Evening star., 1937-03-18
BY HAROLD b. ROGERS.

Historic old Tiber Creek, long ago
converted into an underground stream,
has just undergone a major Opera
tion" in the course Of digging a deep
tunnel under it on North Capitol
street for the Government Printing
Office building program
The tunnel which is to connect two
new G. P. o. buildings on opposite
sides of North Capitol street at G
place. has been dug not only under
the car tracks of the Capital Transit
Co, but underneath old Tiber Creek
as well, forcing the bottom Of the
new tunnel 40 feet below the level Of
the street.
In the course Of the complicated
construction job, motor traffic has been
diverted to runways on each side of
North Capitol street, water and gas
mains have been uncovered and sup
ported by new bridges, and a large
part Of the historic old Tiber Creek
stone and brick work, dating far back
beyond the Civil War, has been cut
out and replaced temporarily with q
huge steel flume.
Formerly Open Creek Bed.
Tiber Creek at that place carries
the waters which used to flow south
ward in the open creek bed somewhere
between North Capitol street and First
street northeast
In the course of cutting out the
old Tiber construction for the width
OF the new tunnel, the contractor,
Charles H. Tompkins Co., removed
large part of the old rubble stone wall
which was apparently the original
construction to hold in the banks Of
the Tiber. They removed the high
brick arch, 18 inches thick and about
is feet high. which had been con-
structed about 1845, and then cut out
the concrete bottom, which had been
laid as late as about 1895. The bricks
OF the arch are of larger size than
those in use now and the construc-
ton was found to be In sound con-
dition.
To carry the old Tiber Creek waters
and accompanying sewage from North
east Washington across the tunnel
excavation, the contractor, as ex-
planned by Francis NJ TompkinS,
branch manager, who is superintend-
ent on the job, installed a steel flume
about feet in diameter and long
enough to reach far into both the
north and south ends of the cut sewer.
Flume to Be Replaced.
The stream flow through this flume
fills it about two-thirds full, Tomp-
kins estimated, with a flow of about
$4,000 gallons a minute of old Tiber
Creek water, and the remainder sew
age from the Northeast. Later this
t1ume will be replaced by the old brick
arch construction.
The new tunnel is to connect the
new Government warehouse now un-
der construction on the east side Of
the street with the new G. P. o. annex
to be built in the future on the west
side of North Capitol street.
The warehouse at North Capitol
street and G place is making good
progress in its reinforced steel and
concrete construction to carry heavy
loads. 1t probably will be finished in
October. About 400 workmen are busy
on this job and the tunnel under the
street. When the warehouse is fln-
ished the materials in the old G. P. o.
at North Capitol and H streets will be
moved into the new warehouse. Plans
are being drawn by the procurement
division of the Treasury for the new
annex to be built later at North Cap
itol and H streets.
Creek Put Underground.
Old Tiber Greek was a prominent
feature OF the landscape for many
years in the early days Of Washing
ton and was put underground during
the memory Of many living Washing
tonians. 1t meandered southwark,
with several branches, from the area
Of the Soldiers Home grounds, where
it was fed by springs. It crossed
Pennsylvania avenue not far from
the foot Of Capitol Hill, near Second
street, entered the James Greek Canal,
which went southwark to the Eastern
Branch of the Potomac, near the site
of the War College. The James Greek
Canal also was connected with the
old canal which ran westward along
what is now the line Of Constitution
avenue and esnptied into the Potomac.
\