TH H 



National Geographic Magazine 



Vol. VIII DKCEMBER, 1S!»7 N... lij 



THE WASHINGTON AQUEDUCT AND CABIN JOHN 



BRIDGE* 



By 0. 1). Gaili.akh. 



('(iptaln. Corps of J-Jiii/ltiier.'<, U. <S'. Aninj 



The idea of supplying tlie city of Wasliiiigtoii with water at 

 some day was conteniporaneous with X\\v planning of the city, 

 and numerous examinations and surveys were made by ^fajor 

 L'Enfant. the engineer and architect of the Government, under 

 the direction of General Washington, of the Potomac river, the 

 Eastern branch, Rock creek, and numerous springs and small 

 streams, as possible sources of future supply. 



The first definite plan to be found among the records of the 

 Washington A<iuednct Ollice is given in a report made in Janu- 

 ary, 1851, by Brevet Lieut. Col. George W. Hughes, Corps of 

 Topographical P^ngineers, to Colonel J. J. Abert, Chief of Topo- 

 graphical pjugineers, in comi)li;ince with an act of Congress, ap- 

 l)roved Sc[)tember oO, ISoO, appro[»riating SoOO " to enable the 

 War De|)artment to make such examinations and surveys as 

 may be necessary to determine the best and most available 

 mode of supi)lying the city of Washington with pure water and 

 to i)re{)are a plan and estimate of the prol)able cost of the same, 

 to be reported to Congress at its n<'xt session." 



After an investigation of the sulyect Colonel Hughes propi)s«.'d 

 to obtain the necessary supply from Rock creek i)y damming 

 the stream about six miles above the city and bringing the 

 water into a receiving reservoir through a conduit of oval cross- 

 section having an estimated capacity of S,OtX),000 gallons in 

 24 hours. 



* K.ii.i \<i-U<vv iIk- X:itic.n:il (i.-.-irrMplii"- Sn-iity, n>.|ot«T •_', IwiT. 



