Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-26
CITY SUPPLY IN DANGER
Report Of Lieut.. Langdtt Urges I'm.
mediate Repairs.
BIG CRACKS IN MASONRY
Steel Tube, Surrounded by Concrete
Proposed to Save Possible Ulti-
mate Destruction.

Two million gaflonS or water day
leaking through holes in the aqueduct at
Cabin John bridge and cracks and
breaks in the masonry which threaten
that structure as well as the water sup
ply of the entire city are pointed out
in a detailed account Of the aaueduct's s
precarious condition, made by Lieut.. w.
G. Langfitt, Corps of Engineers. u. >. A.,
and forwarded to the chief of engineers,
u S. A. 1t is estimated that $4,000
must be procured to make the bridge
and conduit safe. and that $4,000 must
be made available. For that reason II Is
likely the Commissioners will be asked
to get this item included in the present
appropriation bill. Calculations, measure
ments and descriptions. together with
photographs showing the water which is
wasting from the bridge section OF the
aqueduct, have been prepared by Lieut..
Langfitt and will be forwarded through
the nroper channels to Congress. 1t Is
understood.
Prompt Action Called For.
..It is believed" says the engineers re-
port to the chief Of engineers. U. .. A.
that the application Of the necessary
remedy should not longer be postponed.
Ar the time of the submission OF the es-
Inmates in the annual report from this
office it was realized that permanent re-
pairs would soon be necessary, Dut esti-
mates were not then submitted because
the manner of repairing the Dnose IN
the most economical manner had not peea
determined.
the bridge a metal lining, either OF a
steel or iron tube eight feet six inches In
diameter surrounded by concrete, or Dy
the placing of cast-iron sectional I'M
ing eight feet in diameter. similar TO
that in the Washington aQueduct tunnel
under Rock creek. Either method would
be satisfactory and would render the
bridge watertight, thus preventing the
disintegration of the masonry In the
faces Of the bridge, caused BY the freez-
ing of the water In the joints and In
terstices, and would check the deteriora-
ton Of the conduit now in progress. The
plan adopted would depend upon the
prices received for furnishing the mate
rails necessary under the two methods
and also upon the convenience o&installa-
| ton with the least interruption to the
water supply"
Is Weakest at Bridge.
The report says that the aqueduct has
one of its weakest points at Cabin John
bridge, and should a break occur there
serious result would follow. because of
the limited storage supply Of water. THE
preservation, therefore, of Cabin John
bridge is essential to the permanence of
the water supply of the District, an in
terruption at this point being likely to
cause shortage or failure of the supply
in this city"
When water was first admitted to the
conduit from Great Falls in 1852 leaks
were found in the big pipe when there
was seven feet of water in IL. The water
was drawn off and the lower half of
the conduit plastered. and after that no
leaks were observed for some time, as
the water flowed within the limits of the
plastered section. The consumption of
the city water increasing, 1t became
necessary to raise the dam at Great
Falls, and the conduit has been supply
ing more water, the flow line gradually
raising. The upper portion of the con-
duit. not being plastered. began to wear
away by the constant rush Of water In
1905 1t was noted that mortar between
the bricks had been worn away an inch
in some places.
Experiments were started in 1905 to
find way to remedy the defects. Much
of the upholstered portion of the tube
was plastered with cement, but this
did not affect the leakage to any no.
ticeable extent. and an effort was made
to cement the whole tube. The leaks
in the middle Of the bridge were
tinued to waste away at other sections.
Cracks in the Masonry.
During inspections" says the re-
port, long cracks in the masonry Of
the conduit within the bridge were
noted on both sides Of the center Of
the bridge, the axis Of the bridge lying
almost due east and west. These
cracks were kept carefully filled with
cement mortar. and 1t was not until
the conduit through the bridge was
charge of the aqueduct felt assured
that most of the leakage did not come
through the mortar joints Of the brick
crown of the conduit.
The report further says that brick
rings in the conduit are broken and
that the upper portion OF the pipe Is
moving over the lower portion at the
and that this action would undoubtedly
cause the collapse OF the conduit If
permitted DO continue.
Year to Do the Work.
The army engineers assert that while
it may take a years time to make the
desired change in the Cabin John
bridge, the work can be prosecuted
without causing any material shortage
in the District water supply. That re-
suit will be accomplished by filling the
reservoirs and enptying the conduit
for a day or two at time and then
replenishing the supply in the reser-
voirs. 1t is only because OF these fire.
quent necessary interruptions that
the proposed work would consume so
many months time.
The bridge was constructed in 1859
by Gen. (then Capt.) NJ. G.. Meigs OF
The army as port Of the aQueduct to
carrv water from Great Falls to this
city. 1t has been generally considered
one of the great engineering feats OF