Bi-centennial history of Albany. History of the county of Albany, N. Y., from 1609 to 1886. With portraits, biographies and illustrations, Part 116

Author: Howell, George Rogers, 1833-1899; Tenney, Jonathan, 1817-1888
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: New York, W. W. Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1452

USA > New York > Albany County > Albany > Bi-centennial history of Albany. History of the county of Albany, N. Y., from 1609 to 1886. With portraits, biographies and illustrations > Part 116

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

sevoort. Broadway, from Wilson to Livingston avenue is paved with the Weehawken bluestone, the only pavement of that kind in the city.

Albany at the present time has more than forty- eight miles of paved streets, of which about forty miles are paved with cobblestone, and, with the work now in progress, eight miles of granite block. In Washington Park, a little more than a mile of Telford, macadam road has been laid.

In 1813, Albany contained about 11, 000 persons, having more than doubled in population in about fifteen years, while in public and private building, and extent and condition of its streets, it had made even more remarkable progress. In a description of Albany in 1813, published in Spafford's Gaz- etteer, appears the following account of its streets at that date:

"The principal streets of Albany are parallel with the river, except State street, a spacious and central one, that extends from the Hudson to the Capitol. Court street extends from the Ferry, at the southern extremity of the compact part, and near the southern bounds of the city, to State street. It has a large share of population and business. Market street opens opposite to this, and extends from State street to the northern bounds of the city, though continuous, except in name. These streets extend across the city nearly parallel with the Hudson, between which are several streets, less extensive, as Dock street, Quay street, etc., principally occupied with store-houses, shops, etc., the seat of immense commercial business * * * The public square, an open space of liberal extent, spreads a handsome area on the east side of the Capitol; and from the west side of this, Lion street, spacious and level, extends westward in a right line on a commanding plain, to the junction of the Great Western Turnpike." The eastern end of this turnpike, Lion street, now Washington ave- nue, from Lark street, was for a long time known as the Bowery, now Central avenue. It has under- gone many changes. Before the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825, it was the great thorough- fare to and from Western New York. Some of the large store-houses until lately remaining about Townsend Park, attest the commercial character of the street at that time. A continuous line of vehicles crowded its pathway every day. Em- igrants from New England to Central and Western New York usually took this in their route. In the zenith of the prosperity of the street the Erie Canal was built, and the business interests of the street were gone. In 1865 it was paved, much im- proving its character and condition.

"North Pearl street extends north from State street to the northern extremity of the city, just on the brow of the river hill, and next west of Market street. * *

* Of all the principal streets, it is at present the most compact, populous and prob- ably, the most wealthy."

In 1823, the Daily Advertiser, to show the prog- ress the city had made in ten years, had the follow- ing:

"Ten years ago and the now proud and beauti- ful Academic square was a barren clay bank, varie-

511

STREETS OF ALBANY.

gated by an occasional saw-pit or a group of re- clining cows; then the whole of the upper part of Columbia street was a high hill, unoccupied and impassable as a street, and the greater part of Chapel street was, in rainy weather, a complete mud-hole.

"Ten years ago, of the whole row of handsome dwellings now standing on the south side of the Capitol square, only one was erected. Then Dan- iel street did not exist, and the whole south part of Eagle street was a most unpromising ravine.

"Ten years ago and juvenile sports used to shoot snipe and other small game where now the Erie Canal pours its water into the Hudson. Of all that city which has since sprung up in that neighborhood, not a house was then standing; while, in the south pasture, over whose vacant fields the various city regiments used to maneuver, we now see orderly platoons of handsome brick houses and battalions of streets 'dressed' with a beautiful regularity unattainable by their animated predecessors. In short, every quarter of the city: north, south, east-and even the despised west- give tokens of sound and healthy growth."

The part of the hill on the south side of the Fort, and West of South Pearl street, was in 1760 called Gallows Hill. July, 1762, the Common Council sold the land where the gallows stood in acre lots. In the Surveyor's office is a map of this part of Albany, entitled, "New lots laid out on Gallows Hill." The north bounds of the city, at this date, was the south line of Patroon street, now Clinton avenue. Proceeding thence, southerly, we next have Wall street, then Howe street, next Queen street, King street. Prince street, Prideaux street, Quiter street, Wolfe street, Pitt street, at the junc- tion of which with Duke street, now Eagle, was Gallows Hill, where All Saints Cathedral now stands. The above streets ran westerly. The Fort is laid down, with its burying ground immediately north; its walls extended north, nearly to Maiden lane; south, to about the center of State; west, to near Eagle; and east to Lodge street. A cemetery occupied the block between State and Lancaster, and Eagle and Hawk. The streets on the hill running north and south were called Duke, Hawk, Boscawen, Warren and Johnson.

Albany streets have had their names changed frequently, and, it must be admitted, not always for the better. In 1790 the names of several were changed, among them the following : Duke to Eagle, Boscawen to Swan, Warren to Dove, John- son to Lark, Gage to Swallow, now Knox; Sche- nectady to Snipe, now Lexington avenue; Scho- harie to Duck, now Robin. The next parallel street was called Pigeon, now Perry; the next Turkey, now Quail; the next Sparrow, now On- tario. Wall street was changed to Hare, now Orange; Howe to Fox, now Canal; King to Lion, and afterwards to Washington street, now Washing- ton avenue; Prince, west of Eagle, to Deer, now State; Prideaux to Tiger, now Lancaster; Quiter, so called to perpetuate the Indian name of Peter Schuyler, was changed to Buffalo, now Hudson avenue; Wolfe, named after the Hero of Quebec,

was changed to Wolf, afterwards to Lydius, now Madison avenue; Pitt to Otter, then to Westerlo, now Elm; Monckton to Mink, then to West Ferry, now Myrtle avenue.

In 1805, the Common Council, in consequence of the extension and improvement made in some of the streets, changed the name of the following :

Kilby, which from a small alley had then become a spacious street, extending from the Hudson River to Washington street, now South Pearl, to the name of Hamilton; Bone lane, which extended from Hudson River to Green, and was to be extended to South Pearl, to the name of Division; Cow lane, extending from the intersection of Grass lane with Hudson to Ludlow's property adjoining Lydius, to the name of Liberty; Nail, extending from Washington to Eagle, to the name of Lutheran, now Howard; Barrack, extending from State to the north boundary of the city, to the name of Chapel. Since 1805 many other changes have been made in the names of streets. Of those not already mentioned, Capitol has been changed to Park; Mark lane to Exchange; Middle lane to James; Frelinghuysen to Franklin; Dock to Dean; Bass lane to Bleecker; Store lane to Norton; Sand to Lafayette; Van Driessen to Green; South to Gansevoort ; High to Ten Broeck; Macomb to Broad; Embargo alley to Dennison; Whitehall road to Whitehall avenue, now Second avenue; Van Vechten to Third avenue; Delaware Turnpike to Delaware avenue; Elizabeth to Second; John to Third; Van Schaick to Monroe; Lumber to Living- ston avenue; part of Perry to Lake avenue. Of the present streets, Dean acquired its designation from Captain Dean; Montgomery was named after the heroic soldier who fell before Quebec; Steuben obtained its title from that bluff and brave soldier of the Revolution, who aided so much in giving dis- cipline to our army. The chivalrous Lafayette lives in our history by like means. The Dutch Admiral Van Tromp, who swept the sea with his broom, has a street named to his memory, humble though it be in its pretensions.

STREET DEPARTMENT .- From the granting of the Dongan Charter to 1826, the sole charge of open- ing, laying out, repairing and cleaning the streets was vested in the Mayor and Aldermen. At the latter date the office of Street Inspector was created. The duties of this officer were confined to seeing that the ordinances of the Common Council re- lating to streets were carried out, and were some- what similar to those now enjoined upon the Street Commissioner. He receives his appoint- ment from the Common Council.

The laws relating to the superintendency and general supervision of the streets were passed in 1870. Under the provisions of the Charter, the Street Department includes four bureaus : Board of Contract and Apportionment; Bureau of Street Commission; Bureau of Engineering and Survey- ing; and the Bureau of Lamps, Gas and Electric Lights.

The Board of Contract and Apportionment con- sists of the Mayor, the Chamberlain, the Street Com- missioner, the City Engineer and Surveyor, and the

512

HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF ALBANY.

President of the Common Council. This Board, under the direction of the Cominon Council, has, in the language of the City Charter, charge " of the altering, regulating, grading, paving, repaving, flagging, curbing, guttering, cleaning, opening, draining, repairing and lighting of the streets, roads, places, alleys, and avenues; of fencing and filling lots; of building, repairing and lighting docks, wharves and piers; and of the construction and re- paving of public streets, drains, roads, alleys and bridges." This Board issues all proposals, receives all bids, and awards all contracts for the work ordered to be done to the streets by the Common Council. It also apportions and assesses the cost of street and drain improvements. The Board appoints a Clerk, who also acts as Clerk to the Street Commissioner. The present Cleik is Thomas J. Lanahan.

BUREAU OF STREET IMPROVEMENTS has for its chief officers the Street Commissioner, appointed by the Common Council on nominations by the Mayor. The Commissioner appoints two Street Superintendents and one Superintendent of Lamps. The present Commissioner is Owen Golden. Street Superintendents, Lawrence Wetzel and Michael J. Hayden; Superintendent of Lamps, Thomas Powers.

BUREAU OF ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING. - Chief officer, City Engineer and Surveyor, appointed by the Common Council on nominations by the May- or. The Engineer appoints a deputy and two as- sistants, with the approval of the Mayor. The present Engineer is Reuben H. Bingham; Deputy, John J. O'Hara.

BUREAU OF LAMPS, GAS AND ELECTRIC. - The chief officer of this bureau is the Street Commis- sioner, although the Superintendent of Lamps may perform all the duties of the office.

WATER SUPPLY.

One of the most important factors in the health, convenience and comfort of the people of any com- munity, is a sufficiency of pure and wholesome water.

At what precise date the first settlers obtained water from other than the natural sources of the Hudson River, or the springs and small creeks which abounded in this region, we are unable to learn; but that soon after the first year of settle- ment, public and private wells were built, is evident from reference made to their existence in the very earliest documentary records. These public wells were supplied with water, as early as 1670, from a fountain or pond, formed by constructing a dam across a creek, or near the outlet of a spring on the hill adjacent to the present Capitol. Water was conducted from this fountain to the wells by means of wooden spouts.

In 1686 a fire occurred in the city, and in subdu- ing it the water from the public wells, supplied in the manner described, proved of valuable assist- ance. In the city records of August 31 st of this year, appears the following testimony:

"It has been found by experience that the bring- ing of water of the fountains from the hill has not only been of great use to the inhabitants for water, but the only means of quenching the late fire, which otherwise, by all probability, would have destroyed the whole town."

The number and exact locations of the public wells built in early Albany is difficult to determine. In 1695, a well was built in Jonker (now State) street. In 1712, one was constructed in the First Ward, about twelve yards from the east side of the Market-house, and, at the same time, another on the north side of Cross street, opposite the resi- dence of Gysbert Marselis. Two years later, three were built, one in each of the three wards, but the precise locations cannot be learned from the city records.

Besides the public wells, nearly every dwelling had its private well. But even this apparently suf- ficient means of water supply was either inadequate, or of a quality not fit for general use, for evidence is abundant that river water was quite extensively used for culinary and laundry purposes many years prior to the beginning of this century.

The quality of the water obtained from the Al- bany wells a century ago was a matter much dis- cussed and hard to be determined.

One of the earliest writers upon Albany well water was Peter Kalm, a Swedish naturalist, who came to this country in 1748 on a scientific expe- dition from the University of Upsala. In giving a detail of his researches, he thus speaks of the water of Albany:

"The water of several wells in this town was very cool about this time, but had a kind of acid taste which was not very agreeable. On a nearer exam- ination I found an abundance of little insects in it, which were probably monoculi. Their length was different; some were a geometrical line and a half; others two, and others four lines long. They were very narrow, and of a very pale color. The head was blacker and thicker than the other parts of the body, and about the size of a pin's head. The tail was divided into two branches, and each branch termi- nated in a little black globule. When these insects swim, they proceed in crooked or undulated lines, almost like tadpoles. I poured some of this water into a bowl and put near a fourth part of rum in it; the monoculi, instead of being affected with it, swam about as briskly as they had done in the water. This shows that if one makes punch with this water it must be very strong to kill the mo- noculi. I think this water is not very wholesome for people who are not used to it, though the in- habitants of Albany who drink it every day say they do not feel the least inconvenience from it. I have several times been obliged to drink water here, in which I have plainly seen monoculi swimming; but I generally felt the next day something like a pea in my throat, or as if I had a swelling there, and this continued about a week. I felt such swellings this year, both in Albany and other parts. My ser- vant, Yangstroem, likwise got a great pain in his breast, and a sensation as from a swelling after drinking water with monoculi in it; but whether

513

WATER SUPPLY.

these insects occasioned it, or whether it came from some other cause, I cannot ascertain. However, I have always endeavored to do without such water as had monoculi in it. I have found monoculi in very cold water, taken from the deepest wells in different parts of this country. Perhaps many of our diseases arise from water of this kind which we do not sufficiently examine. I have frequently ob- served abundance of minute insects in water which has been remarkable for its clearness. Almost each house in Albany has its well, and the water of which is applied to common use; but for tea, brewing and washing they commonly take the water of the Hudson, which flows close by the town. This water is generally quite muddy, and very warm in summer; and on that account it is kept in cel- lars, in order that the slime may subside, and that the water may cool a little."

In Morse's American Geography, published in 1796, appears the following:

"The well water in this city (Albany) is ex- tremely bad, scarely drinkable by those not accus- tomed to it. It oozes through a stiff blue clay and it imbibes in its passage the fine particles common to that kind of soil. This discolors it, and when exposed any length of time to the air it acquires a disagreeable taste. Indeed all the water for cook- ing is brought from the river, and many families use it to drink. The water in the wells is unwhole- some, being full of little insects, except in size, like those which are frequently seen in stagnated water."

Numerous criticisms, similar to the preceeding, may be found in the writings of many of the tour- ists who visited Albany during the latter part of the eighteenth century. But John Maude, an English- man, made a visit to the United States in 1800; he says, in regard to the impurity of the water in Al- bany:

"As for being obliged to use the dirty water of the river, I will beg leave to observe to Mr. Morse that a very great proportion of the city do not use the river water, whichi said river water is far from being dirty, rather remarkable for its purity, being a pleasant, wholesome beverage. Great part of the city is supplied with water from a well in the main street, but the water is from a pump to the west- ward of the Episcopal Church. It is a water that my palate cannot find fault with, nor my eyes perceive in it those animalcules Kalm speaks of; neither could I discover them in the well water."

Certain it is that no record exists tracing to the use of Albany water any unhealthfulness of its in- habitants, or that it was the cause of any specific disease.

In 1832, cholera was especially prevalent in this city, and many attributed it to the peculiarity of the city well water. Accordingly the Board of Health had the water of fourteen wells examined by Drs. T. Romeyn Beck and Philip Ten Eyck, two reliable and expert physicians, the latter of whom still lives in Albany. They pronounced them all free from any impurities which could be injurious to health,

The first action taken by the Corporation of Al- bany relating to a larger and better water supply, other than public and private wells, occurred in 1794, when an advertisement appeared asking for proposals for supplying the city with water by means of an aqueduct to extend from a spring at the Five-Mile House on the road to Albany. No further reference to this proposed plan is found in the city records.

In 1796 an act was passed by the Legislature to enable the Corporation to supply the city with water by means of conduits, which also failed to be carried out.

The first private individual to undertake the task of supplying the city with water was Benjamin Prescott, who, in 1797, received from Stephen Van Rensselaer a grant of the Maezlandt Kill. Under Mr. Prescott's management a line of wooden logs was laid from the fountain head. But he must have failed to fulfill some part of the contract, for a few years after all his rights in the Maez- landt Kill were transferred by Van Rensselaer to the Water Company.

In 1802 the Albany Water-works Company was incorporated, with a capital of $40,000. The orig- inal Trustees were Stephen Lush, Philip Van Rensselaer and John Tayler. Work was com- menced almost immediately, by laying mains of iron and wooden logs through the principal streets. Water was drawn from the Maezlandt Kill, which continued to be the principal source of supply until 1837, when this stream failed to meet the de- mands made upon it, and another source of supply, the Middle Creek, was procured by the company. In a few years the two streams combined were found to be inadequate. In 1845 a part of the Patroon's Creek was purchased from Mr. Van Rens- selaer by the Water Company. In 1811 this com- pany built a receiving reservoir on the spot now occupied by the High School, which was supplied by an iron main from the Maezlandt Kill. This main is still used, and from it consumers in North Albany, and many upon Broadway, north of Clin- ton avenue, and North Pearl street, from Clinton 'avenue to Columbia, are supplied. This water is, in quality, what is known as very hard.

In 1844 the capital stock of the Albany Water- works Company was increased to $80,000. Dur- ing this same year, a company known as the Al- bany Hydrant Company was incorporated, with John Townsend, John K. Paige, Bradford R. Wood, James D. Wasson, Barnum Whipple, Rufus W. Peckham and Peter Gansevoort as Trustees. The latter company caused extensive surveys to be made, with the purpose of devising a better system of water supply; but beyond this work, nothing of a practical nature was attempted.

For many years preceding the adoption of the present mode of water supply, there had been a growing sentiment among the citizens of Albany that the city should own and control its own sys- tem of water-works. This sentiment culminated in the Corporation submitting a bill to the Legisla- ture, which became a law April 9, 1850, by which the Common Council were empowered to ap-

514

HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF ALBANY.

point five persons to be known as Water Commis- sioners; such Commissioners to consider all mat- ters relative to supplying the city with water, and to report to the Common Council the most feasible plan for the construction of city water-works, not to exceed in cost the sum of $600,000, the amount to which the Common Council was limited. The Water Commissioners appointed under this act were James Stevenson, Erastus Corning, John Townsend, John Taylor and Robert E. Temple.

The Water Commissioners, soon after their ap- pointment, caused examinations to be made of the Hudson, the Patroon's Creek, the Normanskill, and the lakes on the Helderbergs. But finally they settled on a plan which met the approval of the Common Council.

The first of these means of city water supply was carried into effect August 23, 1850, by purchasing all the sources of supply owned by the old Water Company for $150,000. The wooden mains of the old company were in many instances replaced by iron pipes; but the sources and method of ob- taining water-by the gravitation plan-was for a number of years continued in use, the Maezlandt Kill branch being still retained, although the method of obtaining water from the Patroon's Creek and Middle Creek adopted by the old com- pany had been abandoned.

A further source of supply was adopted by the Water Commissioners and carried into effect in 1851. This consisted of a dam being built about six miles westward of the city, where three streams met and formed the Patroon's Creek, thus creating a body of water which has since been known as Rensselaer Lake, covering, when full, forty acres of land, and holding about 200,000,coo gallons of water. This work was successfully completed under the supervision of William J. McAlpine as engineer. From this lake water was conducted through a brick conduit, egg-shaped, four feet high and nearly four miles long, to Bleecker Reservoir, west of Ontario street, capable of holding 30, 000,000 gallons. During this same year (1851) two other res- ervoirs were constructed a short distance this side of West Albany, by dams thrown across Patroon's Creek, and called the Upper and Lower Tivoli Lakes, the upper being for storage and subsiding, and the lower for distribution. These were sup- plied from the water that entered the creek east of Rensselaer Lake. A 24-inch main, about 7,000 feet long, was laid from the lower lake to the inter- section of Van Woert and North Pearl streets, at which point the water enters the distributing mains. Rensselaer Lake supplies, through Bleecker Res- ervoir, all that part of the city west of Pearl; Tivoli Lakes, all east of, and including North Pearl street. This was the system of water supply in use up to 1875, with iron mains running through all of the principal streets east of Bleecker Reservoir.

But meanwhile, as the city grew westward, it was found that a considerable portion of the popula- tion lived above Bleecker Reservoir, and was there- fore without water supply. In addition to this, in consequence of an increased population east of the Bleecker Reservoir, and the necessities of addi-

tional manufactories, Rensselaer and Tivoli Lakes failed to meet the consumption, and, as a result, several water famines occurred.

To remedy these defects, the Water Commission- ers, after careful examinations, aided by chemical analysis, extensive surveys and reports of distin- guished engineers, in 1873 fixed upon the Hudson River as the source of additional supply, as the most exhaustive investigation proved to them that the two principal factors-quantity and quality- were found in this source. Their recommenda- tions were adopted by the Common Council and their plans carried into effect in 1875.

By the system then adopted, water is taken from the river outside the pier, opposite Quackenbush street, where the channel current strikes. In the center of the pier is a well-chamber, 6 feet in di- ameter and 80 feet deep. Into this the water, screened by copper-wire, 100 meshes to the square inch, pours through a culvert below low-water mark. A tunnel, 5 feet in diameter and nearly 900 feet long, extends from this well-chamber, under the basin, to the pumping works, corner of Quackenbush and Montgomery streets. Here are two engines capable of sending up to Bleecker Reservoir, 245 feet above tide, 10,000, 000 gallons of water every twenty-four hours. The force-main through which it goes is 30 inches in diameter, 7,723 feet long, and is laid under Quackenbush street and Clinton avenue. The pumps were first used September 14, 1875.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Bi-centennial history of Albany. History of the county of Albany, N. Y., from 1609 to 1886. With portraits, biographies and illustrations, Part 116

Author: Howell, George Rogers, 1833-1899; Tenney, Jonathan, 1817-1888 Publication date: 1886 Publisher: New York, W. W. Munsell & Co. Number of Pages: 1452

Author: Howell, George Rogers, 1833-1899; Tenney, Jonathan, 1817-1888
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: New York, W. W. Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1452