Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-02-03
GREAT FALLS PLAN
DECLARED VITAL TO
DISTRICTS HEALTH
Noted Engineer Says Present
Conduit Is 0vertaxed and
Needs Cleaning.
WATER POLLUTION MAY
KILL 1OP. CT. OF PEOPLE
Should Present Main Break, Calam.
ity Would Result-Indorses
Kutz's Temporary Plan.

ity Would Result-Indorses
Kutz's Temporary Plan.
Nelson s. Thompson. chief mech.ns-
cal engineer OF the supervising a,xhs-
tect's Office. Treasury Department,
! who has made an Independent study
Of the Great Falls water supply and
power project. today sounded warn.
ing that IL the GreaS Falls conduit
| should fail ''at least 10 per cent Of the
people of Washington will perish al
| result Of using infected drinking
| water
, Coinihs OH the heels Oh yesteroAy's
| report by the United States board Of
engineers for rivers and harbors. tnat
| the conduit now is under such a strain
In supplying Washington with water
| II cannot be emptied for repairs,
Mr.. Thompsons statement, which is
| contained in letter to Francis r.
Weller. chairman of the water supply
committee of the Washington Board of
Trade places new evidence before Con-
gress OF the seriousness of the Capi-
taIs water supply situation.
! 1t is obvious to the least imagina-
tive person.. he says. that an inter-
! ruption of the water supply OF this
city would be a calamity. as there is
no adequate supply of water in the
! vicinity of Washington that would be
| safe for drinking without previous
| sterilization.
Both the Georgetown and WASH
ington channels of the river. the
Eastern branch, Rock creek. etc, are
all contaminated with sewage and
e. N nj hss Ill d.
alton. filtration or boiling. A
Taxed beyond Capacity.
1.-The mathematical law Of probabili.
| ties indicates that after a lapse of
! fifty years of uninterrupted operation
the time is approaching when the sim
gle conduit supplying the city OF
Washington will break down. and this
| is all the more probable for the rea-
| son that as the age OF this structure
increases the strain thereon. due to
ss,ipcreased delivery, is increased. SO
pfhSt at the present time the conduit
! is taxed beyond the capacity deemed
safe when it was constructed"
Within week Congress has had
brought to its attention, BY the best
ger OF delaying action to augment the
! present wate. supply MAJ. Tyler Of the
i Corps Of Army Engineers. in his Great
! Falls report; District Engineer Com
! missioner NTdTfSS w. hulE. tie fIFei6
| and harbors board and. finally. the
chief mechanical engineer of the su-
/ pervising architects ONCE. all have
| Joined In the unequivocal declaration
| that the present situation constitutes
real menace to Washington and its
| citizens.
It is considered practically certain
| the federal power commission viii
make telling contribution to this
| evidence when 10 reports to Con-
| gress on the Tyler plan. which may
| Representative Zihlman's resolu-
| tion to require the federal govern
menf to pay for the water IL uses. de-
| signed as an emergency relief meas
ure to prevent the waste by govern
| ment departments of about five mil
lion gallons of water daily. is not
| likely to receive consideration at this
session of Congress. II was Indicated
| today. However, the Maryland mem-
ber proposes to urge IL vigorously
at the extra session Of Congress-.
| Points to Fire Menace.
Mr.. Thompson's communication was
addressed to Mr.. Weller because nis
committee has been active in urging
| legislation to make the capital secure
| against a water famine
Not only would the lives Of WASH
| ingtonians be endangered il the con-
! duit should fail, states Chief Engineer
conflagration of any extent. occurring
when there was no water in the
mains, could be checked. The result
| would make the San FranuciscO hre
and earthquake seem minor ca
! lamity."
| Mr.. Thompson indorses a sugges-
| ton made by District Commissioners
| Kutz at the federal power commission
! hearing Tuesday that, as a last resort.
water might by pumped from the
river into Dalecarlia reservoir to pre-.
vent actual suffering in the District
from a water shortage. However. the
| Commissioner makes plain that water
so obtained would not approach In
purity that of the present supply:
| they will not favor this plan except
! in an extreme situation where no Al
| Tentative is available.
The Treasury Department on1cfai
/ agrees with the Commissioner that
! the water obtained by this method
| would be contaminated. but states
| that "it, together with the regular
| supply, would be chlorinated and rem
dered absolutely safe for use.
This temporary expedient. ne
continues in his letter to Mr.. Weller.
| ..would cost not to exceed $3o0. 0.vVV.
] and it seems to me should De lnstaiieo
J as soon as possible. T..
Iudorses Conservation Plan. ~
| Mr. Thompson emphasizes the inn
| nf water by government departments
! In this connection he states:
I'm order to put stop to the criml-
no, waste of water used for condens-
! ing purposes by the government PRINT
| ing office, bureau of engraving ana
t nrinting. State, War and Navy build
ing and the Agricultural Department,
| n will be necessary to install certain
electric feeders from the power plant
| At the navy yard to the Capitol power
niant and thence to each OF the build
| ings named. SO that the electric gen
| .rating apparatus installed in these
| huiidinrs may be shut down and cur
rent. furnished from the navy yard
niant. which, all things considered.
| should be the logical source OF cur
renf for all the activities mentioned. =
..The cost Of carrying out the above
mentioned desirable changes. together
! with a necessary increase In capacity
| Of the power plant at the navy yard.
would be approximately $1.500.ooo.
"It would seem Of sufhctent impor-
tance for you and your committee TO
! take active steps to have the practicc
of using Uttered city water for con-
densing purposes stopped at once. per-
mftting the exhaust steam from the
engines and turbines to go outward
| in ALI cases where II is not so con-
nected as to be conserved and used
| for heating purposes. until such time
as AN appropriation can be obtained
for Installing the cables. etc. from
the navy yard plant. as noted above.
and then to shut down all this ap-i
1t is very obvious that the practi0eI
Of using city water for eondenslng
Continued 1sn Seventh HAesA