Credit left: Library of Congress, right: Jervis Public Library-‐Rome, NY
Drawing and plan for entrance ventilators on the Croton Aqueduct. Ventilators were constructed about one mile apart over the aqueduct in order to allow fresh air into the tunnel. Some had doors to allow maintenance workers to enter. Many still exist on the Aqueduct Trail.
Credit: left, Jervis Public Library, Rome, NY; right, Illustrations of the Croton Aqueduct by F.B. Tower
Isometric drawing for a road culvert on the Croton Aqueduct, left, and an illustration from F.B. Tower’s book showing the same, in addition to a double culvert allowing the Saw Mill River in Yonkers to pass safely beneath the aqueduct where it rests on a high raised embankment.
Credit left: Jervis Public Library, Rome, NY; right, Tom Tarnowsky
Side view and end view plans of a culvert on the Croton Aqueduct shown next to a current photo of the same design, still working as designed after more than 175 years.
Credits left: Jervis Public Library, Rome, NY; right,Library of Congress
Drawings of gates to control water as it moved through 36 inch iron pipes, left, and pipes of various contours and bends allowing some flexibility in routing the pipe work, all designed for the Croton Aqueduct.
Credits: L to R– Historic Hudson Valley, Library of Congress (2), New York City Fire Museum
Workers of the type who built the Croton Aqueduct. Immigrant Irish laborers, surveyors, stone masons and NYC firemen who benefitted greatly in being able to fight fires more effectively.
Credit: Jervis Public Library-‐Rome, NY
A raised bridge to carry the Croton Aqueduct with six road culverts was planned to run from 96st to 101St in a shallow Clendinning Valley near Columbus Ave. Only three road culvert openings were built from 98th St to 100 St. in a neighborhood then lacking any built streets and few inhabitants. By 1870 the raised structure was already in the way of development as NYC grew northward. It was demolished and the water was routed into iron pipes underground.
Credit: Jervis Public Library-‐Rome, NY
The design for the 98th St Clendinning Valley arches meant for horse drawn wagons and pedestrians. The aqueduct delivered water through the standard Croton Aqueduct brick tunnel built above the arches just west of what would become Columbus Ave. as the city grew northward.
Credit: Jervis Public Library-‐Rome, NY
The Croton Aqueduct often crossed valleys where embankments had to be built to keep the tunnel at its normal down hill grade of thirteen inches per mile to keep the water flowing by gravity alone. This drawing of a 40 feet high wall shows one of four heights for rough stone spandrel walls from 10 to 40 feet high upon which the brick tunnel was to be built. Large quantities of rubble and earth were required to encase the construction to protect the structure.
Credits: Jervis Public Library-‐Rome, NY
The letter, above left, was addressed to Chief Engineer John B. Jervis early in 1842 proposing a design for “gun metal” gates for use in various gatehouses of the Croton Aqueduct. The drawn plan at right seems to incorporate most of the elements from the letter for a gatehouse in upper Manhattan. It contains more refined details and measurements.
Credit: Library of Congress
A watercolor rendering shows the gate design paired as it would be required to control the flow from a 36 inch pipe at a gatehouse, this one for the gatehouses at each end of the High Bridge over the Harlem River. Each gate measures 18 inches wide.
Credit: Jervis Public Library-‐Rome, NY
Gate designs incorporated into the Manhattan Valley gatehouse plan where the aqueduct converted to an array of siphon pipes, two gates per 36 inch pipe. The windowed cupola let in sunlight.
Credit: Jervis Public Library, Rome, NY
Drawn plans of design for a Croton Aqueduct gatehouse at the ends of Manhattan Valley between 135St. And 119St. A gatehouse would have been built at both ends, on the high ground between the steep valley where siphon pipes carried the water. The bell mouth structure spread out the water for intake into the siphon pipes. The rectangular gate design appears here too.