CROTON AQUEDUCT AT SING SING.
The whole work about the dam possesses great interest, and though it be distant from the city and somewhat difficult of access, will not fail to please those who may take time to visit it. Just above the place where the dam is constructed the River had a bold turn and flowed along at the foot of a steep and rugged bank. A road passed along at the base of this hill leading to a mill which was situated at the turn of the River, before mentioned; a substitute for this road, which was submerged, has been made along the hill side passing on the right of the gate house. Enough of the forest has been cleared away to admit of the construction of the work, but the place still possesses much of its original wildness, and to see such beautiful mechanical work standing against the rude rocks,—to observe what changes have been wrought in the form of this rock to render it subservient to the purposes of the work, makes us feel that there has been a strife there; but it all shows that art has gained the ascendency.
The form which has been adopted for the face of the extension of the overfall is a reversed or double curve which would be easily recognized as Hogarth’s line of beauty: the overfall for the original dam has a plane face with a curve at the base.
Walks are formed about the work bordered with grass, giving a neatness and finished appearance to the whole; and every thing in connection seems to indicate that the vicinity of the Croton Dam will be one of the resorts in summer seasons for the citizens of New-York. From the Croton Dam the Aqueduct passes along the left side of the valley of the Croton River until at the mouth of this river it reaches the left bank of the Hudson, which it pursues, keeping at a distance of nearly half a mile from the River, until it arrives at the village of Sing-Sing, which is eight miles from the dam. In the course of this distance the Aqueduct passes through four tunnels and encounters many valleys and ravines where high foundation walls were required, and culverts for the passage of the streams.
At the village of Sing-Sing there are two Aqueduct bridges; one over a public road-way, and the other over the Sing-Sing Kill. These bridges and the adjacent work form a very interesting point on the line of Aqueduct.
[Plate XII]. is a view of the Aqueduct at this place: at the left of the picture may be seen the bridge over the road, and on the right that over the Kill. The bridge over the road has a span of 20 feet, and the direction of the road-way being not at right angles with the line of Aqueduct required the arch to be built askew; the arch lies in the direction of the road-way, having the ends in planes parallel with the direction of the Aqueduct. This bridge is worthy of notice, but public attention is more generally directed to the larger one: that has an arch of 88 feet span and a rise of 33 feet; the form of the arch is elliptical, being a compound curve drawn from five different centres, or radius points. The Kill, or valley over which this arch stands, is a deep narrow gorge worn by a small stream which empties into the Hudson River.
The bottom of the ravine is about 70 feet below the soffit or under side of the arch. [Plate XIII]. is another view of the large arch taken from the bottom of the valley near it, and shows the bridge which has been constructed for a public road passing under it, and the mill near by.
XIII
F. B. Tower.