The Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1841-1843, 1842-11-15
THE CROTON AQUEDUCT.

:, The following from the New York State
! Mechanic gives an account Of this magnili-
cent achievement:
! The Croton aquiduct greatly surpasscs
! any OF The structures of ancient times, both
/ in magnitude and perfection. There is no
useless display of gigantic arches and ener-
NOUS stones, but the whole is a beautiful
monument of the perfection TO which the
art has arrived al this day-simple, efficient
and durable 1t NAV not present so impo-
sing a front to the vulgar, but TO the engin-
Ger and the man of science. it has an air of
grandeur and sUblimity, arising from the
vastness of lis design and the business of its
proportions. The main tryn% is 40 miles
il. length, wholly composed Of masonry. 6
l-2 feet wide, and feet high. / he walls
are > feet thick, cemented into solid rock
The grand reservoir at the head of the
aQueduct is caused by de- N of stone work
20 feet high and 70 broad, thrown across
the Croton river, forming an expanse Of
water 500 acres in extent, sufficient to sup
ply any emergency.
The trunk is carried over vallies and
streams. through hills and barriers OF solid
rocks, afiording opportunities to the cngin-
GERS for the display of skill and taste, which
has been improved with very happy effect.
For instance, the bridge which crosses the
Sing Sing creek, is single elipticle arch of
so feet span, and 100 #. above the stream.
The bridge across Harlem river is 1900
feet in length, ZIG feet above high
wafer, and cost nearly Ss00.h00. Sleepy
Hollow is also spanned by series grace
ful arches, and the valley of Ciendenning
is passed at an elevation Of 40 feet, afford
ing carriageways and lootpaths over IFS ar
ches. At 6ianhattanville the work is car
ried through the bill by tunnel, and under
the valley by pipes decending los feet
This mode of crossing valleys, it is believed,
the Romans never attempted, but carried
the stream al Il pitch from one inch to half
q foot TO the hundred feet, and where the
force of the current was TO great, it was
overcome by curves. %"
The wafer, thus conducted 50 miles, is
received into the reservoir at Yorkvilie,
which contains an AGRA of % acres, enclo-
sed by granite walls. and capable ofreceiv-
ing 100 millions Of gallons. The distribu-
ting reservoir at Mur:ay's Hill is also work
of great magnitude anG expense, and calcu
lated 10 endure long as the Fills and rocks,
1t is in the Egyptian style of atchitecture,
with a promenade 90 feet in width at the
top of the walls, tagged. and provided VIII
an iron railing. 1t employed 400 men four
years in its construction. Altogether, il is
triumph of skill and enterprise of which
the world presents few equals. Its compile
lions viii require two or three years yet.
although temporary pipes are laid, by which
water was distributed TO the city on the 4th
of July last It's advantages TO city in the
extinguishmcnt Of fires alone are incacu.
liable. In the great conhigralion of 1885,
the amount Of property destroyed was esti-
mated at seventeen millions of dollars, one
! third more than the cost Of this work the
extent Of which was in a great degree, at
tribntable to The want of convenient sup
ply Of water.