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Show GREAT AQUEDUCT FESTIVAL OPENS Drinking Fountain Which Cost $140,000,000 and Eight Years' Time Accepted. BIG CELEBRATION National, State and City Celebrities Cele-brities Participate in Great New York Event. NEW YORK, Oct 12. A drinking fountain which has cost 140,000,000 in money and eight years of labor will come into tho possession of this city today. It exteifds from the Calskill mountains, 120 miles away, and Is known as the CatBkill aqueduct In celebration of Its official acceptance as a municipal system which will supply sup-ply water to millions of persons, a three day festival is planned which Is expected to rival tho Hudson-Fulton jubilation exercises here in 1909. Because of tho engineering problems which had to be overcome in enabling tho city to draw water from tho Asho-kan Asho-kan dam, 610 feet abovo tide level, the construction of the system has been described as a feat surpassing in accomplishment the building of the Panama canal. It is one of the few great undertakings which have been completed both within contract time and without bolng attended by any labor disturbances. A citizens' commilteo appointed by Mayor John Purroy Mitchel, with George McAnony as chairman, has arranged ar-ranged a program in which national, state and city persons of note will participate. par-ticipate. George B, McClcllan, former mayor and now professor of economic history at Princeton university, will be the guest of honor. It was during his administration that the project was begun. The labor organizations whiqh supplied sup-plied the workers and the board of water supply which directed tho task, together with leading civio bodies, will bo represented. Charles Strauss, president pres-ident of tho board of water supply, will notify Mayor Mitchel of tho completion com-pletion of the aqueduct. Each night the city will bo illuminated. More than 25,000 public school children chil-dren will take part in a pageant called "The Good Olft of Water." This will li i i i -'m -f 1 1 i -, "iii i i i n i iii i i n; i be held tomorrow afternoon in Central park. Tho city has conducted an extensive exten-sive campaign to acquaint children with the Importance of the aqueduct A million pamphlets have been distributed, distrib-uted, and pictures .connected with the construction of tho system aro on exhibit ex-hibit at the schools. Medals will be awarded to the two children In each school who submit tho ablest compositions compo-sitions dealing with the importance of water and methods of obtaining it for the olty. The Catsklll. aqueduct creates four lakes In Its course from the mountains to the city. It burrows under valleys, tunnels through high lands, dives under un-der rivers until It reaches a depth of 1,114 feet below soa level, and bores through the solid rock of Manhattan island. It is twice as long as tho most famous water system of the days of Rome and is three times the length of the Panama canal. The aqueduct will be capable of delivering five billion gallons of water a day. |