Evening star., 1925-08-23

supply. for the low-eIevation sections
of our Capital City. This filtration
plant was built during the period
from 1903 to 1906.
Washington has been threatened by
water famine now for several years.
and, strangely, the maximum Use of
water occurs during cold weather,
, when householders let their water fau-
Gets run to keep them from freezing.
The peak consumption of water in the
District comedies very closely with
the present maximum supply. If
break should occur in the old conduit,
which was built before the Civil War,
a serious water shortage would occur,
unless the damage could be expedi-
tiously repaired. Our existent storage
supply is only adequate for the con-
sumption of about "a hours. How
ever, the gravity of the situation will
be effaced when the new conduit from
Great Falls TO Dalecarlia is p<lt into
service. the latter part of August or
! early in September. It's completion
will permit of the ready repair of the
old conduit at any time when such
emergency should develop. These
mammoth pipe lines can be used inter
changeably
Il X x
| SIN miles of water duct will convey
the water from the new filtration
plant to the three hish-storage reser-
voirs. Huge joint pipes, feet in
diameter and 12 feet long, are being
used in the construction of the
Emile waterway from Dalecarlia to the
second high-Storage reservoir Com
| petitiVe bids are being considered at
present to determine what style of
duct viii be built to the other high
| storage reservoirs.
/, These mighty tiles, made of mass
| concrete, with a central jacket of
! steel, are manufactured in an interest
| Ing plant near the District line out
Conduit road way. The steel jacket is
made and riveted in true boiler fash
ion. Electric riveting machines rattle
| like musketry and do the work of
many hundred workmen. After the
| cylindrical jacket is made concrete is
! poured around it in such a fashion
| that the great water pipes result.
Travelling cranes, functioning locomo-
| tive style, are used in handling these
enormously heavy concrete pipes
After they have cured thoroughly they
are transported to the trench in
which they are to be inferred as link
in Washington's waterway chain
| Washington's newest oasis includes
a total of Il miles of main water and
branch duct line, which was cut
| through solid granite. In the vicinity
| of Great Falls a stretch of $500 feet
had to be cut through the rolling
| granite-cored hills of that section. The
| tunnelway is as far as 200 feet below
the surface of the ground at some
points. This tunneling work was com.
pleted more than one year ago, and
the concrete duct. 10 feet in diameter
| has now been installed.
II you remember that hill which e&-
tends upward along Conduit road from
/ the intersection of District and Mary
land soil, you will have located an
other section Of underground passage
way which was cut through solid rock.
| This particular stretch is 500 feet In
| length. The hree-quarter-rni sector
| which IS now being tunneled in the
neighborilood of Nebraska, and Wis
! consin avenues is the last link in the
tunnel chain. The operations in that
tunnel have been described in detail.
| They are typical of the subterranean
digging and blasting performed in the
other sections mentioned.
The SO. .o00,0 900 water service con-
struction Is being supervised by Mai.
j. A. O'Connor, District engineer. and
| his aides. When the water system is
| completed, it will be turned over to the
District of Columbia for operation
and maintenance. .-1