New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-14
STILL. THE DROUTH LASTS.
rur WATER SUPPLY GROWING LESS.
- o,rr FOR wAsuDAY. HoUsEwIvEs-THE

sacGR
.,Ia.sr Of the Department of Public Works that
h.,-naav q great many houses would probably
su S.;,hont any water whatever is startling
Tho water supply was much decreased
"e. .,,ov and the pressure in the mains was
!es' ..1pced. and from now until all the re-
era' sOnnlv is exhausted it will be reduced every
ser'e ,osS heavy rain should fill the reservoirs.
Gay lon, as there is any water people will face
S,osteninc famine philosophioally," said Mr..
.M Ill hut on Monday there will probably he
hovl when people living in the higher parts OF
., .i,v find themselves without any water Un-
,.,,a,ately W. cannon keep water from running
,"r, hill. and as the pressure will not he In
s....sd on Monday, when great deal OF water
e,, he used for washing, the supply of water on
- will all run to the lower districts when the
-. are turned on in the morning"
", Birdsall could add no word of encourage
=, .o this gloomy outlook; on the contrary,
:. made il still blacker by saying that with the
,.rnning of the Indian summer one could not
.rs.ct rain of any consequence for week or ten
days. -,
A., Aavs?" asked Tribune reporter.
There will be a great scarcity of water, that's
.un said Mr.. Birdsall Continuing. he said that
n. present supply from the Croton River was
.hout lo.OOO,OOO gallons a day, and even this
.omoaratye pittance will grow less as the drouth
continues. The reserve supply Of water in Kirk
Lake lake Mahopac and one other smaller lake
h.s h.en entirely exhausted, and the water in the
,.servoirs at Boyd's Corners and Middle Branch is
.xo.adinOlv low. In the first reservoirs it was
fttv.One feet and three inches below high-water
r.,t ves,erlay, and in the other reservoir it was
ha1n 1,.hx,
.a,t loss Of four feet and one inch in twenty
four houN.
81 am irving to hold all the water can in the
Central Park and Forty-second-st. reservoirs to
;. nyd IN case of fire. said Mr.. Birdssll Yet
with all his economy the water in these reservoirs
was less yesterday than at any time before, the
reports showing that in the new Cel,tral Park
reservoir the depth was 80 feet l2 inches,
lom Of cnehaf inch; the water in IN" old reser-
voir measured only IL feet inches, loss of
8 feet S inches In the Forty ysecond-st. reservoir
there was l2 feet inches Of water, loss of
inches
Mr. Brdsal said that there was without doubt
. great waste of water going on, but there was
no way TO stop it, as private houses were under
The law. exempt from having water meters. He
said that all barrooms which have faucets behind
the bars, have water meters and so do all hotels
tnd factories and as in these places they pay for
all the water they use, it is to their interest not
10 waste any A force of men was
sent out yesterday to turn of the
water from all public and private drinking
fountains and open hydrsnts. The street water
cart sprinklers will be stopped tomorrow, and
this will save about 100000 gallons day. The
reduction of the pressure to-day will also save
over 100000 gallons day. Mr.. Birdsan said
that the only thing which would save the city
from water famine was fall of two inches
Of rain.
Deputy Commissioner Holaban, of the Depart
nent Of Public Works said that there was only
eeven days supply Of water on hand for the
city. and that when this gave out, many factories
would have TO shut down. Among these factories
the first TO close will probably be the breweries,
which close upon 20,000,000 gslolns day.
Mr. Holahan also said that all the hotels, bar
places had water meters
Commissioner Gilroy said yesterday: "The
situation is now exceedingly serious, and l am
anxious TO impress this fact upon the people AS
TO stopping the use of water for manufacturing
purposes that will only be done last resort.
The danger of a water famine has not been
oyerestimated good rain is our only hope OF
relief"
number of plumbers applied in the office of
the Department of Public Works yesterday for
Information as to the supply of water: saving
that they have orders to put in force pumps III
many private houses to carry water above the
first floor
There are a great many gin-mils and other
Places, which ere using water without meters In
Notation Of the law, and the Department OK
fublc Works is continually exercised TO find these
Places out. which is done at the rate OF 1000
year
The Board of Aqueduct Commissioners held
special meeting in the Stewart Building yester
near the mouth of the Crot0n River. Resolu-
1ons were passed requesting the Corporation
counsel TO take the necessary steps to acquire
ier the City, under Chapter No. 400. of the laws
OF 1883, the fee in the lands described in six
property maps submitted by the Commissioner
Of the Department OF Public Works on November
II. upon which TO build high masonry dam near
'he mouth OF the Croton River in the townships
o. Courtlandt and yorktown in Westchester
SHounty. This Gam will be known as the Cornell
IAN, and IL is estimated to cost S4, 900, 0G0.
sa ieca weather forecast official. Mr.. Dunn, care
iuly ra1sac ked every Granny of his sky-parlor
ana sent what in his case is really weather
Te 10 au directions. but he couldn't find the
sAst 7t miserable vestige of cloud. There was
.snt shower and furry OF snow in the lake
"ssoIA but ii didn't amount 10 anything.
-, There Is not said Mr.. Dunn, sadly. looking
s'gOschiuy at the sky, "a sign OF storm or
. /. sooSer anywhere. The only thing I can sec
~ 30. approaching is an increased consumption
VI sOda awater-and"
.hine said he could not understand why the
T1se should be charged 10 dry weather
.r"s -vush Septembcr was a dry month. and the
.spOra'lon Of the brooks feeding the reservoirs
~ seater than usual on account Of the condition
Ga. sne atmosphere the rainfall up 10 that time bad
,s'a ssn Formal. Up 10 May there was an excessive
n
,Jbss Jss was almost two inches At the end Of July
H. was shortage, DIT it amounted tn only
,hneae,.gqaarters Of an inch. and now. after. the
ov.s 'naaiiy dry weather thefe is only little
Teif TTsef five inches short. Of the normal rainfall
B. 's ls not an excessive shortage and not enough
TrApisin the scarcity Of water in the reservoir.
"' weather to-day will be generally fair.