Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-10-21

cy and its projectors much and deserved credit al.
Jude 10 The City Reservoir, in l3.h street. On the re-
cc;nt IF Col Cnions Report, and on The recommend
aim Of the above Committee, the Corporation again de-
rid. d 20 introduce water into the city
In Frbruory 1888. the Legislature passed the law
,ooin:iur Commissioners, To report during The winter
rlIowiue and in 1884 e-enacled the game law w,'h
adti,,opal provisions. Under these laws, Honorable
Stephen Alien, Saul Ae?, William w Fox, Cnarles
Dusepleuy and Benjamin Nj. Brown appointed
Con,m,ss,oners the last named gentleman soon
succeeded b. Thomas L. Woodruff. These Commits
sinners brought industry, honesty and jndencht 10 The
consideration Of the imporan, sub ect committed TO
their charge
They had the duty assigned them o! examining and
reuorline plan relating 10 supp ying The cty of New
York with a su!ice mt quantity of pure and wholesome
water, which the Electors Ct The City OF New York
could approve or dsapprove They called to Their aid
Major d. B. Douglass, previously Of HE U. S. Corps
of Engineers. They also engaged in their service
John Mar,ineau and George W. Cartwright Esqrs., as
Engineers
Stephen Allen, and his associates, had the high and
responsible duty OF determining Lot only The line OF
the uqucGuc but, Of deciding on all conflicting sur
veys and sources, which, previous 10 that time, had
been considered available for the supply of the city
with wafer we'll Us variety of PROJECTS for intro
ducing the water into the city-the character OF some
of which may be judged by the one proposing TO dam
IN the Hudson river, at the old State prison III Green
wich, by which it wisely concluded, if the dam
stood we should have pie supply o! fresh water
As to the merits Of this plan, predecessors con-
suited Frederick Graft Esq, the Superintendent Of the
Water Works in Philade phia who disapproved of the
same. But this project Of dnmming the North river,
was met by at least one cogent argument which il
was thought would be conclusive with the Legislature
II was that the dam would stop the shad from visiting
Albany.
| Another plan proposed floating vessels Of box
form-,hese were TO be lowed up to Hudson, where,
| l. IN hp led will
loated down. and, by steam power, to be elevated for
use. J,
The Possaic river at the Falls and bridge The
North river another Of the sources and plans 10y
which it was proposed to supply the city with water
| If our Commissioners and City Councils have some
times PAUSED in contemplation Of Harlem bridge, ct
not know what they would have said of Golfer dams
piers and arches for @ bridge over the Hudson
After rejecting all these plans and adopting the Gro
ton as the source of supply predecessors bad othe
important questions to settle. Ought the Aqueduct Il
be OF Mason Work or of Iron Pipes: The one carried
with H. Of necessity, regular grade, while The other
admitted of undulatiDg line. The most able men
up to the period have referred TO, differed on hi,
point Experience, think, has shown that the plan
of masonry is the best. When the masonry was adapt
ed the question arose. II TO be an open or an arched
or plank covered aqneduci' Again, experience up
proved the arched and covered aqupduct.
In these PARTICULARS we'll as in others, the plan
as reported BY Major Douglass, was approved by Sic
phen Allen ard his associates, and in their report
made 10 the Common Council, they speak OF it q:
the report o. that Engineer For Major Douglass to
have obtained for his plans the appreciation Of go SOUND
board as our predecessors, was certainly high com
mendalon, particularly if it he remarked ha, the plan.
OF Mr.. Maitneau, the other Engineer employed, pass
ed without Of approval, except so far as Mr. Mar
tneau advocated the inverted Syphon fer crossing ls
lem River, while Major Douglass recommended tie
high Bridge
Facts have shown that Tie Syphon would have per
formed is duty.
Ia February, 1888, Stephen Allen and his associate.
reported the result Of their abors TO The Common Coun
cl 1t required TO be approved by that body, nnd
also by The voiers OF the city.
The subject referred To JOINT Committee o.
the two Boards consisting Of John l.abagh William
Wales, Rober, c. Cornell, Lambert Suydam, Horace
Holden and William S. Johnson, who reported in IA
vor Of the plan The same adopted by each Boarc
and at The succeeding Charter Election in April wa:
approved BY the people by vote Of Il $3.50 alternatives
TO 5963 negatives.
Major Douglass proceeded with the plans ms Chic
Engineer. until October, 1886, when John b. Jervs
ESQ., appointed in his place.
fan individual, officially unconnected with the frs
Chief Engineer of the Croton Aqueduct, might b,
permitted 10 Judge Of his merits, it would be that he
brought skill and science in the surveys and IN the
location Of Tie and description Of aqueduct to be
adopted.
HIS successor, John B Jervs, has executed this mag
ncent work. and in many respects changed and altered
the plans, and in tie performance OF the duty which
has fallen 10 his share particularly in the drafts O.
contracts, specifications and plans, has shown hmsel
admirably calculated for the execution of this great ant
s;upendous undertaking.
! In March, lcs.0 the work, by revolution which pc
cs sometimes produce in the State, so far as the duty
of Commissioners concerned, passed into The hands
of Samuel Stevens, John ID. Ward, Zebedee Ring, Sa
muel r. Chlds aud Benjamin BIrdsal, and the work II
now, excepting the high bridge the Harlem river
completed; and you have IT,
| Frst-lt consists of artificial reservoir, calico
the Cro,on River Lake, 45 miles from the Battery The
extreme part of the City; this Lake is formed by ar
hydraulic stone. masonry dam, With two waste weirs o.
aprons, for the ovcr-la Of the water, Of e. fec
and Of lc0 feet, these being separated by gate
house The height Of these waste welrs is 90 feet above
the bed of the ryer and 40 feet above the low waite
level
The dam backs the water miles and makes LAKE
Of Of AGO acres, and of capacity equal to oO
millions OF gallons
The water enters gate house where the quantity il
regulated before enters the Aqueduct which Is ston
structure lined and nrched with brick.
The face of the interior of the Aaueduct is ut Tn
bottom an inverted ARCH width feet inches, heigh
) feet % inches, area % "a 100 square feet nhuu
large enough for an omnibus and four 10 pass through
The line OF the Aqueduct being On regular decIvit,
Of 1874 inches 10 tic mile down to the Harlem river,
distance of So miles, IL has line Of tunncng oil 6e4
feet, teing sixteen ~ number, sometimes through eart
and sometimes through solid rock the deepest cut is &
feet, and the least - ftet. In westminster only, TN
AGuednct crosses % streams Of waIer, which are from
% to e3 feet below the top Of the hqueduci.
The grade line of Aqucduct across the Harlem is 9
feet above tide water and the top Of the water nov
passes Harlem river in one pipe of 30 inches
placed On the Eastern dam made in the construction o
the high bridge.
The bridge itself is now about third completed
and will be, when finished, of the most s,upendou
| works Of the kind in the world.
The river is 600 feet wide ut line, but the slope
Of the river banks add additional distance Of $50 feet
in NIL lIS0 feet.
! The plan now in progress crosses the river with
arches Of 90 feet span and piers OF 3 by "a feet
the base, resting on The he'd Of The river and 7 arches
piers the land from the edge Of the water up th'
two banks Of The river.
Tie spring Of one of the arches is % feet above thu
lowest foundation put down-the top Of the parape
will be 10 fret from the lowest foundation 1t is in
tended that the water shall pass over this bridge II
pipes have il against the possibility Of danger
| no Interesting works nj clendcunr Valley lejng