New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-08-24
WHAT BROOKLYN TALKS OF.
CHANCES AT TOPICS OF THE DAY IN THE
CITY OF CHURCHES.

needed Improvements and extensions In the water
supply system. After prolonged and neXcusablc DC
lays the Aldermen some months ago authorized an
extension Of the conduit which brings BrooAlyn'S
supply from Long Island to the outer limits OF
Brooklyn and also the taking in Of further springs ana
ponds so as permanently increase the quantity OF
water for the uses of the city. That work Is now
under way. is also an enlargement OF the Ridge
wood reservoir INFO which the water is pumped from
the point where the conduit terminates This reSer'
vor being high ground, the water flows 10y ioroe
Of gravity to the greater part Of the city but in order
TO make the increased supply fully available II is
deemed requisite 10 lay new main four feet in diam
eter for most o. the distance. from RdgewOod u
Columbia Heights. The estimated cost OF this WORK
is 100000 To supply the region that lies TOO hlSh
for gravity service RidgwOOd the reservoir near
the entrance to Prospect Park is used and into this
the water Is pumped from pumping station IN Pros-
pect Place. near vanderbtave. But the pressure
from this reservoir is not sufficient to meet the needs
of people living Ninthave.. along the Park'
some portions of that region being only few feet
below the level of The water in the reservoir. on
this account it is intended to erect standpipe at
Prospect Heights. This also was authorized by inc
action of the Aldermen on Tuesday. and S61,OOo
will be spent the Improvement
The Aldermen were provollngly deliberate in act
ing on these important matters though 10y no means
so slow as i'm their course toward the enlargement OF
the water supply itself, which was several years on It's
way through their Board in spite Of the repeated rec
concentrations Of Mayors and Commissioners 81 C'y
Works and the earnest demand on the part OF INC
people for more water. In this case they JUSTLY inc
delay-Or attempt to do sO-by expressing doubts rs
10 the dcsirability Of doing the things proposed The
criticisms upon Commissioner Adams on the ground
that an engineer and not a lawyer should DC AZ inc
head Of the Department Of City Works DO nor appear
to have much force Mr.. Adams has acted o1 course
not upon his own judgment, but in accordance win
81 fanaV tFpan
whose competency is not questioned 1t is true mat
n good deal may be said in favor Of the erection OF
spccial reservoir meet the wants of the particular
section that makes the proposed standpipc necessity
Such reservoir is not absolutely needed now though
il doubtless will be before many years pass. Hence
If the standpipe is to DC only temporary aiar why
spend se5 900 on and then cast it aside few years
hence? Another objection to the standppe Is hat II
will disIcure the ncghbOrhood in which 1t Is placed
II will certainly occupy a commanding POSITION a. the
reservoir is very high ground, ana II VIII o'e'ooN
the Museum of Arts and sciences when TINS Is erco
At the same time. 1t will be possible to make 1t some
thing different from O bare and unattracve H">S oi
iron plates painted a gloomy red. like the StahupIpe
near the Wulink entrance to The Park from which inc
village of Flatbush f. furnished with water. II the
standpipe consists Of neat and tasteful suuct
rc with some claims to architectural beauty II Will pc
much less objectionable than otherwise.
n, ecarcolv less importance than this action Of
the Aldermen is the decision Of the commission ap
pon,ed by the Supreme Court. General Icrm' III INC
matter Of the proposed Atlantc-ave elevator r'a''
Under the law when for any reason the consent VI
majority Of the property owners on inc no VI 81,
q rnod to its construction cannot be secured the
General Term may appoint commission 10 HNc'"
gate the entire matter. and the consent OF ms com
mission is 10 be accepted in lieu OF the consent OF INC
nroncrty-owners The commission In this case con
sistng Of Theodore T. Miller liaS'an H. "hccer anu
Howard j. Forker took good deal OF testimony VA
bo,h sides of the question and lis decision j. ud''
mously in favor Of the projected elevated ROAD i'o
ronort must 90 before the General Term for approval
Tho probabilities are that IL will be confirmed without
Great DELAY That action will bring mcasurabN
nearer the contamination of an Important p"Oi' i"'
provcmcnt. An elevated road In Ati"huo''c' - u0
only practical solution Of the problem OF removing
the surface tracks 4 depressed road has been u'-
cded to be of tho question on account oil l's e"F
mons cost The interested property owners VINO "P'
nose the elevated road will probably Keep up inc"
fight as long as possible but II Is bouhd 10 DC I'.
fight The people Of the city generally arc ''"'c''o'
I'm the removal Of the steam railroad tracks l"h "'
surface Of Atlanticave.; those VINO oppose 'H'" ~
moval bv elcvating them only small number
comparatively.
Aelcast two defenders Of Jones tof Prospect Park
have co,nc forward within a few days. II they are l"
lac believed Jones Is one Of Heaven, choicest gi'' I"
man. and in particular TO Brooklyn ana Prospect f"Fh
lie l. both great and good, and thohIh gf'cNo"'lS
maigned. he bears his trbulations with io.t'u"c
truly Christian IT appears thai he Is cHihc"u} Pi"
Ccient in the Welsh language. having won numerous
lonors at the national festivals known as crula7'
and bcinr fayoraby mentioned in Welsh news
r,ncrs Inst what this has 20 do with Ms Ieid
lions TO the Park and the people VINO u'c IT. "
is difficult to see. To the average ihlhu " u"''
not. at all events, justify an a-'ault on an "n
offending citizen who chances TO stray upo" ron.
path which Jones chooses 10 reserve Tor MS e'Pe'A
use. nor could these attachments be pleaded III court
az justification Of Joncss explosion OF wrath. IL j.
cravelv asserted that from the path IN question ono
could actually into the windows oil the L'''p"o''
Mansion where the Park Offices arc sltuatcd-a' II uc
budlng itself private property ana II "c'c '
rcqe for any one 70 glance AT It's interior ''"ut
yrIndow We are also assurcd-and this assurance Is
wclcome-that Jones has cut down Only t"cI'" wv
during his administration. That his destroying manu-
os lin itcd 10 twelve is we'll bat who can tell wiht
would have happened II the alarm had not been gwen
through the newspapers, and Tie ParK COMMISSIONER
aroused TO conception OF the cyclone OF CIVIC "Idt"
u.hi, youd sweep over them in case policy OF gen
| eral trce-cuttng persisted in Jonc'' amazing
Ignorance is Illustrated by his own defence OF his course
In extending Mr. Chase the artist, from the Park, on
the ground that he was a professional the PaTR rnI1
| bcng that professional photographers snail not ply
th<r calling there. The idea however, seems "V ia'
10 have forced itself into his Uranium that tierc Is
difference between professional artists ana pFoe'oa
photographers but IL only fiom published Ie'er
Of Mr. Chasc's that the information was gwen l" inc
publlc that artists will hereafter be allowed to pant
! or sketch in the Park without asking PERMITS from
Jones or anybody else.
| As Illustrating the popular feeling regarding the
| Jones policy the following opinion OF wholly ur
prejudccl resident Of Brooklyn viii be found interest
ing The gentleman ia question intelligent lover
Of ,bc Park said to me: "Much of the finest beauty
Of Prospect Park is being lost by the policy OF clearing
ont the underbrush in the wooded portions. THIS +
simply outrageous. These wildwood taneles have con
sttuted one OF the Parks chief charms TO root thcm
ont and sow grlss-sced will work irrcpaiablc damage
tor ~ this unioue beauty is once lost II probably
never he replaced. Then, too what can be more horr
bc than to stretch barbcd wire fences In order TO keep