The New York herald., 1876-11-01
ImpunIrY AND SCARCITY COMBINED.


To the EDITOR or rHE HERALp:-
am glad 10 SEQ the irtercst which is being de-
veloped in the question of uniailing well as
pure supply Of drinking for city. The
HERALD certainly deserves the hghest praise as well
as the thanks OF the public for It's unceasing agitation
oil this subject Your readers surely remember tho
EXAMINATIONS made by HERALD reporters ana engineers
INTO the purity OF the Croion It's impunty however,
was forcibiy brought home 20 all last summer. and
now It's scarcity gives Us yet another admonition.
II seems TO me that, with all Of our boastng, we,
the good people OF this nineteenth century might feel
somewhat abashcd to compare our present
water supply and IT'S purity with those OF days ''iar
gone by" Already, several hundred years prior TO
the present Christian era, Rome had most mag
niaccnt system Of water supply. We find, already in
the time of Augustus, Rome had 200 reservoirs OF
pure water. and research proves how carefully.
jeaiously and despoticaliy its purity was guarded
They had water sixty miles in length
IN which the flowed through channels of stone,
the structures not unlrcquenty being carried for miles
over valleys by means OF raised arcades aud through
mountains by means OF tunnels our High Bridge
aqucduct might serve a ceblc illustration OF this
point We read, furthermore, that Rome had nine
aqneducts, the irst oi which was commenced as Tar
back the hih century OF the founding OF tue Eternal
City. There rs no knowing where the remarkable ad
science might have led them but or their aabsorblng
struggles against the invading Huns Vandals GutEs
and Lombards, as well as tue injury directly inflicted
upon these aaueducts by Totiia's invading hordcs
Now the point TO which desire to draw attention IL
this that with the growth and development oil popula
ton and manufacture IN the Croton Valley and water
shed and surrounding section the purity Of the water
must be seriously endangered. But snpposng that We
succeed in guarding against dcencnt will there not
time when its supplying capacity will be
sufficient. My opinion is tnat such time will come ;
consequently arises the question where, them shall
secure this pure unailing and ailsuicicnt supplyY
answer by pointing TO the Adirondack region, one OF
tho Grandest and most wonderful watersheds OF our
country. Embraced IN TINS region are nigh $50
lakes OF all sizes ana OF pure, sparkling water as
know from personal tramrs IN its wds. But II may
objected TO the distance and vastness well
tho great expense. But then. we have on the other
hama all of the immense advantages OF pure water and
plenty of II. sufficient to supply Albany and all OF the
river cics and still leave all that possibly be
qulred for our own city. And why should the dis
tancc, say 90 miles deter us from gaining all OF its
Advantages. Is not Englunc about to build a new
aqucduct from the headwaers OF the River Severn
Paris has a covered conduiL eighty miles in length
bringing 5000, 900 gallons OF pure water daily from
the head OF the Dhuis In Champagne and is at
work upon tho Vanne aquoduct, to be 10f miles in
length and to bring an estimated volume OF - 600 600
galons daily
sec one or your correspondents suggests drawing
future needed supplies from fresh water point Of
the Hudson. tut that this Is Objectionable is seen
when remember that almost all the available
falling into the udson below Albany Troy is the
inferior in quality. often charged with tho
dclcerous products OF paper mills and factories OF
various kinds, being. IN short from watersheds over
which the public has no control.
My aim and object in this communication Is TO draw
attention to this Adirondack region being the
Il. SElGER, M. ID.
No. IT'S LEXINGTON AVENUE, Oct 80, 1875