Board of Water Supply. Laying water distribution pipes. Cast-iron pipe being lowered into a trench on Brooklyn's Fifth Avenue as streetcars pass. The contractor, F.V. Smith & Son, arranged with the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) to carry out the work in 300-foot sections, with the BRT rerouting streetcars until the pipe was laid and trench refilled. All the trench excavation was done by hand, and excess material was carted off in streetcars. May 23, 1912.

Board of Water Supply. Laying water distribution pipes. Showing sidewalk on the west side of 5th Avenue between 54th Street and 55th Street. Note barricades set by storekeepers to keep dirt off sidewalk. May 25, 1912.