The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-05-19

for last December reveal deficiency in the rain
! fall greater than has been known in twenty
four years. For the month of January the re-
turns so far as known, are even more dis
couraging. All our own experience is in har-
mony more or less perfect with these facts and
predictions. Director Draper, of the Central
| Park Observatory informs us that his records
show that the rainfall of 1871, as compared
with 1872, is as Is. 76 inches is to g. SO inches,
while the snow fall in 1871 was 80 II inches,
and in 1872 but 9.87 inches. These figures are
alarming. We are as yet i'll the early sum
mer, and the woods are blazing; and accord
ing to all accounts the water in reserve is COM
paratively small, and quite unequal to the de-
| mand it, as it promises to be- the summer is
more than usually hot. It has not been denied
that the burning Of the Western prairies had to
do with the Chicago confagration of last year,
and, if we would not have blazing cities this
summer or fall all over the Union, we had bet
ter be upon our guard.
| These, however, are more or less general
| questions, and to general questions we are too
liable to be Indifferent. The threatened
scarcity of water for New York city is not q
general question. 1t comes home to all of us,
and we must think of it and provide against it.
Our Croton supply is manifestly insufficient.
We need larger central reservoir or rather
we need many such central reservoirs. The
time must come when New York will have no
need to fear a scarcity Of water during the
strong heat Of summer. But we must look ut
things as they are Complaints are common
and have been common for many summers
past What we have to do until we have
larger supplies, and what we have especially to
do this summer, is to husband what supplies
we have. It is a fact deserving of notice that
New York, with population little over one
million two hundred thousand, consumes over
fifty millions Of gallons Of water, while Lon
don, with population considerably over three
millions, consumes only sixty millions Of gal
Ions of water The excessive heat Of New
York, as compared with that Of London, does
not explain the difference. With us there
must be waste, and excessive waste. Our
plain duty is to economize A most interesting
and instructive communication from "Pro
DOHO 1uDllcO, puDllSAeu Ill JHe IlEHALD VI DlH-
day last gave most convincing proof that the
waste Of water in New York city was enor-
nous. Thousands of gallons of water
are wasted daily. In prospect of water
famine cannot American ingenuity invent
self-closing faucet which will be useful and
convenient, yet economical2 On both sides
over the whole extent Of the city we have large
bodies of water. For street cleaning purposes
and for the extinction Of fires our supply is
inexhaustible as the ocean. Let us for these
purposes organize a system which will utilize
the North and East Rivers BY this means we
shall save millions upon millions of gallons of
pure water, indispensable for domestic pur
poses, all of which, as things now are, is un-
mistakably wasted. Let our water inspectors
be multiplied. and let the inspection be car
ried out in good faith. Let us also make the
experiment Of the Artesian wells which have
worked such wonders in our own country and
in Europe. Let everything be done which
can be done to prevent water famine. IT, in
circumstances which are not by any means i'm
possible, our authorities fail, the blame will
not be the blame of the HERALD.