Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1914-11-22
AQuEDUCT OF
 MEXICO CITY
Excellent Water Supply h Capi-
 ta| of Republic.
RANKS AMONG FOREMOST.


 enty-five Gallons of Water Each Day,
 Which Is a Close Second to Amount
 Supplied In New York City.
 With all the wars. pronunicamentos revolutions and disturbances that have torn the internal government of Mex leo since the time the country was first conquered by the Spanish. the gov ernors and citizens of that republic have found time to cultivate the arts of peace and of sanitation. 1t is q fact not generally known that the City of Mexico has a water supply equal to or superior to that of most American cities. In fact. it runs New York city a close second for the quantity ot wa ter supplied it's inhabitants per capita,
 The city of New York consumes 5OO.- 100000 gallons of water every day. or on an average of q little less than 100 gallons person. figuring the popula- tion of this city at more than 5.OOO,OOO The City of Mexico has water supply that furnishes each resident within the city limits with more than seventy-five gallons of water each day.
 The aqueducts that carry the water to the inha bitants of the City of Mex lco could become strategic point in War. but as the city is not entirely de- pendent on outside water supply the nf b., of fb, duct at the lake from which it is taken would only cause discomfort. There are hundreds of artesian wells that add to the supply of the Mexican capital.
 The completion of the New York aqueduct was heralded abroad and has well been called one of the great en- gineering feats of the century. But three centuries ago, or, to give the year. ill 1876. the first aqueduct built under the direction of white men on the American continent was completed. Spanish engineers laid out the work. and it cost millions ill money and thou sands of lives of the Indians who were forced to labor on the works by their Spanish masters.
 This first aqueduct was primarily q necessary work to supply the city with pure drinking water. and under the hands and plans of the Spanarls it also became work of art. It is only and cannot compare with the New York aqueduct in that way. but it has become Tone of the sights for the visi- tor and is a marvel of early engineer ing skill.
 One of the artistic trinmphs of the Mexican capital is the fountain that was built to. commemorate the compile tion of the aqueduct. It was designed by Spanish sculptors and the work was done by Indians under their direction. The stone was taken from quarries ill the hills and hauled to Mexico City by Mexico in those days were the lives of the natives. and hundreds of thou sands of these were sacrificed on the few public works that the conquerors left as their, monuments of the occu- pancy of the country.
 
 have been constructed. The last was completed. under the Diaz regime in 19OO
 The water is obtained from the mountains west of the city. and the greater portion of that used in the City of Mexico comes from the vicinity of Tacubaya, almost suburb of the cap ital.
 The residents of the Mexican capital never have been troubled with an in-l adequate water supply. The difficulty with them always has been to get rid of the water and keep the city we'll drained At one time the City of Mex. ico had the reputation of being the least healthful of the cities of the civil lized world. The death rate amounted to forty persons in every 1000. or about 4 per cent of the inha bitants.
 Since the completion of the drainage canal. which ranks among the engi- neering achievements of modern times. the City of Mexico has become as healthfnl as any city on the continent This canal extends for forty three miles and cost about $3O.000.O00
 In estimating the water supply of the different cities of the world New York Is among those having the great est The City of Mexico is sixth on the list. & ,