New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-02-13


Mr. Thomson did not submit an estimate for the
Subsidiary dams and other items; but on the items
for which he did prepare an estimate ne n89o .lhs
cost 81 .653 go less than Chief Engineer Church
MIR Thompson asked that the maps and plans SUP
mtted might be referred to HIM for further report
which was done.
Robert l.. Darragh, formerly Commissioner OIL the
Croton Aqueduct Department. whose long expert
ence and familiarity WITH the cS sSC S KINDS of
building operations in the vicinity oil New Ok,
make his opinions of especial value sald 10 =
TRIBUNE reporter yesterday that he was astonished
at the slight interest which the pubic appeared 10
take in this important question: FOR my put,
said Mr. Darragh, regard TINS Q4aKe thn IL
Dam project as the most important matter thaJ mas
% SsSn Oe years. If the the dam is built l
shall regard 1t as nothing less than catamd1' "
the project. and after many years practical ac-
Guantance with the question of the clty,s water
supply. Mr.. Potter and many other practlcai anu
Intelligent men, who have given close attention to
the matter agree with me in the opinion that q
great misfortune will betall the city II IL is maze
dependent on this gigantic dam lor i'S "a'oi sup
"What do you estimate will be The cost Of the
DAMP 49,. .n,r,,.+oa
No such dam was ever built. 1t is to be 500 feet
long at the bottom and 100 feet below the ped OF
the Croton River. .275 feet thick, 275 feet higo
above bed rock, and nearly 400 feet long on top.
Ii may cOst--with the subsidiary dams, The costly
bridges and other necessary av m cost
%,cb less We have been trying for some time
to get full details of the cost as estimated by the
engineers of the Public Works Department MI
Church the chief engineer of the Aqueduct Com
mission said that he did not want to give any
figures that he would be held aecounta9e lot Dut
we insisted that was just what should be done
And after varying his figures once or twice ne SUD
mitted an estimate amounting to $751;, 6Zo. Ihen
Mr. Thompson submitted his estimate h r0n The
cost of the dam proper at $2,o69,6OO; The
wide difference IN these figures Is
fair exhibition of the difference in engineers esti-
i lonsy low. Mr.. Church's estimate is not high
enough. Like the Bronx River conduit, the dam, II
ever built, will probably cost twice the amount Oh
Is it on the score of cost alone that you OPP
"That is only one ground of opposition; The
more important reason Is the danger TO the health
of the CITY and the fact that the dam not needed
The city can be served much more cheaply as
we'll as much better by building storage reservoirs
which can be cleaned The dam will take all the
decompOsed vegetable and animal matter, the over
flow of all cesspOols barnyards and village dram
formulated during the winter months on $50
square miles, and will retain it, OF send it to this
city through the aqueduct. There Will be no way
WHY is this scheme urged, thenf'
For two OF three reasons 1t VIII epaoie cer1an
the biggest dam in the world, and 1t will afford
vast AMOUNT Of R9liticaai pat patTonsgs ~
"That is an essential part of the Quaker Dam pro
iect These subsidiary dams will be built so as Z
hold the water stationary inc lutto, anu VII VIZ
places where there will not be much depth OF water
otherwise when the water was drawn down at tn
big dam all this ground, amounting to hundreds
acres. on which the water would be only few fee
deep would be exposed to the sun and breed disease
But while these subsidiary dams hold the waite
back in these elevated ponds 1t will festor there
and then when there is rain or the water rises Il
these ponds the only outlet is into the big DAM Al
the scum and other filth gathered in these pond
will then me through the aqueduct u
the city, There will be no water running
over the Quaker Bridge Dam to cleanse the surface
as is now the case at the Croton Dam. And even
now at the Croton Dam thick scum gathers ant
the water bears most unhealthy look part OF tn
wear. But the entire wash of the Crot0n Bash
wouid be held back by the Quaker Bridge Dam ant
find its only outlet through the aqueduct. 1t vii
be seen that all tile advantage Of cleansing TIT
water at the seasons of flood and overflow
by wasting the impure and taking up the pure waite
will be lost if the Quaker Bridge Dam is built In
stead of this dam, impoundIng reservoirs should b
built as high up the stream as there Is any certain
ty of having sufficient water to fill them. TIT
water will then be gathered from the highest peaks
the most thinly populated and the least cultivated
portion of the CrotOn watershed The water o
the whole watershed should not all be stored 70
nse but some of il must needs waste to have the re
Ynainder fit for use. The time when we shall wan
10 use the water at the lower part of the Quake
bridge Dam will be the very time when we vii
have to use the condensed wash OF the whole Croto