Court for the Correction of Errors, and many other distinguished persons. A salute of 38 guns was fired upon the occasion by a detachment of artillery, detailed for that service by Gen. Sanford. The "Croton Maid," which arrived soon afterwards at the reservoir, was hailed by the assembled citizens with much enthusiasm, as she afforded indubitable 196 MEMOIR OF THE evidence that a navigable river was flowing into the city, for the use of its inhabitants-. The President of the Board then presented the boat to the Fire Department of the city, (through their chief engineer, C, V. Anderson, Esq.,) with some remarks upon the mag- nitude of the aqueduct through which she had been navigated, and the important results,, pecuniary and moral, which may be expected to flow from the abundance and excellence of the water, with which our citizens are hereafter to be supplied. These remarks were replied to by the Hon. Morris Franklin. The water was retained in that reservoir until the 2d July, when it was allowed to flow into the iron pipes which conduct it to the distributing reservoir. Public notice had been given sometime previous, that it would be admitted into that reservoir on the 4th of July ; invitations were sent to the Mayor and Common Council, and several others, to attend at sunrise in the morning of that day, for the purpose of observing the first entrance of the water. At half past 4 o'clock the order was given to the chief engineer to open the stop-cocks of the influent pipes ", and at a quarter before 5 o'clock, the Croton river was in full flow. Owing to the early hour at which the water first appeared in the reservoir, few persons were present to witness the important event ; but shortly afterwards, the Mayor, several members of the Common Council, and a number of the most respectable inhabi- tants of the city, visited the work, and all expressed themselves highly gratified at the sight of the long-wished-for Croton water, its abundance and purity, and at the almost un- exampled perfection of all parts of the work, as indicated by its performance. A jet which threw the water from forty to fifty feet high had been prepared at 47th street, and was playing at an early hour. This, from its great beauty, attracted much attention ; but on opening the pipes to the reservoir, its height was so much diminished that it was stopped a few hours ; after which it was again allowed to play, and during the remainder of the day, formed one of the principal objects of attraction. At the particular request of the Mayor, who stated that the tanks at 13th street were dry, and the city much exposed if a fire should occur, the water was permitted to flow into the distributing pipes, which have been laid down under the direction of the Com- mon Council. But owing to the unskilful manner in which that work was designed and executed, nearly the whole day passed before the pipes could be sufficiently cleared of air, to allow the water to flow regularly into the lower part of the city. The water has since continued to flow with a depth in the aqueduct of about two feet, and delivering into the receiving reservoir about 12,000,000 imperial gallons per day. No accident has occurred to interrupt its regular performance, and no failure or defect, or indi- cation of either, has been observed in any part of the work after the most careful inspection. In a tone of natural exultation, this report concludes with warm congratulations to the city, on the practical accomplishment of the great and costly work undertaken by it, and looking back to the small beginnings from which this magnificent undertaking sprang, thus recalls the past : Your predecessors in office on the 16th of March, 1829, nailed up and discussed the report of a committee for abolishing the system of public cisterns, and laying down two lines of 12 inch iron pipes, one through Broadway and one through the Bowery ; and placing a tank or reservoir in 13th street, on the pinnacle of a rock there situated. James Palmer was the chairman of the committee, and brought good practical sense as well as an honest reputation to the support of the measure. The plan was fully discussed — was CROTON AQ.UEDUCT. 197 pronounced by some to be visionary, and it was declared by a member then in the city councils, that water enough could not be procured to fill a tea-kettle, much less the tanks and pipes ! ! The reply to that argument was, " Give us the tank and pipes, and we engage to fill them, if we have to carry the water in