The New York herald., 1876-10-17
CROTON WATER
A Full Supply Necessary to the SAM
tary Welfare of New York.
CAPACITY OF THE CITY RESERVOIRS
A Water Famine in the Up
town Districts.
BUNGL1NG SOMEWHERE.

BUNGLlNG SOME WHERE.
On copious supply Of pure water depends the sans
tary welfare OF every large community without such
Il impossible to guard against those dangers TO the
public health which always attend the growth Of large
cities as indeed that OF tho smallest villages cer-
tain quantity OF water almost much vital
sily as the itself. the former fulfilling equally
mportsnt olnce externally the latter in tho
organism Of animals Without ascending to the plane
OF ply nofogical discussion In considering the import
OF a water supply Tor New York 1t Is not difficult
to show that with the Introduction Of the Croton
water into the city, tho reduction OF tho death rate
has been in proportion TO the distribution per
capita Of the population OF that supply. Tho beneficial
results increased in the ratio tho quantity Of
water delivered through she MAINS and reached the
maximum when the supply fully equaled the wants Of
the community. Tho conditions have followed
when the population grew large for the supply and
the first is always increasing while the at
Its highest standard i only natural TO expect thas
tho evils which afflicted old New York will, unless
speedily combated and guagdea against overtake the
New York Of the future moro uncomfortable
iormA
L. s usual TO measure this ty beginning at the
source and following the points OF dis
tribution but for which will be made apparent
in the course OF the articles which will be devoted "a
this important subject the HERALD will reverse the
order Of estimation and the character OF the
supply from distribution to Ordinarily
considered ZOO, 0O0 600 gallons OF water . dis
iributng reservoir, such that constructed in the
Central Park equal to ten days supply for 000 600
people, at tho liberal allowance per capita OF 100
gallons per day. This quantity would afford ample
margin for necessary and even unnecessary waste.
alth tna Inltpr item ri
/ features advantageous to the sanitary well
| iare oi the city, which, there arc means
| Of replacing IN case It could be ehectualiy
stopped. Except the of waste along the
fronts, where the Croton nows directly into
the rivers the cleansing Of the city sewers In ury
almost entirely dependent the s0caled
wasto houses ana factories, and consequently
that benefit alone amply compensates for the or
| the water The infamous sowcr system of this city,
| in which the lines OF natural drainage are wholly
ignored subordinatei 10 badly selected artificial
courses, renders an abundant use Of water for tho
purpose Of nushin2 necessary throughout the year.
Even with tins the effects produced are not at all
equal to what is required tor public safety and the
POISONOUS from large deposits refuse
their lateral penetrate
dwellings, and carry with tncm disease and death;
The full capacity OF Manhattan Island
which the city Of New York depends for water
supply equal TO 7Ol 900 600 gallons This quantity
Is divided as follows between the TOUR reservoirs thai
| Galions
High Bridge, high level reservoir. ll,00O COO
Central PARK new reservoir lilo, 900. 00Q
Central Park, old reservoir. r........ $40, 000 O0Q
Murray Hill or Fifth Avenue Reservoir. 20.0O0,00e
Total. i, 7ol, oOo, oot
To keep these full to their maximum capacity tns
Cro.on Aqueduct forms the only condui. from .ns
watershed whcroon the water collected and stored
| Wes.chester, Putnam and Duchess counties
Tho iul delivering capacity OF the aquedust s calcu
lated at lis 0O0, 900 gallons per dion, which would
afford for population of l200, 600 proportion PEI
capita Of ninety-six gallons daily. This supply,
supposng II to be made in accordance with tile
above figures, would Of course include all manner oi
waste and loss by evaporation after had reached tbs
Ii would be safc to estimate The loss from these
causes at one third Of tho whole ssppy SO that there
would remain for what might be termed legitimate
consumption about six yiour gallons per capita OF The
present population OF New York.
This would DO an exceedingly liberal allowance
larger than ~ madc In ali tho large European cilies
where costly waterworks have been constructed Nc
complaint would be heard from the people If such
| quantity of good, wholesome daily served to
tho CITY, and there Is doubt tnat the sanitary
suits would be highly satisfactory.
But such supply would be more than twice great
as that which IL provided for New York to-day, and
the consequences Is that large portion Of the COM
munty - suffering all diseomfors and rskng all the
/ over immense northward Of Fifty-fourth
the Croton water does flow above the second
nuors OF tho private dweugs and tenement houses o
that thicky peopled part OF tho city. Residents ON
upper stories compelled to draw water from the
lower floors for ordinary household purposes.
| amount suffering is entaed on domestic servants
others this account that 10 awakening wido
spread indignation. In some instances the tenanu
refuse TO pay rent for tenements wherein they ars
deprived OF inc supply, and as il forms an i'm
poriant item OF accommodation held out BY Landlords
enforce the paym mcnt on strict legal grounds
| THE RESERVOIRS.
visit TO the several city reservoirs gives some clew
10 the mysterious failure OF the suppIy IN New
York Al the distributing situated on tho SPACE
between Forticlh and Fortysecond streets and Firm
avenue the great receptacle found almost empty A
sluggish inflow OF really dirtyiookng water ut the in
ics gates next Forty second street gives tho only evil
dence that the structure still reservoir and
| not a receptacle for sewage
| The muddy deposit OF many years. accumul ulatiop
tho reservoir and indicates that the lowest level 10,
| distribution has been reached Many fec,
above one can distinguish the high levol
water marks, which also to show the
extraordinary decrease in the quantity Of water thai
hitherto filled the reservoir II s impossible that any
houses on Murray Hill and its inty receiving water
| from this basin have supply at a higher level
than that or the basement Kitchens the wator sur
face present fully MS thai or Fifth avenue
The old reservoir NJ Central tark is also nearly
empty the largo rocks At tho bottom to the shore
are bare and dark green scum such Is frequently
seen on stagnant pools, is drifted by the wind in
patches over the surface.
Tho appearance OF the largo new reservoir in the
great want ot
The dividing wall and emoankment, which extends
from the Inlet to the outlet gate houses across the
reservoir proecs fully twenty feet above tho water
level and causes the OF tho sections Of tho
basin 70 appear like duck ponds in comparison to what
tue whoie aren looks like when IL is filled TO it, full
height True enough, one may the watcr flowing
from the inlet gates into the reservoir but with what
decrease OF iorce and volume! Although the oiciah
state positively that from sixty sixty tive millions
gallons OF water are passing into this daily
throu9h ana from the Croton aqucduct the wrtei
feels compelled to doub the accuracy OF tho estimate
and TO believe that scarcely 0ity millions or gallons
nown2 in. IL Is admitted by tho officials that tho in
now has been as low as nfty million gallons per day.
and there have arisen lately causes could In
any way add to tho supply
Az the hgh level reservoir nj High Bridge the level
OF the water IN that small basin Is about four feel
lower than the regular water line and although the
pumps that supply II are kept at work night and day
there Is no gain in the level except perhaps temper
AIRY ono during the night
Every precaution that economy suggest IL taken
nj the gate houses to she water but demands
OF the city are imperative, and Notwithstanding yhe
efforts OF the Department OF Public Works. the supply
is slowly DIt surely failing
/ n exa mi fhQ dnw tbc