Crossing the Harlem River at an elevation of 120 feet, Croton water was distributed to lower Manhattan by gravity(Keyser). Higher portions of the Island, essentially the area above 135th Street, were excluded from the Croton system(wiki). An Act was passed in 1863 which authorized the creation of a high-service works at High Bridge to supply water to northern Manhattan. The works consisted of a reservoir, two gate-houses, a tower, an engine and boiler house, as well as a wharf and coal shed on the Harlem River to receive coal and power the works. Sited on high ground to the west of High Bridge, the reservoir was 324 feet square and had a storage capacity of 10 million gallons of water(wiki). The engine house, situated on the northern side of High Bridge, pumped water from the aqueduct to the reservoir. The water entered the reservoir through the eastern gatehouse and was dispersed through the western gatehouse.
Works Cited
New York City's High Bridge to Reopen After More Than 40 Years.” Mental Floss, 9 June 2015, mentalfloss.com/article/64854/new-york-citys-high-bridge-reopen-after-more-40-years.
“High Bridge (New York City).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Oct. 2017, en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Bridge_(New_York_City).
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