New-York tribune., 1868-03-17
OrR CROTON HITTER.

The CITY of New-Yorli long laborcd under
the disadvantage and oblOquy of having the
worst water of any metropolis on earth. We
read taunts of her bad water i'll Philadelphia
and in Baltimore journals long before we ever
saw the isle of Manhattan. We were here
when the cholera first ravagcd our City in 1892,
and believed that the number of deaths would
have been far less if we had had good water
A dozen futile attempts had previously been
made to initiate a competent system OF water
supply, whether by boring wells, tapping the
Bronx, or otherwise; but our cholera eXpe-
rence was decisive. The next Winter an act
passed the Legislature providing for the ap-
pointment by the Governor and Senate, OF
Commissioners to consider and investigate the
whole subject with power; and this Board OF
Water Commissioners consisting of Stephen
| Allen, Wm. w. Fox, Saul Alley, Chas. Dusen-
bury and Benz NJ. Brown was duly appointed
and set to woIk-a vote of our citizens, ut a
special election, having authorized and rati-
! fed the project. We are proud OF the vote we
! then cast for Water" when two of our poor
est Wards gave majOTitics against it-several
of the more ardent adversaries voting
Brandy" Still there was large majority
| for Water"
The noble enterprise thus inaugurated was
duly prosecuted, until, in 1872 it was COM
pleted and the introduction of CrOtOn Water
duly celebrated (Oct. 14) with imposing ccre-
| monies. Henceforth, our City, long the worst,
has been the best watered of American cities;
and the revenue thence derived, which was hut
| S1G4532 so late as 1915, had gradually grown
to $1,1Gj,S9O in 1867. And, if our citizens were
charged one-half what the water is worth to
them. the receipts would very soon repay the
| cost of the noble work.
The system inaugurated, under Democratic
auspices, thirty-five years ago, remains essen
TALLY unchanged. No other department Of our
municipal affairs is better managed-tO say the
least-than is the Water. There are no longer
| five Commissioners, because-the works being
constructed-sO many are TO longer needed.
! STILL important Improvements are in progress,
| especially at the High Bridge, where the water
! is brought across the Harlem River, and where
a fuller supply is being secured by addi-
| tional tubes or mains The Board now con-
| siSts of Thomas Stephens QrcsidenD Rob
ert L. Dauagh (AssistanO, and Alfred W..
Craven (Chief Engneer). Mr.. Craven has
served continuously throughout the last nine
teen years. and is widely known as eninently
capable and Trustworthy His associates in the
Board have served fewer years, but to general
acceptance OF their present subordinatcs,
nearly all bear honorable discharges from
service in the Union armies during the war :;
many are armless or otherwise so disabled
that they would fight the battle of life with
! disadvantage if they were turned out to shlrk
| for themselves. We doubt whether their
politics were even thought of when they were
appointed.
This system, the Assembly, acting at the
beck of Tweed, Sweeney & Co., has voted to
subvert, and to place the department wholly
| in their power through the machinery of Mayor
and Aldermen. The Mayor cOnfesses himself
unable to stop the most barefaced robberies,
which are rushed through the Councils over
his vetOes in utter defiance even of decenCy.
The plunder thus clutched even last week
must have amounted to more than a hundred
thousand dollars. Put the CrOton Water into
the hands of these robbers, and they will steal
whole blocks where they are now obliged to
rest content with single houses.
We do not believe it possible to buy this
bill through the Senate; if it is, we shall con-
fidently expect the Governor to veto it.