Gilpin observer., 1914-01-29
AQuEDucTs OF ROME.
EMPIRE HAD MAGNIFICENT sYs.
TEN OF WATERWoRKs.
Daily Supply for the Ancient City
Was 400 Gallons Per Capita, Much
More Than Used by Any
Modern Community.

WIN It surprise the citizeps Of New
York, In the year 1914, to learn, II
fhey did not know 1t before, that the
Icittsans of Imperial Rome in the year
"a D. 800. or thereabouts. were IA
vored with a supply daily Of some
what over 400 gallons Of water per
capita, ~ against supply daily of
about 100 gallons per capita which is
available at the present writing in
this cityf
Manhattan and the Bronx, with a
Population Of about 100000, receive
daily from the Croton watershed about
1900 900 900 gallons; but Imperial Rome
brought In by aQueduct, chiefly from
the distant hills that encircle the
Campagna. over 400,000,O00 gallons of
water per day-and this, by the way.
is four-fifths of the total supply which
will be led from the Catskill noun
tains to this city, when the new aQue-
duct is completed-and New York, be
1t remembered in respect of its water
supply ranks high among the capital
cities that are the boast of our mod
ern civilization.
The Romans had full appreciation
Of the value Of an abundant supply
Of pure water. as ministering to the
health, the pastimes and the artistic
delight of a city OF 100000 souls.
The Romans Of Imperial days had a
passion for cleanliness Of body. and
the stupendous public baths such as
those of Tra1an Diocletian and Con-
stantine, were capable OF accommo-
dating at one time from 1000 to 5000
bathers.
The water in Rome was the proper
ty Of the crown. and 1t was led to the
private houses by thousands Of pipes,
which ran in every direction and un-
der every street, and were stamped
with the name of the "concessionaire'
to whom 1t was brought from the
nearest crown reservoir.
The Roman was nothing II he was
not artistic. and huge drafts were
made upon the city supply for the
magnificent series of public fountains
which graced the public squares and
plazas, and were to be found casting
forth the mountain waters from every
point Of vantage.
To the engineer and artist alike.
the most attractive feature Of the
water supply Of Rome is the aque-
ducts. the remains Of which. in many
mile Of picturesque ruins. radiate
across the desolate and solitary waste
Of the once fertile Campagna in the
direction Of the distant hills.
OF these aqueducts there were II.
or. II we include the tributaries, IA
in all. Their total length was $50
miles. and Of this 304 miles were be-
low ground and 55 miles were carried
on monumental arcades OF masonry.
much Of which has survived practical
ly intact for upward OF 1000 years.
The answer is that the Romans had
no cast iron or other suitable mate
rial to construct the strong piping
which would have been necessary to
withstand pressures. They we're ac-
quainted with the principles Of the
siphon; indeed they built many not
able specimens.
Let 1t be understood. furthermore.
that the Romans did not merely d.
vert the water from the river beds
into their aqueducts. thereby exposing
the supply to contamination by the
mud and silt Of the river floods. On
the contrary, they thoroughly upder-
stood. and practiced on a grand scale.
the art Of impounding the supply by
means of artificial dams. Also, the
Roman engineers understood all about
tunnel construction; and in one case.
between Tivoli and 8. Gericomio,
tunnel some three miles In length was
driven through the mountain simply
for the conveyance Of the water.
All Of which reads very much like
some Of those descriptions which
were published recently of the great
water supply systems of Los Angeles
and New York-Scientific American.