New-York tribune., 1873-06-20
CITYS GREAT NEED

PURE WATER NOT 10 BE HAD
THE SOURCES OF sUPPLY OPEN To JERSEY CITY,
HoBOKKN, AND NEwARK-PRoBABLE REMoNALof
THE PRESENT soURcE-DISEAsE IN THE WATER.
The tardy and unsatisfactory action Oh the
authorities in Eastern Newersey in relation to the i'm
oront ~ the water simply. has given rise TO in
npmerable rumors many of which simply ridiculous
The facts are bad enough but the nhammatory state
ments put matters in such disagreeable hght that
authentic information possesses peculiar interest
The need OF an ample supply OF good water for domestic
As we'll as for purpose OF reducing premiums on
insurance policies, felt long before any ao-
ton was taken. The first definite action was
taken on March ls 1885, when the Legislature of New
Jersey passed an appointing Edwin A. Stevens Ed
ward Coles Dudley s. Gregory Abraham L. Van Bos-
kerok and John D. Ward, Commissioners, tocOnsttue"
board for the purpose OF supplying HobOken and Jersey
CITY with water Under the direction of this board Sc
res surveys made The first plan proposed was 70
take a supply from pond used by the HewJersey hai
road Company for replenishing their engines H was
situated on the slope Of Bergen Hl In the rail-
road but this plan not discussed because te
greatest supply would amount to more than 2OoOo
gallons daily. The second plan was to dam the hackeh
sack River west OF Jersey City, and extend emoank-
ments across the meadow the high ground on both
sides for the purpose Of preventing the TIDE from now
ing beyond the line OF the dam. As the salt water
would by this means be prevented from minghnS with
the fresh water the dam was supposed that IN
comparativey time the bed Of the river and the
adjoining grounds would be completely drained OF
salt and all other impurities that the water
howng in the river above the dam would
be pure and wholesome, and could be pumped
from an open lateral cut directly luto
distributing reservoir on Bergen Hill. But the plan was
deemed too expensive and also impractcable, as the
water would be tnctured with docaying vegetable mat
ter A.oher plan was to obtain the water from Rock
land Lake in Rockland County, New-YOrk distant SO
miles from Jersey City. The surface Of the lake is l4'
feet above high water in the Hudson River. and It's
extent 30 acres The quality OF the water excel
lent. and would afford gravity supply; but the fact
that the expense would exceed s5OOoo per mile for the
aqueduct and that the lake outside Of the jurisdic
ton of NewJersey deferred the Board from choosing
that source thOug the supply would amount to 100000
GALLONS per day. Another plan TO utilize the ram
fall of the western slope of Bergen H by collecting it
in basins along the foot Of the h as was done for
portion of the supply in the City OF Edinburgh, Scot
land This plan would involve storage reservoirs capa-
bic OF containing halt years supply, and would afford
an uncertain quantity OF impure water at an immense
cost The next plan for taking water from the
Psssaic RIVER above the falls at Paterson. Roswell
L. Colt the President Of the Society for Promoting
Useful Manufactures. offered to furnish from the
upper canal which conducts water to the mills,
much would pass through hole II square feet even
with head Of inches above its center. The plan pro
posed for bringing it 10 Jersey City was to lay line OF
iron pipes from the side OF canal TO the top Of Ber
Piled would be 065OOOOO imperial gallons per day, and
the pipes would have been sc inches diameter with
inclination OF &C inches per mile. The hight OF water at
Paterson is lO6 feet above high tide the Hudson
River and It is l miles from the reservoir. The re-
sewing reservoir would have had elevation Of 725s
FEET above tide or 4742 feet below what deemed
necessary The water would therefore have to be
pumped by a engine from the receiving reservoir
a distributing reservoir. For this supply the So
sey proposed to charge 1900 per annum. The cost OF
iron mains, reservoirs engines right OF way &c. was
deemed too great and this plan abandoned.
Another plan was take a supply from Dundee dam.
below Paterson, but the same objections were urged
against it.
The Morris Canal was then examined as q source.
New-York engineers had previously examined it with
view to securing it for this city but NewJersey would
nOt part with IL. The point proposed from level
which Little Falls the Passaic River TO
Bloomfield The elevation is feet above tide-water
the Hudson River, and would afford gravity supply
with elevation Of $50 feet at the distributing
vor This level Of the canal Is partly supplied with
water which is collected in Greenwood Lake, or Long
Pond flying partly in Passiac County ~ j. and partly
IN Warwick Township, Orange County N Y. The lake
discharges its into RingwOOd River which untes
with the RamapO River, and this soon after unes with
the POmpOn River from which feeder is taken TO the
canal at short distance above Little Falls. The
OF the lake is 1000 acres, and it receives the water
which drains from 2OOO around its borders with
an annual mean precipitation Of 90 inches OF rain and
snow BY raising the dam at the outlet, sufficient
quantity Of might be stored in the lake, during
the wet season. 10 MAINTAIN regular supply to the
mills upon the POmptOn and Passac Rivers and enable
the furnish the required for Hoboken and
Jersey CITY. Settling reservoirs would remove all the
impurities which only held in suspension. Doubts
were entertained the possibility Of procuring a
clear title as the Morris Canal and Banking Company
were only authorized the water for the purpose
OF navigation. The cost Of the work estimated at
to69S96 and after careful consideration it aban
dOned.
PRESENT SYSTEM.
The Board employed william S. Whitwel, formerly
Chief Engineer Of the Eastern Division Of the Boston
Water Works and he examined the several sources,
making a report Dec g. 1851. He favored a new
source which was the adopted and the present
water works built in pursuance Of that report
An open cut. 400 in length made at Beevie,
on the eastern shore OF the Passac River and pumping
works built which forced the water from the river
through rising main 1900 feet long, to reservoir
the hilI known Barbados Neck whence mains were
laid across the meadow, with submerged pipe across
the Haekensack River The distance from the pumps to
the distributing reservoir Is miles 1S5 feet The cost
OF the work was about 10000 T. ~ Horsford, that
time RuInfOrd Professor in Harvard University, made
an analysis OF Passac In october, 1881, which
showed the following the composition OF the inorganic
residue Of the water:
Choie o. Chloride fmsguesium.. 0Os
tsrDouste ........OlS75 Alumina......'....)
Carbonate q oii5 sesquioIde Of ifon.' ooe~