New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-04-27

On the 9Th March, n. report oi the Committee
was adopted On the llta Nay, plan, 20 BE- sub
mtied To the electors Tor their adoption or rejection,
was agreed upon by the Common Council, and the lst
Of Jane was fixed upon the time for taking the
OF the people upon the subject The result wa
a. follows:
whol~ nunbe Of vote. ,a-................slo5
For u. Water fl4.
trarst The Wat-r
Majority ssaiu,; re War Pan ...............S7 4
This result ~cttl,c the question for the time being
but IN the j., January 1867 the &c; consolidating
the Cities of Brooklyn and Wlliamsburgh and the
Town of Bushwick into one municipal government
went into full operation, and with The addition OF ter
ritory and population thus made Ia the Old City of
Brooklyn commenced renewed citation OF the water
question. In February the Legislature amended the
charter of the Long Island Water Company, and
changed It's name 10 that Of the Brooklyn Water
Company This corporation had br; very bret
existence however for the 18th Of April, 800, was
iucorporated The Nassau Water Company" with
authority TO purchase oil the property, effects, &e, OF
the Brooklyn Water Company The capital OF the
Nassau Company was TO be three millions u dollars
the Company being empowered TO increase II to six
millions if necessary. ard The Common Council was
authorized TO subscribe 20 it, stock 10 an amount not
exceeding 81 100000 and TO issue bonds OF the city in
payment thereof. The Nassau Company, it will be
seen was the lineal descendant and legitimate sue
ce,.or in the direct line of the WILLIAMSBURG Water
Company.
The company promptly organized and at once pc
ttored the Common Council 10 authorize a suD-crip-
ton to It's capital stock to the amount proposed by Is
act of incorporation. On the 2iih September the
Water Committee submitted q report IN effect accord
ing to the propositions Of the Company, and author
izing conditional subscription to it, capital stock Of
$1,000, CO. On the 18th November the report OF the
Committee was finally acted upon in the Common
Council and adopted by vote OFF, yeas to nays.
In April, 1856, meeting ofci,izens was held at the
City Hail. The result Of their action was in effect to
indor,e the project Of the Nassau Water Company
and they appointed committee Ia confer with the
Common Council the subject. On the 9TH OF
May the Water Committee, after a conference
with the Citizens Committee, submitted re-
port. They recommended that the city should
Immediately subscribe the sum of 81, $4,000 to the
stock of the Nassau Company, upon the basis OF
which the work could be commenced at once, and
prosecuted M TO the next session Of the Legislature
when an application could be- made for power to raise
the necessary funds to carry the works to their
completion. They also reported that the Nassau
Water Company proposed to contract with II. s.
w q
not to exceed 200 600 of the capacity for the dev
cry of 30 600 600 gallons daily. The Directory of the
Nassau Company had retired from their positions and
the following gentlemen, whose names had been APP
proved by the Citizens Committee were elected to
fill their places: John H. Prentice, VIM. Wall, Daniel
Van VOORHEES,, James Carson Brevoort, Nicholas
Wyckof Thomas Sullivan aud Nathaniel Briggs.
On the 4th of June the Common Council took final
action on the report of the Committee, and after
careful scrutiny of the contract and specifications
approved of the same.
On the 3lst Of July the work was formally com
menced On that day the Common Council, the
Water Company and large number of citizens
proceeded 10 the site selected for the reservoir and
in their presence, broke ground with the usual
appropriate ceremones-the first shovel full Of earth
being thrown up by George Hail. esq, Mayor
On the 18th February, 1857, act was passed
yesting the rights, interests, and property OF the
Nassau Company in the city, and constituting its
Directors Board of Commissioners to supervise the
construction of the works under the contract entered
into with Weles & Cot being provided that no
alteration increasing the cost Of the work should be
made by these Commissioners without the consent OF
the Common Council. Provision was also made for
the issue of additional six per cent bonds by the city
to the amount of $2,9OOO 600, TO make up the lOo
000 which the work is to cost, and also such further
amount as might be necessary to pay the interest on
the bonds already issued. The interest thereafter, it
was provided should be met by taxation and the
income of the works. II is under this act that the
work has been prosecuted.
This brings us down to the present time, and to
description of the water aud the works from
which the city is supplied, with other details.
The supply is obtained from the gravel plains FORM
ing the long southern slope of Long Island. The
ridge of hills which form the backbone of the Island,
commencing at Prospect Hill in the City of Brook
lyn and terminating at the eastern eXtremtes of the
Island divides it into two long and irregular slopes
the north slope constituting about onethrd and the
south slope two-thirds of the of the Island The
rainfall which forms the basis of all water supplies
il thus shed partly into Long I-land Sound and partly
into the BAYS on the Atlantic. The Engineers est.
mate iwo-hrls of il to fall on the southern slope.
Ii is from the rainfall on the southern slope that
the Brooklyn supply is derived Ii is very rarely that
rain water falls upon formation so well adapted 70
filter il Of all impurities, TO store it and to equaize
it, delivery into the brooks throughout the season OF
the rain, which falls annually. A large proportion
sinks directly into the open gravel and rand plains
instead of passing of rapidly, in rocky or clayey
formations, into the streams, and wasting itself IN
freshets Much of the water Of the Brooklyn supply
must pass through one to four miles in width of the
sandflter bed from which il escapes pure and color
lers.
The supply now being brought into the city will
be derived from drainage area of about 80 square
miles; while beyond this area easterly, there re-
mains over $50 square miles of available drainage,
ground threaded by the character Of brooks and