The Tea Water Pump

The water from the wells in the lower part of the City served well enough for ordinary domestic uses, except drinking, but as we said before was brackish and disagreeable to the taste. Some time during the first half of the 18th century, however, a spring of fresh water on the north side of the present Park Row, between Baxter and Mulberry streets, began to attract popular attention. This spring was probably supplied by the same underground sources that supplied the neighboring Fresh Water or Collect Pond. This water was so desirable for making tea that it became famous in history as the Tea Water Pump. Indeed, it became a regular landmark and has left its impress on the real estate records of that neighborhood. The property described in deeds as the "Tea Water Pump" was a parcel 75 feet by 120 feet on the north side of Chatham Street (Park Row), beginning 28 feet east of Baxter Street. A deed containing a reference to it as the "Tea Water Pump ", is dated June 1, 1795, (liber 170 of deeds, page 7,) and there is another of the same description in liber 169, page 334. The description there is: "Which said three lots, pieces or parcels of ground are known by the name or description of the Tea Water Pump' or the Estate of Gerardus Hardenbrook, Sr., deceased." The same description or a similar one is found in later deeds, among which are those to be found in liber 55, page 395; liber 65, page 102; liber 66, page 454, and liber 68, page 225. The property was afterwards sold in parts. Gerardus Hardenbrook left a will dated 1755 and recorded in liber 33 of wills, page 533. About 1796 William C. Thompson, a grandson, acquired the majority interest and is undoubtedly the Mr. Thompson referred to hereafter and in Valentine's Manual for 1856, page 438. Abraham Shoemaker referred to hereafter and on the same page in Valentine's Manual afterwards acquired at least the central part of the 75 foot tract from Thompson and others. Valentine's authority for designating the property as No. 126 Chatham Street (the old name for Park Row) does not appear. No. 126 Chatham Street as shown in deeds of the middle of the nineteenth century would be east of Mulberry Street. If there was a numbering of the street that would bring No. 126 near Baxter Street, it has not been found. The site of the pump, however, is well established by the deeds referred to.

The first mention of the Tea Water spring is in the diary of Professor Kalm, a learned and observant man who visited the City in 1748. He says:

"There is no good water to be met with in the town itself: but at a little distance there is a large spring of good water, which the inhabitants take for their tea and for the uses of the kitchen. Those, however, who are less delicate on this point make use of the water from the wells in town, though it be very bad. The want of good water lies heavy upon the horses of the strangers that come to this place for they do not like to drink the water from the wells of the town."

was

Shortly before the Revolution the Tea Water spring and its vicinity were made into a fashionable resort at which beverages adulterated with pure water could be obtained. A high pump with a prodigiously long handle-judging from pictures erected over the spring, and the grounds around it were laid out in ornamental fashion and called the Tea Water Pump Garden. The tea water from this source was so popular that not only did people come to the pump for it, but it was delivered around town in carts which looked something like modern sprinkling-wagons without the sprinkler. The distributors of this water were called "tea-water men", and became so numerous and active that on June 16, 1757, the Common Council had to pass "A Law for the Regulating of Tea-water men in the City of New York."

At length, the big pump projecting over the street and the crowd of water-wagons gathered there became so great an obstruction to the street that in 1797 a petition for an abatement of the nuisance was presented to the Common Council. The committee to whom the subject was referred reported as follows:

"The committee on the subject of the petition complaining of the obstruction in Chatham street caused by the Tea Water Pump delivering its water in the street and by the water carts being drawn up across the street when about to receive water, report that they have viewed the premises and find the matters and things set forth in the petitions to be true. That the committee have maturely considered the premises and are of opinion that the said obstruction may be removed at no great expense to Mr. Thompson, the present occupant and part proprietor of the premises, by causing the spout of the said pump to be raised about two feet and by lengthening it so as to deliver the water at the outer

part of the paved walk, which would permit passengers to pass under without inconvenience; and if the water carts were ordered to draw up abreast of the spout near the gutter and receive the water in rotation it would remove the obstruction in the street. The committee recommended also that the sidewalks in that vicinity be paved."

The recommendations of the committee, except that relating to paving, were adopted, the paving being postponed for the time being.

In 1805 Abram Shoemaker petitioned to the Common Council for leave to erect works so as to conduct the water of the late Tea Water Pump into carts in Orange street (now Baxter street) as they formerly took the water from Chatham street, by which inconvenience would be avoided, and the petition was allowed during the pleasure of the Common Council.

It is amusing, in these modern days when the City authorities are concerning themselves with a great aqueduct system capable of delivering 500,000,000 gallons of water a day to the City, to read of the Common Council passing solemn resolutions about the length of the Tea Water Pump spout.

II

THE PRIMITIVE FIRE DEPARTMENT

While the primitive conditions of the water supply just described existed, there was an equally primitive system of fire extinguishing. When one recalls the inflammable character of the earliest buildings in New Amsterdam and the inadequate means for fire protection, it is a wonder that the infant city was not destroyed several times.

During the Dutch regime there were a few stone store-houses; and several brick houses belonging to the more wealthy residents; but most of the buildings were of wood. To add to their inflammability, the roofs of a majority of the early houses were thatched with straw or reeds, and their chimneys were made of wood or of interwoven twigs plastered with clay.

No machine for projecting water upon a fire existed in New Amsterdam. If a fire broke out, a bucket brigade was formed. Men stood in single or double file between the fire and the nearest source of water, and passed buckets filled with water to the scene of the conflagration, sending the empty buckets back by the second line of men if there was a second line.

Twenty-two years after New Amsterdam was settled, the occurrence of fires in two houses, owing to carelessness in the care of fireplaces and chimneys, aroused the authorities to the necessity of organizing means of protection. They therefore ordered on January 23, 1648, that from that time forward no more wooden or platted chimneys should be erected between the "fort and the fresh water," that is to say, between the sites of the present United States Custom House and the Tombs Prison,- and four Fire Wardens were appointed to see that the ordinance was enforced. The fines for violating this ordinance were to be devoted to the purchase of fire ladders, hooks and buckets, to be procured in Holland at the first opportunity. In 1657, the following notice was given:

"Notice is hereby given, that for the purpose of preventing calamities by fire, they long since condemned all flag roofs, wooden or platted chimneys within this City, and to that end they appointed Fire Wardens and Inspectors of Buildings, which ordi

nance has been and is at present neglected by the inhabitants and in consequence thereof several fires have occurred and more are to be apprehended-yes, indeed, to the entire destruction of the City, so that it is necessary to make provision in the case. Το which end, the Director General and Councillors do ordain that all flag roofs, wooden chimneys, hay barracks and hay stacks shall be taken down and removed within four months after the publication of these presents, under the penalty of twenty-five guilders for every month's delay; and this penalty shall be claimed for every house, great or small, with reed roof, hay barrack or hay stack, or wooden chimney within the walls of the city. Henhouses and hog-pens shall be included.”

But the safety of the City was not to be secured by ordinance alone. Fire-extinguishing apparatus was necessary. Therefore, in December, 1657, the Burgomasters and Schepens adopted the following order, reflecting the custom of the old country in that

matter:

Whereas, in all well-regulated cities it is customary that firebuckets, ladders and hooks are in readiness at the corners of the streets and in public houses for time of need, which is the more necessary in this City on account of the small number of stone houses and many that are built of wood; therefore it shall be required immediately that for every house small or large there shall be paid one beaver or eight guilders in seawant,* out of which funds shall be procured from fatherland 100-150 leather fire-buckets; and we shall also have made some fire ladders and fire-hooks. In order to maintain the same in good order, there shall afterwards be a yearly demand of one guilder for every chimney in a house."

It was proposed that instead of sending to Holland for the buckets they be made in the City, and on August 1, 1658, four shoe-makers of the town, an important as well as necessary craft at that time, were requested to meet the authorities and consider the matter. The contract was tendered to Coenraet Ten Eyck, but he declined it. Pieter Van Haalen declared that he had not the materials with which to make the buckets. Reinout Reinoutsen, however, undertook to make 100 buckets and Arian Van Laar 50 buckets between that date and All Saints Day (November 1). The buckets were all to be made of tanned leather in the most complete manner, and for each they were to be paid six

Wampum.