Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-26

menced at once and continued by the off,
Ger in charge and by special expert en-
gineerS under authority of congress
sional committee and the facts developed
that systematic frauds had been in prog
ress and much bad work DONE"
Operations on the tunnel were suspended
November /, 1885, and the pumping IN
the shafts finally discontinued March %,
1880. Water commenced running out from
near the top of Rock Creek shaft the
morning of May 4. 1889.
If one would review the great story of
the tunnel it is well to take glance at
one of the principal incidents in relation
to the work. When Maj. Lydecker called
for an additional appropriation to carry
on the work, Capt. HOxie wrote to the
committee on appropriations of the House
of Representatives that departure from
the original plans was responsible for the
deficiency. Later he informed the COM
mittee that the design. of which he was
the author, was to sink the shafts so
deep and to tunnel at such depth that
there would be a continuous roof of sound
rock. He criticised the use of brick lin
ing with dry stone backing; saying that
concrete would have been better and
cheaper. The committee held a hearing
and examined Capt. Hoxie. Maj. Lydeck-
er, Col. Casey, Gen. Meigs, Col. Craighill
and Col. Ludlow. The additional appro-
priation asked for was made, but the Sec
retarys of War was directed to refer the
question of lining to a board of engineer
officers. Detailed for duty on this board
were Col James c. Duane. Lieut.. Col.
Henry H. Abbott, Lieut. Col Cyrus b.
Comstock, Lieut.. Col. David c. Houston
and Lieut.. Col. Walter Mcfarland. The
beard decided in favor, of brick lining but
recommended that the space between the
should be filled with rubble laid in ce-
ment and not with dry packing.
In the Saturday Star-the familiar 'dou-
BILE sheet" of eight pages-of September
8, 1888, there was an article three and a
quarter columns long descriptive of trip
made by a Star reporter through the tun-
mel. The head lines were: Extending
the Water Supply-Progress of the Work
on the Washington Aqueduct-An Under
ground Inspection-Water to Flow Next
April-Lining the Tunnel Throughout
How the Finishing Touches Are Made. "
And just for the sake of old times you
may read the introduction to what that
Star reporter wrote, and which follows:
Armed with a letter of introduction to Capt
e. ii. Kirlin. chief inspector Of the waterworks
extension a Star reporter repaired to the Cham
plain avenue shaft of the new aqueduct. 1t was
early morning. and the night shift, the force
of men who work through the night termed,
We're just coming up from their toll To those
down in the depths Of the long tunnel the night
was the same as day. As these men. with their
clothing bespattered with mud and slime and their
hats bedecked with the small miners lanterns
whose faint CLEANS guide the strokes of labor
IN that fOur-mile dungeon. came up equal
force was preparing to descend for night and
day the work Is prosecuted. Capt. Kirlin was
on hand as ia his custom. among the earliest.
'You don't mean to go down yourself. do you:"
of Introduction. The reply In the affirmative.
The Star had directed thorough inspection Of
public who are SO much Interested DIN In the come
pletfon OF the extension, might know just what