The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-08-09
NO WATER FAMINE Yet.
The Supply Increasing in
the Reservoirs How Trou-
BILE Can be Avoided.

superintendent Brown at the reserv or
N Summit avenue said this morning that
although the water in the two immense
basins under his charge is very low, there
is no fear Of a water famine. The water
stood this morning at IL feet s inches,
which is about nine feet lower thar 1t
should be, the normal depth of the water
yesterday afternoon there has been an in
crease Of three inches, which is attribut-
ed to the stoppage of the high pressure
pump which forces the water to the upper
stories of the houses in that section OF the
Heighths which lies north of the reservoir.
The houses are on ground so much above
the surface of the reservoir that the water
can only reach their upper stories by
means Of the pressure pump.
Yesterday an arrangement was made
with the Hackensack Water Company to
supply this section of the Heights. Con-
nections were made near the city line
with the Hackensack Company's mains
which run down from their reservoir at
West Hoboken, III the water was turned
into the pipes of this high district. To-
morrow Sunday is comparatively a light
day and only little water is used, but
Monday is a day full of apprehension to
the guardian of the precious fluid. 1t Is
looked forward to by him with much
anxiety. AS most of the families do
their washing or that day there is much
waste and the drain on the reservoir is
larger than hat of any other day of the
week. Mr.. Brown, however, expects to
o the three inches he has gained since
yesterday and gain another three inches
tomorrow. If he does that he says he
will be able to hold the increase during
the week and the water will not fall
further without some extraordinary
cause.
THE CAUSE OF THE LOW WATER.
Mr.. Brown says that low water always
occurs in extreme hot or cold weather.
In winter the people let it run to waste in
order to keep it from freezing and in
warm weather they throw it away in
various ways. They let it run to get cool
enough to drink, more Is used for bathing
purposes, the street sprinklers consume q
large quantity and a great deal is used in
watering gardens and lawns. This year
there are in use more water motors than
ever before and each of these consume a
large quantity. Mr.. Brown produced the
daily record which is kept of the depth OF
the water in the reservoirs and it showed
that the water has steadily been growing
less since August !.
The whole trouble was caused, Mr..
Brown said, by the inadequate means OF
getting the water from the pumping sta
ton at Belleville to the reservoirs in this
city. There has been no extraordinary
falling in the Passaic River at Bellevilie
and the tides have remained at ABOUT
their normal height. The station has
had no trouble in getting all the water
from the river it could handle. But the
great difficulty was that it runs out OF
the reservoir faster than it can run in.
The water is pumped from the Passaic at
Belleville into a large reservoir or receiv-
ing basin, which IS thirty feet higher
than the reservoirs in this city, from
which it rum by force of gravity to the
Summit venue distributing reservoirs
through three supply pipes. Two OF
in diameter and n is of cement
twenty inches in diameter. The
latter was the first pipe laid by
the Jersey City Water Department. and
was put down in 1852. 1t Is supposed that
its originally small diameter has been
made still smaller by the sediments and
accommodations Of almost forty wears,
which have attached themselves to the
ement interior of the aqueduct. The
entire difficulty, Mr.. Brown believes,
could be obviated by the building of
another pipe from Belleville to the city.
PASSAIC POLLUTION.
The application for an injunction on
the part of the aqueduct board to re-
strain the city of PasSaic from emptying
sewage into the Passaic River will come
before Special Master in Chancery Wal
ter ]. knight, in the Chancellor's cham
u 4N0 " M OA "a oAA otA0 .
The proceedings will consist Of the tax
ing of testimony to show the nature of
the pollution to which the river is at
present subject, and the danger that will
result in the event of Passaic City being
allowed to run its sewage as at present
contemplated.
Colonel E. L.. Price will appear as coun-
sci for the Board. The Newark Water
Commissioners will be first examined to
show the dependence which this city has
on the present water supply. The results
OF the tests made by Inspectors Mailer
and Lynch and Engineer Gaechsen will
also be reported and placed in testimony.
On Tuesday the plans of the Passaic City
officials will be Investigated. The case
will be continued Until all the testimony
is in.
The nature of the chemical tests has
been kept sec1et so as not to give the
other side any advantage in the cross-ex-
animation of the experts. The only eyi-
dence that can help in obtaining an in
junction must be of the nature of proof
that the matter dumped into the river is
not dissolved or disintegrated by the ac-
ton of the air and water before it reaches
the intake of the Newark and Jersey City
reservoirs. It is on this point that the
case will turn. If Colonel Price is able to
demonstrate by his witnesses that the
sewerage floats to the reservoirs substan-
TALLY unimpaired in its polluting proper
ties, he should not have much difficulty
in proving that the health of Newark and
nrCn ME- Ia nMfArra1 v ~ Ak.n4A