The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-11-30
WORK OF GIANTS,
A Tour of Inspection Over
the Pequannock Water
Shed.
PURIFYING FOR NEW 4 RK
The Huge Pipe Line and Giant
Reservoir---Clinton'
Great Dam.
Picturesque Features Of the Work
and the Region Plenty
of Game.
PURIFYING FOR NEW 4 RK
spscial to the sunday Morning. Ne,cs.

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OAKLAND RIDGE, n. J., Nov. %. $780,
Few people realize the immensely OF tine
work now Ia progress on the new reser-
voir for the Newark water supply. Many
visitors nave been up here the past sum
nler and were much surprised at the nm
dertaking. 1t is quite worth the trip,
which. ii made in the following manner,
is easy. Take the morning train on the
Susuuehanna Railroad to this place.
Here you can take conveyance to the
site OF the dam, which is about a mile
away. The core of the dam is practic-
ally across the valley now, but it is by no
means finished. 1t is to be continued far
into the hillside and down to bed rock.
For this purpose deep excavation Is be-
ing made In the earthen bank. That core
is big thing. 1t Is now about five feet
above the level OF the meadow and it il
eight feet wide at the top. Away down
when 1t is finished it will be fifty feet
high and five feet wide or thick at the
top. 1t is made of Portland cement and
crushed stone laid in their courses and
we'll tamped.
Over one hundred feet north Of the
core wall of loose stone marks the be-
ginning OF the slope we'll The dam on
each side of the central core viii consist
of well packed soil, which is being taken
from the hillside and rolled down. The
whole width of the dam at the top will
be something over fifty feet and at the
base it viii be over two hundred and fifty
feet in thickness. Leading away from
the dam for nearly five miles is huge
trench which, after following the line OF
the stream down nearly to Smiths Mills,
crosses abruptly passes under the rail-
road track and then climbs the mountain.
This is the trench for the huge steel CON
duit, and for over q half mile between
the river crossing and the dam 1t is oec1-
pied by the pipe. much or which Is COW
cred by three feet OF earth. aThile all
along the line of the trench The huge
black tubes lie in great string. ready
to be rolled into the ditch and Joined
together.
The task Of laying four-foot under
ground pipe for wv enty-five miles is u big
one under any circumstances, even though
the whole distance may be q graveliy
plane, but when it comes to laying this
pipe over hill and dale, under rivers and
railroads, through rock cuttings and the
myraid roots of forest trees, it seems APP
palling. The matter Of digging the
trench to put the pipe in as an ordinary
engineering task, no matter what ma
teriai is encountered, and the fact that it
may have to travel over mountain top
on the way Is not appalling, but when it
comes to getting joints of pipe weighing
two tons into these mountain businesses,
it is a matter for study and hard work
The joints OF pipe are made of sheet steel
riyetled together In four sections, and q
length Is slghtlyunder twenty-eight feet.
amp weighs about 4,0e0 pounds. Four of
these JOINTS are lowered on 8 fiat car at
the mil in Paterson. and ten or dozen
lengths are delivered every day at a
freight siding about midway between
cars they are now being transported to
points along the ditch, between the cross
ing of the river above Smiths Mills and
the dam. The contract for delivering the
pipes has been gwen to Miller & Son, of
T aierson. This firm is accustomed to
handling heavy machinery. The elder
Mr. Miller has established stables at But
Ter. and has contracted to deliver the pipe
at any point on the line that IL may be re-
uuired. The Susquehanna Railroad Com.
pany put a switch near Smiths Mills to
facilitate the work OF delivery, and Mr..
Miller bought three heavy trucks with
tires fully six inches In width, and sent
dozen horses TO the Butler stables. A
single length OF pipe is rolled from the
cur upon the axles of Que of these trucks.
and four horses drag it TO the point of de-
livery, two men accompanying each
team and riding on seat placed within
the pipe. which is secured TO the truck
with chains and hickory straining bows.
Thus far the delivery of the pipe has
been an easy matter, because the trench
lies alongside of good road.
Upward of 5000 feet of pipe has been
laid, and the river has been crossed un-
derneath. Between the river crossing
and the dam the work of joining and COW
ering the conduit has been two-thirds
completed. and there is pipe enough on
the ground to finish it. Beyond the river
the pipe passes under the railroad bank
aud ti.en abruptly climbs the hillside.
The end of the pipe now extends beyond
the railroad bang. and the trench is car
RED over the hill. Up TO the edge OF The
river Mr.. MilIer's task has been without
great dilficultys but 1t is hard to UNDER
stand how he will surm0unt the difficult
ties which he Will meet when he tackles
the mountains He chuckles over the
matter aud says that he will .'geL thar
He is about to receive q new truck with
bowed axles. from which che pipe can be
suspended over the trench while the
wheels rest on either side where the
horses will walk. When the pipe is rolled
into the ditch it is treated with the great
est solicitude, to prevent the varnish of
asphaltum being Clipped of, aud while it
lies exposed IT Is covered with sail Cloth,
so that the men VIII not mar IL in tramp
ing over it. Riveting it is an interesting
task, and sixty-fiye men and boys are eni-
ployed upon this detail OF the WORK All
along the ditch little FORCES are placed for
heating the riyets until they glow with
heat
The ends of the pipes are tapped and
temporary bolts hold them together. The
upper half Of the pipe is riveted from the
outside, the rivels being passed down
through a small hole cut in the pipe near
the joint. The boy inside takes the glow
ing rivet In his tongs, and after placing
il Ia one of the holes holds it firmly with
a heavy sledge, the handle OF which is
supported by STRONG hook placed in a
neighboring hole. The boy throws his
weight on the handle of the sEedge and
the powerful leverage holds the head OF
the hammer firmly against the riyet while
the rivefer uses his hammer aud rivet-set
on the outside. On the under side OF the
pipe this operation is reversed, the rivet
being inside and the boy with the sledge
working in the trench and passing the
hot rfvets through the holes from under
meath. The blows CT the hammer can be
heard for half mile along the line of the
pipe. aud while standing upon it il is ina
possible 10 tell whether the workman is
Within ten thousand or one Thousand
feet. The riveters are practical boiler
makers. They board at Smilh's Mills
and Butler aud are under the suucrin-
rendence Of Mr.. Alexander Romaine, of
Newark, while an Inspector OF tho water
company keeps his eye OH the work con-
stantiy.