Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 01.djvu/269

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AQUEDUCT 217 AQUILEJA The Romans also constructed impor- tant aqueducts for the cities throughout their empire. One of the finest aque- ducts in Europe is the Pont du Gard, built in the 3d or 4th century, or pos- sibly by Agrippa, 19 B. c, at Nimes, in southern France, ^ It is still in a good state of preservation. It is higher than any about Rome itself, being fully 180 feet in height, and the length of its highest arcade is 873 feet. There is an aqueduct in Paris built by Julian in 360 A. D.; pIso a very important aqueduct at Constantinople, built by Hadrian and re- stored by Theodosius. Since 1885 the water has been furnished the city by an aqueduct built by a French company, taking the supply from Lake Derkos. The ruins of an aqueduct exist at May- ence, and of another near Metz, Alsace- Lorraine. There are many other important aque- ducts. One of the most remarkable is that constructed by Louis XIV., in 1684, to convey the waters of the Eure from Point Gouin to Versailles. Troops to the number of 40,000 were employed in this great undertaking. The bridge at Main- tenon, forming part of this aqueduct, even in its incomplete state, is, in point of magnitude, the grandest structure of the kind in the world. The remains con- sist of 47 arches, each 42 feet wide and 83 feet high. The piers are 25 feet 6 inches thick. The first important aqueduct in Eng- land was built in 1613, to conduct the waters of the New river to London, over a distance of 20 miles. Wooden aque- ducts were first used, but were replaced by embankments. Very large works were constructed during nine years, end- ing in 1877, to bring water from Long- dendale, between Sheffield and Manches- ter, to the latter city. In this instance the aqueducts consist for the most part of tunnel and covered conduit, but for 8 miles the water is conveyed in large cast-iron pipes laid along or under the public roads. Before the Longdendale works were finished, the question of a greater supply had to be considered. This led to the adoption of the scheme for bringing water from Lake Thirlmere in Cumberland to Manchester. The length of the line is nearly 100 miles, and the works were carried out in 1885-1894. In Scotland, the Loch Katrine aque- duct supplies Glasgow with water coming from a distant of 42 miles. An aqueduct was built in 1738, conducting water for a distance of about 15 miles into the city of Lisbon. The aqueduct of Caserta was built in 1573, by Vanvitelli, by order of Charles III. and his son, for the pur- pose of supplying the gardens of Caserta with water from Monte Tabumo, a dis- tance of 25 miles. It now conducts the water to Naples and crosses 20 valleys; the last 15 miles the water is carried in iron pipes. The Canal de Marseilles, 57 miles in length, conveys water from the River Durance to Marseilles, and is a magnificent specimen of French engi- neering. The Vienna aqueduct is nearly 60 miles long, and was finished in 1873. There are a number of important aque- ducts in America. For 125 years, the city of Otumba, in Mexico, received its supply of water through the aqueduct of Zempoala, which, however, has not been used since 1700, though the aqueduct is said to be in almost perfect condition. It is 27 miles long. New York is supplied with water from Croton river, which falls into the Hudson above Sing Sing. The first aqueduct was constructed between the years 1837 and 1842, and is 38 miles long. When the conduit reaches the Harlem river, the water is conveyed in iron pipes over a splendid bridge, 150 feet above the river. In October, 1917, New York celebrated the completion of the vast Catskill Aque- duct. The great Ashokan Reservoir, 12 miles west of Kingston, N. Y., receives the waters which supply New York City with from 500 to 600 million additional gallons of water per day. AQUEOUS HUMOR, the limpid watery fluid which fills the space between the cornea and the crystalline lens in the eye. AQUEOUS ROCKS, mechanically formed rocks, composed by matter de- posited by water. Called also sedimen- tary or stratified rocks. AQUIFOLIACE.ffi, a natural order of plants; the holly tribe. The species con- sist of trees and shrubs, and the order includes the common holly (ilex aqui- folium) and the /. paraguayensis, or Paraguayan tea tree. AQUILA (ak-we'la), an episcopal town of Italy, on the Pescara river, near the Apennines, 58 miles N. E. of Rome; is the capital of the prov- ince of Aquila, and is strongly for- tified. It is noted for its manufac- tures of wax, linen, paper, and its trade in saffron. The town suffered muck: injury by earthquakes in 1688, 1703, and 1706. It has a citadel, constructed ir 1534. Emperor Frederick II. built Aquila on or in the vicinity of the an- cient site of Amitemum, about 1240. Pop. about 25,000. AQUILEJA (ak-il-a'ya), AGLAR, or AQUILEIA, an old town of the former Austrian crownland of Gorz and Gra-