Semi-weekly herald., 1909-08-30
GoTHAAA MARKS SITE
FOR HUGE RESERVOIR

surveys for the creation of an artih-
eial Lake thirteen miles long and an
average OF two miles wide and 240
feet deep at the greatest depth in
the valley OF the Esopus creek, in the
Catskill mount aims, sixteen miles west
of Kingston. in Ulster county. n. Y.
This lake is intended to store the wa
Ter from the melting SHOWS and from
ten thousand mountain springs for the
use of the city of New York The
area of watershed is over 800 square
miles and 1t is capable of furnishing
800, 100000 gallons daily, which will
be carried 1870 miles in an aqueduct TO
Battery park, New York City. ana
twenty miles farther to the limits If
the city of Greater New York. at the
southern extremity of Staten Island
The aaueduct is now under construc-
ton and will cross the narrowest place
IN the Hudson river from Cornwall to
Cold Spring. through concrete siphon
thirteen feet in diameter. GOO feet be-
low the bottom. The tunnel will be
large enough to accommodate train
of Pullman sleepers-almost as large
as the new tunnels of the Pennsyl
vania railroad between Jersey City
and New York. The entire cost of the
undertaking is estimated at $l62 ,000,-
600 and the contracts, which are near
ly all let and In several cases were
undertaken several months ago, rep
resent an expenditure of over $780,
100000
The aqueduct will run parallel with
the Hudson river as far almost as
West Point on the west side. then
from Cold Spring on the east bank
ervoir near Yonkers. 1t is expected
that the present system of distribution
will be sufficient for the next twenty
years, but 1t is estimated that by the
year 1880 the population .of Greater
New York will be upward of seven
millions, who will consume one hun.
dred billion gallons of water daily,
which will require an additional dis
tribution system at an estimated cost
OF s40000,000.
At the present rate of progress, it
is expected that reservoir and aque-
duct will be completed by the year
1915-about the same time as the
Panama canal-and In some respects
it is a greater and more difficult un.
dertakirg.
The creation of this reservoir will
obliterate seven towns and about a
thousand farms, whose inhabitants
have sold their property to the water
commissioners of the City of New
York and are now removing to other
parts of the state to seek new homes
A large number have settled in Kings
ton, which, at the next census, will
| show an unprecedented increase in
population. About ten thousand peo-
| pie will be compelled to move before
water begins to accumulate In the res.
ervoir, and about 100000 summer
boarders will have to look for new
places next season.
II you will take a map of eastern
New York, and find Ulster county, you
will notice that Esopus river is fed by
innumsrable creeks and rivulets In the
Catskill mountains, and, following a
circuitous course, turns northward just
| above Kingston, and runs parallel with
the Hudson until it empties into that
| river above Saugerties. Then, If you
will follow the track of the Ulster
| and Delaware railway. you will notice
a few miles west of Kingston a station
little farther westward, you will see
station called Coldbrook. The new
reservoir will extend over the entire
distance between those two places, as
far north as Wittenberg and Glenford
and as far south as Olive Bridge and
Browns Station. All of the places
named can be easily noted on the
map. The railwa- company will be
compelled to move its tracks to u
new line, which is now being surveyed
The name "Esopus" is derived from
the Mohegan Indians. and was orig
inally applied to the valley through
which the river of the name runs, a
district extending from Saugerties al
most to Newburg There is a town
called Esopus just south of Kings
ton, whicn attracted good deal OF at.
tention five years ago because IL was
the residence of Judge Alton b. Park.
er, Democratic candidate Tor the pres.
idency at that time. There are sew
eral other places Of that name, ESQ.
pus Meadows, Esopus Lighthouse, Lit
tie Esopus, etc
The city of New York now has two
sources of water supply. The Croton
water works, built between 1886 and
1912, at cost OF Sl4,000,000, which
were the greatest undertaking since
the Roman aqueduct, brought the first
supply from a little stream about ten
miles in length which flows into the
Hudson at Croto Point on Haverstraw
Bay. 1t was called Se-nas-qua by the
Indians. The river landing place was
called Sarah's Point, in honor of the
e.. - NIL u.