The New York herald., 1877-10-24
FIFTH AVENUE RESERVOIR.


COMMISSIONER CAMPBELL ADVOCATES ITS RE-
MoyAL-THE CosT-vALuE or THE PROP
xRTY-THR WATER SUPPLY NEW PARK.
Nj. Allan Campbell, Commissioner Of Public Works,
yesterday sent In y comm uncat.on TO tho Board Of
Aldermen relative to the proposed abandonment OF tho
Forsy-second street reservoir. THIS COMMUNICATION
was addressed to the Board In answer 10 srequest
made by The Aldermen some time since. In his last
quarterly report he SAID that ne had Investigated tho
subject and haa the CONCLUSION thai this old
reservoir Was no longer nscsssasy a . part OF our
wstsr system" sak +n8 H. Na4 M.
In the document submitted yesterday Mr. Camp
bell furnishes ths following additional arguments IN
reference 70 the abandon nent OF the reservoir
rsss rng RESERVOIR. Viz
At the time OF its CONSTRUCTION The reservoir rs
Forty second street was ABOVE the ovei Of the uhab
ted portions OF the city, aud Tor many all the
water furnished Was distributed Irou It. With the
grswth OF the city, however, additional mains were
aid nom the Park reservoirs 10 the lower oil tue
city, without connecting with the Forty second street
reservoir until tho aggregate capacity or area OF such
equal 70 The capacity Of the aqus
duct The water ln the Two thirty SKI inch mans IN
Filth avenue and Broadway now passea rough the
old reservoir, but one OF these mans connected
that the water DO passed through without
ing tho reservoir Tue only effect upon tus dstrlbu
ton through these two mains now ID tho accumuat
0 about 200 600 gallons oi water III tho reservoir
during the night, winch II drawn OF again IN The
morning
Tne following is a statement Of the distributing
mains leading irom the.CsnIra Park reservons:-ons
| lhirty.inch main. through Eighty-nrst street 10
Elgnth avenue 10 Forty second street, TO Nnth
nue., W Thirty eighth street. and there reduced 10
street, Ono thirty-inch main, through Seventy.nnth
street 10 Third avenue TO, Fourteenth street One
iortyesht-incb man, through Seventy nth street "
Tenth avenue 10 Thirty eighth street, One forty
iucn main through Seventy ninth street 10 Madison
avenue, W Forty-secend street, and there reduced 10
thirly-six.i incu main, extending through Madison
avenue, Twenty sixtn stree. lhird avenue, Bowery,
B!eecker street, Mott street, Chatham square, Now
main, sxssndlnr through The Park TO F,.ta avenue
NJ Tooth street. nnu there connecting with
twenty-ncb uis.ns for Distribution. One thirtysix-
inch extending through the Park TO Eighth ave-
lU0tn street, also connecting with twenty Inch
mans for distribution. Two thir!yslx inch MANS tx
tending through the Park to Fith avenue, 70 the
Forty ysoconu street reservoir. from which thirty
SIX Inch main extends through kiltn avenue xnd
.s.uo" cau ms,u ~ sx.snas throuss Fh ay.uSe Toar
tevntn street, avenue " EKhtn street. As above
slated, one Of these MAIDS mus passug through the
Fortysecond street reservoir can oe led indspen-
dently Of that reservoir Ono iorty eight-inch main
through Elgntsth street 70 First avenue and now
use TO Seventy ninth street. Work Is now in progress
by TO extend this main down 70 fnrty
street, To equalize tho distribution forty men
main Is lald Forty second street from Fourth avenue
~ lentu avenue, connecting with Tue mama IN Tcuth
Eighth, Aauison aud Third avenues.
30 NECESSITY CONTINUANCE
From the lorexoing Il Will be that AZ soon M
the nam IA FIRST avenue " completed, before the
close this year, wslsr Will be carried dreoLy from
voir through ghrse iortyegntinch MANS, thirty
six.luch main, Two tnirLy-incn mama aud twenty
inch main. Aud 70 taese Tue 'nrtyss4 ihch MAN now
reservoir, and 70 % cnanged. the aggregate
capacity Of the large mains carrying waler south Of
fortieh street w'I DO grsatsr than tns area Of the
The distribution being thus practically from tho
CeutIal Park reservoirs, tne one on Forty second
| street - no Longer needed.
| COST REMOVAL
AS already statel tho cost Vi Tho necessary changes
/ n IN n ~ ulAu nA
reservoir il estimated ~ $lo,o0l The remov-
ing the materials labout $4,000 CUBIC yards oi
ing or icvelny The grounu over and above the value
| oi the materials, ~ estimated at $50, V0U.
VALUE W rRoPkkTY
Regarding the estimated value Of the land bounded
by Eorusti aud Forty-sec0nd streets Eith and Skin
avenues. have consulted with gsntieiasn OF large
perence IN real estate matters, and have arrived al
the following estimate :-aixteen lots on Ftn avenue
average $4,000 each, S56oooo sixteen lots on SIKH
avenue average $l7,60O eaon, $2Su,000; lld lots
Fortieh, Forty first and kortysscond streets, aver
aee sio,o 900 eacn, $l,s5o,ooo. Total, $2osd, ooo
.,cus,vs Of III. sdion,ng uasS yr"anas !. .s,,ma,.,
AS stoilOws:SxteeE lots on Fiith avenue, averaging
$4,000 each. stoo,ooo; sixty four lots Fvrustn,
Forty nrst and Forty second Streets averaging ST. SUI
each, u, l3v, 200; total, 81, 6yy. ZOO
Tue value VI tue iots The streets " graded pro-
| portion " their distance from Fifth avenue.
Tho estimates are mAdc vn the prenise that Forty
nrst street will bs opened through the ground TO be
sold
LEGISLATIVE ACTION.
Holding the opinion that legislative action II neces
sary 10 authorize the city 70 convert 10 other uses,
10 sell, tno ground occupied BY tue reservoir, re
quesled the Counsel 10 Corporation under date
May 20 uIL, to ADVISE The subject aud deemed
II proper " deier this report until had received hi
reply, tnere being no ocuasion Tor imuiedass action
| In the matter.
| now enclose copy Of the Corporation Coansei's
| opiniOn, confirming my own, that the reservoir Cal
only be removed when authorized ny act VI the Legs
lature, And iurLh0T, that after us removal the
mssioners VI the SINK ing Fund hyv0 power sell
land; but that u Is desired 10 devote II " tho
| Of public park the act authorizing the removal o
that the whoc block bounded ny Fortieth aud Forty
second Streets Fth and sixth avenues, shall bs ON,
oil the parks OF the city, and placing II under
troll Of ths Department OF Pubic PARKS.
CoNcLUsoxA
In conclusion, repeat the opinion that the reser-
| voir, being no Longer necessary, should be remove,
| irom the valuable ground II now occupies, and tina
the whole space between Fifth aud sixth aven
Forlioth aud Forty.second Streets embracing noar,
two acres, should De reserved as public park
The whole properly, n sold, would weld the cit,
81, 7u0 00U, ana that part covered Wy reservoir
alone IL valued ~ ST. 900. Tho argument in iAvo
OF the sale Of the properly that the avaiis
into Tho treasury would help TO reduce the debt vi III
city aud alleviate the taxes at time when taxation
80 oneroua Under existing laws any sum realizes
from the sale Of the reservoir ground must DO pa
into tue Sinking Fund and caunot be sppied direct
10 tho reduction OF taxes tho annual interest ony
such sum beng availab Q rs credit on the taxatio
account. la my opinion tho bcncut thus 10 DO game
small IN paTison with the lasting advant
health, ORD Increased valuation oil taxabl
property adjacent TO the proposed park, aud Il mus
not be forgotten that, whlio our debs and tnxes
anu will decrease with Nh economical and honest ud
ninstration Of The city government the opportunt
curtug tor all time another park the heart
the CITY. once lost, eau never De supplied