The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-06-12
Water Supply
Of New York
ny FREDEnIc \. HAslxIN.

In New York State gigantic cngi-
neering enterprise that Is second IN
magnitude only to the building OF
tho Panama Canal. 1t is the cor.
struction OF the Catskll Water Supply,
which was begun year ago In answer
TIC New York City's cry for solution
OF It's big water problem. and In re-
sponse to Gull FOR 100000 gallons
D. fresh water daily IN addition to ita
present supply.
The work involved Is so enormous
ms to be almost incomprehensble TO
the lay. mind. Hundreds OF miles sof
Topographic surveys had to be made.
the earth or the solid rock to de.
termipe the best and most economi-
cal locations for the great reservoirs.
dams and aqueducts. Samples OF soil
sand. gravel and stone. as we'll as OF
ell for study and analysis. All OF this
detail involved the best efforts of-em.
ipent engineers. biologists, chemists.
specialists In aeration. filtration aud
reservoir making. and OF experts In
the mechanical work OF reconstructing
railways and highways.
Villages, churches, schools, hotels,
homes. railways and highways will be
moved from the pathway OF this giant
project as the Judgment OF the en-
gineers DEGREES, and since land OPP
ton ring has thrifty acquired the
to condemnation proceedings the
amount to be paid out OF the city
treasury for land damages and water
rights alone will approximate $4,000
600. the total claims filed already ag-
ooo. 600. "ss s-''N00'0Ys a"u 80
When completed, New York,s water
system will be the greatest ever un
eli IL 1, III f.~ 49, -utL
any @ for the w wats
is 100 miles from the City Hall and
$50 from the lower end OF Staten Is
lond. Four creeks-Esopus. Rondout.
SGhoharie and Catskill--have been lev
led upon as the main sources OF supply.
The total area of the watersheds will
lbe over 900 square miles. and their
combined resources when fully devel
oped will exceed so00oo.00O gallons
daily. The water is to come from three
carried in aqueducts that will dive un
der the Hudson at Storm King to
depth OF 700 feet or more. and come up
on the other side. From there 1t will
| cross gullics and pierce hills in three
conduits. and an aqneduct will then
carry II under East River ana New
York Bay to Brooklyn and Staten Is
| land.
The main features Of this giant
work are to be a principal impounding
reservoir-the Ashokan: storage res
ervolr-the> Kenisco: the largest filter
Ing plant ever built; distributing res
ervoir. and the Catskill aqueduct,
eighty miles long. There will be
dam go feet high across Esopus Creek,
and this with other dams and bikes
the waters of Esopus this reservoir
Will receive those diverted from Scho-
harie Creek by ten-mile tunnel
through the mountains and those from
Catskill Creek and adjacent small
streams through another aQueduct. The
Ashokan reservoir will be twelve miles
| long and two wide, with a water sur
face of 10000 acres and capacity OF
120, 600. 100000 gallons--a plan for CON
serving water as great IS that which
I his Underground Palace" that holds
! Constantinoples reserve water supply
Las safely now as it did fifteen centur-
! les ago.
| The Catskill aaueduct VIII carry the
| water from Ashokan to the distribu-
| ting reservoir In Yonkers. No pump
| ing will be needed. and from there 1t
viii be distributed BY gravit ys; through.
duct is large enough to accommodate
an ordinary railroad train with ease.
| The famous aqueducts OF Rome pale
into insignlttcance beside 1t, for 1t Will
daily as did the combined aaueducts
/ of the Imperial City in the great
| period OF the empire. when her civic
improvements had reached their zenith.
!; Wherever the water flows at hydrau-
lie grade the aquedYct will be con-
structed OF concrete. Where II is
/ necessary to cross those deep glacial
gorses barely Indicated at present by
/ the small channels OF such streams as
lRondout and Moodna creeks. tunnels
Will be driven in solid rock far below
1.-THE surface of the ground. These will
| be lined with concrete, and in them
the water will flow under pressure.
| dropping down into deep shaft at the
ncrtherly end Of each pressure tunnel
and rising again in similar shaft at
the southery.
The cost Of the. entire system has
been estimated at sl62,ooo,ooo. De-
/ spite this. 1t will not be a heavy bur-
den per sapa The There yor Is no 10
ing the benefits of the new system, Its
population will probably have reach
ed 100000. Twenty-Five yearly pay
ments OF 30 cents per person will
defray the cost. In.return the new sys-
tom will supply water for private, man
of $50 gallons for each person daily,
forty more per capita than Rome. for-
i merly world leader in this respect.
has has PROVED rvp that the water water works Of ali
I large cities. If reasonable rates are
\ charged. have sufficient earning capa-
city to pay for their operation and TO
I replace the sum expended in their con-
!. struction. Therefore. New York prac-
4 tically only lends its credit for the con-
4 struction.
The cost of the present Croton sys-
! tern, which. when finally completed. is
to supply s25,0O0,O0O gallons of until
!; tered water to the Borough of Manhat-
tan and part of the Bronx. will app
| proximate s9O.O00,O00. The contract
4 for the Ashokan reservoir has been let,
! and 1t is generally believed by thoss
] In charge OF the work that the sys-
! tom will be completed as far as the pres
ent Croton reservoir In five years II
!, Will be more than double that time,
however. before the aqueduct under
the East River and New York Bay Will
give Brooklyn and Staten Island their
8 much needed relief.
Even then the problem will only be
! partially solved for the city's popula-
,ltion is always increasing faster than
Hits improvements, and by the time the
I Catskill system is completed, New
Yorks demand will have Eoutdistanced
! the supply OF water, and 1t will be
! necessary to go far beyond the Cats
kills and build reservoirs In the ADJ
! rondacks. The present plants to send
! an additional supply of between 6OO,-