Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-09-01
RAMsPO SCHEME KILLED.
Plan Torn Into shreds Before t"e
board of Public improvements.
Nov York Herald--August 3lst.l


CNew York Heraid--August 3lst)
! There Is wailIng In the homes OF the
| most audacious set OF iobbers public senti-
ment in New York ever strangled. The
! Ramapo water steal is dead. This Is final
and official. II it possessed as many lives
/ as a cat when II started on its SHADY
/ career. IL would nevertheless. be dead.
It's death occurred AT 6 o'clock last eve
| ming. just before the close Of the session
| of the Board Of Public improvements.
The board had met for the purpose OF
giving a hearing to Controller Coier ana
other persons who desired to protest
against the 500 90 job. which Richard
! Croker has not denounced and against
which Tamuanv Hall has refrained from
| lifting up It's voice.
At this hearing the water scheme was
literally torn into fragments. controller
Coler made his report, in which he snow
ed that the company was a secret ana
irresponsible organization, and that IL
wouldn't have an asset until IL got the
contract from the city. He demonstrated
that the city could furnish any addi-
tional water il needed at about one third
the cost of the Ramapo contract. He
also demonstrated that the city had
ample funds TO do this work without en-
croaching upon the debt limit and with
out hindering any other great public I'M
provements.
He declared IT to be his calm judgment
that next spring the city would have n
limit for issuing bonds amounting 10 al
least SG5,0oo,o00.
REPORTS OF THE EXPERTS.
Controller Colers experts followed. Mr.
Rice. a consulting engineer, who had eX-
amined the watersheds OF the company
IN Ulster and Greene counties, showed
that only seven Of the score Of reservoirs
the company intended 70 construct were
within the terms Of the contract-i. e.,
300 feet above tidewater These reser-
volrs would only hold twelve billion gal
Ions. which in a dry season would furnish
the city 20000O00 gallons only for two
months.
Mr.. Croes, in investigating the various
sources Of water supply. demonstrated
that the city could furnish 20O,0Oo,WO gal
lens itself at yearly cost OF lfl6'Olo'
against S5,lG25O0 under the Ramapo con-
tract Mr.. Mclean demonstrated by
series Of percentages that i'm 1894 the clty
would have an excess of 10O3Si,ODJ gallons
a day. instead Of facing water famine
as was predicted By Mr.. Dalton, the
Commissioner Of Water supply.
All three engineers agreed that IL would
be five years before the Ramapo com
panv could furnish the city a gallon OF
water. while the city in half that time
| could get an additional supply from the
| Ten-Alile river.
DENOUNCED BY CITIZENS REPRE-
SENTATIVES
Wheeler RI. Peckham and Simon Sterne,
| speaking for the City Club and the Gu
| zens Union, held the Ramapo raiders and
| the Ramapo contract up TO pubic scorn'
rdicule. and contempt and Thomas A.
| Fulton demonstrated by Mr.. Dalton's
own figures that the city was In an ex-
| cellent position TO supply itself with
water.
In favor of the fob only a few feeble
voices were raised. The Board of I'M
! derwriters with their big petition of
| few years ago. mad dwindled down to
one OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Barton. MT.
Barton hadn't much 10 say. F1re-Com-
missioner John ]. Scanned, Of the ola
] Croker guard. declared that more water
! was needed, and advocated a high pres
| sure on the pipes. Fire-Chief EDWARD
| Croker. a nephew OF Richard Croker. OF
| Tammany Hall. was also paraded before
| the Board. and declared that New hotN
| had less pressure than any city in the
| country.
President Holahan made long grafton.
which did not contain many facts, ana
| IN which he endeavored 10 show MS
purity Of heart and his intention OF
voting for the Ramapo contract in modi-
| fed form.
Then came the death OF the Ramapo
lob. John l.. Shea, Of Brooklyn, Com
missioner Of Bridges. offered a resolution
reciting the attitude Of the Democratic
party in it's city convention in favor Of
municipal ownership, declaring that any
steps looking 20 the city getting It's water
supply from any private company was
against the public welfare, and pledgnS
the board 10 terminate such private con-
tracts as were now in existence at the
earliest opportunity
VOTE THAT KILLED IT.
In vain Messrs. Holahan and Dalton
suffered and begged for postponemeht
| ar for amending the resolution. They
| had been taken completely by surprise,
and before they had recovered th,ir
enuanimitv the yeas and nays had been
| called and the resolution was passed by
a vote of to .. Those who voted I0G
| The resolution were Controller Coler, Cap
tin Gibson. the Deputy Commissioner
| of street Cleaning; James p. keauhs'
tho Commissioner of Highways; James
Kone the Commissioner of Sewers ana
Iohn I, shea, Commissioner OF Bridges.
Those voting no were President Hoiahan
and william Dalton, Commissioner oil
water Supply. Henry s. Kearny, COM
| missioner OF Lighting and Supplies, at
tended the meeting, but was not present
| when the vote was taken. Mayor an
| wick and Corporation-CouD Whalcn
were no present. Borough-President
| Haffen. Of the Bronx; Bowley, OF queens
and Cromwell, of Richmond, went on
record as favoring the resolution ana
declared that they would have voted LOT
it If their right to vote on the question