Evening star., 1952-07-28
Another Break
In Water Line
Hits District
16-Inch Main Serving
Federal installations
In Virginia Snaps

In Virginia Snaps
District workmen were mending
a new break in the water lines
today after a 16-inch main burst
yesterday on the District side Of
Key Bridge.
The break caused no consumer
shut of, since it was in one of two
lines operated by the Washington
Aqueduct to serve Federal install
lations in Virginia.
The escaping water, however,
washed away earth supporting
three Potomac Electric Power Co.
cable ducts. They were propped
up temporarily with steel beams.
Traffic was disrupted briefly,
and a barge trip had to be can
celed because of tons of mud
blocking the c & o Canal.
Main Laid i'm 1910.
Oficials could not say exactly
what caused the break. The main
was relatively new. having been
laid in 1910. It was thought that
the presence Of the power COM
Ipany mains over it might have
had something to do with it.
David v. Aud, superintendent of
the water division, said there had
been more breaks than usual
recently in the water lines,
but expressed no fear for the sys-
tenn generally.
Serious breaks recently have
been in main on Canal, road on
June Is, which deprived a large
part Of the city of water, and one
at Second and Florida avenue
NV. which was potentially, but
not actually, more serious.
Water Shut Off.
This break, which happened
July %, was at the junction of
three large mains. It caused a
water shut off in about a dozen
blocks for about 80 minutes.
Since June 6, records show
more than 80 breaks in the mains.
This, according to Engineer Paul
Lanham of the distribution sys-
tenn, is about double the normal
number. The usual average is
about 9 or 10 a month, he said.
Water officials had no specific
reason for the breaks. They sus-
pect the extremely hot weather
may have some bearing, although
casualties from temperature
stresses in the past have come
largely in cold weather.
The small line breaks were in
old Clelland-type 6-inch and
4-inch cast-iron pipe put in be-
fore 1900. The system goes back
to 1876.
Most in Last Two Months.
An increase in the number of
cracked or leaky mains this fiscal
year as compared with last year
was attributed mainly by officials
to the large number of breaks in
the last two months.
The figure for fiscal 1851 is 80,
as compared with 127 for last
fiscal year.
Records show these breaks since
June S.
June 5-Eleventh and u streets
NV. and 1922 Fifth street NV:
June 6-222 Sixth street Sc, $50
E street Sc, 1925 E street Sc,
First and D streets Sc; June g.
IS25 Seventh street Sc: June g.
2400 N street NV, 1414 Fifth
street NV: June 12-425 Sew
enth street S.W., Sixth and
Schools streets S.W.; June 13-
5316 Nineteenth place NE: June
14-Eleventh and c streets Sc;
June 10 - 1914 Twenty-fourth
street NV; June 21-1306 Rhode
Island avenue NV: June %
1918 Twenty-fourth street NV:
June 23-Fourteenth and Clifton
streets NV, 400 Ninth street Sc:
June 30-Twenty-fourth and N
streets NV.
July 2-321 Burns street Sc;
July 3-1426 Corcoran street
NV; July 1900 East Capitol
street: July 9-1241 Twenty
eighth street NV. Gallinger
Hospital and Walter Reed Hospi-
tai; July 10-Twelfth and Poto-
mac avenue Sc, 1909 Bass place
Sc; July 11-Fourteenth and Ct
streets NV; July 14-Twelfth
and Fern streets NV, 947 Virginia
avenue S.W.: July 1851 Virgil
mia avenue S.W.: July 17-2308
M street NV: July 18-2018 K
street NV; July 24-136 r street
NV.
There have been other serious
breaks in recent years, Mr. Auld
noted. In 1910, there was a bad
one in a 48-inch main at Arizona
avenue and Canal road. Others
were in 1945 at Thirteenth street
and Spring road NV. in a &C.
inch main, in 1949 on the ap-
proach to the Freeway on K street
in a 24-inch main, and a year ago
at Constitution and Delaware ave-
nueS in a 2O-inch main.
IChomber Plans Stag Outing
/ The Arlington Chamber Of Com