The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-02-23

at the head of the reservoir tract, and
here a large force of men are blasting,
digging and hauling to make anew
road higher up ON the hillside to take
the place of the present one which
will be submerged Near the scene
of operations is an old farm house.
which was purchased with the land
by the company 1t is completely
riddled and wrecked by flying stones,
and is fit only for lSindling wood.
Other houses on the site of the res
ervoir will be moved away, but there
are few Of them. In this region the
company was obliged to purchase
whole farms where only part was
wanted, and altogether at least 100
more acres were purchased than were
needed. The tract which will be COW
cred by the reservoir is thinly settled
and is remarkably clear of trees and
underbrush. 1t is mostly bare hill
side, and the axmen have had little
work compared with what might be
expected in this wild country.
THE MEN WHO ARE In CHARGE.
Mr.. T. T. Hoxsey, of Paterson, who
was the agent of the company in
making the extensive purchases, is in
charge of the work at Oak Ridge, and
the company has an office at New
foundland, adjoining the bridge over
the Pequannock. Mr.. Hoxsey was on
the grouys1 yesterday, together with
MIR. Herschel, the chief engineer, and
his active and able assistants, Mr..
Walter N. Sears and Mr.. Reuben
Shirreffs. The engineers Office is
at Paterson, and they visit the
works at frequent intervals Mr..
Clemens Herschel has teken a
house at Montclair, and his time
is divided between the Office in New
York, that of Paterson and the field
of work He knows everything that
is going on and keeps constant SUI
pervision of the work. On his visits
TO the field of work he is accompanied
over the ground by Messrs. Hoxsey,
Sears and Shirreffs. and they usually
take dinner together at the famous
hostelry kept by John 2. Brown at
Newfoundland The hotel is equi-
distant from all three of the reservoirs
contemplated in the great work, and
Mr. Brown will no doubt reap quite a
little harvest as the work progresses.
THE CLINTON FALLS RESERVOIR.
Scarcely anything has been done at
the Clinton Falls reservoir, which is
to be situated two and a half miles
north of Newfoundland, on Moss
mans brook. In the words of one of
the engineers, the building of dam
at this point will be picnic. Ex-
plorations have been made, and it is
found that the dam can be built on a
solid rock in narrow gorge and that
a reservoir over mile in length can
be made above the beautiful falls.
That work will come lase, and it is
probable that the Oak Ridge pond
will be completed before the Clinton
Falls work is begun.
A TRIAL OF ENGINEERS PATIENCE.
Three miles below Newfoundland,
at point few yards below the juno
tion Of Macopin brook with the
Pequannock, the engineers have en-
countered a tough task. Here it Is in
tended locate the intake reservoir
from which the conduit will take the
water The river at this point is a
rushing torrent in a gorge between
two lofty mountains. The bed of the
stream is $50 feet above tide, which
elevation will give sufficient head to
carry the water to Newark with
abundant pressure.
1t is proposed to convert the stream
into small reservoir at this point
and the preliminary work is now
being done. The road which runs
close to the river will be abandoned
and the water company is now COM
plotting a new one high and dry on
the hillside. Timbers have been
thrown across the stream on piIing.
and On these timbers is roughly
built house containing an engine OPP
Grating a diamond drill 4 boiler
house stands short distance from
the drill, and fronting the road is n
blacksmith shop, Toulouse and office.
The drill is operating in the middle
of the river feeling for hardpan or
rock bottom. The gorge is so deep,
however, that this seems to be almost
a hopeless task. In one place the drill
went down fifty-one feet without find
ing ANYTHING harder than boulder
drift, and similar explorations are now
being made in another spot. When
the time comes for building the dam
the river at this point will be diverted
several times, and finally will flow
over the dam on the hard rock where
the road now is. The work at the
Macopin intake is in charge of Mr..
Paul Hurlbut, and he now has twenty
five or thirty men employed
MORE SURVEYING.
Below Macopin intake ''the woods
are full of surveyors and engineers
Laying out the line for the pipes. This
line viii go over the broad range of
mountains and strike directly across
Pompton Plains to point where the
Orange mountains will be crossed.
There are many difficulties in the way
of the pipe between the intake and
Pompton Plains, but after reaching
the plains it will be plain sailing for
eight or ten miles over level ground.
PROSPECTS OF THE WORK.
Not a great deal of tangible work
will be in sight before next fall, when
the reservoirs will assume shape.
Meanwhile the engineers will go on
laying out lines, excayating, road
making and blasting rocks. In the
summer Of 1891 the reservoirs will be
well worth visiting The new roads
which the company has built parallel
with the sides of the basin at Oak
Ridge and across its upper end will
make a fine drive, and the lake will
ultimately be favorite resort for the
a H.. I'll.