Evening star., 1935-03-10

M physician and the surgeon
IVY for the gradual increase II
4 i the prolongation of human
life, that has been going or
now for many years. However, these
results have not been achieved alone
by the doctor and the surgeon, and a
study of the subject would no doubt
disclose any number of contributing
factors, particularly the work done by
the chemist and the civil engineer in
purifying the water We drink and use
in our daily life, and the methods en-
ployed in building the modern water
works plants, not only here in Wash
ington, but throughout the civilized
world. Today one will rarely ever
find it necessary to call for any spe-
cial kind of bottled water, wherever he
may be.
OF course, it has taken many years
to reach this stage of near perfection,
and no one knows this more than
does the early Washingtonian, whose
recollections of the past will permit
his mind to wander backward to con-
ditions existing half a century ago,
and even many years before that
time, when people living here relied
almost entirely upon wells and cis-
terms for water for drinking and cook
ing purposes, and depended largely
upon the old hogshead-which caught
rain water from the down spout of
nearly every ones home-for bathing
and for washing clothes.
There was little or no natural his
tory taught in the graded schools so or
so years ago, when many of us were
young, and still many of us will never
forget seeing the strange, tiny tad
poles in Summertime, skimming
here and there over the surface of
the water in these large rain barrels,
and how we watched them during
their successive stages of development,
as they grew long tails. and finally,
disappearing from the place where, as
eggs, they had been hatched, became
big, healthy, croaking frogs. old
enough to take lessons in the nearby
ponds from the older frogs, in the
few notes of their well-known songs:
"Jiggerum, jiggerum," "knee-deep,
/ knee-deep," "better-go-round, better
go-round!"
A S IN all other cities, villages ano
towns, Washington's first water
supply consisted of springs and wells
and for many purposes, creeks and
branches. The springs, of course
were ample for some time after the
city was first settled, though pumps
were installed at an early date, for the
convenience of having water close to
the home, and as the city grew, the
latter were installed upon many cor
ners of the blocks in congested areas
by the local government. and the
pump borer and pump mender soon
became important persons in the
community.
Many of the springs were really
guShers. One in the heart of the city
at the corner of Ninth and streets
was recorded, in 1924, as affordine
more than two barrels OF water q
minute, and from it water was con.
veyed in cast iron pipes "along T
street to Twelfth, thence down
Twelfth to Pennsylvania avenue, q
distance Of about 1,700 feet, with
oCNCA4 o0NAOAOAlo4 OoOiStoy 6OoAACo eAA1 "
ing an additional supply into the ole
line, which ends at Fourteenth street
near Williamson's Tavern which
later became the Willard Hotel.
This spring, standing near the west
wall of the old Masonic Temple, op-
posite the Patent Office, was early
known as Burnes' Spring, later a
Caffrey's Spring, st. Patrick's Spring
Federal Spring, and finally as tn
Old City Spring. Originally it wa
shaded by several oak trees, ant
here members Of the family of jaime.
Burnes, brother of David Burnes, who
lived in the block to the north, vert
wont to assemble in the evening tt
amuse themselves with various kind
of sports and swinging from tht
branches of the trees.
AS might be assumed, the home
In this neighborhood during the frs
10 years of the city, were few an,
far between, and in addition to tn
wooden farm house of MIR. Burnes,
Mr.. Orr lived on the Patent Ofdc
site, his orchard being to the mort