Evening Star Newspaper, March 10, 1935, Page 52

F—2 SPRINGS AND PUMPS ONCE FURNISHED CITY o Some Citizens of District Re- . . member Spring Streets— Story n of First Use of Potomac Prod- 7° duct to Great Falls. By John Clagett Proctor. UCH credit is rightly due the | physician and the surgeon | for the gradual increase in| the prolongation of human | life, that has been going on 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 conmbutmg‘ 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 em- 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- terns 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 one’s home—for bathing and for washing clothes. ‘There was little or no natural his- | tory taught in the graded schools 50 or | 60 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 and 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 F streets, was recorded, in 1824, as affording | more than two barrels of water a minute, and from it water was con- veyed in cast iron pipes “along F street to Twelfth, thence down ‘Twelfth to Pennsylvania avenue, a distaince of about 1,700 feet, with seven additional outlets, besides throw- ing an additional supply into the old line, which ends at Fourteenth street, near Willlamson's Tavern,” Wwhich 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 as Caffrey’s Spring, St. Patrick’s Spring, Federal Spring, and finally as the Old City Spring. Originally it was shaded by several oak trees, and here members of the family of James Burnes, brother of David Burnes, who lived Jn the block to the north, were wont to assemble in the evening to amuse themselves with various kinds of sports and swinging from the branches of the trees. | As might be assumed, the homes in this neighborhood during the first 10 years of the city, were few and far between, and in addition to the ‘wooden farm house of Mr. Burnes, & Mr. Orr lived on the Patent Office aite, his orchard being to the north + THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. d._,_MARCH 10, 1935—PART FOUR. il A S 2. ] ;zfi B * ¥ at about where is Mount Vemon‘ first public use to which it was put. | Square, occupied by the Public Library. | Evidently these logs soon rotted out, Nearby, to the west, were St. Pat- | resulting in their replacement with rick's Church (then a small om-and-\ castiron pipes in 1824, as stated. a-half-story frame building) and a| It was about 1809 that the spring frame house occupled by Father| was covered over with a reservoir- Caffrey. In the square immediately | like structure of sandstone, for pro- | to the south (between E and F and | tection, the capstone of the masonry the vol- citizens Robert Ninth and Tenth streets) there were | being inscribed: “Erected by four houses, among them a two-story | untary contributions of the frame, occupied by Joseph Mechlin, | during the mayoralty of another occupied by Dr. Bradley, and | Brent.” a three-story brick, occupied by As-| Many years later, when sistant Postmaster General Bradley,| served its usefulness and it it had was no which was the first home of the Post | longer needed, and F street was being | Office Department in Washington. Between D and E and Eighth and Ninth streets, there were three frame| At the September meeting, 1873, houses. One belonging to a Mr.|of the Association of the Oldest In- Eakins, one to Mr. Thecker and the | habitants of the District of Columbia, other to an unknown lady. In the| the matter of restoring it as a public block to the north of this lived | spring was taken up and referred to William Worthington, a cabinetmaker.f a committee composed of the presi- and George and Andrew Thompson,|dent, Dr. J. B. Blake, treasurer; carpenters. | Nicholas Callan and W. John Purdy. THE mayoralty of Robert Brent‘ Subsequently Capt. Chauncey Bestor ™ and David Hepburn were added to the (1802 to 1812) John P. Van Ness, | committee. Lewis Morin and John Sessford were | As usual, it was a one-man job, and appointed, in 1809, commissioners to| Mr. Purdy did the investigating. He convey water from the city spring to|reported: “As the level of the water Pennsylvania avenue and Twelfth| was only 3 feet, it could not reach the street in bored logs. This was the'surface of the pavement, except by | graded by the Board of Public Works, it was abandoned and lost to view. means of a pump, which it is pre- sumed would not accomplish this object.”” And there the matter ended. In all probability, the sandstone reservoir. placed there a century and a quarter ago, still covers the old spring, which may be almost dried up, since so many of our coplous springs have disappeared in this way. One can hardly imagine the extent of what for many years appeared to be Washington's inexhaustible water supply—now scarcely traceable. One of the city, known as Cool Spring, | Gibson Spring and Isherwood Spring, had a flow of water sufficient “to turn a mill with upward of 30 feet fall.” The one which stood where is now the Howard Reservoir emitted even a larger body of water than those mentioned, and together with other springs In its neighborhood, formed Creek—once a formidable stream, but now a thing of the past. THIs spring was on the farm of John Howard Smith, sometimes referred to as John A. Smith. 1833 water was conveyed from this | and other nearby springs to the Cap- Above, at left: Gen. Montgomery C. Meigs, Engineer Corps, U. S. A, who was in charge of constructing the Washington Aqueduct, which included Cabin John Bridge. Top, center: Cabin John Bridge as it was nearing completion. Top, right: Early residence of Gen. Meigs at southeast corner of Vermont avenue and N street. Lower left: Early stage in the construction of Cabin John Bridge. Lower right: The old Aqueduct Bridge, which carried the water pipes across Rock Creek at Pennsylvania avenue. Photograph taken about 1865. itol for drink water and fire protec- tion, and an item appearing in The Star of October 6 of that year gives an account of the negotiations for its purchase and other interesting details, as follows: “In preparing to sell to the Gov- | _“It has been proposed that the Government acquire all of this water supply and construct a reservoir, to receive the water from these three and other nearby springs, about a mile | from the Capitol, at Logan's Pond, lor the mill, near M street north. ernment Cool Spring, or, as it is | Anxious that the Federal Government sometimes known, Large Spring, John | use the water on his farm, Mr. Smith WATER and pumps erected upon petition, | gether with a number of our citizens, about as we often do now, when we | left this morning at 8}z o'clock for want an slley improved or a side- |the Great Falls to witness the break- walk laid, and the nearby property |ing of ground on the commencement was assessed just about as it is today. |of the water works. We learn that | There were laws, also, governing | President Pierce is expected to be pumps, about as numerous as there | present on the occasion.” |are now regulations in connection | Elsewhere it is stated that Presi- with the use of the automobile, and dent Pierce did break the first ground, for various other purposes. | in the presence of a large assemblage It was unlawful “to wash clothes |of officials and civilians. or other articles, to clean fish, water horses, or fill and leave barrels or | casks, or do any other act in, near, | |or about any pump, well, spring, Washington Aqueduct and & much hydrant or aqueduct within the limits longer time to obtain the pure supply of this city, injuring or tending to in- of water we are now privileged to en- jure and make impure the water of joy. It was 10 years later, or on De- the same; or to destroy, impair, or in | cember 5, 1863, that the water was any manner injure any public pump, |turned into the aqueduct, but Cabin well, aqueduct, pipe or hydrant within | John Bridge was not completed until the limits of this city; and any per- | the following year. However, prior son or persons offending against the | to this water was introduced into the provisions of this act shall forfeit and | city on January 3, 1859, from the pay, on conviction, a sum not ex- Powder Mill Branch, where the re- ceeding $10 for each and every of- | ceiving reservoir was placed, by means fense so committed.” of small mains or supply pipes con- Probably, even before this law was | nected with the receiving reservoir enacted, plans were being made |above Georgetown. eventually to do away with pumps,| For many years after the introduc- and to introduce into the city an|tion of Potomac water into Washing- adequate supply of Potomac water, |ton engineering and other scientific and so far had the idea advanced by difficulties were encountered, which 1853, that a beginning was made in- had to be overcome, and it was not this direction, of which The Star of the unusual thing to find sometimes November 8, said editorially: that the water was so brown with “WATER FOR WASHINGTON. |mud as to be undrinkable, and at “It affords us great satisfaction to |times there were other disagreeable be able to state that today ground | conditions, such as the seeing of little was formally broken in the work of | wiggle waggles in the water, some of constructing the aqueduct through | which finally grew to a distinctive which the water is to be brought from | size, and it was not a rare thing to the Great Falls, for the supply of |find—when we had reason to send for Georgetown and this city. We need | a plumber to clear a pipe—that an eel | hardly add that this event is a sub- | had crawled in there and was doing ject of rejoicing on all hands. all the damage. | “Our city needs this improvement The odor of decomposed fish in the | more than any other. Indeed, it is water was even a worse condition, but the only extensive improvement re- | fortunately it did not last very long. quired among us at this time, and its One occurrence of this kind, which T TOOK some time to complete the spring in the extreme eastern section | the source of supply for the Tiber | THOSE WERE THE HAPPY DAYS-— AlHep, (& ey N (o) Stueades Mrlewl B | KERR MrCeAswTME. 8 HOEMANN WILSON Mem. # QUANTRELL Wfir.sy - SHAFFER Si.ALBANS BROWNING MT.VERNON HAYDEN SiStetiens LEFFINGWELL SIXTH \{Pasuquaasrz GoRLEY SQUITH GUNTON QIECASK( FOORTH HARVEY(UTTER FOUNRY F: i HE ORIGINAL CHURCH LERGLERS. B HOOSING | OP SIDES. REMEMBER HOW You’o GET THE PREFER-\ ENCE OF PLAVERS AND LASY INNINGS BY “THE HAND OVER HAND 1 SYSTEM WITH THE BAT AND HOW (\F YOU WERE ABLE YO GET THE LAST HOLD WITH YOO R “TWO FING~! ERS YOU'D HAVE TO HOLD IT, SHENCATCH \ T WITLU THE SAME 3 £d n AND* PHIL", GEIER WiLL STAND T4 ( YUK ALL ANO Big\ ‘Gve YOH N [LErg LAST INNINGS, ~fo Q00T \ 'fl'ETZE\\\\ COM ES 60»0( Heyoee) (Betiomeuse) NOLO SAROONO \ote HAND D | Howard Smith, it was learned today, will. also convey the rights to the water arising on a farm which he ob- tained only a few days ago from Richard Smith and Thomas Peter for | the sum of $350. “Negotiations for the sale of this water supply to the Government are confidently expected to be concluded before the end of next month, now that Mr. Smith, has acquired the por- tion of the farm in question, thus protecting the sources of the water, | which flows in a large stream. “The farm lies somewhat to the northwest of the Capitol, and the stream flows in the general direction |of the Capitol. Some persons have { considered it feasible to pump the | water from the nearest point to the Capitol for the use of Congress, and | this consideration has doubtless en- tered into the purchase. | “Three springs on the farm of | John 8. Smith, in the same vicinity, | have been found to furnish 7, 3 and |4% gallons of water per minute. These embrace the principal head- | water of Tiber Creek, which forms a | part of a tidal estuary of the Potomac In | River, a little distance west of the [pumps and hydrants and the keeping ‘Cnpiwl. after the water has come down over the hills to the north. “The Old Ball TAKE Slke) #BOCK S RE L YOUR QN THROW ] ~— has claimed it can get a yield of 90 gallons per minute from the springs in_the neighborhood “Mr. Smith, at this time, specif-| prosecution with promptness and vig- lor will be anxiously looked for by | our fellow-citizens. | “Fortunately, those who now have the Government in charge look with 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 ically proposes to sell to the Govern- |earnest zeal to the steady and rapid Interior, and said in part: ment & spring ‘known as Cool Spring, | or Large Spring, flowing, or rising out |of his farm north of or near the boundary of the City of Washington, progress of facilities for the trans- action of the public business accum- | ulating at this point, and cheerfully | give their countenance to all plans IYPE VeL CORVES E\VEYO.lZ) OOVER cor GI HOWZAY which farm he obtained from Rich- |likely to further this object; to none | ard Smith and Thomas Peter by deed | with more alacrity than to the dated October 2, 1833." | speedy completion of these water “This would give the Government | works. | rights to the spring and the wall| “Once finished, upon the plans |around it. The sale seems a cer- adopted, they will prove of immense | tainty.” economy and advantage to the Gov- | ! ernment, as well as to all our fellow ‘ PUMPS gradually took the place of | citizens, whose individual interests are | X springs, just as Potomac water much more closely in harmony with | eventually took the place of pumps, |those of the Government of the |but we of an earlier generation still | United States than are the interests recall the latter as fervently as did ’or any others in their country. Samuel Woodworth when he wrote| “As far as we can perceive, “The Old Oaken Bucket.” |things connected with the water During the days prior to the present | works improvements are in a fair | system of Government, when Wash- |way; promising their completion at | ington had a mayor for its executive |the earlist possible time, and in the | head, and for a brief while a gov- |most finished and permanent man- | ernor, written proposals for the dig- |ner.” ging of the wells, the erection of | In the Georgetown items of The Star of the same date it was an- nounced: “Our mayor and city councils, to- of them in repair, were advertised for annually, and wells were sunk Game” NovoR™ [ TIN- . “Ruee EVARS, 8 TAKE ANO V2L LEND YUH MY NEW , ‘Dol e =\ 2 N o o’ TR TwmMes) s SHEE° WASHINGTON VS WILMINGTON, OPENING | ONION LEAGOE PARK V52 & FLA. AVEN.E. HADMISSION LAR’N ¥ & RogeR v PAINE -\ MaNAGER £ EMCEY TEST WHAT DO YOO REMEMBER P ONSWER YO LAST WEEKS CRUESTION, HAT EXCURSION STEAMER BURNED, FRIDAY, AVG. 8-188 ON THE (POTOMAC WI!TH A LOSS OF SEVENTY-TWO LIVES? ANSWER, HE WAWASSET, BETWEEN CHATTERDONS LANDING AND EAGLES NEST. 2 e WEEKS; ) Yo A;Ngnmans-rmz GAME > 2.5¢ all | —By Dick Mansfield “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 I 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 | fishy odor and taste had become so powerful as to render the water ex- ceedingly offensive. | “About the beginning of May the ;flsh_\' odor and taste again appeared, and by the 20th the water had become | so impregnated as to be unfit for culinary purposes. Numerous com- | plaints 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. “To 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- tion, 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 taken | from the bottom of the reservoir, the fishy odor and taste were at once perceived. “The unfinished condition of the | Washington Aqueduct is favorable to the rapid growth of conferrea 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 for several years, until there has been formed at the bottom a layer of par- tially 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 all the impurities.” OWEVER, eventually all these dif- ficulties were overcome, when the present filtration plant was installed, and the more modern methods of purifying water were introduced. Un- doubtedly, to the civil engineer and to the chemist is due a large part of the credit for the saving of many lives. To Capt. Montgomery C. Meigs, Corps of Engineers, U. S. A,, goes the credit for constructing the original Wash« ington Aqueduct, including Cabin John Bridge and the bridge across Rock Creek at the west end of Pennsylvania avenue! Indeed, in the appropriation act of June 25, 1860, Congress did the unusual thing by specifying that the amount of $500,- 000, carried in the bill, was to be expended according to the plans and estimates of Capt. Meigs and under his superintendence. This clause so irritated President Buchanan that, in order to show his supreme authority, he transferred Capt. Meigs for a few months to Fort Jefferson, Tortugas, Fla., later return- ing him to the work of the aqueduct. Assisting Capt. Meigs in supervis- | ing the construction of Cabin John Bridge was Charles T. Curtis, wha took up his duties in 1857, and con- tinued in his position until 1863. | THE early water supply of Washing- ton is particularly interesting from s sanitary standpoint, for as on¢ (Continued on Page 4, Columa 6.), .