New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-05-15
JEROME PARK TRANSFORMER
WORK THAT IS MAKING A RESERVOIR
OF THE OLD RACECOURSE.
A sroRAGE BASIN TO CONTAIN TWO BuL10
GALLONS OF WATER-NATuRE OF THE
OPERATIONS UNDER WAY.

OPERATIONS UNDER WAY.
The people who knew Jerome Park when
was the meeting place Of famous horses and d
men Interested in racing would not recognize
the place In It's present condition. The tract
OF ground. together with plot nearly twice
as large as the park property. Is being con-
verted into a great reservoir which, when CON-
pleted, will hold two billion gallons Of water
The buildings which still occupy the grounds
where the races once took place are occupied
az toohouses and workshops. and four OF TIE
old stables are now used as boarding houses sx
the accommodation OF laborers who are en-
ployed on the works. These houses are white
washed and the crude signs and the dress q
the women who may be seen there show that
the inhabitants are not Americans.
Huge steam shoves. drills dredges and %
kinds OF monster machinery may be seen %
the grounds, and over the parts where ono
fleet horses raced for glory and for gold working
engines carry loads Of stone and earth on crude
and temporary railroad tracks. The south end
OF the ground is already inclosed by q stone
, wall. which rises thirty feet above the ground
and which. when complete. will encircle ths
ham shaped basin. which will be about q mile
A. Fteley. the chief engineer OF the work. b
speaking Of the reservoir. said:
las the consumption OF water increases
New York-it being now about two hundred and
thirty million gallons a day--it becomes abse
lutely necessary TO increase the storage OF watr
in the Immediate vicinity OF New-York City
The present storage reservoirs are now in Cen
trail Park. and contain one billion gallons
1 Aouv NJ
| the aQueduct were interrupted for examination
| or repairs or for some other cause. From me
| inception OF the plan OF the new aqueduct
| was consequently decided to build large a.
| ditional reservoir at such a place. near tne
heart Of the city, which would be found the
| most convenient The fiat piece OF land con-
tanning the old Jerome Park property and sur
rounding grounds was found to be the mo-"
suitable although large amounts Of earth snd
rock Ito the extent OF seven million YARDS Wiz
have to be removed in order to store the two
| billion gallons OF water which it is expected
contain.
Among the other pieces OF property wnle'
had to be taken besides the Jerome fai'
| grounds may be mentioned about forty aero
| from John Dickinson. - acres from Horace
| Clanin. eighteen acres from Hugh ~ camp
| fifteen acres from Samuel w. Fairchlld sDs
| about one hundred and forty other lots OF -
| sizes In all about three hundred acres. OF ~n''D
| nine acres already belonged to the city TOT ]'
| use OF the old Croton AQueduct.
| 1.-The land is now i'm the hands or the CIV
| and the contract was let In 1898 for the wv
| struction OF the reservoir which, accord"h
the stipulations contained therein, shou'
| cornplct cd I'm the fall OF 1901.
| 1.-The work to be done consists NANNY i,
| the excavation OF n large amount or ma'e''
| which Is composed half of rock and ha''
| earth. 1t also involves the construction "
| continuous embankment all around the w.
| voir, and Of a masonry wall In the ce"".
this embankment The bottom and the ~
| of the embankment on the water side a'e
| to be protected by various kinds OF nlaso".
"Inasmuch as the old Boston Road ps' ,M
gedgwick- ave and Jerome ave-. Is destros
the construction Of the reservoir two new -.
pues. one on the north side and one