﻿714 
  

  

  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  of 
  it 
  are 
  mainly 
  near 
  the 
  southeastern 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  which 
  

   still 
  further 
  limits 
  the 
  probability 
  of 
  water 
  in 
  that 
  portion 
  under 
  

   the 
  terminal 
  moraine. 
  Generally, 
  therefore, 
  the 
  conditions 
  on 
  

   Staten 
  Island 
  are 
  not 
  comparable 
  with 
  those 
  on 
  Long 
  Island. 
  

  

  AS 
  TO 
  THE 
  POSSIBILITY 
  OF 
  PUBLIC 
  WATER 
  SUPPLIES 
  FROM 
  WELLS 
  

   IN 
  THE 
  STATE 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  

  

  Aside 
  from 
  Long 
  Island, 
  there 
  is 
  little 
  probability 
  of 
  satis- 
  

   factory 
  well 
  supplies 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  York. 
  This 
  fact 
  is 
  of 
  

   importance 
  because 
  frequently 
  town 
  authorities 
  who 
  are 
  not 
  

   familiar 
  with 
  water 
  supply 
  engineering, 
  imagine 
  that 
  a 
  satis- 
  

   factory 
  supply 
  can 
  be 
  obtained 
  from 
  wells 
  at 
  small 
  expense. 
  This 
  

   matter 
  was 
  reported 
  upon 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  in 
  considering 
  a 
  ground 
  

   water 
  supply 
  for 
  Lockport 
  in 
  November, 
  1903. 
  The 
  following 
  from 
  

   that 
  report 
  is 
  herewith 
  given 
  : 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  issue 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  edition 
  of 
  the 
  Manual 
  of 
  

   American 
  Waterworks, 
  in 
  1897, 
  there 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  

   York 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  420 
  waterworks 
  of 
  which 
  60 
  were 
  well 
  supplies. 
  

   The 
  writer 
  is 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  familiar 
  with 
  the 
  most 
  of 
  these 
  well 
  

   supplies, 
  and 
  aside 
  from 
  those 
  on 
  Long 
  Island, 
  the 
  statement 
  may 
  

   be 
  made 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  unsatisfactory 
  in 
  quantity 
  — 
  they 
  nearly 
  all 
  

   fail 
  in 
  dry 
  time. 
  They 
  are 
  also 
  unsatisfactory 
  in 
  quality. 
  There 
  

   are 
  a 
  few 
  exceptions 
  to 
  this, 
  but 
  the 
  broad 
  proposition 
  is 
  abun- 
  

   dantly 
  true 
  that 
  well 
  supplies 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  aside 
  

   from 
  those 
  on 
  Long 
  Island, 
  are 
  not 
  satisfactory. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  

   necessary 
  to 
  reinforce 
  the 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  either 
  by 
  taking 
  streams, 
  

   canals, 
  or 
  by 
  other 
  means, 
  with 
  the 
  result 
  that 
  their 
  quality 
  has 
  

   been 
  so 
  far 
  deteriorated 
  as 
  to 
  constitute 
  in 
  many 
  cases 
  a 
  distinct 
  

   menace 
  to 
  the 
  health 
  of 
  the 
  communities 
  using 
  them. 
  

  

  Again, 
  about 
  two-thirds 
  of 
  the 
  well 
  supplies 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  have 
  

   been 
  constructed 
  by 
  private 
  companies, 
  and 
  almost 
  without 
  excep- 
  

   tion 
  the 
  works 
  are 
  constructed 
  as 
  cheaply 
  as 
  possible, 
  to 
  their 
  

   permanent 
  detriment. 
  They 
  have 
  naturally, 
  therefore, 
  adopted 
  a 
  

   well 
  supply 
  wherever 
  possible 
  as 
  being 
  cheaper 
  than 
  surface 
  sup- 
  

   plies. 
  But 
  in 
  making 
  these 
  remarks, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  overlooked 
  

   that 
  on 
  Long 
  Island, 
  where 
  different 
  conditions 
  prevail, 
  satisfac- 
  

   tory 
  well 
  supplies 
  may 
  be 
  obtained 
  at 
  less 
  expense 
  than 
  surface 
  

   supplies. 
  

  

  The 
  peculiarity 
  of 
  wells 
  penetrating 
  the 
  rock 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  State 
  

   is 
  that 
  nearly 
  all 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  either 
  salty 
  or 
  contain 
  sulphureted 
  

   hydrogen 
  or 
  some 
  other 
  objectionable 
  gas. 
  This 
  peculiarity 
  is 
  

   specially 
  marked 
  in 
  the 
  limestones 
  of 
  the 
  Niagara 
  and 
  Clinton 
  

   formations. 
  While 
  sulphureted 
  hydrogen, 
  by 
  itself, 
  in 
  very 
  small 
  

  

  