The sun., 1908-01-16
WATER DTSTRTBUTEON.
tho EmbaFrasSmentB and Achievements
OF the New York water Department.

Commissioner John n. O'Esrien Describes
tho EmbaFrasSmentH and Achievements
OF the New York water Department.
To EHR EDIToR OF The suN-Sir. I quote
from your editorial OF yesterday morning.
Il Ia doubtful also II there Is another city OF TN
poEtancS In which the manAesnent and control
Of the water distribution V an erlmnAly negligent
aud Incapable. II ls generally impossible when
an emergency occurs 10 increase the pressure at
the aydTAnts until long after The emergency has
departed.
Is It fair to attsmpt to convict the Depart
ment or Water supply Of criminal negligence
aud incapacity on the statement that 1T is
generally Impossible when an emergency
occurs TO increase the pressure OF the hy-
drants until lons after the emergency has
departed"2 The croton system was planned
for gravity distribution. except at the high
levels which are applied by the pumping
stations at Ninety-tighth street and l7Sth
street. In the territory surrounding the
Parker Building there's no means Of pressure
except gravity. At To time OF the fire all
the gates connecting cas distribution lines
thereabouts were open and water flowed to
the hydrants at the MAXIMUM pressure pos
sible. or course the prssure decreases In
proportion to the water Neing taken from
the surrounding mains. On the morning
after the fire. while nine engues were hooked
up to the hydrants at this p0ut. tb ere was a
pressure Of ten pounds at each engine be-
tween the hydrant and the enEfne. Central
Park Reservoir was then, and always Is
amply stored with water, and UNDER a gravity
system It Is absolutely certain that there
was the same volume OF wster aVallablepwhen
the Ore broke out as when our tests were
made with these nine engines in operation.
II should not be overlooked that the engineer
Of Ore steamer responding on a first alarm
puts only seveuty-hve pounds pressure on
his engine lthe engine valves lre set at that
pressureJ. increasing IL to UPWARD of 200
pounds as the necessity becomes apparent
The engine pressure. the size ofthe main and
the number Of engines hooked to the same
main are elements not always, taken into
account In newspaper descriptions Of water
shortage at fires.
It was to meet this deficiency q q gravity
supply for ire purposes that Mayo Mcclellan
planned and built the high presspe service.
Was It criminal negligence and iacapacIty
for the Water Department to hastsl the lay
ing Of sixty-two miles OF these highpressnre
mains so that the system was com pAted fvs
months inside the period which the 'Ontract
allowed?
IH, as the Board OF Fire Underwrers has
estimated. insurance rates will be educed
20 per cent. in the territory covered v this
service when the pumping stations al nut
In operation the coming spring. the buAness
interests will save in one year in insunnce
premiums the full cost Of installing the vs.
TEN. Is that management the sort to pc
characterized as criminal negligence?
Is The SUN aware that the Fire Under
writer's pointed out that two danger zone
downtown were the tenement house district
south OF Houston street and east OF the Bow
cry. and the chemical district. known as the
swamp. and that under the Mcclellan admin
istraton the old six inch mains were replaced
by twelve inch mains all through that terri
tory1 Was IL criminal foresight that let the
contracts for this improvement even before
the underwriters report called attention to
the fire hazard there?
The files OF TIE Sun testify TO the efficiency
Of the high pressure fire service installed at
COney Island by the Mcclellan Rdministra-
tiou. What element Of criminal incapaCity y
is found In protective measures of that type?
JOIN n. O'BRIEN,
NEW YORK, January IS. Commissioner