Evening star., 1924-10-19
NEW RAINBOW POOL
OPENFOR SPORTS
Sheriff. Points to Uses of An
other Unit in Lincoln Me-
mortal Project.

The official opening last week of
the display fountain in the Rainbow
Pool, Seventeenth street south of the
Navy building, marked another step
forward in the Lincoln Memorial prof.
ect, which has been underway by the
office of public buildings and grounds
for several years, Col. c. o. Sheriff.
has announced.
The attention of the public is called
to the splendid opportunities that will
be afforded by these pools for model
yacht racing which now is growing to
be so popular throughout the United
States" Col. Sheriff. said. at is
hoped by the Office of public build
ings and grounds that this sport will
be actively taken up and become a
feature of great interest here in the
future
Col. Sheriff. also plans to introduce
into the rejecting basins certain or
namental fowl, such as swans, to add
to their attractiveness. 1T may be
possible also" he continued. "to allow
the children to enjoy the basins by
wading along the edges during suit
able seasons, as the water is very
shallow and slopes off so gradually
that wading could be done without
any detriment."
Opportunities for skaters.
Col. Sheriff. also recalled the op-
portunity afforded by the pools to
skaters in the Winter. There are
other possibilities for the pools. he
continued, such as canoeing, but it
is not desired to promise further ac-
tivities than those mentioned above
until careful study is made as to the
effect on the landscape and the re-
lation of these sports to the Lincoln
Memorial and its surroundings.
The reflection pool has been under
construction for five years This
work required the excavation of 1885,
600 cubic yards of earth and the con-
structing of drainage system re-
curing the use Of 10000 feet of pipe
from inches to SO inches in diam
eter. The water supply was taken
from the city mains by means Of a
12-inch pipe 1000 feet in length. In
order to insure a perfect line and
grade on the granite coping sur
rounding the pools, it was necessary
to construct a reinforced concrete
foundation on piles to bed rock.
"The length of the coping around
the two pools is 5,253 feet, a few
feet less than a mile. The water
proofing of these pools required the
construction of 3S5, 200 square feet or
practically acres of waterproofing
To give the walks bordering the
pools the proper setting 500 English
elms were imported from England
and planted adjacent to the walks
The concrete walks around the pools
are $500 feet in length and cover an
area of 12,400 square yards.
The combined volume Of the two
pools is 100000 gallons, the small
pool having 10 per cent of the total
capacity. The supply and drainage
systems are of sufficient capacity to
fill or empty the pools in "a hours.
The maximum depth Of the pools is
feet.
1.-THE fountain in the Rainbow Pool
ia supplied by a 16-inch main from
the city water supply. The display con-,
sfsts of a series of 124 side jets grouped
in the form Of a perfect ellipse with
the water directed toward center, and
two groups Of center Jets with nine
Jets in each group, sending water in
vertical columns.
Col. Sheriff. announces that during
the remainder of the favorable
weather conditions the rainbow
fountain will be in operation daily.
except Sunday, from 1915 to 1 pm.
ana Sundays frem to 8 pm.