So far, as the residents of the New York City area
welcomed in the year 1830, there would have been
few complaints about the winter. James Stuart
noted that the streets of Manhattan were so dry it
was necessary to sprinkle them to keep the dust
down. But, downstate or up, New Yorkers are
suspicious of nice winter weather anytime before
mid-April. They were not to be disappointed.
welcomed in the year 1830, there would have been
few complaints about the winter. James Stuart
noted that the streets of Manhattan were so dry it
was necessary to sprinkle them to keep the dust
down. But, downstate or up, New Yorkers are
suspicious of nice winter weather anytime before
mid-April. They were not to be disappointed.
Exactly one month after Christmas the mercury
headed for the cellar. Water transportation was
halted between the city and both Philadelphia
and Albany.
According to Stuart, “. . . all hands were set to
work in order to have the ice-houses filled with
that article which is so indispensable in a warm
climate. The ice-house attached to the boarding-
house where we were living contains thirty tons
of ice; and, as no ice is into an ice-house here
which is not perfectly clean and clear, so that a
lump of it may be put into a glass of water or a
bottle of wine, as much care is necessary in
selecting the ice perfectly pure from the ponds,
as in packing it in the ice-house.” He mentions
that his Hoboken neighbors the Stevenses keep
large supplies of ice both here in New Jersey
and at Albany, for use on their steamboats
during the warmer weather. Northeastern forests
near the big cities are being depleted of wood,
much of it for the bark, which is ground up
by tanneries to produce a tannin-rich liquid for
soaking animal hides, softening them to create
pliable leather. The spent liquid is then put to use
polluting nearby rivers and streams. Man-made
recycling at its worst; at least until new
technologies come along.
Unlike most residents of the area Mr. and Mrs.
Stuart have no ties binding them to the colder
climates. He writes, ”On the 29th January, I set
out on a long-projected expedition to Charlestown,
NewOrleans, the Mississippi and Ohio.” Left
to our own devices after the snowbirds have
flown, we’ll hang around the mouth of the
Hudson and see what’s going on during the
rest of 1830. The Stuarts will return at the
beginning of summer.
Stuart have no ties binding them to the colder
climates. He writes, ”On the 29th January, I set
out on a long-projected expedition to Charlestown,
NewOrleans, the Mississippi and Ohio.” Left
to our own devices after the snowbirds have
flown, we’ll hang around the mouth of the
Hudson and see what’s going on during the
rest of 1830. The Stuarts will return at the
beginning of summer.
Meanwhile, the city’s search for decent water
is ongoing. In April work is completed on a
27-foot high stone tower on 13th Street, built
to contain Philadelphia engineer Thomas
Howe’s iron tank, designed to hold 230,000
gallons of water. A system of twelve-inch iron
pipes will be laid to carry the water under
Broadway and the Bowery to supply three and
a half miles of streets with water, capable of
being pumped sixty feet above street level.
is ongoing. In April work is completed on a
27-foot high stone tower on 13th Street, built
to contain Philadelphia engineer Thomas
Howe’s iron tank, designed to hold 230,000
gallons of water. A system of twelve-inch iron
pipes will be laid to carry the water under
Broadway and the Bowery to supply three and
a half miles of streets with water, capable of
being pumped sixty feet above street level.
Two types of power are at work in this project-
water and political. The Manhattan Company,
a brainchild of Aaron Burr in the late 1790s,
had been formed to bring Bronx River water
downtown. But Burr had a more important
goal in mind, slipping language into the
enabling legislation to turn the entity into a
private bank. Now, in the fall of 1830, State
attorney general Greene C. Bronson will sue
to have the Manhattan Company's charter
dissolved, arguing that the company not
only has no right to be in the banking
business, but also has not fulfilled its main
obligation to deliver drinking water. Company
lawyers will keep this one tied up in the courts
for the next two years. Proponents of alcoholic
abstinence will leap into the fray, citing the
lack of good drinking water as the excuse for
intemperance. The waters will remain muddied
(you should pardon the expression...or not) for
some time to come.
water and political. The Manhattan Company,
a brainchild of Aaron Burr in the late 1790s,
had been formed to bring Bronx River water
downtown. But Burr had a more important
goal in mind, slipping language into the
enabling legislation to turn the entity into a
private bank. Now, in the fall of 1830, State
attorney general Greene C. Bronson will sue
to have the Manhattan Company's charter
dissolved, arguing that the company not
only has no right to be in the banking
business, but also has not fulfilled its main
obligation to deliver drinking water. Company
lawyers will keep this one tied up in the courts
for the next two years. Proponents of alcoholic
abstinence will leap into the fray, citing the
lack of good drinking water as the excuse for
intemperance. The waters will remain muddied
(you should pardon the expression...or not) for
some time to come.
Broadcast on WXXI-FM / Simon Pontin's Salmagundi - April 22, 2006
© 2006 David Minor / Eagles Byte
