New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-06-05
THE LATEST PLOT.
The Croton Dam % be Blown Cp-The
Reservoirs 10 be Tapped-New.for k
Water at the Price Of Richmond
Whi.ky-Why Poisoning was Alan.
dOned.

| notwithstanding the collapse of the Rebel
lion the Rebel agents in Canada are as busy AS ever IN
connecting hostile projects against the country Hav-
ing lost their homes aud reputation by their reasonable
and infamous conduct they are inpelled by hendish
malice 10 inhct all the injury they can on the people OF
the North. They care not jot whether their blows
TALL upon the strong the weak upon the Government
and those who have been In arms against them On
non. com batants and helpless women and children.
| One OF the schemes they are now preparing 70
execute involves the destruction Of the Croon Dam al
Yorktown westchester County. Upon this structure.
it is well known the city is dependent for water, and II
destroyed It would cost millions of dollars and months
of labor to replace it. In the meantime the city would
bs without water for the receiving and distributing
reservoirs and aqueduct combined contain more
than supply for few days. Therefore the agents
persuaded that the destruction Of that noble structure
would be one OF the blows that could be in
icted on the people Of this metropolis They that
not only would the most prominent and important fac
tories and shops be obliged, for want Of steam &C., to
suspend operations but that indescribable misery
would fall upon tho people at large. Fireengnes, they
believe would become useless, and in short time the
whole city would become prey to grand conaagration.
without the aid Of Kennedy or other incendiaries.
About q fortnight ago engineer was sent rom
Montreal to inspect the grand structure and devise
plan for Its destruction. He examined the work
thoroughly took notes Of its dimensions style Of con-
struction &c. and reported that would be the easiest
thing in the world to blow it to atoms. 1t is to be Ell
fected by Of small torpedoes to be placed on the
inside Of the dam against the masonry together with
enc or two In the gate for the discharge of the surplus
water and exploded simultaneously. The dam. 1t 10
reported, confines upward Of 500 100000 gallons Of
water the pressure Of which against so narrow struc'
ture must be very great that the engineer engaged
in the scheme is confident that onehaf Of the power
he proposes to employ would do the work efectualyi
but it is intended to make "sure work Of it."
Arrangements have been made to send the powder or
orpedoes nicely packed in Aoubarre from Montreal
to this city, and from here to Sing Sing. whence they
are to DO conveyed In farmers wagon on an appointed
evening" to point above the dam, ready to be carried
in the dead Of night and deposited in their proper
places.
In lsll. when the dam was about half finished It was
carried away by the great pressure Of the confined
water against il. and swept away all the bridges.
factories and rolling mills on the stream below. Its
destruction at this time would inct manufacturers
and farmers between it aud the Hudson ten times the
amount of damage caused by the break at that time.
and the loss of life would be very great
To prevent the city being benefited by the water
flowing through the aqueuuct after the blowing up OF
the DAM it intended to destroy the aqueduet itself at
some point near the city. The engineer who examined
the dam and formed the plan for its destruction also
inspected High Bridge. which he believes may be easily
broken But whether the severance would be made at
that point or still the city had not up to my
last interview with the conspirators, been decided.
With the desperate men they have enlisted in the
terprise they can. If not closely watched break the
aqueduct at dozen points between the city and Yon.
kers. EI..
But their scheme. as first proposed intended to
60 much further 1t designed poison such water
as might be left In the reservoirs by casting arsenic
srychnne and other posons into the aQueduct below
the break TO be made and in the reservoirs themselves
With this view the capacity Of the reservoirs
tained and calculation made by m experienced
chemist Of the amount Of poisonous matter necessary 10
affect I'll the water aid render ordinary giaes fuD
deadly.
The necessary quantity was ascertained, ana the
cost Of II, at wholesale price computed; out the
quantity and found te be 30 large, and the
difficulty in purchasing it without exciting suspicion
admitted to be SO great that this part or the pro-
ject was abandoned The plan was suggested by Dr.
Blackburn and the computations made by him. The
fends will be satisfied to their own words Will
" making a glass Of water as expensive IN Newforb
~ ever glass Of whisky w@ In Richmond"