In the days before Staten Island had access to city drinking water from upstate, businesses like the Crystal Water Company provided island well water to local residents. In fact, the property that contains the artesian well we visited all the way back on Day 1 once belonged to Crystal Water. I stopped by the well for a drink not too long ago, only to discover that the Marine Corps League, which now owns the property, has closed off public access. I went inside the League's bar to ask what happened; while two patrons glared at me in silence, my conversation with the bartender went something like this:
Me: Hey, how ya doin'? Is the well closed now?It didn't occur to me that a perpetual spring could be a source of much conflict, but apparently some people would get in arguments over having to wait excessive amounts of time while one person filled up multiple containers.
Bartender: [Long pause while he stares at me.] Yep.
Me: Because people were vandalizing it?
Bartender: People were fighting. Insurance company said we had to close it.
Me: Really? What were they fighting about?
Bartender: What do you think they were fighting about? Water.
I think Mark Twain said something along the lines of: “Whiskey’s for drinking, water’s for fighting about”.