and Seventh avenues. Acting, however, under the authority of an act of the legislature, passed April 17, 1857, an exchange of property has been made between the Commissioners of the Central Park and this Board. By this exchange, an area, equal in extent to that originally acquired, was laid out in a shape conforming strictly to the existing contour of the ground-the line being run in such a manner as to take advantage of the aids to economy, and excellence of the work, which the natural shape and character of the ground presented. Much rock cutting, and heavy embankment, has been thereby avoided—a saving in cost of nearly two hundred thousand dollars secured, and the reservoir itself, by its shape and location, is made the chief ornament to the Park. When filled, this great storehouse will present the appearance of a beautiful lake and the Board suggest, that an appropriate name, by which it may be distinguished hereafter, would be "The Lake of Manahatta."

The maps of the land thus exchanged, signed by the Commissioners of the Central Park, and the members of this Board, are on file in the offices of the Comptroller, of the Central Park, and of this department respectively.

The ground taken for the reservoir comprises 106.75 acres in area. The water surface will be ninety-six acres in area; and the depth, when full, will be thirty-eight feet. Its total capacity will be 122,035,916 cubic feet, or 1,029,880,145 gallons, New York standard measure.

The scientific examinations and calculations necessarily preliminary to the exchange of land, and to the final preparation of the work for contract, have been, from their commencement, under the more immediate supervision of

George S. Greene, Esq., resident engineer of the work. The specifications have been drawn with extreme care, and in great detail, and, being fully carried out, the work produced cannot but prove perfectly substantial and durable, and adequate, in all respects, to the purposes required.

During the progress of the surveys, and other preparations for putting the main work of the reservoir under contract, a sewer was laid out and built, from near the proposed line of the reservoir in Eighty-sixth street, to the present waste sewer from the Receiving Reservoir, connecting with it at Eightieth street. It is four feet in diameter, and one thousand nine hundred feet long, and is intended as a conduit from the waste weir of the new reservoir, and as a means of drawing off the water therefrom, if required. Owing to circumstances, hereinafter explained, this is the only actual work yet done, toward the construction of the great work so much needed by our city.

All the calculations, plans and specifications for the reservoir being fully completed, the work was advertised for contract, and on the 26th August the proposals were opened according to law, in the presence of the Comptroller of the city, and the Board. As in all other cases where work is let by this Board, those proposals which were not in conformity with the requirements of the ordinance, were rejected as informal, and consequently not to be considered in the award of the contract. One of these informal proposals was put in over the name of Dinsmore, Wood & Co.

Before the Board had acted upon those proposals, which were adjudged to be in legal form, Messrs. Dinsmore, Wood & Co. commenced proceedings at law to enforce the consid

eration of their bid. The next lowest bidders, were Fairchild, Coleman, Walker and Brown, and next above them were John P. and Thomas Cumming.

At about the same time with the suit of Dinsmore, Wood & Co. the Messrs. Cumming instituted proceedings to compel the Board to award the contract to them on the ground that the proposal of Fairchild & Co., was also, by the terms of the law, informal. The claim of Dinsmore, Wood & Co., was adjudicated in the special term of the Supreme Court, and the action of this Board sustained. An appeal was taken to the general term, and since that period all three of the parties claiming, have been heard at the general term of that court, and the action of this Board again sustained. The papers connected with the award, will accordingly be sent to your Honorable Body for confirmation.

Had it not been for the restraint thus placed upon the Board, the construction of the new reservoir would at this time have been in an advanced stage of progress; promising the early completion of a work much required by the city, and giving daily employment to upward of a thousand men. The specification, and form of contract for the reservoir, and the proposals received, are placed, as a matter of reference, in the appendix to this report.

Under the head also, of Croton Aqueduct Extension, the Board have this year commmenced a hydrographic survey of the entire valley of that portion of the Croton river, which lies above the point at which we take its waters, namely, at Croton Dam. The object of this survey is to establish suitable points for storage reservoirs, in which to collect the surplus water in favorable seasons.

When the daily consumption of the city shall exceed the quantity afforded by the river, in seasons of drought, these storage reservoirs will be required to make up the deficit. It is the part of prudent foresight to acquire the sites for these contemplated reservoirs at an early day, even though the actual construction of them should be delayed until called for by necessity.

With this view, the surveys now in progress have been carefully prosecuted, and when completed, will show the entire "water shed" of the Croton river, and that of each of its main tributaries, as well as the character and shape of every locality developed by the examinations as being favorable for the construction of dams, and the preservation, in proper condition, of large bodies of water.

The party engaged on this important work is under the immediate charge of James H. Morley, as engineer. The party went into the field in July, and continued in camp until the 21st December, having made a thorough examination of about two thirds of the whole area to be surveyed.

The party will take the field again, early in the spring, and the entire work will probably be completed before the end of the summer.

The cost, thus far, has been four thousand five hundred and ninety dollars and seventy-four cents.

Water Lipes and Laying.

The expenditures under this head, during the past year amount to ninety-one thousand two hundred and ninetythree dollars and twenty-seven cents.

The particulars of expenditures, and the new lines of pipe laid, may be found in schedules 9 and 17, respectively, of the appendix.

The quantity laid, since the introduction of the Croton water, together with the number of miles put down under the Board, as at present organized, may be found in schedule 18, which also gives the size of each kind now in service.

Income from Water Bents.

The yearly receipts, notwithstanding the depression in the financial world, show a gratifying increase.

The amount received this year is six hundred and ninety-seven thousand three hundred and seventy dollars and fifty-one cents, being an increase over the largest yearly receipts yet known, of twenty-two thousand six hundred and thirty-four dollars and nine cents.

St. Nicholas Hotel.

Reports having been made to this department in 1855, describing, in general terms, the enormous and extraordinary consumption of water by the St. Nicholas Hotel, five metres were in succession affixed to that immense establishment. After they had been in operation eight or nine weeks, the proprietors, or one of them, called at the office on several days, and complained that the operation of the metres limited their supply of water so as to give dissatisfaction to the boarders, on one of these occasions, a gentleman was named, who threatened to remove from the hotel unless he could get more water.