Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume III

104 ENGINEERING WONDERS OF THE WORLD. CROSS RIVER DAM, AS SEEN FROM ABOVE. SPILLWAY ON RIGHT. possible the commencement of effective operations during the season of 1908 had not the contractors, of their own ini- tiative, carried on preliminary work throughout the winter. As it was, the formal notice found them all but ready to instal machinery and begin excavation. As shown on the accom- panying plan below, the great Ashokan Reservoir will be formed by masonry and earth dams across Esopus and Beaver points. So exhaustive, however, was the inquiry into all the circumstances associated with the question, that it was not until early in 1907 that the Olive Bridge site was adopted. So valuable proved the mass of information collected for the official estimate that many would-be contractors made their bids upon it with only the briefest inspection of the site. In all, five bids were received. The contract was awarded on August 31, 1907, to a firm with great experience in similar work, includ- ing the great Wachusett Reservoir at Clinton, Mass., and the Cross River Dam at Kotonah. Kill Creeks, and by dikes closing up low parts of the valley on the east. It will have a length of about Ashokan r Reservoir. 12 miles, an average width of about 1 mile, and a shore line of close upon 40 miles. The maximum depth of water will be 190 feet, and the average depth about 50 feet, the flow line being at an elevation of 590 feet above sea-level. The total available capacity of the reservoir will be about 127,000,000,000 gallons, ample to cover the whole of Manhattan Island to a depth of 28 feet, and furnish Greater New Formal notice, however, to commence operations was not given until the following Feb- ruary. This delay was occa- sioned by an inquiry into the circumstances of the award, following a bitter campaign against the Board of Water Supply and its engineers for not accepting the lowest ten- der, and thereby, as was alleged, causing an extravagant waste of public money. This incident —watched with great interest by engineers and all concerned with municipal work on a large scale—would have made im- MAP OF ASHOKAN RESERVOIR. The area which will be covered by water is dotted. The reservoir will con- tain 127,000,000,000 gallons, and furnish 500,000,000 gallons a day to Greater New York.