1881 view: Union Arch, CABIN JOHN; Washington Aqueduct masonry; Meigs, Macarthur

Description

“Union Arch,
Cabin John Creek.”
1881
This is a single sheet only, from the
July 23, 1881
issue of
Scientific American.
It is
over 140 years old
!  The sheet measures 11 x 15.5 inches in size. It is in very good, attractive condition.
This was the front page of the issue. The bottom portion of the page has a lovely wood engraving of this historic high arch bridge, completed during the Civil War, and still in use. The engineer in charge of the work was General Montgomery C. Meigs. Originally used strictly as a water aqueduct, the bridge now also carries traffic on MacArthur Boulevard.
Below the
Scientific American
masthead is a related article, titled,
“UNION ARCH, WASHINGTON AQUEDUCT.”
This story is 58 lines of text, which says, in part:
“. . . Probably the majority of well-informed Americans . . . even among engineers would hear without some surprise, that by far the largest masonry arch in the world is in this country, and that it forms a part of one of the most important engineering achievements that have been accomplished during recent years—namely, the aqueduct by which the City of Washington is supplied with water.
“Unfortunately for its own fame, this work was completed during the most exciting period of the civil war, when the security of the national capital against the assaults of the Confederate army was a matter of infinitely greater popular interest than any improvement of its water supply. Possibly, too, the inadvisability of calling the attention of the enemy to a work of such importance to the beleaguered city may have had something to do with the singular absence of information with regard to it . . . . The splendid masonry arch shown in the accompanying engraving carried the aqueduct over the Cabin John Creek, with a span of 220 feet. The height of the arch is 101 feet. . . .”
Etc.
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_gsrx_vers_1426 (GS 9.0.3 (1426))