338 THE WASHINGTON AQUEDUCT 



It is interesting at this point to compare tlie estimate of the 

 supply needed for the city in 1851 with that actually furnished 

 in 1897— but 46 years later. The population of Washington 

 and Georgetown was then about 48,000; now it is over 278,000; 

 then 30 gallons was considered by Colonel Hughes a high esti- 

 mate for the average daily per capita consumption ; during the 

 past month the average 6.aA\j consumption for everv inhabitant 

 of the District of Columbia was 173 gallons ; then the total esti- 

 mated maximum consumption of water was 1,500,000 gallons 

 per day; during the past month it actually exceeded 48,000,000 

 gallons per day. 



No action appears to have been taken by Congress toward car- 

 rying out the plan proposed by Colonel Hughes, and the next 

 step was one which eventually resulted in the construction of 

 the present aqueduct system. The 32d Congress at its first ses- 

 sion appropriated $5,000 to enable the President of the United 

 States to cause to be made the necessary surveys, projects, and 

 estimates for determining the best manner " of affording to the 

 cities of Washington and Georgetown an unfailing and abundant 

 supply of good and wholesome water." In accordance with this 

 legislation the necessary surveys were made in the winter of 

 1852-'53 by Lieutenant (afterward General) Montgomer}^ C. 

 Meigs, U. S. Corps of Engineers, who, in his report of February 

 12, 1853, proposed three plans for obtaining the necessary water 

 supply, submitted estimates of the cost of each, and entered 

 into a broad and far-sighted discussion of the subject of supply- 

 ing the cities with water. 



In urging the necessity of a suitable suppl}^ he states that it 

 was the general custom in Washington at that time to have all 

 " the water for a family brought by the servant-maids from the 

 street pump," a crude condition of affairs which the average 

 Washingtonian of today will find it hard to believe existed irut 

 a little more than 40 years ago. 



Briefly summed up, the three sources of supply proposed by 

 General Meigs were as follows : (1) From Rock creek, by means 

 of a dam and a conduit under natural flow. Estimated mini- 

 mum daily supply, 9,860,000 gallons ; estimated cost, $1,258,863. 



(2) From the Potomac at Little Falls, six miles above George- 

 town, by means of a dam across the river, a canal and pumping 

 machinery to raise the Avater to the reservoirs. Estimated mini- 

 mum daily supply, 12,000,000 gallons; estimated cost, $1,662,215. 



(3) From the Potomac, just above the Great Falls, by means of 



