New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-06-27
ARTISAN WELLS.


Throughout Europe engineers are paying
sreat deal of attention the subject OF srtesian Wells
and the rapidly gaining ground that they are inc
cheapest well the best sources OF the wafer PP5
of large cities since the successful execution
the Grepee WE'LL attention has been directed 70 th's
mode OF obtaining water. and the enconra4hR esusoi
the Passv well ha We iucrea the admiration Tor them
The first scientific body 10 take up thls subject was Tue
French "socieiA dElcouragoment podr Plnd1srle
rationale" which. as far back as 1890 offered ana
awarded medals thos, engineers who we're most sue
ressuI Ia procuring abundant supplies OF water IN
,al,is where artesan wells had not been previously
,ntroducei They are being constructed in nuner-
Gus places. ana rule have proved as productive DIS
their projectors could have wished
Ther nnortance can he scarcely overesiimated; yet
4, y only within the past score OF years that any
ateri. nroqress has made IN this direction For
sgrcpt,rol as well as for manufacturing ana domestic
,nr~e they have proved OF value, and IL is be-
ueyed that places destitute OF water OF scahtHy
.uppred with 1t. VIII long. by means OF them De
r.ndered fertile and available As example OF the
bepeHel,l results Of wel-of this kind may be men
toned the eas OF Mbank Prison London, which re-
relyed Its water from the Thames RIVER and which mad
always borne bad reputation for unAeathneSs, from
It's CD Mug IN 1916 - In the latter year excellent
water was supplied from an ar,esian well In Trafalgar
square aud al once the typhoid fever. diarrhea and
dysentery-the death rate from which bad been very
large-dlsappeared. and for period of over eighteen
wears there have only deaths from typhoid
lever and only from diarrhea ard dysentery. The
criminal population OF London. according 70 Dr.
Mccormack therefore better off than OF the
rommunIty and are TO be eovled IN respect to the
abundant supply OF pure wholesome water they receive
Before introduction of the Croton water into New
York CITY The water winch placed upon the tables
OF tAe wealthy upper wards OF the
city casks and delivered al certain price per gal
Ion The hotels had purchase great deal of water
IN this way each expendng from 500 to $50 annually
In 1857 he water devere from the casks cost on an av-
=, 80, o aa,.-aver s25l0oO per year, For long time
the Old Tea Wafer pump in Chatham-st near Orange
flow Btx;ef was The scarce OF all the drinkaDe
wafer Tor tue portion OF New-Ynrk, and was re-
srea 10 by tie people from all parts Of the city. Wells
and pnps were the depend ,nCe for water, and IN
paees large reservoirs built 70 hold sufficient
water in ease any of the wells gave out in the dry
seasou The Manhattan Water Company, which was IN
cotp0ra ted ia 1890 with capital of sOOOOO had large
re,eryor IN Cnambers-st, few hundred feet west of
Ceufr-sr whence the distributed 70 different
parts o. tc cty through bored log pipes some of which
were dug up months on the wes5 side Of PARK
row, near Use new POs.-Olice.
Auout ls.0 The subject OF artesan wells was brought
rather prominently forward aud the Company had
number of artesiIn wells bored at df rent nt IN the
vicinity ~ their wafer works NJ ade and Centre-sts
one the Us R'ade aud E N sts 1t is said yielded
million Gallons "a hours, and was the principal
soulce Of water supply. The Company subsequently
IN ls,3 nj Broadway and Bleecker-st., which supplied
excellent water II 443 tdeep, with bore seven
inches IN diameter capable OF yielding l2O0c0J gal
Ions Gav. Another artesan well in Thrteenth-st De-
longing the Company, furnished 10000 gallons
VI water daily.
1873 n the suggestion OF the tanners and curriers'
OF the neichborIooi of Jacob and Ferry-sts. spot
known 20 tins day "a "The swamp" artesian well
was bored In JIcobst through made ground covering
an marsh, but the obtained at dep'h Of rs
feet was hard, aad had very unpleasant oior. Tue
projectors nosed - abroad mat they had struck min
era spring shortly after petition was drawn mp
and presented 20 the Board OF Al ernen requesting the
Corporation TO buy IL for the of the puuic Drs.
Torrey and Macucvu aud Mr. COzzsns were directed TO
make an OF the wafer, which the latter did. ana
on his analysis aud report the project was abandoned
fountain was however set up, called the Spa" and
the LANYARD sold 20 numerous drinkers at SIX
cents a elass The New-York and Harlem Spring Water
Comu1uv established IN 1926 mad; several bOrings al
Yorkvc one reaching depth Of % feet but no water
WAS obtained. The project failed aud III the following
wear the New-York We'll Company was incorporated 70
sappv the city with pure water nv sinking artesian
wells on tie elevated parts OF the island but after sew
eral attempts evident that the undertaking was
iupractic48e aud the concern fell through Although
the attempts most instances proved unsuccessful
they served 20 agte the subject and 10 increase tne
public interest in the matter. and TINS led 10 other
fforts which were abundanty rewarded. AT TINS time
construction of artesian wells IN the city and he
carried on the business for many wears. BE had a
patent for Improvements on instruments used III
boring and drilling rocks, which gave MIN excellent
facilities ana advantages in sinking me wells In ls@o
he proposed TO suppy the city with water by means Of
an artesan well and reservoir IN each Ward LIS
scheme Was 10 bore until good water obtained, 10
tube the boring il order exclude the impure and sur
face wafer 10 "a ~ tue water wells by the aid
OF steam engines ami have ~ How into reservoir,
whence il could be easily distributed. The uncertainty
Of an adequate supply and the cost OF such an enter
Prise prevented the undertaking. ;he COMMITTEE OF the
Board OF Aldermen reporting that the expenses were SO
great that IL would be unwise the city to embark in
the project.
Ia ls32 an artesian well was bored at
Richards disi.ery. at Perry and FAetcry-sts.-now
Waverley place. by fac resdences-and IN 1910
boring was made az Disbrow's blacksmith-shOp' IN
Beec ker-st. Broadway and Mercer-st, when
passed through feet Of before granite was
reachei il yielded gallons day An artesian
well was bored at Ho.rs Hotel, now known as the
Tinted States Hotel. at Fulton and Pear-stsp many
vears ago II was $50 feet deep. with discharge of
900 gallons IN "a hours hat tire water obtained from 1t
soon became mpregnated with the salt river water,
which rendered unfit for and the well was, III
consequence. abandoned The CORPORATION 1ulat some
IN vcar. ae an extensive reservoir IN IhrteeDtIst
near Third-age what was then KNOWN ~ he bONefy
order 70 provide sulnclent suPP % 49,, vii
tiurtllsh res a OF the city, An aiteslan wen
We constructed Win diameter OF 10 leet anu ~ rect
@ ~ ,eef Ming through the solid rock To increase
t quantity of water horizontal passages, one on
each sldr of the chamber were made INTO the fOck al
dsfauce OF 81 feet the surface They were about
Nv feet in diameter and extended into the roek nearly
100 feet Large tank. ~ feet IN diameter ~ Ieet hgh
Win canacitv OF 5000 gallons, built and covered
UIth she'd Into tank the water wss Raised by a
I2horsepOwer steam engine, ana was VBeu conducted
from the tank into the Peas Dy curved e pipes T -
over ire houses In vicinity and loWer pdrt ol .ne
city. The total cost including TIC "e'oS'i' "'pD'