Progress of the Brooklyn Reservoir

About This Item

Title: Progress of the Brooklyn Reservoir
Date: 5 June 1858
Creator(s): Walt Whitman
Whitman Archive ID: per.00662
Source: Brooklyn Daily Times, 5 June 1858: 2. Our transcription is based on a digital image of a microfilm scan of the original issue. Microfilm of original issue held at Pennsylvania State University Libraries. For a description of the editorial rationale behind our treatment of the journalism, see our statement of editorial policy.
Editorial note: This piece is unsigned, as was the case for most of Whitman's journalism. However, this editorial is part of a series of texts that deal with a coherent theme that has been identified by the Whitman Archive journalism team as likely authored by Whitman. This decision is based on a combination of historical and (auto)biographical accounts, similarity to contemporary Whitman writings, a history of scholarly attribution, extant clippings retained by Whitman, computational stylometric analysis, and, in some cases, manuscript evidence in Whitman’s hand.
Contributors to digital file: Jeff Hill Conner Lynn Kaylen Michaelis Samantha Gilmore Jason Stacy Stephanie Blalock Karie Cobb
Cite this page: Whitman, Walt. "Progress of the Brooklyn Reservoir." The Walt Whitman Archive. Gen. ed. Matt Cohen, Ed Folsom, & Kenneth M. Price. Accessed 16 July 2024. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
Source File: per.00662.xml (TEI)

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PROGRESS OF THE BROOKLYN RESERVOIR.

As there have been some rumors afloat as to the inefficiency of the construction of the Ridgewood Reservoir and the improbability of getting the water to the city this fall—and wishing to lay before our readers the plain unvarnished truth of the matter, we made a visit a few days since, to see the works, the well pump, and along the line of conduit to Baiseley's Pond¹; and were much pleased to find every thing in a great state of forwardness.

At the Reservoir all looks much the same as when we last reported progress; the (until late,) unusually wet weather having somewhat retarded the work since. As to the solidity of this important part of the Water Supply, Mr. Downing,² the managing Engineer there, assures us that though he has been on a great many public works of this kind, he never saw one where the job was so carefully and thoroughly finished, and so much attention given to the minutest details.

The Reservoir, as our readers have already heard, covers a water surface of 26 acres, separated into two apartments by a strong, artificial wall. Through the centre of this dividing wall is build a "Puddle Wall" (that is a wall of mixed clay and sand in equal parts) six feet wide at the bottom, and gradually narrowing until, where it comes out at the top, it is four feet. At each end of this wall is a chamber with gates, the influx and efflux gates, for the purpose of regulating the flow of water through the pipes city-ward. Around the sides in addition to the walls, which are very thick and substantial, is a lining of puddling completely covering the bottom and sides up to within two feet of the top. Over this is laid a wall of stone not less than one foot, and in many places 20 inches thick. The wall is laid dry, and is intended mainly to protect the puddle coating inside, from the action of the water.

There seems to be no doubt at all of the security and strength of this Reservoir, or of its being completed in time to supply Brooklyn with water during the course of the ensuing fall.

Notes:

1. 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]

2. Likely Daniel Downing (ca. 1812–1884), a Brooklyn engineer. [back]