New-York tribune., 1900-12-05


&lbauy. Dec. 4 CspeciaD.-There was no paragraph
IN the presentment made by the Grand Jury OF
Nev-York on Friday IN relation 10 the suspected
,nvurity Of the Croton water which vas read with
more interest here than the following:
while in no wav dctracting from the importance
n pure water SUPPLY as condition necessary to
ire prep0nderance OF testimony 70 the effect that no
immediate oangsr 81 typhoid existed or was i'm
ninent alJhoNsh y was eonceoeo that long con-
tiHuanoc 81 az imPlognateo water supply would be
iaols I. ..s r ne s4 rSachee p
ny rhe sarano sntk after careInl consideration or
the subject thus fuily before them. that the
reaiesy can he applied 10 existing evils and the
Only means 10 insure pure water consists in the
az respects 10 the needs and wants OF this great
municipality
The presentment then went on 10 say that other
cities had already recognized the importance OF
strstion of their water supply. and plants for this
uurpose IN more or less advanced stage Of in
etsnaton IN the cities Of Washington. Atlanta.
Phade!phis, Cincinnati. Pittsburg. Louisville and
Others"
Albany would have furnished the Grand Jury with
m ever better example OF the benefits 81 a fltra-
,ior system In this city has been installed for
over wear. and the benefits the city has derived
from - are obvious in every report OF the physi-
clans of the city. Albany formerly had an evil
reputation from the prevalence of typhoid fever
here u obtained most of the water 1t used from
the HUDSON River and that river Was contaminated
BY sewage from an the towns and cities along the
Mohawk and the Hudson rivers and their tribu-
tcries some OF which penetrate into Massachusetts
and border factory towns in the Berkshires
strangers visiting Albany, many OF them members
II the LEGISLATURE or students attending Albany
rchools slckened ana died. No family in Albany OF
any prudence drank water from the Hudson River
unless q had first been boiled and passed through
good filter. Thousands Of persons never drank the
water supplied BY the city but bought spring water
which was pedded through the streets. In the
state Capitol one discovered tkst the heads OF
state departments snd State bureaus had bottled
water from a spring IN the interior OF the State
sne that the Senators and Congressman also
cautiously followed their example. Nevertheless.
here was a large number OF fatal cases OF typhoid
fever IN the city and no doubt Albany suffered IN
reputation.
THE BUILDING OF THE PLANT
IN $50 the Board Of Water Commissioners OF the
city and its Superintendent George I. Bailey. In
vesrigated methods Of purifying the water supply.
superintendent Bailey suggested that the intake OF
water for the city. which drew water from tho
Hudson River opposite the heart OF the city and
below some Of its sewers. be moved miles
further Up the Hudson River. 10 point above al
local sources OF pollution. and that the water ne
pumped by low lift pumps 20 a settling basin. from
which Il could how TO sand alters and be purified
Aueu H8zen, Of New-Tork. was selected 10 design
this filtration plant and under Superintendent
Bailey's supervision n has been constructed. The
water after being altered. IS pumped 10 reservoirs
On lle mis- Neet OF <AAuelig anu Ai4eIiOV a.
triDUted through the city. A small part OF the city
however stil supplied with unhlteTed water. but
this comes from streams and ponds west Of the
city. not from the Hudson.
The work Of constructing the filtration plant was
begun N August. lS9S and IL was sufficiently sd-
vanced 70 be put IN operation on July =. 1923 The
old iutake closed on September 6. 1898, since
which tsme unfltered water has been pumped 10
ne city. The entire cost OF the work was s4Ss.-
Ns 81 which includes ssO 600 for pips Sine 10 the
reservoirs. The filtration beds cost about s4oe
an acre. or for the six acres S2ss05o me htrauon
rlant covers twenty acres which includes rhe sedi
ynent basin In his report 10 the Board OF Water
Commissioners Tor she year 1893 Superintendent
Bailey ssid
TIE cause OF building the Alter was the known
sewage pollution Of the water. and the large
hgr of deaths from typhoid fever as shown by
tire following table