Journal of Lieutenant Isaac Bangs, April 19, 1776

I spent the greatest part of my Time in viewing the City, which I found vastly surpassing my Expectations. The City is nearly as populous as the Town of Boston; the Publick Edifices greater in number, yet not in general so grand & Magnificent as those of Boston. I found the Town, or City, scituated between two Rivers. The one Runing about North, called the North River, is the same which is navigable up as far as Albany, about Miles; the other River is that which seperateth Long Island from the Continent, and runs Easterly, one part of which is called Hell Gate (very metaphorically so called). In the Town we found every street leading from the Water almost stoped with Breast Works built by Genl Lee on his arrival in this Town, to prevent the Enemy from landing to set fire to the Town. On the South west part of the Town, which is a Point between the two Rivers, is a very strong & costly Fort built by the Kings Troops & many masons men for the Protection of the City from the Enemy.

On the outside of the Fort at the Edge of the wall was a Battery, erected at a vast Expence to the King, built of hewn stone, the outside about ten feet high, the inside filled up to form a plane that the Wall was not more than a foot and a half high. Over this the Cannon were to play; but as so low a wall would not be a sufficient cover for our Men, our People were busily employed in making a Turf Wall upon the stone Wall, & when we arrived had almost finished as compleat a Battery as ever I saw. Several other Fortifications were erected in this Town, which made it tolerably strong & safe against any attacks of the Enemy. From the above mentioned Fort a spacious street running east notherly in a right line, reached without the Town about 1 Mile. In this, near the Fort, is the Equestrian Statue of King George 3d, a Present from himself to this City.¹ The design was in imitation of one of the Roman Emperors on Horseback. The Man George is represented about 1/3 larger than a Natural Man; the Horse, in proportion, both neatly constructed of Lead guilt with Gold, raised on a Pedestral of white Marble, about 15 Feet high, enclosed with a very elegant Fence about 10 feet high, the 2 lower feet Stone, the remainder of open worked Iron; the inclosure was oval, containing about ¼ of an acre of beautifull green. This, with several Churches and other Elegant buildings on either side of the spacious street, form a most beautifull prospect from the Fort. Opposite the Town on the south is the Town of Brooklinn on Long Island, at about 1 Mile distance. The Town of Brooklinn with the adjacent Hills, on which are several elegant Country Seats, (20) I visited, and took a full view of the Waterworks that are making to convey Water through the City (that from the Pumps being very bad & unwholesome to that degree that the Inhabitants buy Water for Coffee, &c. from Carts that are employed to carry it about the City). These Works were began about 12 Months since at the City Expence, to defray which they issued Bills that are current as other Money. A Dutchman undertook the Jobb for a certain sum, & hath already performed the most difficult part of the Work, tho not with that success that was expected by the Citizens, as they say. He saith he hath done as well as he promised. The Work that is already done (the most difficult part) is to convey Water from the side of an Hill nigh a Pond to the top of the Hill, which being higher than any part of the City, the Water is to be conveyed in Pipes through the City. As the Man that attended spoke very broken English & the Machiene was not at Work, it was with great Difficulty that I understood the Construction of the Machiene; & to pretend to give a perticular discription of this Work would be folly in me, as I could by no means do it Justice. The first part of the Work was the Well, about 40 feet Diamiter, and to appearance about 30 feet to the surface of the Water. In this Well was the Engine, which forced the Water almost to the Top, & from thence through a Wooden Tube up to the Top of the Hill, which was about 5 Rods distance and about Feet perpendicular above the Top of the Well. At the Top of the Hill was an artificial Pound, whose superficies was about 4 of an Acre, and when filled, the Water would be about 8 or 10 Feet deep; from hence the Water was to be conveyed (as I before said) in Pipes through the City. All of this I could easily understand; but the grand Question was how was the Machiene in the Well first actuated & continued its motion? This I was surprised to find was wholly done by the Power of Boiling Water.

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¹ I have since been informed it was bought by the subscription of the Gentlemen of this City. - I. B.

SOURCE: Edward Bangs, Edited, Journal of Lieutenant Isaac Bangs, April 1 to July 29, 1776, pp. 24-6