New-York tribune., 1901-07-06
DAM PLANS FOUND FAULTY
COMMITTEE OF ENGINEERS INvESTI-
eating SUPPOSED DEFECTS IN
THE CROTON SYSTEM

William r. Hill. chief engineer of the Aqueduct
the Croton Dam. en- which work was begun on
October I. 1892, are faulty He is also Of the
opinion that 100 feet of masonry along the
south and east line of the Jerome Park Reser-
voir stands on quicksand. He recently called
the attention Of the commission TO these matters.
asking that q committee of three engineers be
appointed to make an investigation. and TO re-
port as to the necessary charges in the plans Of
the Croton Dam and the Jerome Park Reservoir.
if any. This recommendation has been acted on.
and the following engineers were chosen TO in
vestigate and report on the subject: j. j. r.
Croes, president of the American Society of
Civil Engineers; Elnathan Sweet. former State
Engineer. of Albany, and Edwin F. Smith, for
merly chief engineer Of the Schuylkill Naviga-
tion Company. They expected to submit
their report TO the Aqueduct Commission in
about six weeks. Mr.. Croes has spent much
time In studying the water supply situation of
this city. For the Merchants Association he
prepared report the Ramapo question.
The committee was appointed on June 81.
On Tuesday the members made visit to the
Jerome Park Reservoir. In the walls of the
reservoir along Kingsbridge Road and Jerome
ave. are cracks. according to Chief En-
gineer Hill. They would probably not be
noticed. he says. by a layman. BY faulty plans
Chief Engineer Hill means much more than the
words convey. He means that the dam would
not be able to withstand in his Judgment. the
strain that it will be expected to bear. And as
for the reservoir he cannot see how the last
section of the Jerome Park Reservoir. with
1,20O feet of masonry built on qucksand is
going to be of any use. Chief Engineer Hill sue
ceeded Alphonse Fteey. Fteley resigned on ac-
count of Ill health. He was in office when the
plans were drawn and the contracts for build
ing were made He had charge of supervising
the plans and seeing that their provisions were
properly carried out. No censure can fall on
the contractor of the work for improper plans
nor will he lose because of faulty plans.
John B. Mcdonald is the contractor for the
dam and reservoir A clause in his contract
secures him against all expense resulting from
the city deciding for any TO elter the
original plans and gives TO him the right TO
make the changes determined upon.
What it will cost to change the plans OF the
dam and the reservoir cannot be told at the
present time. The special committee OF three
engineers may not think any great changes are
necessary. except in the rebuilding of pa:l OF
the reservoir wall About 100000 has been
spent on the construction of the core wall of the
walls OF the reservoir.
The Croton Reservoir will increase the stor-
age capacity of the city water supply thirty bill
lion gallons. making a total storage capacity of
seventy-two billion gallons. The Croton Dam
is few miles north OF Ossning When
pleted the dam will be 300 feet high from the
bottom of the foundation stone TO the top of
the coping. and IL is said that 1t will be the
biggest dam in the world. II is being built
TO form a storage reservoir for the city's
use. The Jerome Park Reservoir is 10 be dis
tributing reservoir. The Croton Reservoir will
be about twenty miles long.
Chief Engineer Hill refrained yesterday from
speaking at length on the plans Of the Croton
Dam. While the plans are under investigation
he did not wish he said, say anything that
might interfere in the work of the committee
of engineers. He gave, however, a brief out
line of the plans of the dam and ;he reservoir.
He said that the plans for the reservoir called
for almost solid wall OF masonry across the
Croton River 70 near where the valley begins
at the south end There the dam will he prac-
tically earth with wall, or, in other words.
a centre wall of masonry. The core wall is
about two-thirds completed and the dam was
expected to he ready for use about he beginning
that the embankment would bear the strain.
In the Jerome Park Reservoir there are an east
and a west division made by dividing wall
OF masonry. Chief Engineer Hill said yesterday
that there would he delay In the building or
the west division and that il would be ready for
use as soon as finished. The two parts are