Morning journal and courier., 1883-01-23
New York's Water Supply.

A Proposition to Use Salt Water to Put Out Fires and Run Elevators. At hearing before the aqueduct commit tee, at the Mayors office in New York, Fri l day, Mir. Jackson s. Schultz proposed a scheme for furnishing the needed additional ! supply of water by pumping salt water from the East and North rivers. In the course of 1 his remarks he said
 ''In 1869 MT. William E. Worthen, an au- 1 thority on the water supply of this city, pre- sented report to the Board of Health, in which he dealt largely with the question of properly cleaning the streets. I present you with this volume containing his views. I do l not intend to take up your time in reading it. In brief, he suggests that pumping sta tions be organized at one two, three or four ] places throughout the city worked on the Holly system, with stationary engines, each having a pressure of from seventy five to one hundred pounds to the square inch, and placed on elevated ground. His idea was confined merely to the cleaning of the streets and sewers. Upon investigation he found that this idea would be of immense value to the commercial interests of the city. The simplicity of the scheme was apparent to all. His proposition was to lay one-inch pipe, by means of which goods could be elevated in the stores. There was nothing expert mental in the scheme, inasmuch as it had already been tried in Liverpool, London,
 Paris and nearly all the principal European
 cities. Not only this, but you have to day in
 the city of New York hundreds of hydraulic
 pressure engines in hotels and warehouses.
 We'll, number of gentlemen put their heads
 together and concluded that if the idea was
 good one it must necessarily be not only good thing, but must be profitable. l know 8
 professional gentleman, who is wealthy, and
 has had more experience in matters of this kind than any other man know of. When
 the matter was mentioned to him, he said:
 I'll head any company with 1,000, 900 or
 ganized for the purpose of cleaning our
 streets We'll I said to him, what do you intend to ask from the city of New York on
 behalf of your company?' "A reasonable in the principal streets and all I ask is that the city will permit me to do so without cost For this I will supply water for the city fountains and I will guarantee to cleanse the streets and SC Eers.' At what rate would 6ou supply the waterF he was asked, and he replied, T will give them sufficient water at one half of what it costs the fire department, as well as one half of what 1t costs for street cleaning purposes. All that look for is in- terest on my money. and tkis believe can obtain from the warehouses alone
 Well" continued MT. Schultz, 'tthe bus mess community was struck with amazement at the proposition, and it was readily &C., cepted. Everything went well until we ap- piled to the common council; then there was deadlock-an insurmountable barrier. We could get nothing. We did not have half as much luck as did the gentlemen con- cerned in the steam heating scheme. They got their franchise through honesty, have no doubt. Our idea was that during the day we would occupy our time in hoisting goods in the different warehouses and at night cleanse the streets. :"
 "I would like you to get this idea into your heads, gentlemen. Just fancy 8 one inch pipe running up to the top story of 8 building at 100 pounds pressure, and that is all Do you ignore the idea because of it's simplicity. It has been stated here that these engines would only cost $500. I think that is 8 mistake, and from esti- mates am convinced that the cost would be from $1, 500 to $1, 800 each. I under stand that the fire underwriters are op- posed to the use of salt water, and charge that goods are damaged, if not destroyed, by it's use Now, gentlemen, I am old enough, and tell you that for ten years in my early life I bought goods sold at auction which were supposed to be damaged with salt water,
 and with the exception of cutlery or hard
 ware, never could discover any destruction.
 You ask an old merchant or auctioneer and
 you will find what say is true."
 q can bear testimony to the fact" in-
 terrupted MT. Orlando B. Potter. II my
 self have bought steel plates on board ships that were lost to the extent ot several hundred tons, and never found any differ
 ance between salt water and fresh"