The New York herald., 1875-08-26
Facts and Figures Which the Aldermen
Should Keep in View.
THE CROTON MAIN ORDINANCE
General POrter's Reply to Alderman Vancc's
Resolutions To Be Submitted To-Day.


city ample supply of water tho following arc ncces
sary.-
ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY WORK.
twenty-inch pipe on Fifth avenue. between Fifty
seventh and Tenth streets, with tho necessary
tons II 900 feet Tho estimated cost OF this work is
Fixed at sS so per foot, making total OF slo7 100
first avenne and down First avenuo 10 Sxtv-sixth
street. for which the department has the pipes from the
Fourth avenue improvement 400 feet at $40 per foot
$54, 700.
A sx-inch wrought iron pipe, boxed, &c, the
Harlem River TO Randall's Island, estimated cost,
SIC, 900.
Three Thousand feet six-inch pipe Randalps Island
with stopcocks hydrants &c, at 81 so per foot 81 500
main to be- laid on each side of Fourth avenue
from Harlem River Forty second street. connecting
with the pipes each street fall The pipes the
nue. between these two points having been taken up
account of the Fourth avenue improvements and the
foliowng:Fiftcen thousand feet of sixnc pipe at SIS
per foot $4,000 and 10000 feet OF six-inch ppe at
To supply the Twenty third and Twenty fourth wards
10000 feet OF twcvench pipe, at SIS per foot SIS 0o0
20 900 feet of inch pipe at 81 so per foot $50 000
For an additional pumping engine 70 the district
supplied with high service water estimated COST
$4,000
THE RESERVOIRS
In rcation-to what has been done and is being done
in tho matter OF reservoir construction, the Commits
sioner that November l6 1874 contract was
made for the building OF road the eastery side Of
the Storage Reservoir, at Boyds The csti-
mated cost of the work $751; o7O and of this work
there has already been estimated to the and
paid the sum of $l3 40 On the dam he contends iron
railing, covering for stopcock tower and stairs foot
bridge to the tower, fitting up the to the
lower side of the dam and for covering up the stopcock
vaults and for the clearing up below the dam and the
building of house for the keeper the estimated
the entire work being $25 oOo The estimated for
the construction of reservoir the middle branch of
the Croton in the town of Southeast which, when COM
peted, will have capacity of 4,Oo00 600 gallons, is
$5O5 000 There has already been paid the
$751; 749 1t is believed that $50 900 will be sufficient
purchase the $40 of land that to be used for the
reservoir and for the construction of the roads that
must be built to take the place of those to be
| flowed This reservoir WILL it is expected be COM
peted in two years. II is estimated too, that $50 900
will have be paid for lands owned by called iron
mine company, which land that extends into the
| proposed basin.
SPECIAL INFORMATION ASKED
The city daily 107, 000 900 gallons of water
| and has one reservoir whose storage capacity is
| 2, 700 OOO 900 gallons The daily consumption this
year that of 1873 by 900 gallons The aque
duct Is at present delivering about all the water that
| it carry with safety 1t will be remembered
| that Alderman Vance's resolution asked what means
necessary to proper head Of water that will
guarantee ample supply TO all consumers the actual
condition of the Croton Aqueduct the character and
form of of the lower receiving reservoir
the original cost of the Croton works, well the
amount expended upon them during the last ten years
The Commissioner has prepared categorical answer to
all these inquiries, full and complete in addition 10 all the
general information embodied in the figures and state
ments given above. AS
THE CONDITION AoUEDucr
he will advise the construction of new one not so
much because the present is dangerous condi-
ton that in of serious accident to it. Alder
man Blessing forcibly put it at the last meeting
would be cut or" If such accident should occur,
the city. Alderman Vance also argued in his fcsou
tion, would have security against disastrous
agration. Why the reservoir in Westchcster county
| has been allowed to remain all summer in tho filthy
condition that it has been, whether Mr.. Yances int
nation that cleaned or purified since
its original construction and that has been thirty
years the cesspoo of the large drainage basin of which
| il constitutes the centre are questions which will no
| doubt bo answered by the Commissioner in his reply
but whether or not satisfactorily to the Aldermen yet
| remains TO be seem
| THE ALDERmAxIc DEAD LOCK.
For several years past the Chief Engineer OF the Gro
ton Aqueduct has annually reported the necessity of
larger water mains for the supply Of certain districts OF
| the city, and these recommendations have been en-
bodied by the Commissioners of Public Works in their
annual reports. Commissioner Van Nort in his annual
report of 1873, said "When the Croton Aqueduct
ervors and distributing system were planned and
cutcd it had never been contemplated that more than
thirty-six gallons of water daily TO each inhabitant
would be required used, and upon that estimate the
system of mains south of the old distributing reservoir
at Fifth avenue and Fortieth arranged
about l07 600 900 gallons is the daily consumption now
the average to each nhabtant is about 100 gallons per
diem Fifth avenue derives its supply a: present from
inch main, n capacity for distribution obviously
inadequate that it is presumablc the insurance COM
panics would refuse risks in that locality it not
| which they guarded The pipe system for the en-
tire district below Canal street is insufficient for n
| supply in an emergency. Church street, containing
PROPERTY VALUE,
| is supplied by a sixnch main. great fire would in
evtably sweep the district The same remark applies
to other sections II was upon consideration OF these
and many other facts pertinent to the subject that tho
Legislature passed last winter an act appropriatng
500 900 for the purpose Of increasing the supply Of
Croton OF which not than $500, 600 to be
available in any year. To obtain this amount by
the sale of bonds three ourths OF the Board OF Alder
nucfc in 10 10
| membered that the two branches OF the Legislature
which passed the bill were OF opposite politics, and that
the bill approved by Governor Tilien, who, doubt
loss was personally satisfied OF its necessity. Soon
aner the bill signed the Mayor transmitted with
his approval to the Board OF Aldermen communica-
ton from Commissioner Porter requesting action upon
the law On the 25th OF June another communication
was transmitted through the Mayor calling attention to
the first and urging immediate action This was sub
mttcd to tho Board, and tho matter was
brought up at this and has been at every subsequcnt
meeting when the minority were present the majority
! supporting and tho minority opposing and defeating
| the measure each time. Nearly three months have
passed since the ordinance FIRST proposed. Frost
will soon como and make ppeayng much more expen-
sivc than II would DO now, and
TnE DASGER FROM FIRES
will be greater. The Executive Committee OF the New
York Board OF Underwriters passed the following rcso
| luton on the 2Sth Of june
Resolved That the immediate attention OF the authorities
responsible for action in the premises be called to the alarm
ing inadequate supply for Of fire extnguh
pse is % take 81 and
that supply tho eSgencies Of the case may demand with
streets shall interfere with the work.
In the latter part Of Juno Chief Engineer Bates OF
tho Fire Department, wrote letter, which pub
lishcd, declaring tho great need OF
Az INCREASED WATER sUPPLr
10 preserve the city from the peril OF disastrous
nagration. II will be remembered that many Of tho
hydrants and water pipes in the lower part of the city
frozen last winter that they could not be madc
available in Of fire. which shows that pipes Of
larger capacity should he laid deeper under the surface
The question Of laying the pipes by contract instead Of
days labor. has been brought III coaterally to afford
prctext preventing the execution OF the work As
the Commissioner OF Public Works Will bear the re-.
| sponsibty II proper the democrats think,
that he should his discretion In that respect They
claim that almost unanimously accepted as prin
cpo by careful engineers that in work requiring so
much care fidelity and attention laying pipes for the
water supply of cities, where the systems Of sewerage
and gas may compicato the difficulties the contract
system gives untvOrabc results and IS The most eNpcn-
sivc IN thc end Ia the summer OF 1872 Corporation
Counsel O'Gorman IN opinion addressed TO Commis-
sioner Van Mort, very clearly specified cases where
work by contract would be wholly impractcable and
dccidcd LhaL Inc udmnnni of Tho lcnar cnnclu-