View of the Jet at Harlem River
After Fayette Bartholomew Tower American
Aquatint by William James Bennett American
Publisher Wiley & Putnam American
Not on view
This 1843 view shows the still rural Harlem River with the Morris-Jumel Mansion high on the Manhattan bank at left and a jet of water associated with New York's new water system playing in the distance. The latter had began to operate in 1842 even though the High Bridge, an aqueduct used to transport water from the Bronx across to Manhattan was still under construction; the flow originated in the Croton River in Westchester. From 1842 to 1850, water crossed the river through a pipe under the river upstream from the bridge, then ascended to Manhattan through an inverted siphon. At the low point, engineers could release the pressurized, gravity-powered flow to create the jet seen here, which could reach 115 feet in height. This print is based on a drawing made by the civil engineer who supervised the project.
