Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-11
NEW YORK's AQUARIUM.
Tanks Provided for Several Hundred
Varieties of Fish.

Tanks Provided for Several Hundred
Varieties of Fish.
From the New York Evening Post.
Although work is steadily progressing In
converting Castle Garden into An aquarium.
several months more will be needed to COM
plete Ii. However, all the exterior altera-
tions have been made. and the ground i'm
mediately surroun1.lg the structure ar
ranged in a pleasing fashion. wide.
smooth walk Of concrete leads up to the
main entrance. diverging so as to form a
pavement entirely around the building.
Against the walls Is a narrow parterre, and
on the outer edges of the walk the ground
has been prepared for blue grass. A new
surface has been put upon the walls, and
the roof has been repaired. Altogether the
old place is so changed that many sight
seers are daily attracted thither.
There are lbs tanks. which can be sup
piled with salt or fresh water, and particu-
lar attention has been paid to the arrange
ments for lighting. heating and ventilating.
Near the center of the building is an im-
mense tank 10 feet in diameter and feet
deep. The bottom is below the floor level,
so that one may easily see into it by lean
ing on a bluestone coping about l-2 feet
above the floor. The outside of this cir
cular tank is Of dark red tiles, and the in
side is lined with white tiles. 1t is intended
for large fish, and is itself striking ex-
ample of the art of the mason. Around it
in half circle are similarly constructed
tanks, with ample spaces between them.
These, however, are oblong with rounded
corners. and slightly smaller, being 80 feet
long by is wide. They will contain sea
lions. seals, sharks, turtles. surgeons, etc.
The ma terial for the floor has not been de-
cided upon, though several designs have
been made. 1t will. doubtless, be mosaic
pattern in tiles. The heating arrangements
are unique, there being radiators on the
floor and near the ceiling, SO that cold air
will not descend upon the water and chill
it.
Around the sides Of the walls upright
tanks have been built Of bricks. The con-
tract for lining them with white tiles will
be let next week. Large plates of glass an
inch thick were made in England during
the summer, and are to be put In iron
frames in front of the tanks within a few
days. These plates are very clear, the
specifications requiring the possibility of
reading print through thickness of twenty
plates. The skylights above will enable the
spectator - see into every corner of the
tanks. At the side of each tank on the
glass of the various species Ii contains,
with the common and scientific names.
Should specimen die or have to be changed
to another tank. 1T will be necessary only
to substitute another illustration. The
north side of the building will be devoted
to fresh water fish, and the south to salt
water species. But the water pipes are so
contrived that this plan need not always
be adhered to. The sea water will be drawn
from the bay, and the fresh water from the
city mains. passed through filters under
pressure. and delivered into reservoirs which
are built high enough to enable the water
to have a moderate fall, This will afford
a continuous supply to the tanks contain
ing such fish as trout. Two Of the filters
are Of bronze and two of steel, the former
/ for salt. the latter for fresh water. They
are already in place, as is also the en-.
/ CINE. 4 test has proven them to be salts
/ factory in every respect. Fine white sand
will be used in the filters. which have a
/ daily capacity of about 10000 gallons.
The construction of small tanks in the
gallery which has been built around the
| walls remains to be done. Contracts for
| them will soon be let, but the work on
/ them will be small compared with that al
ready done. They will be used for keeping
] crustaCea, molIusks. starfish and the like
In speaking today of the fish that will be
/ shown in the aquarium Prof. Woodman
/ said that about sixty hardy varieties could
I be obtained In the waters between here and
/ the Highlands. In addition. there are about
| forty semi-hardy varieties embracing the
/ shell fish Five or SIX varieties would be
/ sent here from of the shore of China and
| perhaps dozen from tropical waters. The
\ rest OF the $50 different kinds with which
| II is hoped TO open the aquarium would come
| from various parts of the world. The tanks
! could accommodate 200 or 300 varieties easily
but Mr.. WoOdman said the work of stock
: ing them would have to be done slowly.