The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-11-19
WATER IN OLDEN TIMES.
Dutch Wells aud English Rescrvoirs-T tn
Ten Water Pump.

| D"'NH "tHS buu Guhihn heacrVOtfA-TnN
Ten Water Pump.
In the days OF the Dutch settlers the
suprly Of water on Manhattan Island was both
I SO rec and bad. The chief reliance was tho
public wells. which were always dug In tho
middle u the street to be handy In case Of arc.
he first was dIg In 1913, aud sever.l othera
were added IN 1877.
Occasionally stream Of sweet water wa,
| found, but those were extremely rare. Tho
most famous ~ these springs In the early p1rt Of
the eighteenth century WAS ON the line OF Green
wich street. between Themes aud Cedar, aud
| suuulied the citiz with what was known as
Comforts Tea Water" rhis VIA dearly priced
| oythe Dutch DANES As for the honest burghers.
| they preferred schnapps. To this famous well
the negro slaves resorted every morning and
evening from all quarters Of the town, and here
originated the great negro plot OF 174i. A. they
| gathered there with their kegs IL was easy TO
| talk together without heing suspected.
The "rea Water Pump" OF which many Of
our citizens must have heard their futhers speak,
was quite another Institution. IL was One,
flowing spring in a well, about twenty feet deep
and four feet In diameter. 1t was IN Chatham
street, not far from the Collect Pond, which IL
no doubt originally assisted In forming. Prof.
kiln, while visiting New York In 174S, frat
notlr ed tnls sprlng. ie Va !" here Ia no good
water In the town Itself. but at a little distance
the va rec spring Of good " ter winch the
inhabi ants take for their tel and for tue Of
the ktcnen." This surfing soon ooc the
chief source OF supply for " tea watoi." AID was
carried about the CITY IN hogahells phen "a
became necessary To have "A sort of "eDgtue" to
raise tne W ter nigh enough To run into
hogsncdds and no DOUBT this engine was the
nrst pump on tue island
Montressor on his map Of 1I55 notes It az tho
iresn water engine from which the town Is sup
Piled During the revolu ION the following adj
vsftisement appeared IN the ROyd Gdsette Of
March 81 1881
~
Il Try. Al me ,..iioIse on MONDAY Aprii g rom
sHcn persons as may Dc DESTROYS Of renting tho lea
Naer fump Tor tue en- unS year.
The average quantity drawn daily from this
remarkable well was 10 ogsheads cf 100 Ral-
" interootham, In his general descriotton q
New York, written about tue year 17eO "2ld
very singular. there are never more nor less than
three teet OF wafer In the well. The water In
sold commonly at tnree-pence a hoRshcad al
tue pump A few years after, IN the Minerva,
December 10, 1895. WIN. e. thompson, pruprie-
tor OF the woIi. published card stating tnat
the supply was not exhausted, nut that citizens
could have all they wanted for " tea and drink
ing" a. well "a for washing or other family
uses" The price Of the water then was four
snillings per hOgshead-the hogshead contain
ing 40 gallons. len years later the water had
Advertiser Of September q, 1i9S, stated that tha
Collect behind the Tea-water Pump had be-
come a shocking mole where all Impure thinga
centre together" ana that tho tea water itself
had grown sticky aud nause ting.
In the mean time the citizens had more .han
once complained OF the exOrbitint price the9
h ID to Day for drinking water. They wanted q
reservoir and system of waterworks. As early
as MA The Initiative step toward supplying tns
city with water was taken bv Oh tstOpner Cnile6t
who built "a reservoir In BROAD way below Whitd
street. the east side. IL was built at the pub
TIC expense, anu water W - raj ed into IL from
large wells sunk on the pretuises, and also from
the Collect, ana was then distributed by means
of wooden pipes throughout the oty Tue
grounds comprised about two acres, aud werd
purchased by the corporation from AuRustu1
nj Frederick Van CortlaUdt at the rate Of t6N
per acre. Inc WORKS were compieted In tia
spring Of llis and placed under ,he superin-
tendcnce Of Mr.. COLES out the supply proved
inferior and insufficient, and on the occuuatiou
II tue city by tue British the project was aOau-
| uUaed
In rvs report was made b, Engineer Weston
recommending That water be brought to tho
island from the main land. lie recommends
ed the raising Of tue Rye ponds To reservoir In
" estchester county. tue works u Oe located on
the Bronx river. The water w-s 70 be carried
10 HdTie rtver IN an open canal, aud thence
{ nveyed ACROSS tne river 10 a. a IRON pipe to a
reservoir, wnere IL 10 be Uttered and thea
| distributed through the city. MIR. Weston seems
| To h .ve had something hAe the Croton project
| in his head, bat ~ lel through. what actually
| happened was the formation OF the Manhattan
| Water Company WITH banking sriveges.
| Inc orilinal we'll OF this cOinuauy Is yet pre-
served under the sidewalk at Centre and Reade
stIee,s, the COMPANY considering themselves
bound uy tneir cn arter To he IN readiness pros
yide the cty with pure and wholesome water.
| some Of the wooden pipes wuicn they Land In
| Nassau street were dug up a few days sIuce, In.
laying toe Dig iron pipe ior Croton. The con-
| trast between the oores ui the two pipes was
| amusing. The Original reservoir OF the ManhAt-
| tan COMPANY was Quilt III Cnamoers street be-
| tween Bruadw y and Centre stteet. IL was an
edilice with front forty feet Wide and about
| twenty-five feet In height. Four pillars orna-
| mented the front, surmounted by a reclining
hgure Of a sea god, win his trident under one
| arm, pouring stream Of wa from a
der the other arm. the Reservoir was nlled
IOm wells Dy means OF a steam engine, bul
| even tus supply proved Inadequate, and the
| people after IA while mad RECOURSE again 10 their
| Ola wells and pumps.
one other reservoir the city la be fore CrOton
was introduced. luis VS. know a. the " New
\ ork City RESERVOIR, erected in lo2D by he co.'s
poratiun OF the ely on Thirteenth street. be-
| tween lhird aud Fourth avenues. Relics of 10
we're recently found, IN tue shape of AL I'D we'll
ana living 81. Ing Ot " ter, when tue Wurkmen
| Were digging tne foundation Of the new Juner-
| son Markcl Prison, at sixth avenue AL ! West
| lcutn street. n steam engine was put up here
| 30 force supply OF Wa er into the tnrternth
| street GesefNulr. The Latter structure u
| cast-IOn Ildtos, unlteG uy screws aud cement,
| res Ing on a foundation OF solid stone masonry,
| forming an octaIon ut A feet In diameter ana
| 20 ttet above ground to the top Of lhe tank,
! "hlch was surnounted oY &c ~ ia, making in
| b r.d ,hruugn rock, was III feet an de, tn and
| IL feet in diameter. me Witt conducted
| thruusn pipes aud discharged ~ nydrants.
All These pruJ cts iiilcu one alter the other,
| ANA many toe I'll. II ol 4 IlstTuCling an aques
duct IRON tue CrOtOn tNUT To the C,ty ap-
| eicction OF 1856 tue question OF wafer Or
| - No water was submitted 10 the people aud
| decided IN tue nltMatNe by Large aJlfity I
! though I. ere were not a ioN VINO lAmonted thid
! uttcc OF eNtr"vhg nc, ana Thought .nc pumps
/ MINT rye Yer, We'll Tor another generation.
/ Ihc history # the wuer supplv of New orS
! from JIN 4, 1872, the d.v on Wuicn the complies
! lion ui tde tritun wa.er " J1ct was csic ptdtcd
! uy a grand prOce sion. dIWn 10 til, resent Wa.
/ tc. tainine Is to- nj iar IL need reclt,u.