Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1907-06-20
GREATER TASK
THAN PANAMA
Work Begun on New York
Aqueduct---The Worlds
Greatest Feat

PEEKSKILL, N. Y, June 90
With Impressive ceremonies near here
today, work was formally inaugurated
in one of the greatest engineering un-
dertakings in the worlds history
the aqueduct which is to supply New
York city with water from the Cats
kill mountain region The aqueduct
will be the greatest of ancient or
modern times. 1t will cost 10000
Ou0-$20, 600 900 in excess of the esti-
mated cost of the Panama canal and
80 times the cost OF the Corinth ca
nal, which the Roman empire, under
Zero, undertook. but did not finish.
imposing Ceremonies at Inauguration.
A large official party from New
York city participated in the cere-
monies marking the inauguration of
the work of construction. Bishop Pot
ter offered prayer, ] Edward Sim
| mons, president Of the board of water
| supply, made the welcoming address,
! and Mayor Mcclellan delivered the
principal address OF the day. Charles
| N. Chadwick made the formal presen-
tation of the spade to the contractors
and the exercises were brought to q
close with benediction by Right Rev.
Father Lavelle, vicar-general Of the
| diocese of New York.
Twenty Years to Complete Contract
1t is estimated that 1t will take be-
| tween Is and 20 years to complete the
aqueduct When finished 1t will in
crease the water supply Of the metrop-
oils by 100000 gallons every %
hours. led under the Hudson river
more than 100 miles away from the
seven artificial lakes to be constructed
in the Catskills, and of these sources
that at AsholSan alone win contain
more water than all three of the lakes
of Killarney.
The building Of the aqueduct. which
viii have the capacity of a small river.
beneath the Hudson river and the ir-
regular country adjoining known as
the Highlands. is an extremely diff
cult problem. An enormous territory
must be drained, whose northern
boundary is 1870 miles from New York
city In an area of over 700 square
J miles entire towns must be destroyed
to make room for the reservoirs.
Reservoirs Cover 100 Square Miles.
1t has been decided TO carry the
tunnel beneath the famous headlanC
of the Hudson known as Storm, King
/ AT this point the viaduct win be bull
more than 500 feet below the surfact
of the river
The aqueduct viii be covered
throughout it's entire length. Much o.
! it will pass far below the surface
where 1T will be necessary to tunnel
1t places where the adueduct viii b.
above or near the surface, 1t will b.
.. built in the form of a trench and late
J arched over. In such cases even tn
j. roof will not be left exposed, but viii
] be covered with earth and stone t
strengthen it against all possible at
lacks of time and weather
: Distances All Ancient Aqueducts.
The aqueduct will carry 20 times a.
|. much water as did the famous aque
! ducts of Rome combined. The II res
7 ervoirs which must be constructed t
. hold the enormous flow of water fron
the various watersheds of the Cats
. kills and adjacent hills will far excee
: in size anything Of the kind in tn
9 world. One of these reservoirs will b
IL miles long, with an average widt
of Ia miles. The Ashokan reservoi
alone will have capacity of 10000.
- 600 gallons, or double the present wa
ter supply Of New York city.