Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-02-08
Americas Finest Aqucducts.


Americas Finest Aqueducts.
Up TO tho present time tho finest
aqIednct in use in America is the Croton !.
but tn will be surpassed by the new
aqueduct now in course of construction
on lines parallel with it. Tho Croton
aqueduct was begun in 1887 and finished
Ill le4s, Mt cost, including the means
OF distribution. of $lu,37 900. Tho
length of the conduit from the impound.
ing to the receiving reservoirs in the
Central Park is Isl miles, for 33 of
which the conduit is butt of stone, brick
ana cement, arched above and below, is
feet and inches high, 81 feet wide Mt
the hottc.n and Satthc top. The water
crosses tlarltm nivcr in two cast-iron
pipes j feet Ill uinmctcr, and one wrought
IRON p PC / feet u inches in diameter laid
upon High Bridge in magniIc en-, granite
arcadcs 1850 feet long and la high.
High Bridge comprises fifteen arches.
seven OF which have fifty feet span and
eight oi those over the river eighty feet
span. The greatest capacity oil the
a4ucduat is Ii, 900, coo gallons rcr day,
but for the first SIX years alter its
completion the water used was
only $4,000, 800 gallons per dav.
Twelve years ago the daily SUP.
ply had risen 10 $1,000, 900 gallons and
Mt the present time it is between 10. OOD. :
900 and loo, 900, QUO gallons 1t hls
long. however, been inadequate to tho
demands of The city, with its ever urow-
ing population, and about four years
ago work was commenced en- The new
apucduct, which is now nearly com.
pletcd. The trouble up to the present
time has been not SO much with the
Croton apucduct us with the supply OF
water. The supply IS drawn from Gro
ton River. stream that flows into the
hudson short distance above Sing
sing. Tile river was arrested by dam
icrty feet high, and made to form what
has since been chilled Croton I axe. fol
the purpose OF The new aqucduct it has
hccn decided 10 collect the entire water
supply OF the Croton water shed, and for
this purpose three more dams are build.
ing across the Groom and subsidiary
valleys. The length of the new anuc.
duct from the impounding reservoirs to
The receiving reservoirs is thirty three
ana onc-eighth miles, and the water, in.
stead OF being carried over tho Harlem
lIlvcr by II bridge, MS in the case OF the
old aqucdmct, is carried under the riyar
by siphon. At its lowest point the con-
duit is over 500 feet below the surface of
the earth. The conduit has an inside
area equal TO that of circle fourteen
lcct III dia meter and its capacity will be
2iO, 0O0, 0n0 gallous per day This will
give, with the old aqucduct, total
water supply Of over 300, OOO, 00o gallons
per day. The actual cost Of the new
nqucduci, up to May l., lass, was $lT.-
III ,OJ0, and it is expected that IN cx-
pendlturc of 81, jnO,u more will be
required to complete it, This is cxclu-
sive OF the cost OF The dam vet TO he
built. The aqueduct proper is finished,
and only the finishing touches remain tn
DC put ON. 1t will be opened for use
next summer.
Other notable aqucducts in this coun-
try are the Washington uqucduct and tho
Cochituate of Boston. The former sup.
plies the cities Of Washington and
Georgetown with water from the
Potomac. Its capacity is 0,0DO, 0D0
gallons per day. IL WINS constructed by
the United Stntcs Government ut Il cost
o! 50, 600, 00n. and has several rnc ar.
cadcs, of which the most notable is the
one across Cabin John Creek, which is n
single granite arch 100 feet high aud
220 feet long. The cities Of Chicago
and Milwaukee, obtain their water SUP.
ply from the lake. The water of AXE
Michigan is brought into each city by a
tunnel from su ncicnt distance off shore
to insure Its being pure, and is then
pumped up into surface reservoirs,
whence it is distributed in the usual
manner The Chicago tunnel is three
miles long, that Of Milwaukee, is shorter.
Arrangements have recently been made
to increase the water supply of Chicago.
San F'rLnciw0 Chronicic.