The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-02-15
The water supply in New York.

edifces are taking the places Of the low
structures Of the last century, the water
facilities seldom keep pace with the growth
of the towns, Even when the supply is
! sufficient it is often found that the means of
distribution are inadequate. That this is
the case in New York the late fire in Broad
way is sufficient proof, and the disastrous
consequences which would inevitably have
| followed if high wind had prevailed during
the confiagration oalmonishsus to prepare
| against any sudden emergency. In any
direction o spread of the flames would have
| produced losses that are incalculable. Up
or down Broadway commercial palaces and
| palatial hotels of great value would have
been swept away. On either side of that
| great thoroughfare an immense number of
factories and storehouses would have
fallen a prey to the flames. The
great fires in Boston and Chicago occa-
stoned comparatively small losses to those
which would result from an extensive conaa-
| grafton in the lower part of this city, and we
doubt whether either of those cities was as
badly off for water as that part of New York
| below Fourteenth street Even at night the
supply seldom reaches the top floors of the
| larger buildings down town, and during the
| day there is a great scarcity of Croton in
many of the principal streets. 1t is possible
there Is sufficient supply in the reservoirs.
but the mains are too small to meet great
demand; and So whatever the head the guam
tity is limited. In order to illustrate this
subject fully and to enable the authorities
and our citizens to understand just where
the fault is, we publish elsewhere a map of
! the city from Houston street to the Battery,
giving view of the more exposed localities
| and the mains and pipes by which they are
tsupplied. This will afford an excellent OPP
[portunity for studying the whole question,
and we hope our illustration and exposure
Of the inadequacy of the water service may
lead to the construction of the larger and
more serviceable mains which the growth
and safety of the city imperatively require.
| 1t is scarcely necessary in this place to re-
count the story told in another column of
| the insufficient methods adopted for supply
ing the most important part of the metropolis
with water. No argument is required to
prove that thirty-six inch main is made
quate to feed all the pipes in the down
town streets in the vicinity of Broadway.
Our map shows however, that all the lofty
and magnificent structures in Broadway and
in the adjacent streets not only draw their
supply from that single pipe but that the
firemen also are dependent upon it. Under
such conditions no head could force a sufli-
cient quantity of water through the main for
a great emergency, and the Fire Department
would in consequence be practically helpless
before great conhagration driven by high
wind. In the fire of last week, even, much
difficulty was experienced, and had the
flames spread rapidly, as in Chicago and
Boston, calling the whole force of the Fire
Department into requisition, the results of
| the disaster would have been mostly attribut-
able to the scarcity of water. The fault be-
| ing known, and involving in its conse-
| quences the safety of whole city, the rem
edy is matter of the utmost Importance
and it is to this that we call the attention of
the Fire Department, the Commissioner of
Public Works, the Board OF Aldermen and
the people of New York.
More mains and larger and more service
able pipes are absolutely required for the
safety of the metropolis Other means of
providing against a great conAagration
ought to be adopted, as cisterns at the street
corners, to be used only in cases of fire, and
stationary pumps on the North and East
rivers with independent mains and hose
but the great remedy, after all is an enlarge
ment of our whole water supply system.
When the mains down town were built New
York was not the great metropolis it now is.
Buildings like that at the corner of Broadway
and Dey street had not yet been constructed.
The towering edifces which now line all the
principal thoroughfares had not yet replaced
the low structures our grandfathers were ac-
customed to regard as imposing. Our means
of supplying the lower part of New York
with water were designed for different city
from that which exists to-day. While
the metropolis has been growing not only in
extent, but in height, while our water supply
| itself has been increased and means supplied
| for its distribution throughout the upper
part Of the island, no thought has been taken
of the effect of all this upon the city Of forty
! years ago The means of water distribution
| down town are what they were in the begin
ming, and lis not surprising that in view of all
the changes which have taken place within a
few years they should be found inadequate
Neither is it surprising that our people
should be slow in learning the effect of these
changes upon their own security. A lad is
always the last to recognize that he is grow
ing out of his clothes. 1t is now many years
since New York outgrew its water system,
and it is possible that only a great calamity
will teach us a fact that is plain to every eye.
We trust, however, that danger which con-
fronts us every hour will not be much longer
disregarded, and that we shall soon have