New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1842-06-22
The Croton Aqupduet.
contest.

This stupendous structure is now complete
and in a few week, at farthest the City will have
foretaste of the thousand benefits it is destined
10 confer. Our citizens may not he generally
aware that in this magnificent work they arc sur-
passing Ancient Rome in one of her proudc''
boasts None Of the hydraulic structures OF that
city, in spite of the legions of slaves at her com
rnand, equal in magnitude Of design, perfection
Of detail, and prospective benefits this Aqueduct
The wan srupL consists of an immense mass OF
masonry. six feet and a half wide, nine feet high.
md forty miles long. formed of walls three icc'
thick, cemented into solid rock. But this water
channel. gigantic as it is is far from being all the
work The dam across the Croton, which rctoip-
the water in grand reservoir, is mound of earth
and masonry forty fee, high and seventy feet wide
at the bottom. and has connected with it many
complicated but perfect contrivances To enable the
engineer TO have complete control over the mighty
mass of water. The river, thus thrown bock to-
ward its source. will form a lake OF FIVE hgndrcs
acres. which will retain supply for cmergencic-
Of some Thousand millions of gallons, and also
offer. ~ a collateral advantage, many pictsresqu"
sites for country seats upon the woody points
lead. the water from this reservoir into the tque
duct, and eleven more of these subterrancous pas
sages occur before reaching Harlem River having
an aggregate length of seven-eigh,hs of a mile.
and many of them being cut through the solid rock
At intervals Of a mile ventilators are con
structcd in the form of towers ot white mar
bic, which give to the water that exposure TO the
atmosphere without which it becomes vspid and
insipid and these dazzling turrcts mari, out the
line of the Aqueduct TO the passengers upon the
Hudson.
The streams which nlcrsect the line of the Siruc-
ture arc conveyed under it in stone cUiccris, the
s1,rcnites of which afford the engineers an on
portuni,y of displaying their architectural taste
Sing-Sing Greek, with it' deep raviuc, il crossed
by bridge Of single elliptcal arch Of eighty
eight feet span, and a hundred feet above the
stream. Its uupsuallg perfect Workmanship was
proved by its having scucd bat one inch after the
centres were removed The view OF its massive
grace from the narrow valley beneath is Of the
most striking points upon the line. Sleepy Ho-
low, well known to the readers of imaginative
lore, is spanned by series of graceful arches.
The Bridge crossing Harlem River has been
the subject Of much controversy. The admrer,
of magnificent symmetry and perfection, and ihos,
interested in preserving the navigation Of that
stream, have warmly advocated the erection o. d
bridge, over which the water nigh, pass upon it.
regular level; while the friend, OF more measured
economy recommended lower and cheaper struc
uIrc. to which pipes should descend and s,,
therefrom after the manner of an inverted syphon
The plan finally adopted is that OF high bridge
but still with ts .uriacs ten feet below the usua
grade which fall. fourtoex inche. 10 the mile. II
IS quarter OF mile long, hundred and six
teen feet above high wafer and il estimated cost
exceeds throe-quarters of million. Across this
the water Is conveyed IN huge iron pipes. protected
from the frost 10y covering of earth. four foe,
deep Near MaNhattanr,Hc is a tunnel. a ouar.
ter of mile long. through the hil at ,ha, lace
and it. valley is crossed by pipes descending one
hundred and FIVE feet. C'enisaRiag VALLEY j,
passed a, an elevation Of forty feet. and archie. o
appropriate size. uron the lines OF the street,
leave symmetrical cariage-ways and foot-paths
We paid = brief ,isi, YESTERDAY TO the two grca
|, 'servoirs 81 tins stupendous asueduct. The Re
90 '1g Re e-voir-at Yorkvillt. ,hirty-cight mile
from I. . car a. Cicion ri,er--is in two divisions
both coyui,"r % ol thirty-fye acres capable
OF containing red and sixty millions O
gallons. u j. ,l'''o,ed granite walls of soil,
masonry rough', ta's The bottom Of ih,
basin is the nature &c
The Distribu,in. keserv, .r--ai Murray Hin il
Forty -Second street,. much inner and more *
Pensive work. |, is nearly square and covers Al
area of abou, five acres. The bottom Is made O