New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-19
MORE WATER WANTED.
A PETITION FOR A BETTER SUPPLY BE-
ING CIRCULATED.

SOME OF THE LEADING MERCHANTS HAVE
SIGNED IT. AND IT Is EXPECTED THAT
II WILL SOON HAVE TIE SIGMA
TuREs OF MOST OF BROOK
LYNs BUSINESS MEN
A petltion Is being circulated among Brooklyn >
leading merchants and prop, rtyowners. asking the
uayor and the Board OF Aldermen to give I'M
mediate attention TO the need Of greater water
supply Stephen G. Parton. Il prominent insurance
ag,,t has bee, oircuiatin" Il pei ion. ana he ~
already secured o.. signatures ID. moer o. III
H.,iti4l c.t.zens ~. paper gives in concise FORM
n. present state OF affairs. and shows that an m
creased water supply will soon be a necessity. 1t
reads as follows:
The undersigned manufacturers. merchants and
owners OF property in this city aggregatlns many
millions Of dollars In value peg 10 can S1", ~,
ton to the natter of the water Supply ana me ln
Ing pressure from the water pipes ana l" ul6 &C.
upon you the great necessity LOT son,e tnter
action which shall place the VAST property n ,Si
ests the comfort the safety and the healtn OF t's
almost annually threatened community Ho'" d
It has been stated that hardly at any time within
the rast thirty years or more mas inc supply 81. VI
water been than 10 per cent IN EXCESS oi INC
demand while competent hydraulic etalheers EST
mate that not less than IS per cent margin consu-
You viii recall that in 1884, the city was for
months in extreme peril, and that the sum OF 49,,
was appropriated by your predecessors TO ehaDis
the civ works department to look for other and
larger sources of water supply which should carry
the city beyond the annually recurring water scare
for many years. on the first day OF February iast
the retiring City Works Commissioner made public
the results of his surveys OF several possiplee
sources but ne failed TO recommend any one OF
them. thus leaving the future In the same uncer-
talnty. -. ,. a. -
II is matter Of public knowledge that during the
dry just past the margin OF water sdppr
had 10 be exercised by the Water Department IN the
matter OF water distribution ., .....,, from,
We are informed that the minimum supp.y i IRON
the present sources Is only s5UDo.WW gailohs uaiy
while the average consumption In lso3 reached snat
figure IL will be conceded that the minimum sup
ply is the only safe one 10 be depended on ,.-
The new forty -eight-inch Waterman now Deng
laid from Ridgewood reservoir 10 SCUM
Of 600 900 gallons and We are not INFORMED
where that increase is TO come from ,o..s ., tho
The falling pressure OF water In many parts OF tie
city Is matter OF notoriety IL can be Que only 10
Of the * 900 900 gallons additional daily supply
sought by the city In 1s94-D5 we are Informed that
only from 5000 900 to 100000 gallons mas been Sc
cured and that large portion OF that Is not sui
able by Itself for domestic use .
There seems to be no possible doubt that the mar
gin of supply is small that further delay IN pro-
viding additional sources is too serious matter 70
be permitted. -
We realize that from some source an ample sup
ply of pure quality Of water should be secured with
in the shortest possible time that our comfort our
fire insurance and the valuation OF our properly are
all now seriously affected by these questions OF
scant water supply and low pressure. We there,
fore earnestly ask and urge that this matter shail
receive immediate attention at your nands.
Among the signatures already received are those
of Journey & Burnham Ovington Brothers, Will
lam Wise g. Sons Wechsler & Brothers. Frederick
Ioeser e. CO.. the Brooklyn Furniture Company.
Henry Offerman the Lehman Company. Abraham
& Straus' A. D. Matthews & Sons NJ. 4 II. Mum
ford James ". Balch and r. X. Horton Co.
Before the petition is given to the Mayor ana tne
most Of the leading business men. manufacturers
and property owners in the city.