New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-01-21

IL The vo,e of Ibis City-Water or No Water
and the decision TO be made m view Ol the idC'
that the plan an contemplation lpOheu 10 h"'
thing short OF bringing the Croion hlVer mo
our streets. at an expense OF many Inlllohs VI
dollars. 10 be raised by loan, OF which the prln-
cin3l and interest were to be paid by taxation.
The result was for " alter and the Taxation ne
cessary to hrinpit 1880 votes; against It, 5,965
h would not be fairrepresentalOn OF THIS topic,
n dld not add heTe-as among the proofs winch.
10 an honest searcheT, abound IN the history OF
cur City that the wealth OF It's cl'lZehs Is al
WAYS ready, cheeriuily and largely 10 contribute
10 the common weltare-that the Noes on this oc-
casion were from Wards which paid the small
est amount of taxation, while the heavly taxed
Wards. in other words, the Wards IN which
riches most ahounded voted, almost unanimous.
~. Yes. In three " ards only. lXth, Xth and
Xllph, the noes prepOnderated; IN the Alth
the vote was nearly baianced-Ies $50; No S73.
In the Isl Ward the vote was, Yes l,4l7 No u
Yet in that year the taxes collected IRON ist
Ward were S246,lsl while those from the three
negative Wards were
lXih Ward -S53'OOo
XIII Ward ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 20 so
XIIIth Ward ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 1857
,sei T0'9 ,bc balance ii,6 Wsrd 1900
Total SPAS
50 that the lit Ward alone paid more than
twice the tax, and would, therefore, be IN the
same proportion liable for future assessments Tor
he cost OF the Aqueduct as the three mega
i've WARDS and the one balanced Ward.
This view is strengthened by the additional
fact that the whole tax for the year 1886 pro-
6uced S9G5GG2; of which the four dissenting or
Indifferent " ards above enumerated, paid only
sl2l, 349, or about one-elghth.
add as q matter within my personal know
edge. that upon the suggestion that as no prOvl-
h. nrHfp a hp a
non for submitting the question to the people
for the supply OF Enthusiastically provided IN
political elections by the candidates or their
par.y-there might be danger that the vote would
he disregafded, few gentlemen of property
subscribed . fund of several hundred dollars 10
doiray the expense of printing tickets and OF
employing persons at each poll to distribute
them.
The vote being affirmative, the noble enter
urise was al once undertaken, and III seven years
II was completed in a manner so thorough and
substantial that after ages VIII bless the i0erall-
~ and foresight Of the generation which author
l2ed the AQueduct, and the skill and completeness
with which 1t Is constructed. Neither time nor
fitness will permit any detail as to this structure.
IL must suffice 20 state the amount OF It's daily
blessings so far as mere figures can approximate
thereto the daily current poured INTO our streets
and houses by the Cr0ton from the Distributing
Reservoir measures 100000 gallons, and on
Saturday, when, as the last Report OF the Board
saws, Jealous bouSewiery puts every street
washer IN roQuisltiOn (whe,her necessary or
noO"-ten mlhous OF gallons more, or forty NIL
lion gallons 10 all are used, or rather infused
wickedly misusod, am almost tempted to say,
bv population within the water DISTRICT OF not
more than 100000 persons, or 90 gallons -
| Nhnk OF it) 90 gallons to each individual The
| whole supply of the City of London, with popu-
| lation of two millions, does rot exceed 100000
1 l., tAn., dtttx n lnQ
ton, will call II, of every good citizen 10 pre-
vent, as far as IN him lies, the enormous and
shameful waste which this bare statement OF the
! quantity thrown daily into our City SO clearly
| establishes This lavish distribution Of water is
accomplished through subteuanean network
of IRON pipes Of which the entire length exceeds
two hundred miles, IN other words, II iald IN
one line, they would reach from the Reservoir to
Boston.
| cannO: leave this subject without quoting
here the emphatic warning - III which each
one of us is personally interested, not only
for his daily comfort, but for his security from
fIe-given III the latest Report of the Croton
Aquosuct Board, That the last drop of water
whichthe works, ntheirpreseIt state, can supply
is nolO daily delivered la the City-a supply more
than equal to any and all the legitimate wants
of a million and half of people" Yet thus
enorn Gus supply Is wasted 10y less than halt a
million 1t may be well to add, however, that
the High Bridge--across which Only two mains, OF
Sc inches, are now laid BY substituting for
them n ore or larger mains, the quantity may DO
very largely increased; for the reserve III the
Croton River" as the Commissioners state, and
the numerous lakes in which it has its sources,
subject to future control, would be enough Tor
larger city than any now on the globe"
DRAINS AND SEWERS.
Another series of great works also, most ina
portant to the health and conducive To the COM
tort of the CITY, is more recent than the cOnstruc
ton of the AQueduct, and Is still In progress
the system OF underground draining through
sewers The Bureau of Sewers and Drains Is
very properly attached to the Croton Aqueduct
Department The first sewer in our City OF any
extent, was that IN Canal-st But, laid down as
an isolated work, and without the consideration
that shou d have preceded 1t, II Is, as conpa cd
with those since constructed, an Inferior WORK.
Still it answers It's purpose, though al greater
cost for clearing out frequently than should be
But the unskilliulness of Its construction and
the Inconvenience resulting therelrom, caused
prejudice against sewers, which II required
much time and much eXertlon TO overcome, ana
which, perhaps, but for the necessity oil the
case, would not have been overcome. by some
strange oversight, this sewer was constructed
without the simple contrivance OF alr-traps-a
curve, in The manner of the syphon, somewhere
in the Culvert in which column OF water, a.
ways standing, prevents the upward escape OF
the offensive odor from the sewer. For the lack
Of this, the jewellers on and around Canal-st.
were exposed 10 most ietld smells rising through
The culverts into the upper air, and great was
the cutlery and great the consequent deprecia-
ton of property Yet for long time, although
sewers properly constructed and furnished with
thes traps had long existed on the flat plain oc-
cupied 10y Philadelphia, the authorities OF our
City could not be made TO understand the cause
or 70 seek for a remedy which laid at their very
door. Happily, the growth OF the City and lis
natural conformation compelled resort to sew
ers elsewhere, and then Science and Experience
were brought into play to do then perfect work
and so far as could be done to cure the defects
in the Canalst work The introduction there Of
the air.traps has nearly removed the former
nuisance.
The form of the island is that of turtles