New-York tribune., 1901-08-10
OF COURSE RAN4PO HAS OPTIONS
MR. BIRDsALL THINKS CONDEMNATION
CLAIMS FOR CATSKILL WATER
SHED WOULD BE LIGHT.

Water Department officials said yesterday that
there was doubt about the city's future water
supply coming from the Schoharie, Carskin and
Esopus watersheds of fully 100000 O00, as
noted in The Tribune yesterday.
According the report of John r. Freeman,
civil engineer made Controller Coler in 1900 the
well known Ramapo Company has options many
thousands of in this territory, which. begin
ming with the Esopus watershed. starting about
eighty miles from the City Hail. extends TO the
Catsdll watershed. about hundred and twenty
five miles from the same place The four water
sheds in this locality with their territory are, ac-
cording to Mr.. Freeman. follows: Esopus. 242
square miles: Schohare. 105 square miles; Batavia,
IS square miles. and CatskiIl. 40 square miles Be
sides these the watersheds known as the East
Branch Delaware watershed, with 16 square
miles and the additional watershed at Prattville,
with 10 square miles.
Experts water supply. besides those employed
by the Water Department say that it will prob
ably take about 81 10000 a mile TO take this sup
ply. That would mean anywhere from $lOOOOO'UO
10 A25.OOO.O0O for the work. Where this money
would come from seems 10 know.
Chief Engineer Birdsall. who is engineering and
advising the surveys, said yesterday:
There seems to be g sne and cry this mornlng
about Ramapo having the come in in this matter
and that it will again Try 10 get IT'S grasp i on Ins
city II is ridiculous. Ramapo had some optloIiS option =
in that locality, but they were OF such Snna!i
amounts that they not worth talking ABOUT
Some years ago the Ramapo company paid SlO Ior
the privilege OF making surveys or various par
and probably some have been renewed but they
are not worth talking about. In case the corrfrls-
should be appointed 10 condemn the land. none
OF these claims could be larger than Sl,VO, ana l
don't think they would even reach that amount.
You can oe sure that Ramapo has no options that
would interfere with the citys acquiring the prop
erty. .-,-, -. -
propration for water supply out or the dept unit
and this has be passed again by the next lesls-
lature This was a constitutional amendment IN
los Il will come before the people, and nothlnS
can be done in the matter OF acquiring these water
sheds In the Catskills until lsOS OtlsiaIIy Otlsiiy l l
thought that the supply Of 259WOOo salons a, AZ
Ten Mile River would give New fork ehoukh
water for lifetime That was before c]onsonda1 ] :
ton and the water officials then EeVer dreamed OF
consolidation. II take the new watershed We
will have a supply Of i00U U'0.O,9 gallons a DAY.
This would give the water supply also 70 Brooklyn
and Queens : we'll as Manhattan and The Bronx
H r Limburger. of Hoadley, Lauterbach &
Johnson. counsel for the Ramapo Water Company
when asked about existing options on watershed
property In the Catsklls owned by the Ramapo
company. said
MANY OF these options are still in force. the pre-
else numb I cannot just now tell Inc city mas
the right 10 condemn and acquire these options
under legal proceedings. but the Ramapo company
does not intend robbed OF its options without
Just compensation