New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-06-15

cry famine" which. / was informed was
attributed by TO that new Commissioner nv
real cause then deficiency Of conduit capa''S
(the old CrotOn Aqueduct. but lack oil water III "o
Croon River and the only storage reservoir then exist
ing Boyds Corners to I'LL the Aqueduc to It's u'l bearing
capacity. which considerably less then IMAM nov" oy
impaired and unstong hened CONDITION large
storage RESERVOIR had recently been begun OH
the middle branch the Groom could not be completed
for There thercfoD no help but 10 pray
for rain and available lake IN putnam anu
Westchescr Counties under contribution. This was done
by purchasing wacr-rights at those lakes, ana was '"'
Of almost Unprecedented drouu
unti the completion Of the Brewster rserVoir "hich
afforded great relief In OF these dry summers t're
rainfall OF any appreciate amount for several
continuous weeks and the Croton River had awhuru 70
thread course all this would have been aNolueu
had been begun in time during TINS
drouth elevated portions of the CITY "e'e
| left with very mesgre supply. to remedy which the
high service works Nincty-eishthst were creced'
which will continue TO be a useful part Of the water sys
| ten.
The present Croton Aqucduct intended, when
built t. carry water than two'thrd' Tvs
depth or about 100000 600 gallons per day, ana IL
had become diapdacd and caky. Measures were taken
IN 1877 to put it in repair and so to strengthen JUS '
and arch that IL now conveys @OooooW R"'ons
daily. Another measure introduced and stu carried
on for ,he suppression Of waste Of water was thc
meter system. when 1 entered the Department ther'
only 400 meters in the ctv-thcre arc no" over
20 ooo The great II meters shown at once
large hotels, which found TO be using ii'ooV
and 81 900 gallons respectively, daily. stopped their vast"
the appliance Of meters and fell to 80 600 ana SVoOo
gallons per dav and similar results were obtained 81
every large establishment.
The Bronx water system begun in 1850 ana COM
pleed in three years supply and the saving
OF by together equal an additional supply oil
| $4,000 600 gallons per day. and these measures
with increased capacity OF tn" od Aqne'ucV "iVc'
strcngt hening II. have insured certain though now
limited supply water until the new Aqueduct
is brought into use Untn then We must not waste water
WHAT TAMMANY Is STRIVING FOR.
Never in twenty years has there been such
universal complaint Of the scarcity of water as is
! coming from all parts of this missovcrned clty.
! The downtown portions suffer the most. bnt IT
may we'll he said the cutlery is general FROM
! hotels. from factories. from the aparmen'-hons
Of the rich and the tenement-houses Of the poor,
I from Office buildings and stables and from the
homes of all sorts of people, comes the same de
pressing story of watcr-iamne have known
nothing like 1t in nearly a quarter OF a century.
This was the emphatic declaration yesterday
| Of one of the solid men of Newly ork, than whom
none is better informed in city AFFAIRS, ana VINO
! keeps himself well posted in the devious ways Of
| the politicians who control the city admlnIstra-
| ton. Ii required no long or intricate examination
| to show that this well-to-do citizen spoke only
a part OF the truth. In some parts OF the city
/ there is scarcely a building where water can pc
! had on the second floor during daylight. IN
others the water is absent from the entire hulIi-
ing through the most important hours of the day.
The consequence is that the people who are sufer-
ing have naturally begun 10 chmor Tor thls most
essential element which has been denied TIC II.
There is an underlying purpose IN this SAID
/ the citizen with long memory There Is me
/ 1ammany job under II all History is constantly
repeating itself and this is case in which the
repetition is exactly in the same groove ana ior
! the same purpose. II is the robbery Of the city
| treasury under the guise of preventing wa'cF-
famine. Nearly decade ago Hubert O. Ihonp,,
! son. then Commissioner Of Public Works, raised
| the same dread Of a scarcity OF water that me
/ present Commissioner Of Public Works hogan dur
| ing the last fortnight. lie sent ont the same
| kind Of general alarm and cautioned The
| people 10 greater economy in the use OF the
| CrotOn, as Mr. Gilroy hos Just been doing. lhomp.
sons object was 10 push through and gam control
! of the gigantic job Of building the Aqneducf-a
| $50 0oo. 900 iob-which, in spite OF the lavish eN
penditurcs which il caused. has not Vet brought
one additional drop Of water TO the famshing sui-
fering people Of New-York. But il opened mp an
| era Of rascality swindling and defective work
without parallel in the history of jobbery in this
country. go,
Now, what is the Jammnny job which Mr. CAL
rows forehoding circuIay sresa ges? The Aqueduct.
II IL asserted is completed, all except tie putting
| on Of a few finishing touches. Under the spur Of
| the demand for an immediate additional supply
| Of water. the talk about defective work and rot
ten construction with which the ears Of the pubic
| have been filed is suddenly huShcd. the biggest
| sectons Of the new Aqucduct are hurTcdlY ac-
| copied and upward Of 81 .oO0. 600 which had been
withheld for bad work lshown by competent en-
I
and paid over 20 the contractors and preparations
are made for accepting with the same indecent
! haste the remainder Of the botchcd and raScalIy
| construction As fast the Commits SiOncrS ac-
cept the sections the contractors demand an add
tiona sum AS great aS that for which they orlei-
! nay contracted 70 do the work O1}ricn & Clark
/ have fled claim for building Sections : and
for $500, 600 in addition 10 tho So 500. 900 al
ready paid them by the city. Brown, Howard 4,
Co. have already made similar excessive demands,
and the smaller contractors are getting ready 10
| do likewise The lawyer selected 10 secure for
these grabbers the enormous sums they expect 70
! take from the city treasury is W BourSc Cochran.
the great 'Bnzfuz' of Tnulmanv Hall II he sue
ceeds according TO his expectations the new Aquc
duct will cost the people Of New-York not less
Is not this a stake worth playing for? And
II water scare in the summer Of 90 will assist
IN securing IT, is i strange that it is being care
THE AVERAGE SUPPLY.
Many people believe that the supply from the
reservoirs is being manipulated 10 aid in the
creation Of apprehension that there will he
serious failure Of the water if the new conduit is
not speedily put into condition for use. In proof
of this they assert that there is often in TIE
brief period of week great difference in the
quantity allowed IN given place. The daily
supply as certified at the Department OF Public
NorKs B exactly what II has been for the last
three or four years, that Is about IL 900, 900
gallons this amount were allowed 10 flow
constantly each day 70 the city there could be no
reason tor the remarkable variance noted, which
leads TO the conclusion that the supply is being
/ tempered with by the willing servants Of the
clique' which has started out 10 operate upon the
tears OF the public for It's own benefit.
ihcre Is one phase Of the question. said an
other man, which ought not to escape notice.
ana that Is the large quantities Of water allowed
to, and wasted ill., the barooms and liquor
| shops. According u the annual report OF the
commissioner Of Public Works the total number
! OF gallons used through meters last year was
2'4s2,30O per day This included the quantity
consumed IN metered hotels, breweries, bot
/ tiers charitable institutions, Offices, manu-
featuring establishments, gas works, railroads,
stables, apartment houses, docks and for mis-
| cellaneous uses. The present quantity used
through meters is estimated at 30,000,000 gal
Ions daily. or less than fourth the amount of
the daily wafer supply OF the remaining
100000 gallons Of which no account is taken