New-York tribune., 1896-02-05
THE SCHEME A BIG ONE.
T NJ DE vARONA DISCUSSES THE foHi
JERvIs WATER SUPPLY PLAN.
An IMMENSE AMOUNT OF MONEY WOULD BE HH-
QUIRED. AND THE ENG1NEERiN"
ARE pIFrICuLT-LOTs OF WATER

or1REp AND TIE ENGINEERING PROBLEMS
ARE prFrIcuLT-LoTs OF WATER
pr,r TROUBLE IN GETTING IT.
T NJ De Varona engineer of water supply
of tbe Department Of City Works, VINO rece"''
investigated the possibilities OF water supp.
from the Long Island watershed, was asAeu
Yesterday to say something about tle e"s ~.
ing problems involved in supplying jersey N''''
NewYork City and Brooklyn from the Delaware
River at Port Jervis. This source or surface
sunnIv ex-Commissioner Alfred T. White sug-
eestod in The Tribune yesterday, he would pre-
FER 70 other sources in case deep wells should
not promise Brooklyn supply for many years
beyond those now provided for" Mr. Whlte
added that this source of supply could not oe
reached by Brooklyn unaided
Mr. De Varona said yesterday that the Deia-
ware River source Of supply had been consio-
cred by Mr. White in only a general way; that
the problem Is exceedingly large one anu
that the preparation Of plans and estimates
would alone cost considerable money. He SAID
that the question was, however, of great interest
to people In Jersey City, New-YoIk City and
Brooklyn and especially the people of the first
named city where the water is abominable
The source Of supply at Port Jervis Is about
four hundred feet above tide level, whence the
water would have to be taken to jersey City and
thence TO New-York City and Brooklyn. There
are mountains on the course. across or through
which the water would have to be carried, and
this would make much tunnenS necessary.
Some OF these mountains rise 500 feet more
above the Port Jervis level. An aqucduct or
tunnel rather than pipes. would be the most
expedient means of carrying the water to the
points OF distribution. because several lines OF
large-szed pipe would be necessary to carry the
water. that otherwise could be carried through
an aqueduct. The supplying Of Brooklyn from
the Port Jervis source would be more difficult
than supplying the other cities, because the
water would have to be carried under the in
tervoning rivers, aai the Hudson would stand
between Jersey city and New-York.
MIR. White suggerted that 1.009. 000, 900 gallons
daily could be furnished from the Port Jervis
source OF supply. Last year Brooklyn had
minimum daily supply Of SO coo gallons day
and works nearly completed viii Increase the
supply to over a hundred millions. NewYork
CITY used about twice that amount Jersey
city and Newark might be supplied also one
thousand million gallaQs Gay would, Of
course. now oversrpplg Nhesc cities, but the
demand would continue 10 grow. Besides the
scheme Is one that is more Of a theory than
anything else. just now. It is OF special i'm
portance because it interests the people OF the
three cities. and would "prOVile for pOSterty."
An adequate supply from the Hudson does not
present facilities 50 favorable as those bound
up in the Port Jeryis scheme. supply uncon-
below Glens Falls. and the watershed Of the
Hudson at Glcns Falls is not 50 large as that Of
the Delaware above Port Jervis. and IS not 50
high above the sea level Thus the fall or
height which could be utilized on the route
from Port Jervis would not be brought into
pay In the same way from the Glens Falls
district.
This entire problem. which has been brought
into notice by ex-ComWssioncr White Is so
large that 1t would probably have To be investi-
gated in detail by a commission Of expert en-
gineers from the two or three. or even four
cities which might be interested. The cost Of
putting tn" plan INFO operation would be 50
large that the mos; thorough investigation Of
the subject In all It's aspects would OF itself
talla cnnsdnrahle time and mOnev.