The Natural Philosopher wrote:
"The height limit of a siphon"
A. Boatwright, S. Hughes. J. Barry
Scientific Reports volume 5, Article number: 16790 (2015)
https://www.nature.com/articles/srep16790

I am sure that putting the Whaley dam in a vacuum chamber to
break the cavitation limit was seriously considered by the team

Well, that doesn't seem very likely to me; I just thought
some of the background info - from a reputable source -
as to *why* there was (usually) a limit might be interesting.
Still, as usual, I am sure you think you know best.

#Paul