New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-04-29
THE CITY'S WATER SUPPLY.


q
-. 80 Gov tbe las, ten years Controller Camp
holl while Commissioner of Public Works. gave tine
matter hi. attention Last year n bill was intro
duced in the Assembly TO appoint commission ~
take the whole subject of the water supply u"'"i
consideration and make report to the Legislature
Mr. Cs,upbell showed to the satisfaction oil ma
iorty of the Assembly 10 that time tha' sue"
n bill would only serve to ala 10 '"o
expenses Of the city without accomplishing al!
good as the work belonged to the p'p'" .l''o"'
Public Works and could best he done by HS c'S,-
-. .h hava 4bnrouphly studied the subject
This vc,r another bill to the same effect mas "'en
offered and has passed through one or more Stages
IN tho Assembly A reporter Of THE lRinrSt calen
on Controller Campbell Yesterday To ask ms OPINION
of this hill and the matters 1t einhraccd u.o Cor-
- The hill * wholly unnecessary" san Inc '"h-
troIler "Thc work which the Commission is 10 per
form can far better he done 10y the Department 81
Public Works without expense 10 the ,city' ""'
strongly opposed to these Commissions 49,
DO You think new aqucduct IL needed :.
cit will be- sooner or later. llah r'I"a'nN," III
tbe Dcpartmcni of Public Works this year ! Shonld
have Ind surveys for new aqneu ,i ' NV, xrt
and estimates prepared and would urn VIII sncb
ZEN very full report ON the snhlecl. WIN SuCI
data 7 would have gone to the Legislature mex, VEN
md asked for the necessary LEGISLATION l aHLlsit
Mir Thompson to follow that course, but ne thhkS IL
NAV he hest 10 get the legislation at once"
lyon think, thin, an agueduct should be begun
not later than next year II. ,-.oo+ diaor.
ence. bnt one will soon have tn lie built. tnougn
that nv the suppression of waste by the use o wafer
meters which had placed N iaGor 1eS anG Nv Tie
Dthcr places other than dwelling houses anu ~, ~ w
additional supply from the Bronx ana bt ram ~,
for which works now being constr. teu aG h ,S
rouId get along without a aqueduct Tor elgh' OF
nine wears But it will take at least scven years 10
build the aqueduct. therefore the work cannot DC
put of many years more >,
How much would il cost y ,,
"Tbat cannot say in the absence Of surveys ana
other When G@n1" sd ror' nr Tin SURVEYS
and estimated the cost OF q new aHu'uu't AZ
10000 900. The land would have to be acqninr:I,
awards made and various things done for when
nroner estimates should be made Then the alue-
duct could only he made useful by a'hii"ha s'HI-
age reservoirs Five or six OF those shouiu m nu,,
and they would cost in the ncighbOrhoM o1 hlii
million dollars each. There need not oe NOR 'nhn
two hnilt 90 begin with others could I've al
terwsrd An aqueduct Should he built fifty per cent
larger than the present tn meet the demands oil
the rapid growth of the city ltwonld hayeto DE- doie
by the issue of bonds. The PUBLIC WORKS Delfrlh.hC
ran expend a million dollars a yea, ior zen tvn
rears in increasing the water supply therefore
ther is no need of any appropriation Tor surveys,
estimates ETC. but When s WORK ~ 70 sen
two or three million dollars year hence the ne
seSsty of more legislation.
TIE CHIEF ENGINEERS REPORT.
Commissioner Thompson has had report on the
mbiect made to him by Isaac Newton. the new
Chief Engineer of the Department of Public Works.
The report urges the necessity of new aqucduct at
,nce Following is the substance of Chief Engineer
Newtons report, as made yesterday:
The ORIGINAL report of the Cr0ton Aqueduc WORK ndl-
,a,es tat The ma ximum depth Of water int ndcd Ia be
sarricd was feet 8 inches above the bottom. The de-
Gcner and constructor OF the work If repott. ="
estimated full capacity Of the conduit at 5ououoOS
rallons per dav and assuming, the experience OF
Sther large cities with similar appianees Tor iurhstl
would be- an ample supply this would suffice for poPl-
ation Of 100000 To deliver TINS quatlN o WIZ Ut
the aqueduct need only he hed to the Sprg n III ' ne
arch, glance at the sketch showing crs-ec,ion W.
The masonry conduit will show that above that me me
e snsd 20 '''-'' p'''''' ''V'4 - .,,,
All others which supply wafer under con
liant head. in the United statfs t mas S hCH
sufficient the imperative demands OF increase oil
Inc the nse of water The utmost capacity of the aque-
duct has been yariousy stated in different Lcnor.-;
10000 900 tn Il5.OO0O0O of gallons daily Iherc i no
sufficient data at hand Ia enable metO St'tc NE a;oul
with absolute accuracy hui anu IN me
average daily delivery at least 1900 80 cnhlc fc
& IN nroress NAV Increase this estimated capacity
1000 900 or 3OOO,0OO For the present ne hthihhhl
day and the records of the Department show that TINS
rate has been maintained for about seven years -, -
At one time when the flow as estimated was lorcVu I"
so,s Tr MS rate causd serious damage the aque-
duct and Il therefore reduced To DISCHARGE me
p5OOO 600 gallons requires that the delth "i water III
the aqnc.uct where it is solid ground be ainailsd
AT about feet inches that is 12is inches below the
highest point Of the roof; where The a9ucdnct on en-
hankmeuts and has settled. the above depth hngS the
water in contact with the rOO so iat I'D th3St JOG
the entire section s under pressure RON ~i, has
therefore bc seen That tile uIu.uuet ~ nov ~ - CA
Tor many years. Delivering water Ia It's utmost sAic &
knn pr'ss,Srr il conveys les water than when little
space len at the top To subject the aIn@@%et t. "I
ustIfahc risk. and never intended IN the oSlhcl
plan From the time 1ae nr. .S'' the p"VSa,on
successvo year the inadeu1cy OF the water supply h"7
become more and more serious.
NO WATER ABOVE TIE BASEMENT.
The city receive through the present aquehuct no
more than IL now conveys therefore as the population
Increases the average supply per head must decrease
lit atxrllf wat cal bp IL
hred TO will constantly diminish The time IL
not far distant when the supply will not in many local.
lies rise above the basement while in some situations
the water will be almost wholly cut on ie" years
aimee the water in some localities would run on The
Fourth floor little later barely on the d moor now
in Id same house will hardly flow ON the second moor
and In wear IL will not rise above thc bs
Heb service This dminution Of head s due solely to
the fact that its rapid growth the city has Our ls
The dtnu'shed constructor OF the aqueduct did not
nntcpaie the great Increase in he demand Tor water
hnnsff abnn1 nv The requirements OF modern Hfe the
enormous growth Of MANUFACTURES IN ihe eiy 'ho u
steam boilers within the city limits the steam railways
In operation already consuming over one million OF gar
nttings-ofton including pnnps-ron the basement 10
the upper no1rs The city IL NOV 'i st,s has
been estimated by competent authority that h VIZ H
hsnss here aud reside elseW here well those who
arc Temporary residents a. hotels and a.; ~
official census of the city, and II aded would make tne
actual population nearly l'oOoVV. AGAIN, t"e ,oii ,
that il cond not have been anticipated forty years age
when single s9aeduct was nn E NV sa
which great quantities OF water me neCessty 80, bon
the Increase OF population.
THE CENTRAL PARK RESERVOIRS.
Regarding the large reservoir IN Central fark proper
caution demands that it should be kept as nearly i az
possible To draw off the water from the aqueduc ana
again to renew its delivery into the reservoir requires
daya a brca occu