Soaking the poor

摘要

New york's history is richer in villains than heroes. When considerations of personal profit and power have conflicted With those of civic well-being, the citizens have invariably emerged the losers. Nothing illustrates this better than the long struggle to provide Lower Manhattan with a clean and ample supply of water, achieved only after thousands had died from the diseases that thrived in its putrid wells, and acres of property had been destroyed in fires that raged through lack of water to fight them.