New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-08-09
THE PROPOSED AQUEDUCT.
COMMISSIONER THoMPsoNs REPORT.

The Aoueduct Commission held its first forna
meeting yesterday. There were present mayor
Edison, Controller Grant. Hubert ". lholnpson'
Commissioner of Pubic Works; William Dowd
George w, Lane and James c. Spencer IL
was decided to begin anew and treat inc
former meetings as informal. Mayor Edison was
chosen permanent chairman, William Dowd vice.
chairman, James W. McCulloh secretary and Jonn
A. yernam messenger. Mr.. McCulloh thanked tne
commission for his appointment and at ohco
assumed the duties of secretary. Messrs. Spencer
Dowd and Thompson were appointed commlt'ee
ON bylaws. 1t was resolved that the Com
mittee on Salaries and Employees should De en-
powered to fix the salaries of the subordnatcs Oh
the Commission The lease of rooms In lHE
TRIBUNE Building for two years from August l.
1888 was ratified.
Commissioner Thompson then submitted plans
and maps for the construction OF the pro-
posed new aqueduct. dams and reservoirs rs
called for by the Commission. Inc
nIans called for were to embody three PROPOSE
tiops. The first was 10 secure all the water that
can be obtained from the Croton Lake. the river
and its tributaries with proper aqueduct ana res
eryoirs so that increased storage ana supply VI
water for tie present aqueduct can he PROVIDED a'
the earliest time practicable; the second plan pro-
vided for the immediate construction of the
retention of the water of the east
branch of the Croton River and its tributaries at
point near Brewster's Station, and known as the
Sodom Reservoir; the third plan provided Tor two
routes. OF lines, in the northerly portion OF the
proposed line of the aQueduct, of which should
reach or terminate at the Croton River below the
Croton Dam, near the proposed site of the Quaker
Bridge Dam, the other to terminate at the Croton
Lake at point above the Croton Dam and near
the terminus of the present aqueduct. Commits
sioner Thompson's report is as follows:
COMMISSIONER THoMPsoN's REPORT
The main features required under section of your
resolution as follows:
"Suoh system Of supply as WILL when perfected
secure all the water be obtained from the Gro
ton Lake and River Of the city with proper
aaueduct and reservoirs" This information is bodied
In the report and plan Of proposed draw and reservoir
at Quaker Bridge and aqueduct thence to the city,
prepared in accordance with instructions by the
chief engineer of the Croton Aqueduct Isaac Newton
and the consulting engineers Of this Department, and
submitted by the Hon. William r. Grace, the then
Mayor on February g. 1882.
THE DAM AND RESERVOIR.
The site selected for the proposed dam and reservoir Is
the lowest available point the Croton River and
watershed II is proposed to build the dam OF stone
laid hydraulic mortar The stone, which would be
sscd obtained from the reservoir site and
the neighboring heights. The foundation would rest
on bed rock The highest elevation OF water In
the reservoir would be 200 feet above mean tide or
SO $500 feet top of tue present Croton Dam
The reservoir would have area OF about $685.
acres, aud a capacity OF about 32,0OO,oOO,OOO
gallons above the level at which the water Ia to be
drawn of by the proposed aqueduc The land re-
oured for the is for the most part sterile The
cost Of the dam and reservoir, including land es
timaJed al "a, 100000.
Tho following are the advantages Of this reservoir
above other systems which been considered
gested
First-The reservoir will receive the drainage Of the
entire Croton watershed 1861 square mes-tweHty three
SQUARE miles than the watershed above the pres
ent Croton Dam. This addition to the water
shed will yield q daily supply OF about
90 OOOO 600 gallons The reservoir would there
fore accumulate water much more rapidly than q
number Of smaller reservoirs Of equal aggregate capacity
higher up In the watershed the branches and trbu-
tares of the Croton Owing 70 the great fluctuations in
the flow of the Croo River from a minimum OF
10 600 900 .lons per day TO maximum OF upwards OF
1000 900 gallons day in case OF reshets the i'm
porauce facts cannot be oyerestmated TO de-
ternine the amount OF supply which can be relied on
from storage The question OF time required TO replace
the water drawn of in dry seasons must receive equal
consideration with that OF quantity OF storage.
Sccond-Ths single reservoir, in conjunction with the
storage already controlled by tho CITY, would secure
supply 10 the city of 25OOO0OOO gallons per day the
driest seasons which in fact about the minimum ca
pacity Of tie entire Croton watershed In
the report OF ChiefEngtn er Newton on
storage dated February 81, 1883. and in the opinion
Of the eminent consulting engineer thereto appended,
which were given In reply resolution OF the commit
winter examined into the question OF an
additional watersupp ii IL stated that II Is not prob
able that daily supply OF over 50OOOOOO TO 10000
600 gallons per day could be relied upon IN dry year
with aqneduct dependent for Its storage water on
reservoirs placed up III the basin.
7hird-rhe Quaker Bridge Reservoir presents the
rlsRnnf
aqueduc Tue estimated cost IL at the rate OF Sl23 per
gallons s rHs eS
after very careful examination by predecessor the
Ions capacity The OF maintaining TINS
and guarding against pollution VIII 10 much less
Of such supervision EXTENDED over number O
reservoirs scattered over the entire watershed.
Fourth The cost OF BUILDING The necessary storage
reservoirs above the Croton Dam to furnish Tue supply
imrned atey required would De almost as great as inc
cost Of the QUAKER BRUCE Dam. The Quaker Bridge
Reservoir should solve tie pro0em OF storage AMI sup
ply for generation, by furnishing minimum supply
$50 900 900 gallons per day, and remove from pres
consideration and INTO the distant future Ia ne
cessity other reservoirs. With the other system
constant aGdons WI have TO De made meet me 7 1
creased demand for water until tine capacity OF the
fact Ihat citizens Will expect at the outset
for the larse amount OF money which will necessarily
have expended, the period when we Will GU grow
stan1 II vii then become necessary to incur ne nd
duonal expense buidng the Quaker Bridge Reservoir
which II nrst built would eDyate the necessity OF ex-
pending over for reservoirs above the Croton
Dam.
FfnhA large and deepsettling basD, Ike the Quaker
Bridge Reservoir deemed desideratum by hydraulic
engineers. , a., ~,
SiIut-Ihe area OF the proposed Quaker Bridge Reser
yOr the greater sterile land not under cuitya
ton while sites OF the reservoirs above Croon Dam
cover large proportion of arabic and cultivated land
Serei0-ln very cold weather great difficulty Is ex-
per1enced IN bringing down the waller from the distant
reservoirs through swRmps shallow Streams
20 the head OF the aqueduc In tue severe winter oil
l89Ol8l, when first assumed the duties or Commits
soner OF Public WORKS. taere at tunes almost total
cessation Of supply TO the squednct from storage
In Of this fact This cannot occur WIN the
reservoir proposed, because the Old as well as the new
aqueduct are 10 be supplied directly FROM IT,
THE NEW AoUEDUCT.
The proposed aqueduct extending from the Quaker