New-York tribune., 1871-06-14
adequate supply Of pure and Wholesome water for the

o.,
Sy CSSS be s and 9e SRSTsns n to the Com
On the second Of May 1854. act OF the Legislature
passed TO provide for supplying the City OF New
FORK with pure aud wholesome water This act directed
he Governor by the of the Senate to appoint
i've TO be known the Water commissioners OF
ne CITY OF NewYork and made It the duty of the Com
nisSoners TO examine and consider all matters relative
o supplying the city With sufficient quanuty OF Waer
IA thor opinion would be most advantageous for pro
curing such supply Of water and 10 ascertain as nearly
,arry the same into eject and TO report the results Of
their Investigations 10 the Common Council before the
hrSt Of January, 1885, And In case the plan ad9peu y
the Commissioners was approved of by the Common
Council that at the next charter election balot-Dox
for against the constructions the on tue
stephen Allen Saul Alley. William W. Fox, Benjamin
NJ Brown, and Charles DusenbeIry were appointed on
mssiOners, and they Immediately entered upon theI
duties. They employed David b. Douglass and John Joha
Mattneau, civil engineers, TO make separate anu
surveys and devise separate plans Tor bringing ""'0
Early in lS35 both Mr. Douglass and Mr.. Martinsan
Douglass recommending an aqueduct OF masonry & HtpS
similar 10 the that was constructed ana ioJe t R
very nearly the line, and OF sufficient capavi9 70
deliver thirty million gallons per DAY M, 90 neicient
reeommendng round conduit OF n"Son on & d Say and to
take the water from CrotOn River by means OF ua
one hundred and fifty feet high. ,,, . o-
The Commissioners adopted plan wmch was W VIZ ~
similar to the recommended by Mt Douglass anu III
April 1885, tie question of authorizing the construction
OF The Aoueucf was voted on with the following result
Seventeen thousand three hundred and thirty Iof anu
and on the seventh OF May OF that year the Common
Council Instructed the Commissioners 10 proceeu "lth
The Commissioners Immediately commenced preparing
Chie Engineer and located that part Of the line OF the
Aqueduc WescheSer County, very nearly wherem w m ~
John B Jeryis, who continued as Chief Engnees s
9naHT S tnG in is9 Mr. Jerys designed and per
sonay supeTintended the construction OF the In ~
Aqueduct and all the structures connecleu NJ" s ~,
In March, 1885, Mr.. Benjamin H. Brown resigned ron ON
the Commission, and Mr.. Thomas Il Woouin. ., Was "p
pointed in his place. and under the adnns @ ,t VI
these Commissioners the Aquoduct was located ana lts
form and dimensions decided upon as wen a an az
lures connected with it, and contracts Were ino
by them with parties for the CONSTRUCTION oi lhe eA'o
The construction Of the work commenced early in
the year 1897 and so far completed that the wafer
In fact the whole aequednGt was hnshed at tnat
ne with the exception & Sf t.e Hgh brdse' "cn was
For description OF the Croton Aqueduct and the eoun-
try through which It passes quote the following from ON
scPon has appeared in any OF the reports OF the
Water Commissioners Of the CrOtOn Aqueduct Board
"NKv-YoRK. 27tb July, 1879.
The cOOn AcqOduct designed supply the city Of Nev-YOIt
l n above The mouth Of the CIoto1 rSer
% @ 6 10 ouci s or one hundred and feet above
The OF the seaaeoci passes sSs se va & o. M SToOn &
miles the CrOion dan it ressss The ag q sing sing and CO...
Soi Yensen ,,.,7-.,.-, -. u.,.., ,.,.... -.
yaey o. Sswma nv i've. Sh S Of b SrCoS Taley to SSf
& ai sS @ m Of s Harlem 1er where The high grounds Of th,
nsen fall aws 80 much as to require n a3g1soc % STS n SUN
This form Of country continues 10 and Is o the h1[
Sa e2 yS Westerly s1 gf frS% I asco%bs dam
. & snG o bs % ss da o an @ conduit Ra
and brek masonry The hg ground that bounds Isl tle 5S[n
tht place width Of the valley at the sqaeoe leyel 6oqt
6sS 20 B: ooos s SSss V 1d gi now in u prs
pipe. are 70 be Ad to oonteS the the valley
shore the sOu!heTy s Of the 1e S & O@ @ gTO0' @ q;
about feet the sy Of e bottom Of The sqndaft ,
oonnnd % sS niles 70 tie the north
% Fl ssae5'ss ey W. is wide at The squuc below which
Ss. s'Rs which Id descend 5 insS aS the bottom Valley
level on ths OPIos ds s. ron HT' % % sBs cepSa5g Tev
eatnged IT'S miles to s9 re n SG % et a. on 5Gs se & p SEVENTY
ninth street the south SsyeIl avenue on on ts Se, IT, 6 s % & feGs %
the sel s & 6 ae m miles from the City Hall From
dosH Sighted street h convey water 2l76 miles to
The Iocsl6n Of ibis reservoir avenue between P
the eoce Of the exterior wall snd contains an area
o. 4oS &c ssIes & S ss sV sy y the streets around it.
THE length gf sqaeda from the CrOtOn dam to the distributing
MasonT condait in MeschesteT County q $50
FesSas T4 s@sf7 fssf7o from end Of aaacu
gaze Louise l9oso. , -, -. $50
iToS pPes On 6Tdse over Harlem valley o25s
Iron pipes across valley 0IS3
Iron pipes between reservoirs 2lS
405s2
ses % pG eI % fo n by the erection Of the CCiOn and other
possa the WAier at suitable Level on the Coon River as
nso Of i've miles proper the river which
oa. 151lnsG on q e ceS which requisite
S9 6 % sn T . 9R et @oa add about four e
i.E bSs Ss S's az o sf ToSSS SSS's1 % ai'i ny
sO earth and rock Of the country from the banks % o. The & C0.D
s to iaH .SS s3S SfH1S d
ssd l%o P. a. marble SSg g gF,' 1s,, M qea aI
sma roc as the place marble has been got extent
fo market Nc more marble was sT aoG % 1 Of s co
dams to the piers marble rock was found the bed
ppesr sHs n Harlem s the K5ShdSs road Hudson
variety in quality In many place, ssSsas Soc oss 1ssS oi
s.g . Os @ o b 5tsp very barge proportion SoSevs1 Of
this rocE Osly unit for building purposes ,, xs snail
proportion sseeOus earth Below the surface soil gravel sand
SsS'so's USS 70 considerable extent
uns through More than 100 900 cubic yards Of rock
The genera formation country extremely irregular and
favorable for construction Of sueh worn
vs : 5sSsaa u from Sa' @ point s
70 encounter great Iregulstes surface Very his regular table
& s, % G on he 5 Of the Inc in wecSes county eonod the
general location Of ridges Of various forms and een
sOd frequent gnnng through g heavy Sling th valleys
@ sisna Of New York exception about mile
5 oa which rendered conflicting
There are on the VARYING length l6O
@ feet making IN ss a, Ts S s en G s @ from S 9 the %
lin, G IRE s5su % that srs from twelve seventy G below the sd
eighty three feet below the
he aousdu TIE prominent Of the valleys LOuBsberys
indian broo singSDg Nil Mill nyer JEWELS brook and sswm
vT. the which less than forty
De % line or fythree below the covering 1qaeinc
brooks valleys
Of less deb requiring aud ARTIFICIAL foundations the
sau The level Of Harlem Is 10 90 feet
he grade line quouct Of which more particular description
will be given hereafter. ,,-, N..r. -,
s pe tous rocky bounds the sOuthey shore OF Harlem
valleys the island are Manhattan
lev ndinni valley BoxBes valley more particular notice Of
phAsn sI valleys will be given when describing toe
pn OF wol Of obstruction for the Others being similar TO
hat FOR The vale In Wes;cbester county"
es.i,t,, of the Plan of Work for A9ueduct aud It's