New-York tribune., 1890-07-16
SHOULD STILL BE ECONOMICAL.

4. = o,clocl- Yesterday morning the new Aque-
a,o+ heoan 70 pour Croton water into the central
pork reservoir The successful accomplishment
- q oreat engineering work was marked hy no
demonstration. But il is not yet tlnc lor ''e
unblic 10 rejoice. Chcf Engineer f'ePN uoeS
mt wish New Workers 10 build up any ialNe hopcS
Of an immediate increase in their supply OF "d''l
on the temporary and even experimental oPc"1ht
Of the sluices which are TO fill the reservoir an"
are then 70 be closed again in order that repairs
NAV he made I'VE do not consider the Aquc-
duct finished at all, he said to Tribune re-
porter. I'VE have simply prepared for TINS no"
TO accommodate the Department OF fuphc ""iNS'
so that this reservoir may he filled As soon - "
is filed we want six weeks in which u mahc IT,
pairs. If the summer is dry You can make up
your mind that not drop more water Will NC
furnished to New-York than heretofore
The ringing of bells and the burning of bon
fires and the making Of speeches Will therefore he
much more appropriate when the Sodom Dam Is
completed. and plenty Of water assured thah
they would have been yesterday. The enor's
that the Aoueduct Commission actually made 10
Welcome hecomingly the new millions OF gallons
IN tho big basins in the Park were not impressive
The Commissioners were by no means deslrous that
the event should he unmarked in the public mind.
They arranged a programme involving ccI''u'
amount Of ceremony. But the eAtra"rOuh"IS
feature of their arrangements was thar theN were
onnarsntlv made downtown in blind ignorance oi
What was going on uptown. The Commission
hold meeting. congratulated the citizens III an
enthusiastic resolution and adjourned with the
stated purpose of reaSsembling later, when the
Navor was u turn a knob. or do something
eouallv easy and effective, and send thH released
GOODS roaring through the four mammoth pipes
fhn time an
nointed for the Mayor to appear as frcShwa'er
Neptune compelling the Croton the current had
ALREADY been dashng and splashing through the
sluices for eight hours.
The name of the man who opened the gateS at
Observation-Disclosures y-ffth-st. and first allowed
the Aoueduct to fulfil its purposes is not destined
n 90 down 10 fame Mr.. Fteley. who presided
at the opcration said somewhat weariedly that
II might have been Tom, or Dick, or Harry-hc
mad not attached any consequence 70 II. Al II
o'clock five hours after poor Tom. or llcK' or
Harry had thus all unwittingy forestalled IN the
honors of the occasion his Honor the Mayor the
Aoueduct Commissioners met in their rooms IN the
Stewart Builcing. There were present Mayor
Hugh J. Grant. Thomas Gilroy. Commissioner
of Public Works; Controller Myers, General James
c. Duane presiding Commissioners Howe Scott
and Tucker, and John {. Shechan, secretary. II
had beer announced that Engineer Ftciey wouId
present report on the Aqueduct work
But no report from Mr.. Fteley was
heard, or even referred TO- nj the meet
ing 1t was learned later that Mr.. fteleS ma"
made brief verbal report in an executive session
held in an inner room. When the commissioners
emerged from this seclusion and took their seats
before = large audience of reporters Mr.. Sheehan
read the letter. which las been already published
in which General Duane told Commissioner GllroY
that the AaueIuct would he ready for the De-
nortrenf Of Public Works IueSdaT NJ
Gilrov said nothing but Controller Myers offered
the following resolution:
Resolved That citizens onloY to-uaN' N NV
utilization of the new Aqueduct for :hc h>t time the b
fts Of an undertaking which stands an unIaI'ccn mon"
nent u engineering skill and which in every way cor"
.-tues m our cv's health welfare the members o
this Commission warmly congratulate the public Of the
city OF NewYork upon the virtual fruon oi an enterprise
Of such incacusble magnitude and neri;.
II was passed unanimously without comment
Mr.. Scott then moved that the Commission adj
journ until o'clock when il would meet IN the
new ratehouse at the Central Park reservoir
and open the sluices The motion was adopted
unanimously The Committee on Construction
met privately as soon as the Commission adj
iourntd
Did Mr. Fteley forget 30 tell the Commissioners
In his verbal report that the water had already
bten set free al One-hundrcd- -thrty-tfth-St.
and that as a matter Of fact no knobs needed l."
be turned and no gates had 10 he opened at the
reservoir al all, tie sluices there having S'ood
open during the last SIN months , There certainty
was a misunderstanding somewhere Long Dc
fore 2 o'clock park loungcrs and park rangers
clad in gray and park nurse-elrls and park
babies and boys and girls were enjoying the de-
lighttully cool air that swept up through the
iron-grated floor OF the new gatchouse. and
watching curlously the rush of the water below
II was this distinguished crowd Of citizens that,
shortly after 2 o'clock. bchcld with amazemcnt
the arrival of a Nclow-whcced chariot, whose
ancient stccds accustomed 10 toddng around the
drive with loads of sightscers at twenty-five
cents head, did not step any more lively
because of their unusual draught Of civic dicnl-
tarics Mayor Grant was among the first of the
passengers TO alght from the Park carryall, and
he was met by Chief Engineer Ftcley and by
Engineer Birdsall, Of the Department of Public
Works, who led him into the new Roman gate
house. and. shouting above the din of the torrent.
told him he was little too late" Rrhind the
chief magistrate came Commissioner Gilroy Con
trOllcT Myers ard the other members of the Aquc-
duct Commission, with Secretary Shechan and
Auditor Luliey. Contractor John OBrien Divi-
sion Engineer Craven, Mr Mclean, OF the Con
troller's Office and ex-senator DAILY, who had been
lettering around, joined the group. B W. Bar
low. secretary Of Benjamin 5. Church, who had
not been invited 10 the opening" and who was
reported TO he expressing his discomfort freely in
Achllean retirement, was among the onlookcrs
TIE onlookeis lound little 10 look on except the
Mayor and his suite. Most Of them were aston
shed 20 find their newly discovered cool retreat
invaded by these carryall-csrried strangers who
came in from the sun-smlttcn drive TO disturb
their siesta They gathered some consolation from
the marvel Of neckwear that adorned Commits
soner Gilroy-a bright ceruean scarf in which
Icintilated crescent pin alittcring with dia.
monds
The Mayor seemed TO be at loss. lie smiled
at the ladies and the babies and the lOungers
Smiling, he chattcd, rather shouted, with his
friends; looked with admiration at the foaming
Mood Of CrotOn and heard the voices of many
waters, the only eloquent voices raised. dinning