Morning journal and courier., 1881-10-28
Price Four Cents
Shutting Off the Croton.

SOAshc OA SAAC GNAS OI a water FA m
 Already Felt in New York-DVve,Ifng
 Suddenly Left Without Water by a
 Step that Saved Twelve Million Gai-
 1ons--Acctdents and dAPprehensfOn-tPhe
 City Very Unhealthy.
 From Yesterdays New Yorksunl
 Many householders were startled yesterday morning at finding themselves without sup ply of water. Many more were able to draw water only in the basements and all supplies for use up stairs had to be carried or pumped up. Morning baths had to be omitted, and families found themselves suddenly incon venienced by losing the use of the plumbing arrangements ofthe house from lack of water to fill traps and flush pipes. The aristocratic quarter Of Murray Hill was one of the dis trlcts that suffered most. In the neichbor- hood of Canal street and the Bowerv and otb- CT elevated parts of the city the supply failed. Boilers dependent upon high seryice were cut off, and engines connected with them had to be stopped.
 A flood of complaints rushed into the Wa ter department. Chief Engineer Newton had badgered and anxious look when tbe S1Io, reporter saw him. q have been trvino to cut down the supply about 12, OOO 900 or 13 900, 900 gallons only, 'he said FeYou see the re suit We must keep up the supply in the Central Park reservoirs; and to do that we reduced the supply to the mains. There are six gates from the reservoirs to the supply AAtsAA4of e14AA 1ACy udN0 d11 to D0 open from tw0 to four inches only to let out the whole of the 95, ,oOo,o GOO or so of gallons that the aque- ducts can furnish daily. At half 7 o'clock last night the gates were closed one half inch, cutting down the supply to about o3, COG, 900 gallons a day. The result of that small dlmlnution IS distress in all the higher parts of the city. Where I live, in West Twenty-first street, we could not get any wa ter higher than the kitchen. The reduced pressure was kept up until 12 o'clock to-day and we shall have to continue the policv of reducing the supply during the night in or. der to keep up supply of water on hand for emergencies. The Croton river is at present running from eight to ten million gallons a day, when, under ordinary circumstances it's $50 square miles of watershed ought to SUD- ply the river with as many million gallons A day. We have at present from L POO, COG. GOO to 1,300, 100000 gallons inside the dam, where ordinarily we have 5000, GOO, 900 gal Ions. The storage lakes in Central Park or dinarily contain l 100, ,000, GOO gallons Now the smaller lake is almost empty the larger lake is within about three feet of its ordinary height of water, and our supply there is be- tween 800, ,0OO, 900 and 900, ,OOO, ,OOo gallons. Last night we gained in storage by Keeping back part of the aqueduct supply, and we shall have to keep up the supply in the stor- age lake, even at the cost of inconveniencing the people for part of the day."
 ''What was the amount of the last rainfall in the Croton valley" the reporter asked.
 ''Only 5-1O0 of an inch in all last week not enough to have any perceptible effect"
 ''How long will the present supply last ?''
 "About seventeen days longer, with the economy in its delivery that we have adopt- ed"
 Has the department made any inuuiries as to the quantity of water that could be ob- tained from cisterns and artesian wells ?''
 No; there IS no way of getting such wa- ter into the Croton mains All that this de- pertinent can do is to husband present re- sources and wait for rain. Our efforts at economy are not supported by the public as they should be. Houses where the supply is abundant even at low pressure use water as lavishly as ever"
 AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF THE SITUATION
 During the day Mir. Newton addressed the following letter to Commissioner Thompson: The Hon: Hubert O. Thompson, Commissioner of
 Public Works: N
 sir-1he amount of water remaining in the storage reservoir and lakes including five lakes and ponds, recently acquired in accordance with your structions, is 1295 0O0 900 gallons and the natural dow of tke Croton river is from O0O gallons per day. The consumpti for the past forty eight hours has been from 8O 0OO OOO 0O OOO gal Ions per day, and at this rate with the present flow seventeen to nineteen days.
 But when only ,OoO gallons per day is let into are deprived ot water. Those who fayorably sit- ated with respect to pressure of water care
 
 When the depth of water in the aqueduct is re- iuced to delivery of from forty to forty five mil lion gallons per day, about three hundred million 
 i've million gallons per day, the maximum safe ca paciy of the aqueduct, to the present rate almost of the reservoir. thus diminishing the amount of water let into the mains, and very small extent 1n the part of consumers. The rainfall since last sunday amounts to only 5-1OO of an inch. Very ISAAC NEWTON,
 Oct. 26. Chief Engineer.
 coLLAPsING RANGE WATER PIPES.
 One effect of the stoppage of supply was sudden demand for plumbers to repair brok- ,n water backs and boilers. The joints of water pipes running back of ranges melt when the water is out of them, and there is iome risk of a collapse of the boiler also What adds to the domestic distress in cases of ! failure of the Croton Is that the oply way 0 avoid broken water backs or boilers is to put out the range fires, thus cutting off the amily at one blow from water to wash in md hot dinners to eat.
 MT. Sears, of Sears l& Price, sanitary engi- leers and plumbers, of 152 William street, lad collapsed pipe in his hand as the re- porter entered his place of business. ''This las just come in, " he said. 1.-The fire was made, as usual, on the supposition that the water was in the pipes, and the joint was melted as you see."
 "ts there any danger of boiler explosions ln private residences from sudden stoppage or great dinqinution of the water supply ?''
 "No, not With the kind of boilers put in private houses. They would simply collapse. Boilers with lroh pipes might explode, but they are very rarely Sound in private house. Still 1t IS bother enough for a family to have she water back or boiler coIapse."
 ''Is there any risk of explosion of boilers attached to stationary engines> from short supply ?"
 An engineer who attends to hfA business ,an always tell how much water thefe is in he boiler. If the supply is stopped hewin over his fires, or else he will burn the croMn though for the boiler to become leated, and the water should then low in again, there would be an explo- ion. Such behavior of the water supply night be caused by fire, from the temporary bsorption of water supply by the engine but n engineer would have to be mighty care ess not to notice what was going on. There 5 not much risk of boiler explosions, but all he hot water arrangements of dwelling ouses are made upon the presumption that he pipes about ranges will be kept full of 7ater, and if they are not, there will be eap of trouble.
 PRECAUTIONS AGAINST FIRE.
 Commissioner Van Cott of the Fire depart nent said yesterday that beyond stationing long the river front the five tugs lent to the ity, the department had been able to do othing in anticipation of failure of water upply. The department had boat of it's wn, and was about to order the construction f another, but tugs had been connected with he fire alarm system, and could very readily upply water to the distance of a thousand eet or more from the river, and by means f relays of engines river water could be sup lied to distance of half mile. n case of fire a full pressure of |roton water could for the present be in tantly obtained by telegraphic communi- ation with the Water department. When sked whether any reliance could be placed pon artesian wells for supplies of water, the Commissioner said: 'sNone whatever. Our arge engines use over 500 gallons of water a1nute. There is no expedient which can fill he place of the regular supply"
 The subject of the diminished supply has cen considered by the Board of Fire Under yriters. Henry A. Oakley, president of the toward Insurance company, is a member of he Committee on Water Supply. He said esterday "Rates for fire insurance have ot haeY1 affacta6 hv fha 5iuaipufio,, of CITY,