The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-05-24
NEW ARK'S WATER WORKS
First Flood Passes Through the Ma
copin Intake Pipes.
specIal 70 The SUNDAY Mornino Ne,os.

Special to the SUNDAY Morning Nesos.
NEWARK. May %. 1881. What with the
progress of work on the reservoirs of the
Pequannock, that are to give Newark a
supply of healthfui water; the obnoxious
habits and caye-like homes OF laborers,
with the shocking cruelty Of the Italians
to domestic animals; neighboring farm
ers in Passaic and Morris counties have
had abundant subjects to gossip about.
Early yesterday morning the first water
to pass through the Macopin intake pipes
did SO in the presence of Mayor Joseph Il.
Haynes, Judge Gottfried Kruger and
Peter Hauck; Italians tried to storm
beer selling suffers shop because he
added two cents bottle to the price of
that maity drink; Judge Kruger and
Mr. Hauck saw Mayor Haynes eaten q
fifteen-pound swapping turtle; a pair OF
oxen rolled heels over head down fifty
foot embankment at Oak Ridge. and the
day before Paterson constable searched
frnitlessly for a gang of Italians who
buried a crippled horse alive.
Contractors and bosses paid little at
tention to the conversational tidbits Just
enumerated, as heavy ralnstorm dur ing
the previous night trebied the ordinary
every loot of roadway, and the top OF the
dam. was morass of gluey mud through
which men, horses, mules and oxen
floundered and frequently mired down.
Teams stalled on all sides and cart horses
fell, and in their struggles In the folds OF
the sticky clay were half buried in the
plaster.
On top Of the dam on each side OF the
concrete core that runs through its centre
from end to end two three-ton grooveu
rollers, used TO pulverize and pack the
earth. were In frightful plight, the mud
being SO stiff and gummy that the barrel
would not revolYe, simply pushing ton
or so of waite r-sodden earth in a bank be-
fore them. Z his hau to be shovelled
away before an other start could be made
to take them to firm ground. Half a
hundred men. horses and oxen were
brought to bear on the mire-tied rollers.
A six horse team and two yokes OF oxen
were hitched to each machine and urged
by tornado OF English and Italian pro-
family the rollers were literally dragged
through the mud, leoying burrows eight
feet long and TWO feet wide behind them.
The number of men az the dams and
intake has been greatly exaggerated and
no additional force was put on this week,
as WIS announced ten days ago Inc
bosses say there are no less than 100 men
at the intake. about 800 at Oak Ridge and
nearly 400 at Clinton. The work is, how
ever, pushed forward with energy and
the bosses say until the cleaning and
GruD Ding me DQttOm anu siuts VI tuc
reser yoirs begin no extra laborers will be
needed; the removal Of this vegetable
matter may begin within q few weeks,
but there is no need TO hurry about the
cleaning up.
OF the three reservoirs the Macopin
is finished; Oak Ridges is one-third done
and Clinton's one-fourth. The dam at
the intake is the most imposing and du-
rable, as it is built of granite blocks inn
bedded in cement, and its pipes We're
tried for the first time yesterday and
worked perfectly; two solid streams Of
clear, cold water, four feet thick. tum-
bled roaring into the reservoir, Mr..
Haynes was delighted, Mr.. Kruger.
was similarly pleased and Mr.. Hauck ex-
pressed surprise at The magnitude of the
works.
The Mayor said to-day that the foun-
dry near Patterson is turning out 700 feet
of pipe daily for the water works, and
the company is laying /, 300 feet daily.
The foundrYmen work day and night.
The workmen will begin at Great Notch,
above Montclair, next week, in the direc-
tion of this city. There are over 1900
men at work on the line.