WASHBURNE-WATEB 



On June 17, 1857, tlie Bunker Hill Monument Asso- 



ciation unveilc.l a statue of \\'arren witli imposing 

 ceremonies. See R. Frothiughaui's Lift nnd / 

 o/.f>*'ph Wan ( , ' (K. M. B.) 



' WASIIBl'RNK, Ki.uir BKXJAMIN ( 

 diplomatist, was born at Livermotv. Maine. Sept. 23, 

 1M6. nnd passed an apprenticeship in the office of the 

 Krnnrlmnk Journal. In IM" lie removed to Illinois, 

 ami beff-n to practise law nt Galena. He was in Con- 

 gress 18.53-69 first as a Whig, then as a Republican. 

 <)l' the l:\lter party he was one of the organizers and 

 leaders. He was chairman of the Committee mi dun 

 meree 1857-65, nnd of other committees and was 

 called the watch-dog of the Treasury. Though not 

 acquainted with If. 8. Grant till alter the outbreak 

 of the civil war. Washburne obtained for him a com- 

 mission of brigadier-general in September, 1st, I. ami 

 was thenceforth his firm friend and othVicnt helper. 

 On Grant's accession to the Presidency in lSi>'.>. \Va.-h- 

 bnrtie became his Secretary of State, but held the post 

 only a week, when he was sent as U. S. Mini.-tcr to 

 France, Here he won the greatest distinction of his 

 life, and rendered conspicuous services to the cause of 

 humanity. At the outbreak of war with Prussia in 

 ]s7<). that government sought his protection for its 

 citizens residing in Paris. He accepted the trust, and 

 discharged it with rare tact, ability, and success. Re- 

 spected and even trusted by the successive French 

 authorities, he occupied a position of singular influ- 

 ence, and used it tor the benefit of distressed and en- 

 dangered foreigners. During the Metre and the Com- 

 mune, he was tin; only representative of foreign coun- 

 tries renaming, and the only person in Paris permitted 

 to receive and send letters. By his means many Ger- 

 mans were enabled to communicate with their ho-ncs, 

 or to pass thither in safety through the French lines. 

 and to many others the horrors of that period were 

 mitigated, though his efforts to save Darboy. the 

 Archbishop of Paris, were fruitless. The gratitude of 

 Germany for his services was often and warmly e.x- 

 iircsscd. On leaving his post after eight years' tenure 

 he went to Berlin to receive the public thanks of the 

 Kui|>eror. His later years were spent in Chicago. His 

 KeeoHfetiemt of a Minister to France, J8(>'.)-77, ap- 

 peared just before his death, which occurred Oct. 22, 

 1887. 



Two of his brothers (all of whom spelt their nnme 

 without the final ) were in Congress at the same time 

 with himself, and otherwise attained distinction. IS- 

 RAEL WASIIBI-KN, JR. (1813-83). was a rcpi 

 live from Maine ISSl-fiO, governor lsiil-rr}, and 

 then collector at Portland. UADWALLADKB Coi.DKN 

 WASIIBURN (I8I8-.S2) emigrated to U'i> ; -,,i,sin in 

 1841, was in Congress 1855-61 and IHi.S-Ti'. en- 

 tered the civil war as colonel, was a major-general of 

 volunteers from 18>2, governor of Wisconsin 1872- 

 74, and a leading merchant in flour and lumber. 

 Another brother, ('IIAIU.KS A sins WASIIJII-RN, born 

 was an editor at San Francisco. He was sent in 

 1861 minister to Paraguay, where he had an eventful 

 career, wrote a ' ' 



vente 

 WA 

 WATER SUPPLY. Ever since cities were built 



V fim ^ '"habited the question of 

 403 (p. 429 8U P.P'y nas ruga-red the attention of 

 . Etp.). their people, nnd in early times foun- 



tains and springs were dedicated to 

 the gods, who were supposed to keep them pure and 

 ondefiled ; in ancient Home the " Festival of Font <n 

 alia" was annually kept, when fountains and wells 

 were crowned with flowers and wreaths were cast upon 

 th<- running streams. Aqueducts of wnndrriu! mag- 

 nitude, supported in some instances by three mnersof 

 nrehcs superposed, were built many c'-ntiincs before 

 the Christian era, nnd even at this day them may \f 

 wn similar grand conduits supplying the cities of the 

 Old World. (See AQtiEprrrs.) In modern times 



mnser o araguay, were e a an eventu 

 r, wrote a lli'stnni ../' r<irrj>i<ui, 1ST I, and in- 

 ed tin 1 typorraph and uther instruments. 

 ATER 51 ELON. See MK.I.ON. 



,. V . 



>. 

 Am. 



' aqueducts depending upon cravify for the delivery of 

 "ater h.r . Mirely by iioti 



uid where gravity is insufficient steam-po-, 

 taken its place, so that now we have the preciotui BtliJ 

 not only bubbling and sparkling in our pari. 

 fountains, but als.i brought to our very door.- ;,nd iii - 

 livered inside' our dwellings. While we may I. 

 these in ode in inventions which the <i 

 capabilities of steam and of iron have in:; 

 we yet fail to vie with the ancients in the purity or 

 abundance of the water supplied to our great cities 

 Koine with its nine aqueducts was lavish in serving its 

 people at the rate of over ;;tht gallons per dfa 

 each man, woman, and child, while we are supposed 

 to l>e contented with fifty. 



The original source of all waters is found in tl. 

 seas and oceans of the world, from whence, it is drawn 

 in perfect purity by the sun, and us vapor is n nftcd to 

 the ends of the earth where, ucviiiuulatin:.' and con- 

 densing in clouds, it falls as rain or s:iow :;nd finds its 

 way back to the seas and oceans ibuouuipletil 

 cycle alter furnishing its life, giving prop, 

 living creatuics and things In the I'liired St. 

 in other countries, it is cnlicc.vd. stoivd. a;i<l distrib- 

 uted by means of wells, cisterns, reservoir.-,. a<|:i 

 and pi|>es, the smaller cities depending upon 

 and cisterns, and the more populous upon rcscivoirs 

 which are supplied from rivers, streams, lal.es, and 

 springs. In some instances, as at Chicago, Ills . 

 i.s known as the "pump and (-land-pipe'' system is 

 employed, and nt others, us Kansas City, Mo., the 

 "direct'' or "Holly sy.--.tcin" is in use in the-, 

 terns no storage or other reservoirs arc required, astho 

 water is pumped directly into the stand pipe or into 

 the mains and thence distributed through the city. 

 " Ptivcn-wells" mean Aii'etic::n invention and cormsi 

 in driving into the eart'i a hollow tube fined with a 

 strainer properly protected and shod with a wedge- 

 shaped end ; the tube is usually I J inches in diameter 

 and of convenient lengths for driving; each length is 

 screwed into its fellow as it descends, the thread of the 

 screw being protected by a cap which receives the 

 blows of the bummer. Sifccpsive lengths of tubing 

 are added until satisfactory water is reached, which is 

 discovered by means of a pump applied at the top from 

 time to time. '1 hesc tuiics are driven to a surprising 

 depth, -In to 2;>ti fet-t, and as they are virtually a BMV- 

 tiiiuous pipe reaching to the supply, no contamination 

 !'io:n surface water is likely to occur if sunk deep 

 'no-.igh. ()!' course they cannot penetrate rock, but 

 where available arc ni'ich thought of and are growing 

 in favor. Brooklyn, N. Y., is probably the largest city 

 in which they arc extensively used. 



It is now understood that wnter from shallow wells 

 is wholly unfit for drink and should never be uvd for 

 that purpose without boiling, filtering, and ncniting. 

 The water from deep wells depend* for its purity upon 

 the strata through wlnVh it percolates chalk forma- 

 tions furnishing the best, flowing artesian wells of 



great ilcplh ( at St. Louis. Mo., is MSUM feet deep) 



are found in geological basins, and frequently furnish a 

 wholesome water in large quantities whi-h can bo sup- 

 plied without pumps or engines. (Sec AllTK^IAJf 

 WJCUA.) More than L'fXKI years ago the Chinese, 

 bored for water very much in the same m.innor that we 

 do to-day, by percussive action. By the u<" of a 

 tower or stand-pipe the water from wells may be mil- 

 ized where the flow-pressure is not sufficient ; but 

 wells, like cisterns, cannot be depended upon to supply 

 the growing needs of cities. A number of cities in 

 the United States arc supplied from springs, notably 

 lluntsvillc, Ala., in the South. Salem. Mass.. in the 

 North. Grand Rapids. Mich., in the West, and in the 

 far West quite a numlxT are thus supplied: this is 

 probably the purest source of' supply, as sprint's are 

 now regarded as furnishing more wholesome water 

 than rain itself. 



In order that the water supply may be constant and 



