TO Engineer Commissioner
Morrow. would have 20 leave the city
If there were a serious break in the con-
Guig, resulting ln the st0ppage Of the
water supply.
Take the first train e ever the con
duit tails" IS the advice given by ".
+ Mcfarland, superintendent of the
Water Department Of the District
The water supply depends entirely
upon one conduit. which is Old. and ia
the opinion OF officials Of the Water De
partment. was poorly constructed in the
nrst place. The supply in the reservoirs
is sufficient TO last for days When
that is exhausted, Washington would
be without water. even for drinking
purposes.
The Consequences.
THE resulting consequences Of a Sc
ri0us break iu the conduit cannot be
re lized. said Mr. Mcfarland today.
The stoppage of the water supply
would result in the complete cessation
of sanitary arrangements. and disease
and death would follow naturally. Ny
advice would be TO take the first train
out Of the city. The surplus water sup
ply in the reservoirs is sufficient 10 last
only four DAYS, and aTteF that becomes
exhausted, the suffering Of the people Of
this town would have no parallel in the
history OF the District
Major Spencer Cosby. engineer in
charge Of the water supply, and the
Commissioners have urged for years
that an appropriation be made for the
construction OF another conduit The
preliminary step was taken at the last
session by apur0PriaUng $1,000 for pre-
umiuary surye.s buI even II Congress
at the present coming session provides
for the construction of an additional
conduit, 1t will be at least four years
before it is IN operation.
In the meantime we are dependent
entirely on one old conduit and IL any
thing happens To that resulting in the
stopping Of the supply, Washington
would be a city Of death and disaster
Daily Consumption.
The average daily consumption of
water for the fiscal year 1905 was I92
gallons per capita, and the maximum
consumption for any day during that
year was S0,3SO,000 gallons. The av-
erage daily consumption Of water for
twenty-four hours during the fiscal
year 1907 was $4,000, 600, and for the
fiscal year 1908 was 64,910,O0O
In accordance with the act Of Con-
g-ess approved May 25, 1905" said Major
Cosby. 'apprOpriaUng $4,000 for prelim-
mary Investigations and surveys for in
creasing the water supply. an investiga-
tiOn viii begin at once. AS reported
actually for several years the present
system cannot be safely depended upon.
10 supply q greater quantity OF water
70 the city than II is actually furnish
ing at present. The investigation TO be
undertaken is only a preliminary step,
and the work necessary to Fecure an in
creased supply viii require several
years TO construct, even II they are au-
thOrlzed by Congress.
Preventive Measures.
1T is absolutely essential that meas
ures for the prevention of waste be
continued lu order tnat the increased
demand due 10 an increased population
may be fully compensated for by a re-
duction iE the waste"
Superintendent Mcfarland said today
that realizing the danger, every effort
has been made TO prevent the waste
of water by the installation OF II eters.
and the immediate repair OF breaks in
water mains.
'The waste Increases in winter" he
said. ''as many hOuseholders leave their
faucets running to prevent freezing"
Regarding the meters, Mr.. Mcfarland
said there had been few complaints
against their installation received, as
busineSs men generally understood that
IL was TO their advantage
Major Crosby has recommended that
the Federal Government set an eX-
ample in this respect and that all Fed
cral buildings and institutions be me
tered. According to an estimate made
by the Commissioners during the year
1905. the quantity of water supplied
daily to these institutions was about
g. 100000. At the prevailing meter rates,
the value of that quantity OF water IS
about M3l,40 a year.