New-York tribune., 1908-07-19
BETTER FIRE PROTECTION.
Ncw Water Appropriation To Be
Used for Ertension of Mains.

The Brooklyn Water Department. which received
from the city appropriation of nearly A.0p"o
the other day., is making vigorous effort to ap-
ply improving the conditions of its service by
laying thirty miles of mains and the
officials are also preparing to ask for other big
appropriations in the future
Last week Deputy Commissioner Cozfer and Act
ing Chief Engineer Mckay inspected the small
portion of their territory that lies on Newtown
Creek, between Metropolitan avenue and Grand
street. The business concerns here pay more than
5000 in insurance premiums year. One lum-
Der yard, the biggest in Brooklyn. car-ies an in
surance of Zoo. and another 100000
There Is inadequate water supply here. pro-
posed 2O-inch main will partly alleviate con-
dtions but the officials are not willing to stop
there.
The section is little slice of the bigger section
known in general terms the Eastern District.
1t is in the Eastern District that the chief
featuring concerns. coal yards and lumber yards
situated say nothing of the sugar re-
fneries and other kindred enterprises. all employ
ing immense number of people The plans OF
the water officials in preparation for the ex-
tension Of the high pressure fire service through
all this vastly important neghborhoOd.
The system covers a large part of the down..
town district and the river front from Red Hook
to the navy yard. 1t is purposed to carry the
system far up into Williamsburg. covering the
waterfront and its vicinity. and far inland as
Broadway and Myrtle With this plan in
effect the manufacturing, the office. the shop
ping and the theatre districts would all be pro-
tected. This does not that all the factories.
big stores and theatres would be protected but the
vast majority Of them would be.
The extension of the system has been pro-
vided for II would not cost more than S1,0OO 1000.
as no new pumping stations would have to be
built. The two in the heart of the city would in
all probability. be enough, perhaps, with the ad-
dition of three four more pumps.
The downtown service and its stations and the
city 81 10000. The Coney Island service will be
extended and improved under appropriation of
100000 It will sbe extended along the waterfront
In both directions, so as TO protect the island from
Ocean Parkway to West 18th street.
The section between West 18th street and Still
well avenue will also be protected we'll the
ton between Sheepshead Bay Road Surf
avenue. improvements in the system will also be
made along of the walks. Two mains
will be run into Steeplechase Park. Dreamand
and Luna Park are protected on the sides, which
is thought adequate.
This system has a pressure of $50 pounds the
square inch as the maximum. while in the
pressure Is 800 pounds. Nevertheless. the pressure
at the island has been found sufficient Now there
are only one and half miles of IL and is inch
mains the island The appropriation allows for
increase of two and half miles. In the three
years that the service has been In 1t has
proved its value. The pumping station is at Nep-
tune avenue and West 18th street.
The present appropriation VIII permit OF the con-
nection of the Titus deep wells at Forest Park
with the distributing mains. A 3O-inch main will
soon be ready to carry the 100000 gallons of
water that Titus will pump daily to Myrtle and
Cypress avenues. where it will connect with the
4s-inch main from the Rdgewood reservoir
There about twenty wells at Forest Park.
Titus has also eighteen wells in South Brooklyn.
from which he hopes to get 10.WOOOO gallons OF
water daily These wells about ready be
connected with the system His pumping station is
almost completed The Forest Park station is
ready but will be by the time the mains are. In
both cases the water will have To be forced into
the mains at pressure OF about sixty pounds to
the square inch.
An improvement for which the people Of South
Brooklyn waiting s the installation CT the big
new direct acting engines which to be used for
pumping the water into the tower at the Mount
Prospect reservoir. This is shortly to be done n
der the direction Of Assistant Engineer w. B. wag-
ner The turbine engines now in noisy
that they disturb the people who live around the
station and they only handle about 100000
gallons Of water day. whereas 1o.no.ooo or more
gallons required
Tho new engines will be able to handle 150oO0D
Sallons. Tho steam ends Of the pumping en-
gina. which viii appear above ground ~ the sta
ton. VIII Be - high ~ three story house and