New-York tribune., 1884-01-04
THE SIZE OF THE AQUEDUCT.
LAST PUBLIC HEARING ON THE SUBJECT.

VIEWS OF Ex-JUDGE ARNoUx, ROBERT L. DARRAGH
AND OTHERS.
The last public hearing on the size of the new
aoueduct and its northern terminus was given yes
terday afternoon by the Aqueduct Commissioners
Ex-J1dge Arnoux explained moro fully his reasons
for urging the Commissioners to build large aqne
duct. To increase its capacity seventy per cent pe
yond moderate size he said would only TvOke TNo ae
mand for water in this city has increased eghtiod
in forty years. In 1892 the daily supply WAS vas
aSns gallons S 1saS it saPp haS T
amount is less according to the population than III
twelve other American cities. lhe daliy aneLage ig
consumption per capita in Washington Is gaiiSns
Jersey City 124 gallons. Chicago ia gallons, Troy
S8 gallons, and New-Y York 20 gallons In answer 70
I by sSHnd be- WentV feet in diane
ter. He also opposed the building OF the quaker
Bridge Dam.
CT of the CTOton Aqueduct Department, read a pa
per in which he said that the aqueduct should Dc
eighteen feet or more IN diameter IL snoulu od eo
lowered as TO draw oil all the pure water Wnich
the dam Elay contain, and the Quaker Bridge Dam
should not be begun until the aqueduct IS competed
aud the available supply of the CrotOn Valley
above the present dam is exhausted; tables were
read showing the storage which would be ayaIIaole
by the construction of large aquednct, ana tlc IN
creased supply from other sources by inc pan tat
he proposed: From the storage whlch Is now III tho
city, and which would be madeayallaDle by having
an aqueduct large enough TO fill 1t at such times rs
a heavy draft made upon 1t, OI5,OOo;ODo gar
Ions; storage gained in large aqucduCt, 23H H2Oo,
600 gallons; storage gained by connecting the large
adueducU at a lower grade with the daln, l,ooo
00O, 900 gallons additional supply from the ptonA
River works, which are now nearly competed,
1850 600, 600 gallons, and additional storage ny
constructing new reservoir north of the Harlem
River 1,O29, ,Ss0,145 gallons, making total oi
O923S0,l45 gallons By building MCl h9ultiTnH IH;
dams in the upper part of the Croton Valley addi-
tonal storage room could be obtained TO the capa-
city of 53,916,O63, ,S07 gallons.
In explaining his plan, Mr.. Darragh said that by
lorna hp
the present storage facilities which are now uh-
available, because while the water is hOwlng over
the CrOtOn Dam in May and early june the clty
reservoirs being drawn so low tnat II is lmpos
sible to bring them up again until winter, lhHoV-
ing a loss of storage equal to O1o,oOo,uuu ealo's
1t the aQueduct were eighteen feet Ill diameter II
would contain 237, 800 600 gallons more tndn tne
present one contains. Continuing his paper, MI
DaTragh said, Ill part
The why the aqueduct should be lowered AZ i
with the dam according To the engineer
statement would increase the available supply pg
being able to draw fifteen hundred million gallons DcloW
NM "a a. ,,rr 'tor near tbe h1tt0m than at the level
be built large and VERY important reaso tn"[ t mnon
Valley above the present dam are exhausted
we may 60 above the Croton valley Where
experience may then show to be the best and einioce
lie supply and conduct ii the city through tS large
aQucduc without any further expense, below the pres
ent dam or If it should be deemed pest ID ne v @ W
construct the Quaker Bridge Dam 1t may easily con
nected point near the present dam thceny gihS M ~
you better control OF the supply t9an you couu se pS
having the aqucduct connect Immediately aJ te !oot o
Bridge DAM being able 10 NfilCu
drain either bOtn at the same Time. II VIII
soon, to construct anew
norho of the Harlem forhe supply OF the annexed district
as well as means OF additional storage Tor that part OF
the city south Harlem River and think TINS IL he
very best storage possibly have; 1t should De as
lare as the largest reservoir in the Park; we can make
Il answer for a storage and distributing reservoir anu
il will be very much Ia OF an INVASION OF ls-
rectOn and much more easily protected, being near the
cty as IN case of INVASION the first place or attack
and our weakest would be the aqueduct at the upper
end or the dam. which might be very easily reached
(ether fran the Sound the Hudson RiyCl whlG TINS
reservoir would he much safer and would yield lS
supply while enemy was beng dllNeh away q. INC
damages repaired
W. IL. Webb also read a paper, in which he
favored the construction of an aqueduct with
twenty feet diameter and opposed the dam at
Quaker Bridge. p. Z. Dickinson, who constructed
the water service at Poughkeepsie, said that an
aQueduct fifteen feet in diameter would carry sut-
hcient water for this city for many years. o. Is:
Potter desired the Commission not to fix the size Of
the aQueduCt at present. He added that 1t would
be wise policy for the taxpayers TO pay taxes for
large aqueduct for the benefit of their grandchll-
dTen.
The former officers of the Commission were re-
elected-Mayor Edison president and William Dowd
vice-president.