Polynesian. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu], Hawaii) 1844-1864, 1850-06-01

The cost Of the works for raising the water
as given in the Report of the Water Com
mittee for 1923, was as follows: Purchase OF
White and Gillingham s l5O, 600; erection of
the dam, locks. etc, including damages for
fowage, SlsI 600; mill houses, mills, etc
ST. $50; iron raising mains, Si,4SI--Totai
S4O6, 73O. The pumps cost 3, 500 each.
The city of New York has more recently
provided for the want of water felt BY its citi-
zens. Although il was not until the year
1874 that the Croton aqueduct was fnis d
the subject Of supplying the city with wa, "
had been agitated long before that time. -
the year liza, Christopher COLES proposed
to pump water from wells into a reservoir,
hIe h enough for distribution over the city
lh,s plan being rejected. other propositions
were made during the next seventy years.
The project which was finally adopted for
the permanent and full supply of the city,
was to bring the water of the Croton River
to the city, from height sufficient to render
pumping unnecessary.
The CrotOn river rises in Putnam county,
IN three springs, whose rivuIets unite near
Owentown; its water is increased by the sur
plus of several lakes, which collect the water
of the country by different small streams -
The principal branches being united with the
river, it receives additional water from sew
eral small brooks, which iall into it from both
sides, till, after a number of turnings and
wndings in its course, it empties into the
Hudson, below Teller's Point, forty miles
above New York. The dam is erected at a
point five miles above the mouth, where the
quantity of.water furnished is about 80, 900, =
900 per day.
i The charge of the work was at first en-
trusted to Maj Douglass, who made the plans
and all the preparations therefor, when diff
ficulty arising between him and the chairman
of the Water Commissioners, John B. Jervis,
Esq was appointed chief engineer in his place.
The Croton dam is two hundred and sew
enty feet long, and is built Of by ydraulic stone
masonry. The water Of the river is raised
forty feet by the dam, and forms the Croton
Lake, which at depth of six ieet, contains
500, ,OO0, 900 gallons of water at disposal,
above the level that allows the aqueduct to
discharge 5000, 900 gallons a day. The
flow OF the river is about %, 900 900 gallons
a day in the driest season; to make up which
amount to the 35, 900 900, it would be ne
cessary to take 5000, 900 day from the
overplus mentioned above, of 500 ,OOO, 900,
which of course, it would be possible to do
for sixty-two days.
i IL was at first proposed 10 bring the wate.
} from the river III an open canal; but, for OBJ
:, vious reasons this plan was not adopted. Ii
was finally determined TO construct an unIn-
terrupted conduit of brick and stone mason
~, from the CrotOn dam to the receiving re-
servoir, within the limits OF the CITY, dis
tance OF thIrty-eIght and a quarter miles
This conduit Is seven feet five inches In width
and eight feet five and a half inches in its
greatest height, and IS protected throughout
by a covering of earth four feet in depth
! The foundations OF the structure vary accord
ing TO the character of the ground over which
| it passes, but its form Is uniform throughout.
Whatever be the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. the
natural bed of earth rock, an artificial
structure of masonry-upon this is laid bed
of concrete, formed of hydraulic Cement and
broken stone, and upon this bed the conduit
is constructed, consisting of side walls OF
stone, tour feet in height, surmounted by a
scmicircular arch of brick. This arch is oi
the width of two bricks, or eight inches, IN
thickness, and the bottom and side walls are
ri lined with single course Of brick. The bot
tom is IN the form of reversed arch, whose
versed sine is nine inches. and the side walls
have a batter Of four and hall inches each
The area of the interior of the aqueduct Is
53 81 square feet The general inclination
of the conduit is l3 3 inches per mile, and
the entire fall from The Cr"tnn dam tn the
Harlem river, is thirty-four feet, to the re-
ceiving rese, voir fortv-three feet, and to the
distributing reservnir forty-seven feet. The
entire length of the aqueduct from Croton
lake to the distributing reservoir is forty and
halt miles.
The line of the aqueduct commences at the
Crotan dam by tunnel through the solid rock
one hundred and eighty feet long. This leads
to the gate way when the water passes through
a screen of stats of oak, one inch apart, and
covered with fine net work of brass wire. u
then passes the guard gates, and afterwards
RI the regulating gates. There are seven guard
pates made with their frames of cast iron, pia-
ced side bv side. and raised or depressed by
: a screw upon rod attached to the gate
There are ten regulating gates, made OF gun
metal and raised in the same way as the
guard gates.
From the gate way, the aqueduct proceeds
. in the direction of New York, through nu-
Il merous tunnels, varying in length from one
;
Il fifteen feet, aud over bridges Of different
heights and lengths The most remarkable
; of the bridges is that over the Harlem river,
; thirty-three miles from the dam Various
, methods were proposed for crossing the river
} The plan adopted however, was high stone
bridge with fifteen arches. Eight of them,
s!scea IL IL :he water. are eighty ieet in width
: by one hundred in height, above high water,
; as required by the law OF New York. Or
!, each shore there are seven arches of fifty
feet span each. The two abutments and four
Of the piers, are founded on gneiss rock
: three on marble, and seven on piles. Inc
water crosses this bridge in an inverted sy'
} phon Of twelve feet depression, through two
4 iron pipes of thirty-six inches diameter, al
e though there is room for pipes OF iorty-e'gh'
/, inches diameter, when they shall be reqn'r'
e ed. The pipes are covered with hve ieet o