Evening star., 1923-04-23
HOME WATER CUT
BY LUMBER FIRE
BARES FUND NEED
Delayed Appropriation Part
ly Blamed for DistressfuI
BrookIand Situation.
SPIG0TS ARE DRAINED
IN MANY HOUSES
Extension of Protection Area
Comes Up as Damage Is
Placed at $15o,ooo.

spisots went completely dry in
many Brookland homes Yesterday
morning while firemen fought desper-
ately with an inadequate water sun
ply to check the fire which nearly
"iped out the W. A. Pierce lumber
yard at GIG Rhode Island avenue
northeast.
inquiry at the District building to-
day revealed that officials Of the
water department have been enI;esv-
orng for five years to Obtain an an
preparation TO lay thirty-inch water
main in Rhode Island avenue northeast
10 AFFORD ample fire protection to that
section.
Not until this year were thew able
to get into the appropriation act am
money for this project. The rev ar.
Tor the fiscal year beginning .Tulz ,
OF this year carries Ss6.000 for tho
Nhode island avenue water main.
which is only a little more than haIf
OF OF "hat the water department asked
It is a strange coincidence that +biv
oeIayed appropriation of $4,000 will
JUST barely carry the new thirty-inch
nam nam past the lumber yard in which
already has been ordered but fthe
money cannot be spent until July l.
Could Have Saved Loss.
Capt John e. Wood. assistant ensi-
neer commissioner in charge of the
water department, stated that had this
thirty-inch main been in the ground
Yesterday the fire department would
nave had more than enough water to
handle the lumber yard blaze
As It happened, the twenty or more
engines at work drew water SO ran
ldly from the small. outgrown mains
or that vicinity that they pulled all
OF the water away from a consider
able section of Brookland.
Ihat the water department. fore
alton is evident from the testimony
before the District subcommittee OF
the House appropr "a tions committee
less than a year ago.
member of the subcommittee
asked Capt. Wood to explain the item
of $4,000 for a Rhode island avenue
water main. Here is the captains
That is to partially replace a very
Indirect and unsatisfactory loop.
which we are resorting to now, by
which we feed water over a distance
of seven miles through a twelve-inch
main; very unsatisfactory even when
the pumps are working. This is
what we call the second high service,
which comes by gravity from the
Brightwood reservoir, located on 18th
street.
Pumps Aid Pressure.
When the pumps are working we
get little better pressure. but in
the vicinity of Langdon, if there were
a fire, the mains would not ade-
quately furnish water. That item is
an emergency. and we were very much
disappointed in not getting 1t last
year In this estimate we will not
he able TO complete but will be able
Of it.s rs@''Ae eo"S'oefa0'e p0r''o"
The original estimates prepared by
the Commissioners last year called
for 1852, 900, which would have taken
the new thirty-inch main far as
18th street northeast
District officials pointed out today
that it does not save the federal gov
ernment to postpone authorize ton
for new water mains, because they
are paid for wholly out of the water
rents paid by private consumers.
Congress, however, since 1917 has
been directing that a part of the
income of the water department be
used for the upkeep of the aqueduct
and filtration plant, which are under
the War Department.
From 1917 to 1922 approximately
si,Vot,u"" mas beell lluS TAKEN from
water rents for the maintenance Of
the aqueduct. District officials say.
They believe this money should he
left to the water depa rtment to be
used in laying the new mains that
are constantly being needed to afford
ample fire protection to rapidly grow
ing communities.
j. $. Garland, superintendent OF the
water department, with a crew OF
his most experienced men. hurried
to the scene of the fire Sunday morn
ing anu ordered an extra pump put
in service at the pumping station
CONTINUED on Page ., Column IL