762 



WATSON. 



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The largest system in the 1'nited Slates is in New 

 York city, with an estimated population of l.TiKi.iNK) 

 an I daily consumption of I III.IMHI.IMKI rations, and 

 wkh reservoir capacity of 1 "Hi gallons. 



With it.s nr-w nqucdii'-l it will h:i\v a daily supply 

 of .VHI.IHHI.IHKI pnlldiis. The sinallrst NjrttWU is 

 at Drawimlle, N. H., with a pnpul.ilimi of '.) souls. 

 It has .1 pr.ivity supply williout rc^rvoir, and 



the daily consumption is unrestricted in amount. 

 The great cities of New York. Brooklyn, Philadel- 

 phia, and Chicago are contemplating increasing their 

 supply to meet their increasing wants. Philadelphia 

 will wore than double hers within a year, and when 

 the third section of the Hast Park reservoir is com- 

 pleted the storage capacity will be '.MHI.IH HI.IKKI gallons. 

 Chicago has Lake Michigan at its feet, and it is only 

 a question of duplicating its present method or other- 

 wise providing for furnishing an abundant supply. 

 New York has sufficient water for the present in its 

 supply from Crotoii and Bronx rivers, but its aque- 

 ducts are too small and are now licing enlarged and 

 increased. A proposition has been made by .John K. 

 Harriett and associates of New York and New Jersey 

 to furnish New York city, independent of the Cmtoii 

 water shed, an ample quantity of pure and whole- 

 some water from the lake regions of New Jersey. 

 This proposition contemplates supplying Montdair, 

 Newark, Jersey City, and^ surrounding towns in New 

 Jersey, as well as New York city and Brooklyn, the 

 plan being to collect all the available waters in the 

 Passaic water-shed, including tireeiiwood Lake, and 

 storing them in convenient reservoii-s. These waters 

 will then be conducted in pipes or in a permanently 

 constructed aqueduct to the Jersey City shore of the 

 Hudson River ; tunnelling the river, the water will bo 

 delivered in the lower portion of New York city with 

 a head-pressure of at least 300 ft. It will also be 

 conducted across to Brooklyn in the same manner. It 

 is claimed that by this combination plan all interstate 

 questions can be avoided anil riparian rights pn-i 

 and in addition there will be ample quantities pro- 

 vided for all the cities and towns of New .Jersey that 

 are dependent on the I'assaic water ,-hed for their sup- 

 ply. The tunnel from Jersey City to New York is 

 over one-third completed and can be finished in two 

 years. The advantage of a double source of supply 

 for New York city in case of war or serious accident 

 to its present sources requires no argument. 



The water supply of cities and towns, it is now gen- 

 erally believed by sanitarians-, ought to be placed under 

 the supervision of an intelligent board of health and 

 furnished by a responsible company instead of owned 

 and operated by the city. A properly constituted 

 board to watch and investigate the condition of the 

 water from time to time, and a company which could 

 be held responsible for the quality and quantity of tho 

 water famished, would be a great step in securing a 

 wholesome and almndant supply of uncontaminated 

 water. It is claimed that the system which prevails 

 in many of our large cities, whereby the city water- 

 works are made a means for political preferment, in- 

 stead of a source of comfort to its inhabitants 

 becomes a power lor evil almost incalculable, (r. II. 11 ) 

 WATSON. KI.KANAII (I7.'.<- I Ml. 1 ), author and pro- 

 moter of internal improvements, was born at Ply- 

 mouth, Ma, Jan. I'll. IT.'is, ;md apprenticed at i") 

 to a merchant of Providence, 11. I. In 1779 he was 

 sent to Southern ports to purchase cargoes lor Eu- 

 ropean shipment His notes give historically valuable 

 descriptions of Charleston and other towns. In 177'.! 

 he carried despatches to Franklin in France, engaged 

 in business at Havre, and'suffered reverses in ]~*'2. 

 Hi- account id' a 'I'-nii- in Il-iUii.nl in I7>1 was pub- 

 lished at Worcester, Mass., IT'.'O. After -1 years in 

 North Carolina, he settled at Albany in I7M>. and soon 

 after examined the Mohawk valley with reference to a 

 canal, and urged the project upon (Jen. Sclmylcr and 

 the legislature. A }'in</ii-iitinH of Watson's claim to 

 niily for the idea, by It. Troiip. appeared at 

 llenevain IS'Jl. A canal company was incorporated in 

 I7'.I-J. I hough nothing was really done till much later. 

 Watson showed equal energy and public spirit in fur- 

 thering river navigation, routes of land travel, and 

 public education. His home \\a- it \lbany till ISn", 

 then at Pitt-field. Mass . till ISKi. when he rctimiM 

 .to Albany. At both places he founded agricultural 



