The daily gazette., 1880-07-21
about NesV York WGter.
HOW STREET sPRINKLERs ARE
MANAGED - THE WATER CON-

SUMPTION IN THE CITY.
From the New York Herald.
The waste Of water in this city
from street spripkling and for steam
boat purposes, and The Methods
adopted by the Department Of Pub
lie Works IN prevent such waste,
are questions discussed with interest
just now. The receipts TO the city
from street sprinkiers and stes n
boat owners amount to consider
able srm yearly.
For the twelve mouths en"iDR
December 81, 1879, the city
received for water furnished
to steam boats S3l ,010 %
meter 1858 10
For building purposes 1887 "a
For water supplied to floating
Total S1"5,9O1 so
The supply of water g g.anted in
the permit is to be used only for the
purpose of filling mot washing) the
boilers or boats and for the ordinary
culinary purposes o. the vessels
Eight officials ere specially detailed
by the Department Of Public Works
to stop all waste OF wafer along the
river front. Sometimes these men
are OH duty up to late hour at
night. They are che ged with see
ing that there is no surreptitious use
Of the Croton water.
Sixty persons are engaged in this
city in the business of street spripk-
ling. Each has a route of his own,
which is allotted by the Commissioner
of Public Works. They pay the city
from $3.50 to $400 during the summer
season for use of Croton water. The
sprinklers receive twenty-five cents a
week from the tenants of each house
for wetting the street pavement i'm
mediately in front. 1t is stated at the
department that strict sui veillance
is kept over the sprinklers 60 that they
cannot use more water than is actually
necessary. The receipts for licenses
granted foI sprinkling routes annually
amount to about $4,000.
There is no way of ascertaining how
much water is really used in this way
by the sprinklers. 1t is made the duty
of the Inspectors, however, to see that
no greater quantity is taken from the
hydrants than is required for properly
wetting the streets in accordance
with the agreement of the sprinklers
with tenants and property owners.
WATER ON SECOND FLooPs.
Inability to procure sufficient sup.
ply Of water upon the upper floors Of
houses has become subject of in.
creasing complaint. The deprivation
is felt alike on the west and on the
east side of the island, and in the
majority Of houses in the middle wards
the pressure is insufficient to force
water TO the second floors from seven
o'clock in the morning until six al
night.
When a reporter introduced the sub
ject of deficient water supply to Com.
missioner Campbell recently, that Off cia
some what wearily inquired:
"Where do the complaints como from
now?"
"From the e. t side," said the repor
ter, "aud the W It t."
"Y, :, from all over the city; under
stand you," he interrupted. "But yor
should not speak of the dearth of water
There g water enougb-lots of It,; bu
the difficulty is in getting 1t up in these
horses. The water = equally served to
consUmei5 all over the city. We gel
l00,0 ,000,' 10 gallons day that is a good
deal, Is 1t not?"
"Y6-, Mr.. Campbell; but here is q
man who says he is taxed for bathroom
on the second floor of BIS hor- e and he
cannot use It,"
"I don't know that he Is taxed for it.
Bt iidt he can have the water carried
up, or he can pump 1t M. The city does
not contract to deliver water ON the
second floor. Th' Q complaints come
from all over the island. Iuow that 1
sometimes cannot get enough water on
the second floor Of my own house, and
no doubt you find it the same. Then
there are horres SO high up that the
pressure of the reservoir is unequal to
forcing water to them. Do the ownelJ
Of these houses expect rs to have a spt =
cial service created for them? The
whole trouble is here: we distribute all
the water that COM daily through the
aqueduc' IL 1,OO0,00o vallors; but that
amount Is not enough rer the pre- 7ent re-
gulrements of the city, and we must have
q new city aqueduct. Aside rom that
we are getting and prevent the enor GUS
waste. We are putting out metrssf f t
rs we can, and tnat will do some good.
The Croton aqu- iuct W. meant to fur
nish water for million people, not for
q million and quarter. You don't hear
eomplpints of low prt sure after a good
rain, and that Is b ,ause there is so
much less rsed on street" and gardens,
and so on. The hot weather reduces the
pressure, aud during it, continuance
people must use ss little they can pot
81 IDLY get along with"
"Do all pf-ts of the city share alike
In the present distribuG,on?"
"Of course they do; and, rs said be-
fore, we distribute the water just {" fast
as it comes through that aqueduct. Un-
til we have another one the complaints
will continue while hot weather II US,
and the Herald will cont. nue. to get let
ters on the subject"
"Aud the Commissioner of Pubic
Works will continue to explain"
"Yc ;" replied Mr.. Campbell, with
laugh, IL have been over this explans
tion a great many times. Our water
supply Is u momentous question and but
few persons are capable of going further
than the fact that they cant get water
ON their second floors"