WATER FOR NEW YORK.
鸟美国科勒,自治区主席布鲁克n, New York, is vigorously opposing the Catskill source of supply for this city, not so much on account of the cost, although he considers that excessive, or on account of the site, although he thinks better locations can be found, but because, if the city takes care of the water wasted every year in New York and in the Croton watershed, the supply will be ample for from twenty-five to fifty years to come. He quotes expert testimony to the effect that for thirteen years—from 1891 to 1903, inclusive—the average amount of water brought to this city every year was 77,000,000.000 gallons. The amount of water that ran to waste over the old Croton clam during these thirteen years was 81.000,000.000 gallons. The new Croton dam gives an additional storage capacity of 32.000,000.000 gallons, leaving 49.000.000.000 to run to waste over the spillway of the new dam. Two new reservoirs are to he built in the Croton watershed; work has been begun on one. These two reservoirs would take care of the greater part of the waste water, and it is claimed, would save New York from a water famine. According to the Freeman-Barr-Herring commission on the Catskill watershed site, this waste amounts to one-half or two-thirds of the entire amount brought into the city. Foster Crowell, the expert for the Merchants’ association, estimates the daily consumption of water in New York domestic and trade uses at 97.350,000 gallons; for public uses, at 9.733.000; preventable waste. 120.714.000 gallons. G. C. R. Crocs, also, employed by the Merchants’ association, reported to that body. that, if this waste were stopped, “no further additional supply than can he procured from the Croton watershed will he needed in Manhattan before the year 1950.” As the hoard of estimates and apportionment, without waiting for the approval of the State water commission, which must be given before the watershed can be acquired, has appropriated $92,000,000 to initiate the Catskill project. Alderman Meyers has introduced an ordinance concerning the water-waste in the city. It provides for the use of water meters in tenements, apartment houses, flathouses, private dwellings and hotels, lie insists about fifteen per cent, of the water supply of the city is wasted, and believes that the waste can he prevented by installing meters and the city would he saved the $161,000,000 on the proposed Catskill supply. ITis motion was referred to the committee on water supply, gas and electricity. Joseph V. Savage, water register in the bureau of water supply, has been working on a plan of the same kind for two years, and William B. Ellison, commissioner of water supply, has been considering it since he took office. In an interview a year ago, Mr. Savage showed how the city could make several hundred thousand dollars a year by preventing water-waste. Meanwhile Assemblyman Cunningham, of Ulster countv. has in tow a hill, which, if passed, will completely shut New York city out of that county as a source of water supply. The measure is almost exactly like the J. T. Smith bill of 1904. which was passed and signed by Governor Odell. That measure shut the city out of Dutchess county.
The Lowell. Mass., Citizen, commenting editorially on the attention being paid at present to a building which is unsafe in every way. thinks that a like attention “could he well extended to sundry other buildings of like character farther down town which are not necessarily unsafe, except from the conflagration standpoint. What Lowell needs is a series of fires in dangerous locations to show what the trouble is. Fire insurance rates will he much lower in certain localities when the old wooden structures give place to modern fireproof buildings.
