The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1880-06-18
The New Reservoir.

A casual visit to the new reservoir
works, one day this week, revealed the
fact that Messrs. Refill & Dolen, the
contractors, are pushing things there
with vim and energy betokening an
early cosapletion of their part of the job
The work already begins to assume the
proportions and appearance of the huge
basin which is to be, while the outlines
of the banks are already formed, and in
some places built to nearly their full
height. Quite an area is excavated to its
full depth, and an almost incredible
amount of earth has been moved.
Rocks, stumps and boulders, which
have all along INSTRUCTED the speedy
progress of the works are nearly all re-
moved, and the sunburnt knights OF the
pick and shovel will soon have clear sail
ing in unadulterated clay.
The entire work Of excavating is about
twosthirds done, and the contractors ex,
|pect to fnish their work before the frsi
of August.
The site itself is as near natural basin
as is easy to procure, and only needs
comparatively little alteration to make il
complete, but that little requires an inn
mence amount of work, some idea o.
which may be obtained when Il is re,
membered that the whole area is about
three quarters of a mile in circumference
which same has to be environed by q
substantial bank. The average depth Of
the reservoir when completed will be
20 feet, and will hold enough water to
insure full supply to city much larger
than Morristown.
Messrs. Refill & Dolen employ an
average of 10 men every day, while II
excellent young draught horses are used
to cart the dirt from the excavation.
The rank and file of the army of work
men are Italians, and are divided into
gangs of from twelve to twenty, under
the immediate charge of competent fore,
men, who WELD the wand of official su.
perintendence with sternness and rig.
gor worthy a Russian Brigadier.
The Italians all live together in tenn.
porary twosstory shanty, conveniently
located, and board on the cooperative
plan
The culinary department 10 presided
over by stalwart genius, who much re,
sembles veritable Brigand, and loolxi
as though he could hustle together 8
dinner for regiment, and then eat il
himself If they were tardy in coming
He cuts wood, for cooking purposes, witt
a railroad pick, and wrestles with pots
pans and crude implements of camp
lie, with the dignity, if not the grace, o
picsnic caterer. There is no printed
bill OF fare, nor do the boarders observe
that dinner conyentionalism which de,
crees kid gloves and swallow tails.
Each man probably possesses {
name, and perhaps knows what i,
is, but as rule they are designa'
ted by numbers, running from one up.
Italian proper names are not the most
convenient sort Of literature, for Mr., Do,
len, the junior member of the firm, *
grapple with when he wants to commu'
nicate an order, SO he simply calls out
.fifteenl" instead of RocchosSabastiana,
Balladina Fenggillolula, while Roccht
and the rest of it,answers just as prompt
ly as though addressed by his full grown
cognomen.
| The men, as class, are good workers
although they require incessant watching
and supervision, and it is astonishing t.
witness with what accuracy some ofthen
can tell the time of day, without othel
time>pieoe than the sun and theil
knowledge of how to utilize it. Ons
thing they cannot become reconciIed I'd
is the manner in which stumps and rock
are removed. Giant powder cartridges
are used with great success in this re,
speot, and when the powerful little cart,
ridge is placed under q massive whit.
oak stump and the fuse lighted, ther.
is a general rush for the distant woods
When the explosion takes place, stump
stones, dirt and smoke fill the air, ans
the spot where once stood q noble oak
is now only vast hole; and thus th,
work goes on, with iudicious ming
ling Of American brains with Italian
muscle.