The first aqueduct for conveying water into the city was begun in 1673, but owing to the limited resources of the municipality and the contention between the Jesuits and the authorities over the wages to be paid the Indians who were employed as laborers, the conduits were not completed until 1723, and even then only through the purchase of slaves by the municipality for this special work. The first aqueduct was composed of open tile conduits laid on masonry foundations and passed down to the present public fountain in Rua das Marrecas, near the English Church, where it terminated for a time, and thence to the present reservoir in Largo da Carioca. The total cost of this work up to the date of opening the Carioca fountain, was 600,000 cruzados, or 240,000$ gold. Owing to bad construction and the open conduits, it was soon found necessary to rebuild much of the work. This was begun under Governor-General Gomes Freire de Andrade about 1744 and was completed in 1750. There are no records in existence showing the cost of this fine piece of work.

The new Rio do Ouro water works are of modern construction and are far more extensive in character. The first general plan: The government finally undertook the execution of the works, which were begun in 1875 by an English contractor on plans furnished by government engineers. The main supply is drawn from two mountain streams in the Serra do Tinguzi, called the Rio do Ouro and Rio Santa Antonio, to which the government is constantly adding supplies drawn from other sources. The main distributing reservoir is located on the Rio do Ouro, 403 feet above the sea level and 33 miles from the main receiving reservoir near the Ponta do Cajti. The water is carried in iron pipes and is distributed throughout the city from four distributing reservoirs on Pedregulho, S. Bento, Santa Thereza and Viuva hills, The minimum daily supply is estimated to be about 8,000,000 gallons, but this will soon be largely increased by the new works which the government proposes to execute.

Probably the oldest public fountain in the city is the one at the head of Rua das Marrecas, which was for a time the terminus of the first