Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1907-06-27
PURE WATER FOR
new YORK.
Great Engineering Work Be-
gun Today Near Peek
skill.
Special to THE ARGUS.

PeekSklll, N. Y, June 20.-With i'm
pressive ceremonies near here today,
work was formally inaugurated in one
of the greatest engineering undertake
ings in the worlds history-the aque-
duct which is to supply New Y York city
with water from the Catskiu mountain
region. The aqueduct will be the
greatest of ancient or modern times.
1t viii cost S161 900, ,OO0-$20, ,O0O 900 in
excess of the estimated cost of the Pan
anna canal and thirty times the cost of
the Corinth canal, which the Roman
Empire, under Nero, undertook but
did not finish.
A large official party from New York
city participated in the ceremonies
marking the Inauguration Of the work
OF construction. Bishop Potter offered
prayer, J. Edward Simmons, president
of the board of water supply, made the
welcoming address, and Mayor Nc
Clellan delivered the principal address
of the day. Charles n. Chadwick made
the form presentation of the spade to
the contractors and the exercises were
brought to close with benediction
by Right Rev, Father Lavelle, Vicar
General of the diocese of New York.
1t is estimated that it will take be-
tween fifteen and twenty years to COM
plete the aqueduct. When finished it
will increase the water supply of the
metropolis by 500, 100000 gallons every
twenty four hours, led under the Hud-
son river more than one hundred miles
away from the seven artificial lakes to
be constructed in the Catskills, and of
these sources that at Ashokan alone
will contain more water than all three
of the lakes of Killarney.
The building of the aqueduct, which
will have the capacity of a small river,
| regular country adjacent known as the
Highlands, is an extremely difficult
problem. An enormous territory must
be drained, whose northern boundary
is 131 miles from New York city. In
an area of over several hundred square
miles entire towns must be destroyed
to make room for reservoirs. 1t has
| been decided to carry the tunnel be-
meath the famous headland of the Hud-
son known as Storm King. At this
point the viaduct will be built more
than 500 feet below the surface of the
river.
The aqueduct will be covered through
out its entire length. Much of it will
pass far below the surface, where it
will be necessary to tunnel. In places
where the aqueduct will be above or
near the surface it will be built in the
form OF trench and later arched over.
In such cases even the roof will not be
left exposed, but will be covered with
earth and stone to strengthen it against
all possible attacks of time and
weather.
The aqueduct will carry thirty times
as much water as did the famous aque-
ducts of Rome combined. The twelve
reservoirs which must be constructed
to hold the enormous flow of water
from the various watersheds of the
Catskills and adjacent hills will far ex-
ceed in size, anything of the kind in
the world. One Of these reservoirs will
be twelve miles long with an average
width of one and one-half miles. The
Ashokan reservoir alone will have a
capacity of 17O,0O0,0OO gallons, or
double the present water supply of
New York city.