The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-05-09


no CONNECTION, AS WAS EFFECTED.
The Clinton Falls reservoir viii not be
connected with that at Oak Ridge,
although n connection could easily be
made through the upper part OF the west
arm of the lake. In fact. it will be neces-
sary to build small dam In this arm to
prevent the water seeking an outlet
toward the head OF the Oak Ridge reser-
voir. 1t is the policy of the water COM
pany to keep the reservoirs separate. aud
the water from Clinton Falls will 1nd its
way to the Pequannock through Moss
mau's brook. which enters the river back
OF John z. Browns Hotel, at Newfound-
land. This Is live brook at all seasons
Of the year, and is fed by the surplus
from Hanks, Buckabear and Cedar
ponds, rs well as by several brooks which
have their source in the mountains, five
miles above the falls The watershed
supplying the Clinton Falls reservoir aud
the latter storage pond Will stand a much
longer continuous drain. It is not
as easy to stand on point over
looking the Oak Ridge site and
picture the valley filed with water as it
is to draw the same mental picture at
Clinton Falls, after having driven around
the cleared land on the new road brit by
the water company. at Oak Ridge the
pond formed by the dam will be long
and quite regular oval, while at Clinton
Falls 1t Will wind aronnd among the
WDDutu ulttS anu Will IOiul an tEEtkufaf
and picturesque sheet OF water, where,
doubtless, there was quite a large natural
lake in ages gore by. since the glaciers
left their seams and scars on tie rounded
rock of the valley. The wear OF tine nat-
ural gateway through which the little
stream pours now shows that IL was at
one time a mighty torrent which plunged
down the cleft for unknown ages
DANGER PROVIDED AGAINST.
IL Is not intended that either of the
great dams shall ever break away, but
should they both go at once 1t is not be-
lieved that any great damage would re-
suit, because OF the great width OF the
valleys below and the amount Of meadow
land over which the water would spread
before going through the narrow valley
of the Pequannock between New Found
land aud Pompton-
THE INTAKE RESERVOIR.
Less real work Is apparent at the
Macopin intake dam than anywhere else
along the field OF operations. OF course,
some masonry has been added since the
season closed last Fall, but It does not
make sufficient display 10 impress a
casual yisi or, and the force of men on
hand Is small. The gate house is finished
to the level of the dam and needs only the
superstructure. The setting Of the cop
ing-stones Of the spillway Is going on, and
stonecutters are az work squariBg and
dressing the granite which is being taken
fLom the hillside there, but the main dam
is far from finished. The basin has been
pretty well cleared, and there is little
more to be done in this direction. More
men Will be put npon the mason work
this month. ahd the dam will be finished
as soon as the rest Of the work 1t will be
a model dam when completed. aud the
engineers feel natural pride in the way
the difficulties Of the situation have been
conquered. This portion OF the work Is
one which attracts considerable attention
because it is in plain view Of every body
who drives over the old Deckertown turn
pike or rides on the Susquehanna road,
and IL there was any disposition to make
a display OF activity it would seem that
this would be the spot where workme
would be massed.
Leading out from the gate hou sc OF the
Macopin dam are the only pieces OF cast
iron pipe used In the main work. They
are two massive curved elbows, four feet
in diameter, and firmly planted in the
masonry The steel pipe connects with
one of these, and for some time the other
will be mere waste gate. The dam is
built of massive granite blocks quarried
on the spot and set in hydraulic cement
The stream will be turned SO that the
overflow, instead OF falling in its old bed,
will pour down upon the solid granite,
which runs down the mountain side on
the north side of the narrow valley. The
old course OF the stream was In a narrow
cleft filed With glacial drift TO depth OF
fifty or sixty feet, and this presented
great difficulty to engineers who were
probing for solid foundation.
THE PIPE LINE.
A yellow trail leads down the rugged
valley from the stone dam. 1t makes the
line OF the great steel pipe which has been
covered in the ditch which was cut last
year. The bnH and yellow earth which
has been thrown up in excavatlng the
trench makes scar on the face of nature
which can be traced by the eye as 1t winds
up hill and down dale. through the other
wise undisturbed landscape This un-
slightly seam climbing the mountain side
iars upon the nerves OF the lover OF nat
ure but it will be only season or two
before it is hidden by luxuriant foliage,
and then the presence of the great black
Smiths mills much Of The pipe still lies
above ground waiting to be lowered into
its narrow grave, and there the clang of
the riveters' hammers may be heard in
cessantly for ten hours day, as the pipe
slowly creeps on toward this city. Lay
ing and joining the pipe is an interesting
operation TO the unconcerned observer,
but it is thorn in the side OF the pro-
jecLors of the enterprise. They con-
fidently expected TO put down hundreds
Of feet every day, but the best that they
have done is about eighty feet, and the
average of twenty-five feet on many days.
TROUBLE OVER PART OF THE WORKS.
Joining this pipe is very much like
building a COL tinuous boiler twenty-five
or thirty miles in length, without the ad-
vantages of boiler shop on the ground.
The company began the work and M ade
such poor headway that 1t was concluded
after sharp discussion that 1t would be
advantageous to let the job out on a con-
tract. McKie-nan & Bnrgen of Paterson
took the contract with great confidence
and promised to hustle. bur it is said that
they made poorer headway than the COM
pany did, and after a month or two Of
trial. asked 10 be relieved. 1t was agreed
that this firm should be permitted to
withdraw, ard negotiations are now
under way with Messrs. Gillespie g. Will
cox OF Pittsburg. Meanwhile Mr. Nc
Herman is sticking to the work and wait
ing for his successor to make his appear
ance and relieve him of the heavy respon-
sponsi bilIty.
THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS
The pipe-laying in the mountains is
difficult task in comparison TO what il
Will be when Pompton Plains is reached.
1t was necessary to lay some separate sec
rious of the pipe during the winter at
various points on the line where the Nor
rfs Canal had to be crossed. There were
three OF these places, and one of these
places was In this city. where the canal