The St. Louis Republic., 1904-11-20
CR0TON DAM WILL
COST $7,OOO,OO0
Engineering Feat Will Add Thir-
ty-Two Billion Gallons to New
York's Water Supply.
TO BE AVAILABLE IN 1905.
Work Began in 1892 and More
Than 2,GG0 Men Have Since
Been Continuously
Employed
TO BE AVAILABLE IN 1905.


| REPUBLIC SPECIAL.
! New York. Nov. la.-Strange - IL may
| appear. among the great cities OF the civil
| lied world New York ranks with the
| lowest in the matter OF water supply Lon
| don. for instance. is provided against any
| possible water famine for a period or
| forty years to come. with Berlin and Paris
| not far behind In this provision. New
! York on the contrary, is ten years behind
| the times. Its Inadequate resources are
| matters which give grave concern to al
those In authority. from the Mayor and
| Controller. eN-ofticio members OF the Afuc-
duet Commission. and that honorable body
itself down to the hundreds VI men skilled
| and learned in engineering science who
| have given these grave matters lifelong
study. These all realize that II there were
| q prolonged drought extending over term
OF years (as is not at all impossible. and
has occurred in various sections OF the
country the metropolis would be face TO
face with one OF the menacing plaques
that bring suffering and disaster to thou
sands.
A competent authority has stated that
enough water is wasted by the consumers
of the CITY of New York to supply half a
dozen smaller cities in its vicinity. In fact.
enough water is wasted every day to
drown every citizen Of the metropolis.
for, while the average consumption OF wa
ter Is from llG to rs gallons day. from
forty to sixty of those gallons are charge
able to lavish use much of II wasted to
no purpose
SURPRISING CONDITIONS
However. this Is no excuse for indiffer-
ence to the fact that New York is in need
Of 8 greater water supply. for we never
miss the water until the well runs dry"
and these have been exceptionally favor
able years One hundred and twenty-five
gallons OF water per capita daily il none
too much now to keep New York clean
and to slake its gigantic thirst. the tota.
supply representing an aggregation OF
something like fifteen million gallons Yet
other cities provide for their population
still better-Philadelphia, PittsSurg. St
Louis and Washington, for instance. ran
ging from aN to 500 gallons day for each
person. and with a reserve supply tnst
could increase the same on occasion.
For twenty years and more the growing
demands OF the city upon its wafer re-
serves had been a matter of deep study,
and many and moro or less complicated
and expensive were the eNpedients offered.
One project proposed that the clear and
Champlain be conveyed to the metropolis
In mammoth mains, a distance nine times
longer than the present Croton aquecucts.
But this enterprise met with radical pro
test on the part OF the upstate constitu-
ency and from the economists at home,
who saw in 1t an tnterminable and eNpen-
sre labor: Another remedy TO the situa-
ton was the establishment OF monster FL
tration plants few mites up the Hudson.
where the water from that river might
undergo the sand filtration process. which
system now In successful operation in
Albany, Boston and elsewhere But It was
claimed that here. too, there were mighty
sna That +. ppoeess Vas 70 ew % ana a. best
merely tentative. Since then. however, fl |
tration plants have been nightly i'm |
proved, and: having proved themselves In |
overcome the arguments Of the sceptical.
SOME PRACTICAL PLANS.
The third expedient however. was the |
one finally adopted-the plan by which the |
whole Croton watershed. extending inland |
in northeasterly direction from a point |
some six miles beyond Osining. and al |
ready supplying the city through two
large aQpeducts could be further devel- |
oped by dsrnming up the Croton River at |
q point several miles below the already es-
ia elished dam. thereby forming an irrey
and varying from q few hundred feet to
two miles In width and lsa feet In depth at |
the lowest point. This dam provided for
ANAL wall 0f Tas,onry ovsT aooo tset n total
TO take the overflow in time Of very high
water, the dam itself to be so feet high
rom bedrock to summit at a midway po Mt
n the river bed. and thinning upward from
a base 200 feet thick to a roadway across |
the top sufficiently wide to allow three
teams OF horses to pass abreast from hill
would increase the entire water supply by
.ons Adding It to the 4sci0.cSoo0 gallons.
SaSs te total Of q, ss SsSsSs
ons of impounded water for New York's
supply. This modern Pyramid OF Gizeh,
no monument s,1 to s, the sngineerns genius Of
he city within year by the contractors, |
'tessrs- Coleman Breuchaud & Coleman |
,f New York, and others who have Ia
erm OF years to meet the increasing de-
nands Of the greatest aggregation Of hu-
nan beings In small space on this hem
OF the millions OF people within a can
n a hundred knows that any such enter
Hills OF the Croton district beyond West
chester. and yet visit to the interesting
pot y most Instructive to the citizen and
ng the direct working force, are scattered
'ver this territory or concentrated at the
eadtnE points. working from sunrise to
AIN, Au ALlS t3io wOEh Win all speed |
md dra wing a pay roll aRRregatinE near
sSOo g day. These men include en-
'inesrs. civil. mechanical. stationary and
locomotive: experts In every department |
4 masonry. stonecutting. dredging, con-
rete work. hydraulics. drafting and the
houSand intricacies which enter into the
massive enterprise down to the flur1blest
raccianti. or laborerst who on a diet of
'olenta and frugality arc laying up little
ortunes With which to return to their ma
i've Italy and "be happy ever after"
VILLAGES HAVE SPRUNG UP.
The latter have constructed little VII
ages all about the scenes OF action, some
that in the nature Of the shanty towns of
he mining districts Of the West, whittier
o every day from the riverside villages
cores Of supply wagons. even to travelling
arber shops and dry goods stores Hun
reds OF these laborers, realizing the
sngth of time required to complete the
reat work. have wisely brought their
antilles from the other side, and among
hese budding hamlets there are many
appy homes