The Water Works
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THE WATER WORKS.
We observe in the N. Y. Courier and Enquirer1 an article on the Brooklyn Water Works, in which the advantages of a conduit over a canal are pointed out, and the Common Council are urged to incur the extra expense recommended by the Commisioners, for the sake of giving the city a perfect work. We are as ready as any one to admit that a conduit is far preferable to a canal, but we trust that the Common Council will not be led on this or any other plea to sanction at the present time any deviation whatever from the original contract. Messrs. Welles & Co.2 have already pledged themselves to build a conduit the whole of the distance except the last seven miles. There was never any intention of having a canal anywhere, except along this small portion of the line. It is believed that the first twelve miles of the work, to Baisely's Pond,3 will bring us a supply adequate to the wants of the city now and for years to come; and the extra seven miles of canal are only believed to be wanted in view of a very large addition being made to the population of the city. Let the contractors complete the reservoir and the conduit to Baisely's Pond; and when this is done, the pipes laid and the larger half of the supply placed in our possession, it will be time enough to hear any suggestions that may be made in regard to deviating from the original plan. To sanction a deviation now would be to give the contractors the whiphand of the city, and it may be afford them a pretext to throw up the work altogether. If the Commissioners believe the whole contract can be executed, it is their duty to see to its execution; but if they are convinced that part of it is impracticable let them accomplish the major part which is practicable. The city will then be better able to judge of what more may be required, and it will feel more confidence in the contractors, when they have guaranteed their good faith by executing the most costly and difficult part of the work.
Notes:
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2. Henry Spalding Welles (1821–1895) was a contractor whose company H. S. Welles & Co. was instrumental in constructing the Brooklyn Water Works. He also contracted railroad lines in both Canada and the United States. [back]
3. Baisley's Pond was a major supply reservoir for the Brooklyn Water Works located in what is today the borough of Queens. It was a former mill pond, named after its owner David Baisley, who had sold it to the local water authorities in 1852. It was also occasionally referred to as Baisley's Pond, Jamaica Pond, or Rider's Pond. For a period in 1857, it housed a team of engineers, including Walt's brother Thomas Jefferson Whitman ("Jeff"). [back]