New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-24
WATER FAMINE AvERTED.
BRooKLYNs CONDUIT RUNS AGAIN,
..r s,sp DUG OUT OF THE BIG cAvE-lN-GREAT
NooSvESIENoE CAUSED By THE
rENpORARY sToPPAGE.


TEMPORARY sTorPAGE
xlirht experience with water famine In
p..oklvn was happily ended last evsaing by
's.oration Of the usual supply, which was cut on
-. more than two days by a break in the conduit
~. .,sctinc the Hampstead storage reservoir with
~. Ridgewood distributing reservoir. When the
srsak occurred there was only thirysiX hours
sss,v of water on hand, and this twas wholly ex-
listed yesterday, and the city depended on the
S.,Je which could he secured from driven wells
Nd the Long Island Water Supply Company's,
Inns making perhaps 100000 gallons a day,
hon $4,000, 900 are needed to supply the fall
s.napd The result of hard work Az day ye<ter
a. in addition 10 what had been done before, was
.hs clearing away of the great bank of earth over
.ls broken conduit, and the discovery that the
..ssd TOD had been crushed in, and the flow of
water damned
When the dam o. earth removed the water
sowra again. and a renewed supply was furnished
"a the exhausted reservoir. The pumping was re-
suoed at . o'clock last night, and full supply TO
al parts OF the city in place of the short COM
mons yesterday will be assured to-day. There
Vas only little of the suffering and inconvenience
.yoerienced from the lack of water yesterday that
rouId ensue if it had lasted longer, but it was
sufficient to make all the residents of the city
realize how much depended upon an abundant sup
ply Of water 10 make life worth living and TO
.osecute the pursuits of daily existence with any
comfort or convenience. Every one Of the nearly
100000 persons in the city rejoiced when water
was again assured in abundant supply
With rain falling heavily but water famine
threatened, the people of Brooklyn felt yester-
day ike repeating the lines from The Ancient
Mariner,
~Water. water everywhere;
But not drop TO drink"
The result Of the cutting of of the greater
part Of the ctys supply was general paralysis
Of business in the manufacturing portions of the
city, the stoppagc OF the trains on some of the
elevated roads, the closing of some of the public
schools the cessation OF the operation of the eeva-
tors In many of the public buildings, and general
lack OF water for private use. In the majority
Of Brooklyn households the weekly washing was
deferred, and the actual use Of water was cut
down 70 the lowest possible limits.
THE WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM
The distributing reservoirs of Brooklyn are on
the high ground in Ridgewood. Queens County,
and the water is pumped into them from the
conduit OF aqueduct which brings the water to
TIC pumping station on the level Lard, several
hundreds of feet below the reservoirs. The break
in the conduit cutting of nhe supply, occurred
about 1000 yards from the pumping station.
When the waterworks system was constructed in
1857 two great distributing reservoirs were built,
each with capacity of 60, zoe, 900 gallons, so
that when both were full there was supply of
lG7, 900 900 gallons on hand. The present con-
sumption is $4,000 900 gallons day. SO that a
three days supply was assured. Recently work
was completed upon new reservoir 10 hold
100 600, 900 gallons additional, but it has never
been used And instead Of waiting until 1t was
ready for use and filing il before cean-
ing one Of the old reservoirs the Depart
ment Of City Works set ut work
short time ago to clean out Of the old reser-
voirs. This left the city dependent upon single
reservoir for its daily supply and when the acci-
dent TO the conduit occurred there was water for
only thirty-six hours on hand. On Sundays the
usual consumption does not exceed 4O,OOOOOO
gallons. but when notice was given on Sunday
night that there was danger of lack OF water
yesterday many householders fastened TO draw
as much as possible 20 have in reserve for future
use. and This rapidly lowered the amount on hand.
The pressure was so much reduced yesterday morn
ing that water could be secured only in the base
ments of many houses, and in the higher parts Of
the city there was none at ALL save where the
pressure came from the high service reservoir on
Mount Prospect. This holds 100000 gallons
and the water is pumped into ii from Ridgewood.
The quantity in it was reduced 10 600 gal
Ions Yesterday, and no more could he supplied
Notice was given yesterday morning TO LOG
factories using water from the city TO stop taking
it, and the most of them had TO close their doors.
throwing thousands of men out of employment.
Others had artesian wells to draw from and were
able to continue business. Nest of the big brew
cries had water enough from their own wells to
carry on business as usual. The elevated rail-
roads. electric light companies and the Bridge
power station. drawing water from the eity's
mains had 10 cease doing So This seriously inter
fered with business but did not stop it altogether.
for there were other sources of water supply 10 he
drawn UPON The Brooklyn Elevated Company
stopped its Rdgewood line in Myrtle-ave. early In
tie day as no water could be secured at the erml-
nal stations but connection made with an ar
tesian well in big brewery and supply was
secured For time the engines on the Fifth-ave.
line were supplied with water from huge tank
at the Greenwood terminus but when II was eX-
hausted the operation Of the branch ceased. The
two lines running from the Bridge and from the
foot of Broadway to East New-York were kept
in operation as water could be obtained at the
latter point from the Long Island Water Supply
Company. The Kings County Company ran trains
as usual, getting full supply of water from its
wells In East New-York and from the Long Island
Water Supply Company which has its own wells
and mains for the Twenty sixth Ward.
STOPPING THE BaDGE CABLE.
Tee lack of water early in the day compelled
he stopping Of the great engine supplying power
Tor the cable-driving machinery of the Bridge. and
BY the middle of the forenoon the cable was
stopped and the Bridge were run FOR the
latter part of the day by the locomotives This
did well in the way of supplying the demands Of
traffic on the Bridge save in the rush hours. when
the number Of trains wholly Inadequate.
MANY people walked and others turned away from
the Bridge and crossed 10 Brooklyn by ferry. The
CITIZENS Electric Light Company didn't get enough
water from its we'll to keep all it's plant in opera
uon. and The streets in a large part Of the city