The Washington times., 1917-08-10
DISTRICTS POWER
PLANT TODE READY
Within IS MONTHS
By BILL PRICE.

The great central heating. lighting
and power plant that Is to furnish
heat, light and power to more than
twenty OF the Governments largest
buildings, will be completed and In
operation within eighteen months,
Treasury officials today stated to The
Times.
The building and machinery would
have been ready for service in less
than q year but for an sxiEsney
created by the war with Germany.
The machinery for the building was
practically completed at the time OF
the entrance OF the United States into
the war and the contractor for the
building was ready to start work
The Navy Department found urgent
need for the machinery, promptly
took II over and installed II "some-
where" In Washington, where 1t IL
now doing its part. Duplicate ma
chinery was at once ordered by the
supervising architect OF the Treasury
and f. being constructed as rapidly a.
possible. When sufficient progress
has been made on this equipment
work on the buildings will be resumed
and pushed to prompt compleuon-
. Tunnels Rushed.
In the meantime the tunnels and
ducts that viii carry power light.
and heat to Government buildings are
being rushed, with the expectation
that BY winter all this work WI be
done. Approximately thirty miles OF
underground Guet work for electric
cables have been Completed, together
with 10000 Iineal feet of tunnel and
duct for steam mainA This 10 about
two-thirds Of the total system
Delay in the progress Of construction
generally has also been caused BY
authorization by Congress Of additional
buildings to Be supplied BY the plant
About tWentybuIldinga were included
in the original act It was nrst intended
that the buildings supplied should De
those west Of the Postodice Department.
The list now includes the Bureau Of
Engraving and Printing, buildings OF
the Agricultural Department, Treas
ury, white House and grounds, State,
War and Navy, winder and Mills
buiIdinKS, Court of Claims, National
Museum, Smithsonian, Army Medical,
Fish Commission, District, New II
terror. Red Gross, Lincoln Memorial,
Pan-American. Civil Service, Municipal
Fish Market, Johnson-Waiker, and
the proposed new buildings for State,
Justice. Labor, and Commerce. south
Of Pennsylvania avenue, bounded by
Fourteenth and Fifteenth streets,
Pennsylvania avenue and the Aonu-
ment grounds.
Power House on water Trent.
The power house, which viii con-
tain boiler power OF 5000 horse, Is
to be erected on the water front at
Thirteen-and-a-half street The site
Is behind the railroad smbankment
At the north approach to the bridge
over the Potomac river and can be
cheaply served with coal.
OF Importance to the water supply
of the District Is that the eondensing
water to be used in the immense ma
chinery will be pumped from the Po-
tome River, bringing about saving
Of millions Of gallons Of filtered
water now being used by the Govern
ment buildings from the supply OF the
District
II IL estimated today that the Gov
eminent will save not less than $780,
900 each year over the present method
of Individual plant operation. and
that such q thing as smoke will be
unseen. The highest type Of me-
chanical stokers win be used under
the boilers. doing away with smoke
entirely.
The new Interior Department build
ing, Eighteenth and + streets, IL
being temporarily supplied with
electricity from the power plant OF
the Capitol.