The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-11-10
/, REMARKABLE DROUGHT.
WIZ YORK SERIOUSLY THREATENED
NTH A WATER FAMINE
v,.hes or Rainfall Needed 20 Restore
che reserve In the Reservoirs 10 the
Sarn.,-S,ompialnts OF the ERscts OF the
a.. smell from all Over the Country.

~.-n.,-compiaintso OF the ERscts OF the
,,.y smell from all Over the Couutry.
Tho deficiency in the water supply began TO
-. felt in earnest yesterday. In many Dor
800 NJ the city the water did not 20 up above
.,n basement floor. People kept coming to
Commissioner Gilroy and Chief Engineer Bird
vi, A. The Public Works building all day tell
TO- what straits they were in for water When
.ho nav nnueduct was completed many peo-
,,o had tanks and pumps taken out Of their
hnnses. and they now ind themselves in q
ycry bad way. Yet this Is only the beginning
oftho very critical state Of affairs that IL
hound to come about unless downfall Of rain
cnmes to the rescue Of the auueduct.
we've taken the matter into our own
hands" said Chief Engineer Birdsall to q Sun
reporter. and now were only letting the peo-
ns have 100 OOO. 900 gallons day In place Of
Cha 1Csi 600, 600 gallons they have been used
% To-day tho watcr Is only being pumped so
seet high at our high service at Ninety-eighth
.treet. where we usually pump II 90 feet. It
IL impossible by talking to make tho people
diminish the consumption IS much a. It Is
necessary for them to do: SO now We give them
INST 30 much and they've got to get along
w.h it."
At p-esept, according to Mr.. Birdsall. IL IL
only the people In the higher portions OF the
city that havo suffered any Inconvenience.
p,r,plo north Of Fifty-ninth street on the west
side Of Central Park. on Broadway from Fifty
ninth street down. and people In Yorkville
have been tho first to complain.
There arc in all four reservoirs that have
water in them to supply the city with. The
LARGEST OF these is the now reservoir In Central
pnrk and this has in it now about 700 million
gallons. Then there Is the old Central Park
reservoir. which no wcontains about IS million
gallons. the Williamsbridge reservoir with 100
million gallons, and the High Bridge reservoir
with about 10 million gallons. In all there Is
about 900 million gallons now In reserve. and
nearly 100 million gallons are being drawn
\ $ys SfSssssaS rain sIeRs
taen se
year like this before. It doesn't seem possible
that We can 20 without rain much longer: In
1 Sod lso es rs 81
sc sns ss HSs ao'
Of water in part Of the large East Branch
svppy ss al not sdoa
to what We have drawn from the other reser-
voirs."
prised that the people had so dangerously
moderated the danger OF water famine. He
sas @ soa and y
phasiseG Every efort was being made 81 the
$4fEs s RsfR
considerable talk, could not, he said, be stopped
@ S s S q Ss the %asr nsd
II no relief came to the present crisis before
that time he would refuse to renew the con-
Deputy Commissioner Houlihan said:
THE people ought TO be made to understand
sco1omize in the least Il they hear there is
ten days supply q wateF ietS they ahnk thHt
now they have begun to realize the situation
ss sSs sssSsss 9Sa
isS S"sW w ha SSatsS
eaoaail water TO go on with and they have to
zs ts sd dSnf e all III
the Department.. rainfall Of about 1--WE inches
s Ss tine wSeS nc s to be-
pected all of Il sudden.
II the four new reservoirs which are now IN
d years sooner there could be little danger Of
snn a sns
Ions. Part OF 1t has been used this year. and
S. sf s M R Vi ud
D.O0Omillion gallons, the Muscoot River Ressr-
yoir about 1000 million gallons, and the IT.
Wien sess Mhoh Vii
"Ss f will Witt reach over 615 million gallons
exhaust.
This cityis not tho only place to suffer from
sf water In the II q se%
part of the State people are quite as badly on.
From all directions come reports Of incon-
yenience or distress caused by the drying up
DC lillian. Who lives in Piermont N. Y.
snid yesterday that the water famine has be-
IIssdents are compelled to drink cistern water.
There are some half dozen pumps in the place.
long m es I" est 81 pitcher u Water
In Mount Vernon the lack Of water has been
tor some tim II source Of the Greatest anxiety:
been exhausted Of it's supply. ami although q
WW Ir fon.pany has laid pipes to the Bronx
supply II nf no Water
tIey get Il On ti,s rst ioor different nhab-
potcd and nd u stiH to drtnE. Sumber Of tho
men in town 1t is said. refuse to drink tho
W NsG ma fnk" beer as substitute WhiGn Is
ha', the greater part Of the town il complaining
seriously y! its situation. u-.
III Utica. Rome. syracuse, Rochester. Water
% @ nr s ,' T is'; are Is ali ss1efns
ln'nl an insufiicency Of water, and In many
eases drinking the water from tho cisternS
pet1ps from the northern part OF the state
ny that the giving out OF the water ID every
"!!.ra the absorbing topic OF interest,
., an my part OF the county" said man
rom HcrkiTer county yesterday. whom two
turner's meet on the road that's the first thing
.lleT speak about. One says to the other. My
wells given out. and ] don't know what I'm
sSGS 40 TO for sG Mater i this lasts what are
Onnndagn. Oneida, Erie. Chautauqua. Catta:
ipsasus, the interior parts Of Duchess and
iutnam counties. and perhaps many others.
are In nll tho same strails for want of water.
Nor Is New York Stnre by any means alone
inits misfortune. The drought has extended
POTION Of tho country. The Gulf States have
ssiEuereI from great deficiency IN rainfall
n clnce tho beginning OF August. Along, the
mp mp valley and In Tennessee there has been
tt..e or no rain months. and Cleveland. De-
M .i9il. Mi.wankee. Chicago. and many other
SS,.ies 10 tho lake region have all eHperienced
ssiIougnt. IN massachusetts. and. In fnct, all
SSa,ng the Atlantic seaboard up tO Maine people
"are Deeh praying for rnin. .
ottne weather crop bulletin for the month OF
Vctoler, published ut Washington by the De-
pamt11ment OF Agriculture. speaks as follows:
The month Of October Just passed has been
In ns o. the dryrst Of which the Weather Bureau
Sta s record. Over the greater portion Of the
t sbrles located IN the central valleys and