The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-02

try's tallcst structure, tho Washington Monu'
the old Jerome Park race track in It's palmy days
will recall the fact that n double tracked branch
Of the Harlem Railroad usoi to take them under
jerome avenue and into the race course. MIR.
Mcdonald leased this branch and began buying
or leasing a right of way TO. extend 1t toward
edge OF the Sound he bought $50 acres Of
low lands which surround the famous old
Castle Point. where the Screyen mansion stood
Wcstchestcr Creek. in Cnionport. His railroad
will reach to This property, and there ]. ,,G, a sea "a VAL v, I
the material from jerome Park reservoir. and a
salt meadow marsh be turned into a valuable
building e, or T mSnn6n1ftn nrn Pr cdnirS:,s N wi,h ,S Ss
Commissioner Of Street Improvements for the
Twenty.third and Twcnty.fourth wards, and
with the Park Commissioners to fill up and raise
the grades OF parts of Jerome avenue. fremont
avenue. Webster avenue. and the Pelham park
way, and also with the Wolf estate to turn into
solid. high land a large tract of soft marsh which
lies in the hills just to the east OF Bronx Park.
Mr.. Mcdonald took possession of the site for the
reservoir at once, and began work on Aug.
The form of tho new reservoir was almost
fixed by nature, and beyond the obliteration
here and there Of obtrusive knobs OF rock. the
natural contour of the ground has been followed
in the engineers design. The, form is not unlike
end Of this great basin will come the city's two
main arteries. the old and the new Croton
these viii empty into the chambers of a gate.
house, full Of valves. and BIO led from there
far down on each side Of z central diyis,
in the two parts OF the basin. From these out
lets 1t will circle about in q great eddy. gather;
ing air and purifying itself in the sunshine until
ii gets back to another set of openings in tho
gatchousc. where it will enter and be led to a
n tunnel which viii IN pl ,n = EST it b a9MR a., ( shaft h",,om int to tn, the
reservoir, and forces il forward into the veins Of
the city's water system, Another gateway Will
continue from the gatchousc just ms it does at
present over High Bridge into the city below
The great work is in two distinct parts. One
is the building Of the reservoir, the other. the
bringing to 1t Of the aqueducts: As far, as the
appear to be simple, for that already divides tho
site Of the reservoir into two nearly equal parts,
r rronnd in n'0 an enHsS kne fe"eT This s't aqu co Sn.
however, will be torn out and rebuilt.
A mile to the north. near Mosholu avenue in
aqneduets lie side t"tbS by side at about ut the C same
level. From that point the new aqueduct be-
gins to dive into the rock and sinks until i is
100 feet below the surface at jerome Park on
on its way TO hurrow under the, bottom, of
tho Harlem River in the valley below.
to the east of it, n eourscway, OF masonry
reaching to the rock will be built from the gate
house, where the two aqueducts are at q level.
carrying within its upper part. side by side. OK
tensions OF both aqueducts. and bringing them
with a gentle slope down to the gatehoqsc in the
still upon arches OF ston; masonry. founded
upon the rock, the aqucduct will be carried
across the intervening way. 10 Inc SOuln cnn OF
the reservoir, where ii will be ngain connected
with the older work. About 900 feet OF this
work has been completed at the north end Of the
reservoir, and il is one of the most interesting
portions of the work 10 see in progress. Reach
ing to the living rock arc longitudinal arches
of heavy rock masonry. and resting upon these
again arc tho two aqueducts, the old one with
an opening ZIG feet wide and Sl2 feet high, and
the new one with an opening of ILL., by l3lo
feet. The whole structure forms n wall 40 feet
wide at the top and varying in height from 30
to so feet.
\Elo, A. .o,o,.,; ;,,olF t., go;.l,o1 a. ain bo
very much like the one in Central Park, except
that from the. outside its walls will be incon-
spicuous. although in their inner slopes they
will be more than thirty feet deep; there Will be
few places where the tops OF the walls Will show
more than eight or ten feet above the surround
they will not show at all from tho outside. Tho
highest spot is just to the west of tho place
where the aqCcducts arc to enter at the
north end, where Van Cortlandt valley be-
gins. The entire cmbankment around tho
aqueduct is to have a .water-tiSht core
the top of the earth, above the water line
Of the reservoir. and extend from there 10 tho
solid rock beneath. This wall will be 3 feet
thick at the top. To get to the rock at the head
OF Van Cortlandt valley n ditch 90 feet below
the surface had to be dug, and the completed
the bit of finished ENHANCEMENT there. is 90 feet
high and 10 feet thick Mt its bottom. The entire
length OF the outer water line of the now aque-
duct Is II 800 feet, or nearly .ai miles, and the
core wall must be built through this whole
length, except where the rock rises and forms
the embankment.
The laying OF the core wall is the first process
in forming tho c~mbankmcnts. After that is
built comes the forming Of the embankment,
and wherever this is built up the work must be