The evening world., 1891-11-17
NOT Rain ENOUGH.
New York's Water Supply Is
Steadily Diminishing.
Twenty-four Hours Loss Of Depth
in the Reservoirs.
Rainmaker Dyrenforth Declines
"The World'so Invitation.

The rainfall OF the past twenty-four hours
In the Croton watershed has done very little
to improve the situation. The condition OF
AFFAIRS is said to be just as alarming as ever,
and the water supply Of the city is slowly
but surely diminishing. Up tos O'Clock this
morning only 26-1OO OF an inch OF rain had
fallen In this city and Its vicinity.
At Albany the rainfall during the same
period was only .04 OF an inch. Striking an
average between the two is fair basis of es-
timating the amount OF rain over the whole Of
the Croton watershed, and 1t Is easy to sec
that the drought-threatened people OF New
York have very slight ground for encourage
ment.
1t is said that last weeks rain barely mois-
tened the parched ground, and that 1t had no
perceptible effect upon the brooks that sup
ply the ponds and little lnkes which form the
feeders for the Croton River and the big stor-
age reservoirs.
Yesterdays drizzle did not help matters in
the slightest, and even the heavy shower
which occurred In this city shortly after mid
night scarcely amounted to anything up In
the country.
The decreased supply OF water which is now
doled out to the city by Commissioner Gilroy
has been followed by much privation, es-
peclally In the uptown districts, where the
on Murray Hill and along the high ground
west Of Central Park, water Will not now In
any OF the houses above the basement. and
all the water that is used In the upper rooms
has 20 be carried up In pals. This has caused
no end OF Inconvenience, not to say actual
suffering In many OF the large apartment
direct has been entirely depended upon.
dwindiins the he" "fol!owins table, % giving the
city reservoirs this morning as compared
with yesterday, Is appended:
Nor. II, Not. 10, sup
New r..ervr in Cent? Park. 81 81 III ~ 50 g ~ piSS
a ;esesoDi ssr.st esn. reservoir SS
From this 1t appears that the first reservoir
has lost two inches, the second one foot three
inches and the last one foot one inch In the
There Is no more water IN the Boyd's Corner
Storage Reservoir than there was yesterday,
and In Middle Branch Reservoir the level Is
six inches lower. Both OF these are practi-
caily empty, and the rising and falling Of the
level at the present time has little signib-
canoe. II only shows that more or less water
| Is running In the streams which supply them.
The reservoirs themselves have practically
been reduced to narrow streams, which now
| along the channel In the centre, leaving great
mud banks exposed on either side. The same
| is true OF CrOton Lake.
The stream In Doyd's Corners reservoir Is
now so feet o inches below the level OF the
dam when the pond Is full. At middle Branch
the water Is 52 feet inches below hlgh-water
mark.
All the streams together which go to make
| up the supply which Is now flowing through
10 900, ,oO6 gallons OF water day, which is
just half OF what the city is now actually
using
900 gallons a day might be drawn from Lake
MahOpac, but this Is impossible, according to
Engineer Birdsall. The storage capacity OF
that lake has already been exhausted, and no
| more water can be taken from It.
More than that, 1t Is hardly as large as
either the Boyd's Corners or Middle Branch
| re e3ervOirs.
| Commissioner Gilroy's instructions to his
water meter inspectors are being vigorously
carried out to-day. Careful watch is being
kept Of the shipping, and the brewing and
manufacturing establishments OF the city
which use large quantities OF water are under
supervision In order that wastefulness may
| be checked.
Many fines have been imposed upon house,
holders who have violated the regulations OF
the department by using hose to clean the
sidewalks and windows.
Among, the large users Of Croton water
suppiy are lie MapHattan % EIevatea ~ Raiiruad
the New York Steam Company and the arti-
fcial icemakers. The Steam Company pays
water taxes amounting to e25,oo0 q year.
the Croton water for supplying boilers IN
their shops and locomotives.
The Turkish and Roman bath people are
water famine. and It would 20 hard with
them II their supply was cut on.
Local Forecaster Dunn still takes hopeful
view Of the situation. Just before noon to-
" We have had nearly quarter OF an inch
Of rain since o'clock THIS morning, which
makes In all more than half an inch for the
| past tWenty.fOur hours.
II the rainfall was the same In all the
Croton watershed 1t would put billion gal.
Ions OF water into the reservoirs. Nearly all
the storage reservoirs, for the ground is well
soaked.
~ think we shall have some more heavy
rains during the day, and especially In the
ing from the West strikes this part OF the
country. The rain will not last long, but II
will be heavy while u continues.
| "rhis has been the case all through the
Mississippi Valley and in the lake region,
where from one to one and Il half inches OF
rain have fallen. Two Inches OF rain here
would NIL all the reservoirs TO overflowing."
Gen. II. q. Dyrenlorth, the "rainmaEer,"
has taken second thought, and has wired
from Washington declinatiDn OF TnE
WORLDS proposal TO pay the expenses OF ex-
duce rain, In the nope OF thereby replenishing
the nearly empty storage reservoirs of the
cltys water supply system.
The proposal had been previously accepted
by the General. and he had gone so lar as to
forward estimates OF the cost, which he
figured at $4,000.
The only reason stated by Gen. Dyren:orth
In his latest telegram was that an editorial In
! THE WORLD spoke OF his theories" whereas
he declares that he has no theories.
| Returns received rom the CrotOn water
shed ut noon to-day show that "a OF an inch
OF rain had fallen at Croton Dam up TO &
O'Clock A. N. Measurements at Boyd's
Corners reservoir at p. M. yesterday showed
! q rainfall of .0S Of an inch, ana at the Middle
Branch or .l2 OF an inch.
FARMER Dunn reports that up TO $40
O'Clock this afternoon the total rainfall III
this city since yesterday was 42-l00 OF an
inch.