The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-09-27
Vol. XLllI.-N0. q,
KlNGSLEY'S BIGGEST JOB,
TUE HTSTORY or THE HEDPSTEiD
RENERTOIR CONSPIRICY.
The Ri amn- cr's S.hcmp to Turn Out n
1 :. ..... L...s ....l I.l..

The genius of william G.. Riugsley, the
-ontruliing spIt of the rIptciuu' Brooklyn
Nug, anl agchcral view Of his schemes, which
,inoo IS;l hivo swellcd the debt " the city
fnnn s1OU.oOO to $R.OOj,OO, have been do
tcsbe1 in 'rna SuN. The only project IN which
ae ani his Ring conlc ierates have not pro-
crossed iop far TO h, checked Is that designed
Eve ye rs ago t. ciyo the 81 what II h'd no heeu
Lnr- a q, ,rago reservoir for one billion gallons
81 water 1hofc wesc good Rim. reasons Tor tno
exiravacancc. and that was enough to warrant II.
Kinsell, was still m, Moor OF the Water boaru
vh,n the ul,u vas decided soon hIteTW"ru
tbe Ring bought the Edic and mado MN us
siit,r, ana early In 1870 long articles began 10
. ucar IN favor II an incroascd wafer supply
Where was verv much dispute about the hcces-
ATTY ~ s.,ch AN incr asc, for the completed
water W ,rl- were supplying DNOOJ gallons
da,, white q proacr end abundant supply was
sot as % rule m,re than ejVO,ooo gallons day.
D cluster II rouds -upplicd the city. and ii was
tnown among engineers that the city had not
bocn atle 90 take their combined yield. II
ga known. too, that in the gauge OF tho water
suppIy IN de an u i since 1853, ths maica
pond, the l.rsest and most prolific OF thom Hll,
vas set down forty per cont. less than Its mini
mum flow. ard there was this margin to reckon
~ IN case of a famine. liut the needs OF the city
we're no; half 40 important rs the needs OF the
RiAg. 80 thcrc went iNrtn CIV OF an lnlpenu-
tns mine. Mr.. ,orge w. McDon,ld, who
uas then superintendent Of Ponds and Com
quits. relate in an an VII since made that
Kingsley told him. in 1879. that they were going
u huild large storage reservoir at Hampstead,
th4t he tNin slew was tn have the contract, aud
rhM Mcdonald should have piece OF the work.
Kingsley id that Chief Engineer -Moses Lane
had refused to allow him some seven or eight
thousand dollars, due him for " over work" on
tho Atlantic avenue main, and that he was TO be
removed and Engineers Ad ms and Probasco
APT ointcd In lis place. Under these engineers
the new J ID was to proceed. Both had been In
King-lev private employ and were exceedingly
friendly to him.
THE WATER BOARDS scAREcRow.
The water famine dodge was successful, and
IN Trinsencnt W MADE 70 have Mayor kalp;
visit ilcmpatead. McDouild swe1ts that John
". smith, rothrf in-law II Kne-ley wno had
Rockville. and Valley ST. m ponds, putposely
uastcd Large quantities of water, and when
remon-tratod with said tn { he had been in
siructsd to draw the water from tho ponds be-
Fore the Common Councils visit. Robert Van
Allen. the ke,ucr ot Da-eley's pond. had the
cause the waste, and Mcdonald deceived him in
90 allowing the uond to MI instead of to dow out.
snd when ing del cation arrived they tounu the
6rst pOnl full, much to the chagrin OF the Water
Board. Tn, next nond was drv. and in the three
pvnds tnnt kinssl y brother-in- NV had charge
81 the water iad been drawn on in the nisht
To make II more clear that tncto wiu' "A famine,
the ter board shut OF the supply from houses
and factories. bat fourteen distilltrics in which
noii-hig!wn puliuci us were iniercs Ted were not
There H. a distinct line OF business traceable
through thc uiogrcss II this gigantic scheme
On May .. ls,O an act passed to amend an act
defining the duties Of The Permanent Bo. RI OF
Water and Sewerage Commissioners. in which
vas ndruitiy inserted section which made II
the duty oi the Commi '-ioners 10 prepare and
submit TO the Common Council aplan for fur
hishtng IN Increased suuply Of water for Brook
II. including lfpSpnt
rpsery,irs nnd conduits "a were nee led. together
with the csiimAte nni cost OF the same. As
Mayor X ibheisch. ."tno .turdy old Dutchman.'
afterward intrrurrtcd this law In a veto mes
sl-e declaring frald, ~ was;
That said Commssl ssloners may. subject to the ap
prONl oi tlc toWmth Council, exirn. without iin .
Reservoirs and oni II ures a, tae one body may pro
@.si.9eI y parSasg a n, ,, s R5ngs ana 81 u
lhe Common touucn can in an, way be procured.
This first step at Albany violated section l6
article "t The CONSTITUTIONS which provides
that no private or local bill shall embrace more
than one subject. and that th II shall be ox
pressed In the title. The bill embraced mote
tim one subject and that subject was not eK.
pressed in the title. William \. Fowler soon
lid the plan for an increased supply before tue
board, and ho recommended the tudlng Of a
storage reservoir 10 hold l.pO1O 1OOOO0O gallons at
level Of twenty. nine feet above lido with an
area " III acres at an estimated cost Of 81 400,
sb. lie represented To he board that the sur
plus aud waste run of the stream at iienpste d
could be tnus 81 red nd held 20 that in 100 day
hevs an Increased supply OF lJUOm gallons.
POOLING THE ALDERMEN.
These assertions Fowler put into his report
and explained the hdvint iges OF the proposed
expenditure to the a dernen In person in his
own sweet way as he moved among them. They
Delievel II All. not remembering that Fowler.
honest predecessors had given to the city
daily supply of 30,0O0.OO gallons OF pure water
for S2,UJJVJ. while Kingsley, "A quondam RATS
Meu,enant, Fowler, flesh aud slippery from oil
nc an expenditure OF sl,4OO,OOO for an av, rage
daily pli at a te which IN the year would
amount to 10000 gallons
On Iuy II. 1870, the Common Council adopted
the plans and spc' ihcations ana author ized the
expenditure. Mayor Kalbheish vetoed the reso-
luuons, because TUE utnoity OF the board h d
GOT had time to carefully Investigate the sub
ioct, recause he considered the present re-
sources asncient, and because hc thought
shoro were better and cheaper pl ns lie sald
II IN expenditure like this was sanctioned without
ti'cus-ionby the Common Council, thr press. anu III
soall af-ice.
Gigantic Influences were put to work on thu
fAyor. tut he refused to vi hdraw his veto
On Oct. a he sent another mess Ige, giving Gd al
lionA leasons for ils course, ana declaring h
distrGst # the scheme. lie asked the LO iro
90 1 Iely too plictly on the estimltr toi
public works. citing Prospect Park, which a
Arst promised t. take only S3OJ,OJJ, but ha'
Iaken N ali tj,G00J. lie said
norc d'.a,ti3u, IN H. resuts than our present loo
nogo Of ,ontr'cuug ac"t-
fSincc th, was uttered Brooklyn'. debt ha
tDCIe. sea = Nl,ON
oNE HONEST Man Pro TEN.
Al WAS ne essary TO have two-thrds vote D
She Aldermen to override the veto ut the NniGi
aud Fowler, with all Of hi, suaviiY, had not bee
able To Wiu the eqii-ite number by one. o.
Dcoemhor MAYOR kabicisch he ring that
oct, ,rminod effort w,s 10 be made to uverrid
his veto, mud1 one more appeal to the Alder
men, telling them that the city owned land a
hdgewOod aud material 10 build good feseI
gniT, anu mi de one ur TWO other suggestions o
eheauer plans. Next lac urged upon them tn
common, ,enSe argument that II they ral-ed III
mater to a height above high tide, the resistdnc
ai tho grcut bodS on the numerous springs thl
NOuId ue expected To feed the reservoir mus
necrea-c the supply, anu cause II 10 lHd its WA
Through the sand and gravel. lie cited tn
opinion, that thu most copiOus springs of n
Island seldom rise above ten feet, 50 that u
AmperyiOu- dam must suppress them, and caus
slein to seek an outlet under the ground ais
kLe caution against r iaine the surfaces " Ond
because every foot Of rise must suppress spring
2u his lhird message he wrote
feel tl.t shoull do violence TO my oath II pc
Eiued ry riucu to any luTthcr Increase OF ~
Dobnc debt already 81 lr"some To bear
non FUREY IN THE CORRIDOR.
The II IA of December was fixed by the Rim
20 cnmplote the municipal legislation and ope
u'e WAY TO fortunes for Kinl sey ana KeeneY, ,un
aoubl!, s. Tor utters known To the City lial
BOD fuiey, that sleek, smooth shayen Kin
lieutenant, was there. CORPORATION COunsI
Il. saHi ~