"No Water for Fountains: Dearth of Water in Tenement Houses in New York--The Limited Watershed." New York Times, Feb 16 1896, p. 23. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times.
Once you've done some searching in books and journal articles, you might also want to look at newspaper articles from the time period. Schaffer Library subscribes to 70 databases with historical newspaper content. If you need help figuring out where to look, please feel free to Ask A Librarian.
Online access to historical issues of Union College's student newspaper.
The NYS Historic Newspapers project provides free online access to a wide range of newspapers chosen to reflect New York's unique history. To search the entire collection, use the Search Tab. Or, click on a county to search or browse geographically.
Newspapers.com (World Collection)
Newspapers.com is an extensive database that provides online access to historical newspapers from nearly 60 locations in the U.S. and worldwide. The World Collection is a prime resource for genealogy and historical content.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: New York Times 1851-2018