{"product_id":"water-for-gotham-a-history","title":"Water for Gotham: A History.","description":"\u003cp\u003eWater for Gotham tells the spirited story of New Yorks evolution as a great city by examining its struggle for that vital and basic element--clean water. Drawing on primary sources  personal narratives  and anecdotes  Gerard Koeppel demonstrates how quickly the shallow wells of Dutch New Amsterdam were overwhelmed  leaving the English and American city beleaguered by filth  epidemics  and fires. This situation changed only when an outside water source was finally secured in 1842--the Croton Aqueduct  a model for urban water supplies in the United States.  As the fertile wilderness enjoyed by the first Europeans in Manhattan vanishes and the magnitude of New Yorks water problem grows  the reader is introduced to the plans of Christopher Colles  builder of the first American steam engine  and of Joseph Browne  the first to call for a mainland water source for this island-city. In this vividly written true-life fable of the \"Fools of Gotham \" the chief obstacle to the aqueduct is the Manhattan Company. Masterminded by Aaron Burr  with the complicity of Alexander Hamilton and other leading New Yorkers  the company was a ruse  serving as the charter for a bank--todays Chase Manhattan. The cholera epidemic of 1832 and the great fire three years later were instrumental in forcing the citys leaders to finally unite and regain New Yorks water rights.  Koeppels account of the developments leading up to the Croton Aqueduct reveals it as a triumph not only of inspired technology but of political will. With over forty archival photographs and drawings  Water for Gotham demonstrates the deep interconnections between natural resource management  urban planning  and civic leadership. As New York today retakes its waterfront and boasts famous tap water  this book is a valuable reminder of how much vision and fortitude are required to make a great city function and thrive.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44964005380149,"sku":"ByrdShop_0691011397","price":49.35,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780691011394.jpg?v=1770444996","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/water-for-gotham-a-history","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}