Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-02-28
Electricity Constructing Great Aque
duct for New York City's Water
Supply

duct for New York City's Water
Supply.
More than 12o miles above New York
City, in the heart of the Catskili
Mountains electricity is digging
giant aqueduct which. when complet-
ed will deliver 80 million gallons of
water each day to thirsty New York
ers. This mammoth aqueduet will
pass under two rivers. a lake and two
arms of the sea and II is being con-
strueted largely by electric power.
At Ashokan, Prattsylle, Franklin
ton, Napanoch and Oak Hin, high in
the mountains, large reservoirs are
being constructed. These will all be
connected by concrete and steel
aaueduct. -Four creeks and their va
tersheds constitute the source of sup
ply, the Schoharie. the Esopus. the
RourGout and the Catskill. In the
valleys of the Esopus the monster res
orNnir IS now under construction
Schoharie Creek will be diverted by
tunnel to empty into this lake. Trihu-
.tary aqueducts will connect the Cats
kill and Roundout Greeks. The Asho-
kan reservoir will have an approx
mate area OF 13 square miles and will
hold about 00.001.000 gallons of
water The dam will be about 10o0
feet long on the crest and 240 feet
high 1t will be a 40-mile journey 10
drive around this mammoth pond.
The aqueduct Will lead from Asho-
kan reservoir. which is $40 feet above
tide water across the open country
up hill and down hill. crossing the
Hudson River at Storm King Noun
tain. up again on the eastern side and
so on To the old Groton reservoir. This
water will be distributed in New York.
Brooklyn and the Borough Of Rich
mond. covering an area of 300 square
miles. giving a daily supply of a billion
gallons, or one pint of water FOR each
and every square foot of surface.
The construction of the Ashokaa
reservoir constitutes one of the items
involved in the Gatskill project. This
dam is to hold the waters gathered
from 40 square miles of territory. The
amount Of excavation involved IS
about 100000 cubic yards, OF which
about 20 per cent is in the rock. The
construction of the great dam and the
several bikes will require 100000 Gu
bic yards of material OF which the cor
crete material alone will amount 10
are 10 he Of earth construction. With
concrete cores to prevent undermining.
Altogether they have a length of about
10000 feet
1t is no simple problem to construct
a great conduit from the Ashol<an dam
to New York City. About 90 per cent
of this great pipe line will be merely
buried on the surface of the ground.
the remaining 40 per cent. will be be-
low the general surface. Eleven per
cent. will be through hills and the like
and the remaining % per cent. will be
syphon construction below grade. II
is easy enough to construct an aque
duct so long as it is upon or near the
surface OF the ground. but time after
time this great pipe line must dip far
beneath the surface OF the ground II
search Of bed rock through which Ia
cross some ancient forge of the ESQ
pus. or other glacier faults and assures
in the earth. The problem of getting
across the Hudson River was one Ia
battle most engineers. \ bridge was
thought Of, but this would cost too
much for maintenance. 1t would be
possible to build tunnel through the
river. using shield and compressed air,
but the best plan was 10 find bed rocl.
and construct a huge syphon under the
river bed. Bed rock was found At
Storm King and the wonderful tunnel
through the rock is now almost COM
pleted. Nearly - miles of similar sy
phon occur between the dam and
Yonkers. 6.37 miles being of steel work
and 1899 OF pressure tunnel.
The building Of these great dams
and tunnels is a stupendous undertake
ing requiring the services of thousands
of men and horses. of a multitude ~
machines and enormous power.
Contractors have adopted electric
power whenever practicable because
they find that electric motor drive en-
ables them to quickly move earth,
broken stone, sand cement. water etc.
at a minimum cost. The real saving is
made owing to the fact that the motors
consume power only when in actual
operation They are always ready for
instant use and under perfect and easy
control by laborers of average intelli-
gence. The motors have few wearing
parts, so the cost for repairs is very
small.
General Electric Company motors
are used to drive mining locomotives.
centrifugal pumps, air compressors,
rock drills, shaft hoists, boom HOSTS.
clam shell diggers, concrete mixers,
rock crushers, conveyor belts, screens
and incline hoists.
The electrical energy for these mo-
tors is obtained from Curtis steam
turbine generators, from developed wa
ter power plants and from nearby
power houses