[Frederic Shonnard & W.W. Spooner (1900)] On the 26th of April, 1837, bids were opened " for furnish-ing the materials and completing the construction of twenty-three sections of the Croton Aqueduct, including the dam in the Croton, the aqueduct bridge over Sing Sing Kill, and the necessary excava-tions and tunneling on the line of about eight and one-half miles from the Croton to Sing Sing village," three years being allowed for the fulfillment of these contracts. Apprehension having been harbored by the citizens of Westchester County that disorder and malicious destruction of property would result from the employ-ment of the thousands of laborers, the contractors were required not to " give or sell any ardent spirits to their workmen," or to permit any such spirits to be given or sold, or even brought, upon the line; and that any trespasses committed by workmen should be punishable by the dismissal of the offenders. The line was divided into four di-visions, the first extending from the Croton ten and one-half miles to below Sing Sing, the second ten miles farther to Hastings, the third ten miles to Fordham Church, and the fourth ten and one-half miles to the distributing reservoir in the city. By the 1st of December, 1837, 2,455 feet of the aqueduct had been completed, and during the next year the whole of the work in West-GENERAL COUNTY HISTORY TO 1842 555 Chester County, thirty-three miles in length, had either been finished or placed under contract.