New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-09-16

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feet Of the pumping in lowering the water
OTHER TESTS THAT WERE MADE.
A second test was made at Jameco in De-
cember Of last year The S-inch wells. NOS
/. 3 4. and the 1O-inch well. No. D. were
operated upon sngly and in groups Of from two
to five, and also at No 4, Spring Creek Sta
ton No. g. at the bottom Of the Rdgewood
Reservoir hill; No 1. adjoining the main conduit,
near Baisleys stream; No. .. adjoining the main
conduit fifteen feet east Of test well No. and ad-
Joining the old conduit; No. IL, adjoining Beaver
Brook. and a little below Lincoln-ave.. and the
test we'll driven at Baisley Station Observations
were also taken TO determine the tide elevation
at Baisley's stream, where 1t flows under the
conduit The average yield shown was approx
mately 1.OO0.000 gallons for single well, with
a propOrtiOnate pro rata increase FOR each wen
connected. tie yield for five wells being approx
mately 100000 United States gallons. The
lowering OF thu water in this test amounted 10
slightly over fourteen feet at JGmeco, and this
while pumping 100000 gallons with the five
wells in use. The lowering Of the water in the
wells in these tests remarkable. The
fuctuation in wells Nos. and > was exceed
ingly small and may have been due entirely to
the tide, and 1t is possible that the deep strata
in which they may be entirely dis
tinct from that of JamecO At test well No .
at Springfield. the strata under the clay con-
sisted mostly of fine sand, but slightly water
bearing and test wells sunk between this point
and test we'll No. 3 failed entirely - find
water bearing stratum. The probabilities are
strong that the variation at this point is due
TO other causes than the pumping at Jameco
Following this reasoning it may be deduced
that the underground stream which has been
found at Jameco does not extend as far east
as Springfield and possibly not as far west as
Jameco was at its lowest level the fall be-
tween test we'll No. and test well No. ii was
90 feet. The normal water level at Jameco
Baisey's and test well No. II was not restored
until twelve days after the pumps had been
stopped
THE RESULTS DISAPPOINTING.
Engineer De Varonas report hardly leaves
room to hope for large supply from driven
wells or such a supply would meet the ever
increasing needs of the growing city. Nor is 1t at
all certain that the water, IL obtainable would
be OF a quality suitable for domestic use. Some
years ago the India Wharf Brewing Company
drove a well in South Brooklyn about l,2OO feet
without securing chemically pure water 1t was
found in every to be impregrated with
minerals. In the case Of the Fenhurst wells.
already referred to. the water is impregnated
with iron and requires a process Of filtration to
make it fit for domestic purposes.
EX-CONnIISSlONER WHITES ADDRESS.
City Works. delivered an address the ques-
ton Of the water supply and the means for It's
Increase on March ~ last. 1t made at the
meeting of the Manufacturers Association Of
Kings and Queens counties at the Pouch gallery
in ClintOn-ave.
Mr. White said there three elements to
BE- consdered-quality. quantity and pressure.
on the quality Of the water depended the health
OF the community. In judging the wholesome
ness of water in the different cities, the best test
is found in the statistics Of typhoid fever Sta
tistics We're collected from the Health depart
ments Of sixteen Of the largest cities in the
[ Mon. Brooklyn showed the smallest percentage
of mortality from typhoid, New-York coming
next followed by Milwaukee and Boston. In
Pittsburg and Chicago the death rate from
typhoid five times that of Brooklyn, and in
most Of the other cities the death rate was three
fold that Of Brooklyn.
At the inception or the water works system IL
was proposed to secure nearly 2OOOOO0O gallons
daily from the streams between Jamaica and
Hampstead. both included. Two pumping sta
tions established in 1872 and the work Of
building the storage reservoir was begun. The
supply then reached nearly 3OOOOOOO gallons
daily. which sufficed until 1850. Between the
latter year and 1890 additional stations connected
with driven wells added bringing the daily
supply up TO JOOOOO0O gallons. The Massa-
pequa extension begun in 1889 and completed
in 1892. which brought the daily supply up to
16.0OO,OOO gallons. This barely met the demands
OF the city in 1894 The city burdened with
debt and its doubled at the same time.
and then a dry season complicated the troubles
OF the administration. There were only two
inches Of rainfall in the three summer months.
the smallest recorded in ten years. Temporary
pumps We're added. the supply system was
cleaned up. wells and pumping stations were put
In order and various minor additions were Sc
cured. 4 contract made for further sup
ply OF 2J.OOO,OOO gallons daily from driven we'll
stations between Massapequa and Rockville
Centre. OF five stations 10 be erected one came
into use in 1879, one in January, ls9O These ,.
would raise the minimum supply TO lVoVooooO
gallons daily. The years 1894 and 1s!lJ were I'M
usually dry. The average rainfall in seventy years
was 43 IL inches: in 1924 the total was Boss
inches and in 1890 1864 inches. showing a loss
in these two years Of over fourteen inches
These years. it may be presumed. show the
minimum Of rainfall, as two such dry years
coming together occurred only once IN thirty
years There was no restriction on the use OF
water in 1894 and the quantity used per capita
Of the population using RidgewOod water was
seventy gallons The pump displacement
measurement showed a total daily consumption
OF 50. 124 4.!2 gallons throughout the year.
HOW LONG THE PRESENT SUPPLY WILL
SUFFICE
After dealing with the questions Of pressure
and elevation. Mr.. White said:
The question which interests us all is How
long will the supply from the present watershed
suffice for the needs Of Brooklyn" l believe
that with good management it should suffice
for six and probably for eight years to come,
assuming that the ratio OF the increase Of pOpu
laton is the in the future as In the past. and
that the consumption Of water per capita is the
same The amount Of water taken from any
watershed is based upon its area and the
amount OF rainfall On this basis our watershed
should yield III 900 600 gallons daily. The engi-
neer in making this estimate calculates on TAX
ing n smaller quantity TO the square mile than
either New York Boston figures upon. OF this
amount 100000 gallons are To be developed
after the present works are finished. THESE hs-
ures are exclusive of any sources outside our
watershed from which we have evidence that
100000 gallons more may be had daily. This
would bring the available minimum up 10 H.
100000 gallons daily.
The annual ratio Of increaseof population for
n number Of years has been 800 per cent AS
suming this figure to continue and compromising
il annually and assuming the consumption per
canita 10 remain unchanged. BROOKLYN. which