Now there were two banks in the city, both of which were under the
control of the party to which Alexander Hamilton belonged. Aaron Burr
determined that his party should have a bank, too. The citizens were
prejudiced against banks, and did not want a new one. But Burr
determined to establish one, and set about it in a most peculiar way.
All at once the report got about that the small-pox had been caused by
the well-water. This was about all there was to drink in the city,
except that which came from a few springs and was said to be very impure
indeed. So Aaron Burr and his friends secured a charter for a company
that was to supply clear, pure water. This pleased the citizens very
much. But there was a clause in the charter to the effect that as all
the money might not be needed for the bringing of water into the city,
that which remained could be used for _any_ purpose the company saw fit.
Only those in the secret understood that the money was to be used to
start a bank. So the company dug deep wells not far from the Collect
Pond, and pumped water from them into a reservoir which was built close
by the Common on Chambers Street, and then sent it through the city by
means of curious wooden pipes. This water was really just as impure as
that which had before been taken from the wells, and it was not long
before the new water-works were known to be a failure. Then the company
gave all their attention to the bank, which had in the meanwhile been
started.

[Illustration: Reservoir of Manhattan Water-Works in Chambers Street.]

This company of Aaron Burr's was called the Manhattan Company, and their
Manhattan Bank has been kept going ever since and is still in existence
in a fine large building in Wall Street.

So you see Aaron Burr this time got the better of Alexander Hamilton and