An Excursion Over the Whole Line of the Water Works

image 1image 2image 3image 4image 5image 6image 7image 8image 9image 10image 11image 12cropped image 1

AN EXCURSION OVER THE WHOLE LINE OF THE WATER WORKS.

THE START.

According to programme, quite a numerous party of Brooklyn officials and others went out yesterday over the whole line of the Water Works, extending their tour to Hempstead Pond, 21 miles from Brooklyn. It was an affair of the Common Council, but with invited guests, some gentlemen interested, others employed on the Works, with members of the press, &c., &c. Ald. Walsh¹ and Ald. Walter² had the convoying of the visitors, for whose accommodation carriages had been provided—all hands making a start a little after nine o'clock. Among the party were Ex-Mayor Wall,³and Nicholas Wyckoff,⁴ Daniel Van Voorhies,⁵ Water Commissioners, Mr. Kirkwood, Chief Engineer,⁶ and H. S. Welles, one of the contractors;⁷ also, Samuel E. Johnson,⁸ Ex-Mayor Brush,⁹ Ald. Doherty,¹⁰ and others. All had a pleasant drive through the country, stopping at intervals to glean what we will by-and-by present to the reader—fetching up at least, at the Hempstead (or L. Cornell's) Pond, the furthest extremity.

GENERAL PLAN OF THE WORKS.

The plan of the Brooklyn Water Works has been so often stated, we need briefly mention the few main points necessary to a correct understanding of yesterday's tour. The supply of water comes from Queens county, from seven ponds, large and small, fed by living springs. These ponds are contiguous to each other—the whole seven lying within the area of an enclosure of eight miles. The farthest one east is the Hempstead pond, (or L. Cornell's)—then coming westward toward Brooklyn, half a mile further on, is Pine's Pond—then two miles and a half further on, is P. Cornell's Pond—then a smaller stream a little way to the west of that—then, (about two miles distant from P. Cornell's) is Simonson's Pond—then about a mile nearer Brooklyn, Nostrand's Pond—then still a mile and a half nearer, Baiseley's Pond—which latter is about two miles east of Jamaica,

These ponds are excavated, "mucked" made secure, dammed, and then the water caused to flow by special canals or sluices into a large general canal—which latter commences at the outlet of the Hempstead Pond, extends 7½ miles, and terminates at Baiseley's pond; from which point the water flows, for the remainder of the passage, through a large covered acqueduct to the Well Pump at East New York, and is thence, by powerful machinery, elevated into the great Ridgewood Reservoir. A real triumph of science—and one of the most interesting parts of the whole line. Think of forcing 20,000,000 gallons of water, every day, up to the height of 172 feet into a large basin prepared to receive it there!

Thus, in short terms it is to be stated as follows:

Whole distance of the line of the works....................22 miles

Capacity for supply of water next fall, when the works are ready for use. 20,000,000 gallons.

Capacity which the Works can fulfil in the future....40,000,000 gallons.

For immediate use, there will be, at the Pump Well, at East New York, two engines of enormous power. These supply the $20,000,000 gallons. In order to the supply of the 40,000,000 gallons, two additional engines will be necessary.

THE SEVEN PONDS.

Our limits to-day forbid us from giving the specific details of the Seven Ponds, which furnish the supply of water. We reserve them for future articles, with much that is curious and characteristic about the whole matter.

THE GENERAL OPEN CANAL 7½ MILES LONG, FROM HEMPSTEAD POND TO BAISELEY'S POND.

By the original contract, as it stands, this is to be an uncovered passage-way of earth with sloping banks puddled¹¹ at the sides and bottom, for security. But the pressing question arises whether, if the contract be held to, there will not be imperative reasons, at a very early day, for substituting in place of this canal, a substantial arched aqueduct, of solid masonry.

While the company were standing on the banks of the canal, during yesterday's jaunt, Mr. Welles, at the suggestion of a gentleman present, made some statements on the relative merits of an arched aqueduct, as against those of the open canal, called for by the contract. The latter, he said, although it would answer all the purposes expected of it in the original plans, would certainly have to be given up in a few years. He considered the objections to it as numerous, insurmountable, and permanent, involving the continual liability of caving in, and from strong winds blowing large quantities of dirt, leaves, and refuse stuff into the water; also from the action of severe snow storms and intense cold in the winter. He reiterated the certainty that (for all the canal might do for the present) an aqueduct would have to be constructed.

Ex-Mayor Wall, on the other side, had a few words to say, discursively, in behalf of sticking to the original contract. He seemed to think it would answer all necessary purposes—and he mentioned as almost forbidding a change, the great additional cost of the aqueduct over the canal, namely $640,000.

Upon inquiry among the engineers, we were told that the opinion there is unanimous as to the inefficiency of the canal plan, and the certain necessity, sooner or later, of the arched aqueduct.

We shall have a separate article in a day or two, presenting this question between the canal and arched aqueduct, in fuller shape to our readers.

THE AQUEDUCT.

This is from Baiseley's Pond to the Engine House at East New York, many miles—a very costly and complete work. We are compelled to reserve this in the same manner.

THE PUMP-WELL, ENGINES, AND THE LINE UP TO RESERVOIR.

These are located on the flat ground, near the Long Island Railroad track, in the western quarter of East New York. They are under the charge of Samuel McElroy,¹² some years connected with the Water Supply, and formerly of the U.S. Engineer Corps.

The Engine House which contains the pumping machinery and pump-wells, and is now ready for construction, is (we speak of it in the present tense, but nothing of the structure is up yet) an imposing building, with a centre, 60 feet wide by 84 feet long, about 50 feet high, with wings on each side, 60½ feet long by 45 feet wide, having coal sheds and work shops connected, so as to form a front of 247 feet. It will be built of pressed brick, with elaborate free-stone ornaments, base course and stoop, with an iron cornice and roof, and a cast iron or marble floor. The centre is prepared for four pumping engines (two at present, as before mentioned), the boilers being placed in the wings.

The Pump Well is immediately below the Engine Room floor, and is a massive structure of granite masonry, 87 feet high, with a clean inside area of 50 feet by 10 feet, with 7 feet depth of water way, a gate-chamber, connecting it by four openings with the aqueduct line. Much solicitude was felt by the Engineer in charge, lest the foundation excavations passing 6 feet below tide, should develop a quick-sand bottom, but the question was settled on the 28th by fixing the foundation timbers on a firm gravity base, free from bottom springs. The laying of the granite masonry will commence in a day or two.

The Pumping Engines are now far advanced at the Iron Works of Messrs. Woodruff and Beach, Hartford. The force of their large establishment is employed in this work. All the heavy work, cylinder, steam chests, piston, &c., with the forgings for engine and two boilers, are nearly complete. The engines have 10 feet stroke, with 90 inches bore, double-acting, with pumps of 10 feet stroke and 30 inches bore. Each is required to lift 10,000,000 gallons to the Reservoir in 16 hours, and when working at their regular duty for 24 hours, their proportions are so large that each stroke is allotted 4½ seconds. They are essentially after the Cornish plan in movement, simplicity, and mass, embodying all the advantages of that style, with the important advantages of double-action. The pumps connect with each other, so that one takes the column of water the instant the other completes its stroke, which obviates all losses of momentum. With the enormous air-chamber, and two check-valves on each force-tube, a perfect control is had over the water, and it is expected that a much higher rate of duty will be realised that that of 60,000,000 named as a contract test.

At present the excavation requires the constant service of two small steam engines to keep it free from water so that the men may be able to lay the floor, which, after covering with plank, is to consist of large heavy stone work, some blocks of which are enormous, weighing two tons. One of the engines gave out Wednesday, so that when visited by the excursionists, there was about three feet of water in the wells—as one engine could not keep it clear. But the engine will be repaired and the men resume operations to-day.

The Force Tube Line, which connects the influx gate house of Ridgewood Reservoir with the Engines, is laid with two lines of 36 inch pipe, specially cast for this purpose, of extra thickness, the length of line being 3350 feet. This line has but one curve in its entire length, and is laid without any angles or abrupt deflections. It is provided with two check valves.

We have gone more into particulars with the Engine works, &c., as they form a hitherto untouched part of the history of the works.

THE GREAT DIRECT RESERVOIR AT RIDGEWOOD.

This reservoir, on whose exhaustless contents of 160,000,000 gallons of water, Brooklyn will for ages and ages depend for the distribution-supply of one of the first necessaries of life, is built in two apartments, 20 feet deep, covering a joint water-surface of 26 acres. The grounds include 48 acres. The surface-level of the Reservoir is 169 feet above tide, and 163 feet above the level of the Pump-Well. The location is on the central ridge which divides the Atlantic Water Slope of Long Island, from the Slope into the Sound.

The situation it occupies is one of the most elevated and grand on the island. From it you look off eastward and southward, beholding the cultivated country, the roads, the villages of houses, churches, the Long-Island Railroad, East New York, the Jamaica turnpike, and the clear spread of the waters of the South Bay, the sails of vessels of the Atlantic, and the distant highlands of Neversink.

This grand direct reservoir is very favorably fixed, with reference to the general distribution of water to Brooklyn, as the city is now consolidated out of many separated precincts and wards. The whole basin and grounds will be surrounded with an ornamental fence, and arranged in gravelled roads and walks. The structures consist of a keeper's house in Italian style, an efflux gate house, and an influx gate house—the latter built in masonry with cut stone piers, coping, &c.

Our readers must understand, however, that all these things, at present, make no show—especially the Ridgewood Reservoir. This is yet, to a casual observer, only a double cavity, slanting sides, in process of being "puddled"—altogether in a bare and unfinished state; but will all be completed, and hold water, before next winter.

FUTURE ARTICLES.

Yesterday's jaunt over the whole twenty-two miles line of this improvement has impressed us, in a new and more marked manner, with the vastness, perfect science, inexhaustable supply, unrivalled purity, and general farsightedness of the whole plan, theory and practice of the Brooklyn Water Works. It is evidently one of the grand works of the world, having no superior anywhere, imperfect in no respect but one, and that to be remedied—every thing on a scale fit for the people of one of the principal and most populous cities of America—with, it remains to be added, that exception, the open canal between the Hempstead Pond and Baiseley's. That is the only flaw. But of this, and furthermore, next week.

---