Evening star., 1935-03-10

gether with number Of our citizens.
left this morning at 812 o'clock for
the Great Falls to witness the break
ing of ground on the commencement
of the water works. We learn that
President Pierce is expected to be
present on the occasion"
Elsewhere it is stated that Presi-
dent Pierce did break the first ground,
in the presence Of large assemblage
of officials and civilians.
IT TOOK some time to complete the
Washington Aqueduct and much
longer time to obtain the pure supply
of water We are now privileged TO en-
Joy. 1t was 10 years later, or on De-
cember 5, 1868, that the water was
turned into the aqueduct, but Cabin
John Bridge was not completed until
the following year. However, prior
to this water was introduced into the
city on January 8, 1859, from the
Powder Mill Branch, where the re-
| ceiving reservoir was placed, by means
of small mains or supply pipes con-
nected with the receiving reservoir
above Georgetown.
| For many years after the introdUc-
! ton of Potomac water into Washing
ton engineering and other scientific
difficulties were encountered, which
had TO be overcome, and it was not
the unusual thing to find sometimes
that the water was so brown with
mud as to be undrinkable, and at
times there were other disagreeable
conditions, such as the seeing of little
wiggle waggles in the water, some of
which finally grew to a distinctive
size, and it was not rare thing TO
find-when we had reason to send for
a plumber to clear pipe-that an eel
had crawled in there and was doing
all the damage.
The odor of decomposed fish in the
water was even a worse condition, but
fortunately it did not last very long.
One occurrence of this kind, which
took place in the Spring of 1866, called
for an investigation by Theodore B.
Samo, engineer in charge Of the
Washington Aqueduct, whose report
was made to the Secretary Of the
Interior, and said in part:
"Sir-The impurities which have
! recently affected the water supplied
by the Washington Aqueduct, and
which have given to it the odor and
taste of fish, render it both proper and
necessary that submit for your con-
sideration such facts on this subject as
I have been able to obtain.
My attention was first called to
this matter in January, when the
flshy odor and taste had become so
powerful as to render the water ex-
ceedingly offensive.
About the beginning Of May the
fiShy odor and taste again appeared,
and by the 20th the water had become
so impregnated as to be unfit for
culinary purposes. Numerous COM
plants were made by the consumers
and it was the prevailing opinion that
the offensiveneSs proceeded from fish
in a state of decomposition in the
reservoirs and pipes.
ITO obviate the difficulty the water
mains throughout the cities Of George
town and Washington were flushed
and all impurities and sediments re-
moved. Contrary to general expecta-
ton, very few fish were discovered
THE flushing materially improved
the condition of the water, but as
soon as the water of the distributing
reservoir was turned on, the fishy
odor and taste reappeared.
"On the 28th instant I examined
the water of this reservoir. At the
surface it emitted no odor and tasted
sweet; but on descending into the
pipe vault where the water is taker
from the bottom Of the reservoir, the
fishy odor and taste we're at once
perceived
THE unfinished condition of the
Washington Aqueduct is favorable tc
the rapid growth of conferred and
animalcules. This is especially the
case with the receiving reservoir, the
upper end of which contains several
acres where the water is not over
two feet in depth, and in which vege-
tation has grown and decayed fol
several years, until there has beer
formed at the bottom a layer of par.
TALLY decompoSed vegetable matter
several inches in thickness, and which
is strongly impregnated with the fishy
odor and taste.
This part of the reservoir is
without doubt, the main source of al
the impurities"
HOWEVER, eventually all these diff
ficulties were overcome, when the
present filtration plant was installed
and the more modern methods ol
purifying water were introduced. Un.
doubtedly, to the civil engineer anc
to the chemist is due a large part o.
the credit for the saving of many
lives.
To Capt. Montgomery C. Meigs, Corp!
of Engineers, U. S. A., goes the credit
for constructing the original Wash.
ington Aqueduct, including Cahir
John Bridge and The bridge acros.
Rock Greek at the west end oi
Pennsylvania avenue. Indeed, In the
appropriation act of June IS, 1860
Congress did the unusual thing by
specifying that the amount OF $500.
900. carried in the bill, was to bt
expended according to the plans anc
estimates of Capt. Meigs and unde
his superintendent.
This clause so irritated Presiden
Buchanan that, in order to show hi
supreme authority, he transferred
Capt. Meigs for few months to For
Jefferson, Tortugas, Fla, later return
ing him to the work of the aqueduct
Assisting Capt. Meigs in supervis
ing the construction Of Cabin Johl
Bridge was Charles T. Curtis, VIII
took up his duties in 1857, and con
tinued in his position until 1858.
THE early water supply Of Washing
ton is particularly interesting fron