New-York tribune., 1912-03-03
GOWANUS CANAL CLEAN
Pumping Station Sends Foul
Matter Far Out to Sea.

Gowanus Canal is al last almost limpid
stream, No one familiar with It's former
turgid aspect will wonder that 1t has cost
the city 10000 to bring about the change
or that the city will have TO pay about
$4,000 year TO maintain II I'm Its new
state No Brooklynite is likely to consider
the cost too high. for the removal Of the
cdorous contents Of the canal 10 the middle
OF the Atlantic ocean would he worth
while at almost any price. II took good
deal longer 10 achieve the present change
than most changes take in this part OF
the country--a half century
The new plant for cleansing the canal
was accepted by the city on January .
after many tests. and It is not only living
up 10 the specifications. hut has exceeded
them by II per cent. chief Engineer Fort.
Of the Bureau OF Sewers expressed great
sausfactlon Yesterday at the working OF
the system
The canal vas opened In the Civil war
days. II is OF the tidewater variety. about
a mile and n quarter long, extending from
Ru,ler street. near Smith street to Co
,,a,us Raw of 2sth street Though neither
long NOR broad II carries more traffic than
,ranv a good sized river. Canal boats ana
small sailing vessels continually Jam II
FROM, end ~ end. Their burdens are usually
huudirg materials and coal bound 10 or
from the big establishments that inc '''
banks ,.,,.,or
The announcement that Mayor '''
had taken a boat ride on Go"ah"S '"'.
June brought the big improvement nc
was under way TO the geheral a"''''
IT., ,,,o,.c,nert for the construction Oh ulo
ara,roge plant was started years ago
o1ors from the waters drove away many
,a,,,,,tos ~ the better class. ana theH uis
,'.,.,, o.r, brovnstone dwellings passed INTO
A. Ids ~ n different sort OF people
Naturally. property values fell. Nhne
Martin W. Littleton vas Borous"
dent the contract was let TOT the co'S'' ~
,iop of a 12-foot tube, or sewer Iui''''"7
from, the head OF the canal AT pN''
.,raat to the water front. al bes'd"
.,r.a, distance OF one and quarter
ui,es and for a pumping station
mat before the plant was put into opera
,to, tho business men of the city began to
,esr the result OF pumping out the cahai
in,o the bav. They believed that the hlthy
aan,arts would befoul the piers and make
th
sn.e ucsded by the Merchants Association
of New York City they entered their pro-
,osts. Engineer Fort assured them that '"'
pIant would only be operated AT epp lue
about eight hours a day-and that the loice
behind the water would send 1t out INTO
Buttermlik Channel, never to return again
The results have borne out his predlctiohs'
The humping plant is simple mech
anism. according TO Engineer Fort IL
consists OF a turbine. something Ike the
screw OF steamship. in tube. An cleo
tric motor is connected directly with the
turbine shafting. The motor develops f"-
horsepower. and It's efficiency Is 90 per cent.
Each minute that 1t is In operation the
turbine draws from the canal ABOUT "o'VV'
cubic feet OF water. A volume OF water
more than equal to the total contents Oh
the canal is thus pumped out daily 10
operate the plant two mechanics are re-
ouired. When they are not on duty the
nIant Is watched ty an employe.
The water at the head OF the canal Is
NOWADAYS so clean that II can be used for
svabblng the vessels.
Eormer,v a white vessel would require re-
nain,Ing after few hours stay I'm the
prmping station, where even cells could not
make their way and live IN the old days.
THE odors have gone What dirt is still
seen I'm the water comes from the manu-
featuring plants along the canal. 1t can
never be entirely done away with. The
rain water sewers and the drains from the
nearby houses also carry some dirt into the
canal. Where It was necessary to dredge
ont something like 1900 cubic yards OF
sediment annually. the engineers now fig
ure that scarcely a third of that amount
will accumulate annually now.
The effect Of the cleaning OF the canal
and the abolition OF its odors Will soon be
evident In the real estate market. IL Is
thought One thing still remains To be
done. The bulkheads should be replaced
They are decaying and have been patched
I'm some places by property holders. diff
hculty is 10 decide VINO In responsible for
them. The canal was to have seen paid for
by assessments. Half the assessments were
paid and the city met the deficit Now the
city owns storage yards of the Water De-
partment and the Sewer Bureau on the
canal as well as the street ends. The busi-
ness men say that the city should pay the
whole cost of building new bulkheads and
the city considers that IL is only respon-
sible for the bulkheads beside its own prop
erty.
bulkheads will not be replaced for some
time TO come. and then perhaps only In
patches. az the necessity arises. --