﻿686 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  In 
  regard 
  to 
  Long 
  Island 
  water 
  supplies, 
  they 
  may 
  therefore 
  be 
  

   considered 
  in 
  two 
  lights: 
  (1) 
  There 
  are 
  numerous 
  small 
  brooks, 
  

   originating 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  central 
  ridge, 
  which 
  deliver 
  

   their 
  waters 
  to 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  ocean; 
  and 
  (2) 
  from 
  the 
  shallow 
  

   wells 
  extending 
  into 
  the 
  yellow 
  gravel, 
  already 
  discussed. 
  As 
  to 
  

   the 
  proper 
  place 
  for 
  locating 
  these 
  wells, 
  Professor 
  Crosby 
  con- 
  

   siders 
  that 
  they 
  should 
  be 
  on 
  a 
  line 
  along 
  the 
  south 
  shore 
  far 
  

   enough 
  back 
  from 
  the 
  sea 
  to 
  avoid 
  the 
  indraft 
  of 
  brackish 
  sea- 
  

   water. 
  The 
  inclination 
  of 
  the 
  water-bearing 
  yellow 
  gravel, 
  with 
  

   its 
  impervious 
  floor 
  of 
  blue 
  clay, 
  is 
  from 
  the 
  north 
  towards 
  the 
  

   south. 
  The 
  surface 
  supplies 
  from 
  the 
  brooks 
  are 
  none 
  of 
  them 
  

   very 
  large. 
  On 
  the 
  largest 
  of 
  them 
  gristmills 
  were 
  established 
  at 
  

   an 
  early 
  date, 
  with 
  ponds 
  of 
  from 
  8 
  to 
  40 
  acres 
  of 
  water 
  surface 
  

   and 
  from 
  5 
  to 
  9 
  feet 
  depth 
  of 
  water. 
  These 
  ponds 
  were 
  the 
  

   original 
  water 
  supply 
  of 
  Brooklyn. 
  

  

  The 
  fall 
  at 
  the 
  dams 
  rarely 
  exceeds 
  8 
  feet. 
  The 
  original 
  munic- 
  

   ipal 
  water 
  supply 
  of 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Brooklyn, 
  as 
  constructed 
  about 
  

   1856 
  to 
  1859, 
  had 
  its 
  source 
  in 
  the 
  Hempstead 
  plains, 
  several 
  of 
  

   the 
  large 
  brooks, 
  flowing 
  from 
  the 
  central 
  ridge 
  to 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  

   being 
  appropriated 
  for 
  this 
  purpose. 
  A 
  distributing 
  reservoir 
  was 
  

   established 
  on 
  the 
  central 
  ridge 
  at 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  170 
  feet 
  above 
  

   tide, 
  with 
  the 
  water 
  of 
  the 
  brooks 
  forced 
  thereto 
  by 
  pumping. 
  

   These 
  brooks 
  were 
  all 
  mainly 
  fed 
  by 
  springs 
  delivering 
  directly 
  

   into 
  their 
  ponds 
  and 
  channels. 
  The 
  length 
  of 
  these 
  watercourses 
  

   from 
  where 
  the 
  water 
  was 
  taken 
  to 
  the 
  summer 
  sources 
  rarely 
  

   exceeds 
  4 
  miles. 
  In 
  the 
  original 
  construction 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  these 
  

   ponds 
  were 
  conveyed 
  by 
  small 
  branch 
  conduits 
  to 
  a 
  large 
  main 
  

   conduit 
  extending 
  from 
  the 
  most 
  easterly 
  pond 
  or 
  reservoir 
  to 
  the 
  

   pump 
  well 
  at 
  the 
  engine 
  house, 
  which 
  was 
  located 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  

   the 
  ridge 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  Kidgewood 
  distributing 
  reservoir 
  was- 
  

   situated, 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  the 
  east 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Brooklyn. 
  The 
  

   main 
  conduit 
  was 
  so 
  located 
  that 
  the 
  water 
  flowed 
  to 
  the 
  engine 
  

   house 
  by 
  gravity. 
  The 
  following 
  are 
  the 
  statistics 
  of 
  the 
  six 
  ponds- 
  

   originally 
  taken 
  for 
  the 
  Brooklyn 
  city 
  supply, 
  the 
  minimum 
  

   deliveries 
  here 
  given 
  being 
  as 
  ascertained 
  by 
  measurements 
  dur- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  months 
  of 
  September 
  and 
  October, 
  1856 
  and 
  1857. 
  The 
  

   figures 
  represent 
  the 
  natural 
  delivery 
  of 
  each 
  stream 
  at 
  its 
  lowest 
  

   stage 
  of 
  water, 
  and 
  do 
  not 
  include 
  any 
  encroachment 
  upon 
  the 
  

   stored 
  water 
  which 
  each 
  pond 
  retained, 
  when 
  full. 
  

  

  