New-York tribune., 1881-10-28
LESS WATER EVERY DAY.
prpu. To THE CRY MORE IMMINENT

TIRE DANGER NOT APPRECIATED-LEss "Ai"N
LET INTO THE MAINs-AcTioN OF THE offi
GALS. -.
Each dav that passes without any rainfall in
creases the anxiety in the Department OF fuDhc
Works in regard to the scarcity of Cr0ton water.
The officers in the Department declare that the
nuhlic in genera, does not appreciate fully the eX-
tent of the danger They say that there is wanton
waste of water every day. Many persons seem 10
feel that as long as they have plentiful supply
each dav. there is not much cause for alarm. Its|
use water as freely ever and take no more pans
TO save it now than when there was plentlful sap
ply. They seem 10 think that their lelghoors use
ali the water they desire and that they are entitled
10 the same privilege Believing that those are the
opinions entertained by large CLASS of people the
following letter was issued yesterday by the De
partmeni Of Public Works:
TO the Commissioners Of ne Police Department -,
CESTLEMES: The continuance Of the dronth and the
rapid decrease of the reserve suppy OF t Wai ats %
of the importance that the measures ana aPea t
of this Department 10 euft8n .De o,IneT and meet
with ready compliance Notwthslanling the aInpie =
and annea and TO the proclamation OF the Mayor there
has been appreciate decrease III tne ure anu h 49,
seconplshed in that respect has been brought about
alIuos exclusively by diminishing the Amount Of water
Iet intO the distributing mains from the reservoir
In this emergency have TO invoke the ad o your De
partment, aud earnestly request tlat ,na'S ,it St
ters be given the members OF the police force tG Vet
every house their respective posts ana INFORM tne
owners and occupants oi the lnPeIaIiVe neceesS 81 & %
and that in where this notice is dsrtRa
the wafer supply win be shut off at In making
these visits the police officer should every exerton
to see that the notice is given TO the heads OF ails
and not merely to servants children. people who
have no authority responsibility. believe that a
prompt and intelligent compliance with inns req1f' % WI WIZ
Die the imperative necessity of economy in the use OF
water in order to the imminent dangers oi Ia
"o VI 'N' ""'0' HUBERT 0 Thomson,
Commissioner OF Public Works
The communication was referred to SGperintenii
dent Waliing who has issued the following general
orders IT, ali the police precincts;
To An; The use of CrotoD water by means Of hose
been foTbddFn hy the Commissioner of Public Works,
and all permits issued for that privilege have ceen re-
Violations OF corporation ordinances TO prevent the use
Of nose ior that purpose also instruct o'heF me"oerS
of your command.
To AN Allow no use Of hose for washing sidewalks
other purposes and also etop street pnkne except lor
the StTeet-C Cleaning Department
Commissioner stephen s. French said that the
Police Department would do ali III its power to as
sist in the effort to the water but that no ac-
ton would be taken except on the Te6omLehnatioh
or request of the Commissioner Of Public works
He also said instructions would probably De gwen
to paronen in the various districts 10 request the
inhabitants 10 he saving in other ways thar those
specified in the general orders issued by the De-
SHUTTING DOWN THE GATES
The same method of diminishing the supply was
adopted yesterday on the preceding day There
are six gates from the reservoirs TO the main pipes
and they have t. be open from two TO four inches to
allow the flow of the daily supply of 95,000,C90
gallons. Between and p m. the gates were shut
down about one-quarter of an inch, and were kept
so for seven or eight hours This saved about
10000, 600 gallons The effect of shutting down
the gates was felt in every house up town. People
living in fats who have been accus olned 10 1aye
water on the second and third floors, found IL the
morning that they were -, without water.
intsIIiyent peonle who were unable to
account for their failure To- Obtain
water notwithstanding hc repeated warnings n The
newspapers about the small supply. Landlords
were appealed TO by tenants who wanted 10 know
the cause of their having no water In some OF the
fats in the upper stories the tenants were enable 70
make fire because the range boilers could not be
sugpled. - H., -.
additional measures We're being taken by the De
partment of Public Works TO save he water, SAID:
1.-THE only thing that are doing now rs
the shutting down of the gates rom v one quarter
about 10000, 900 gallons But as the pubic uses
the water too lavshly we viii have TO adopt other
means We are discussing plan now which, if We
mt il into effect will save a great deal more. The
details are not yet arranged, and don't know posi-
lively that we will put the plan into operation We
intend if possible, TO shut the water oil for certain
III each day from all places where water is used
as a luxury or where it is not absolutely essential
to use il all thefme Of course, we will except all
such places as factories where people employed
whose living depends on constant supply OF water
TO run the InachI cry. How we propose to shut the
water off | can't tell yOu just yet, because
in the first place there some people who would
try TO Illustrate our plans We may not be com
pei ed to do this at all, am informed that there
are prospects D.. rain here within few days winch
lnay give great relief" -
III ycu shut OF the water as you purpose, will
there not be great danger to the city IN case CT
frsT nnt 70 oo,r.ot ,no i,,urs.,,or in regard to
water for the Fire Department. We can furnish 1t
with as much water as IL ever had IN case OF fire
There is no cause for alarm among insurance people
o; owners Of buildings In regard to spread OF lire
On account of scarcity OF water The water has
not become so low yet but that we can supply the
department"
Engineer Newton said "The matter is exactly
the same as it yesterday, except that we have
one days supply less. We will close the gates from
the reservoirs 20 the mains about half al inch to-
night, as we did yesterday. The Croton River is
running daily from eight to ten million gallons.
There at present from l,ZOOO0O,OOO TO
1900, 900 900 gallOns inside the dana, where ord-
Iarily there are o. OOO, 600 600 gallons The storage
lakes in the Central Park usually contain
1,10O 600 900 gallons but the smaller lake is now
almost empty. the larger lake is within three feet
of its ordinary height and the supply There Is
about 900 100000"
What will the people do for water if we don't
have much rain Ii the next seventeen or eighteen
THAT is almost more than | can tell You. We
would have 70 depend on the natural flow of the
Croton, which Is from eight TO ten iIlIon gallons
day"
Merchants III the upper part of Broadway COM
plain greatly about the damage to their goods from
the dust ia the street. Some tradesmen eInpl0ved
man TO sprinkle portion of Broadway Wednesday
IL order TO settle the dust. The water was taken
from private we'll but the man arrested. Ii
was stated at the Depar ment OF Public Works that
there was an ordinance against the use of any
ter except Crot0n for street sprinklng purposes
This law originated to prevent salt water
from being used but 1t so framed
that il includes water from private wells. The OBJ
lection, II was stated. &c allowing storekeepers to
sprinkle the streets with water from private wells,
is that many persons would believe that CrotOn
water was being used for the purpose. They would
think that lnvidiOus distinctions were made, and
they would not be careful themselves.
AT the offices downtown, where much water is
used for running machinery, it was said by the
gineers that they had a sufficient supply
all day 20 keep the machinery notion.
Many Of these places have private wells IRON
winch they can draw in cases of emergency