The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-12-22
Seems to Bother Officials
as Well as the
Public.
MYSTERY AS AN ELEMENT.
The Only Thing That Seems Ger
tain is That Contracts Have
Not Been Carried Out
Filth as Bad as Sewage.
snecia, to the .Jersev city Mems.

Special to the Jersey City NelCs.
NEWARK. Dec % 189l.-There seems to
be some trouble about the condition of
Newark's water works. There is good
deal of mystery connected with the sub.
ject, but the trouble exists, nevertheless,
and it is said that the Board of Public
Works and its officials are dividing the
solution of the puzzle with the public.
The East Jersey Water Company has not
deigned to answer questions submitted
by the Board, and the Engineers report
shows state of affairs which leaves con-
siderable guessing to be done in regard to
the intention of the Water Supply Com
pany.
One of the Commissioners says that it
may be necessary yet to go to law to COM
pei the company to fulfill the letter of the
contract, but that meanwhile an effort
or several efforts are being made to get
an expression from the company. The
first communication from the Board may
have fallen into the hands of some inter-
ested person, who may have miscalculated
the cost of the work, and who may have
said nothing to his superiors about it,
but since then another letter has been
addressed to the President of the East
Jersey Water Company aud an answer
is anxiously awaited. The letters both
ask whether the company intends to re-
move the vegetation from the flooded
tract, and what Is to be done about the
shallow spots which the contract says
must be covered with eight feet of water.
EvADED QUESTIONS.
1t may be said here that whenever any
question has been addressed to an en-
ploye of the East Jersey Water Company
in regard to the removal of vegetation
the question has been evaded. whether
the questioner was u city official or a
newspaper man who asked. 1t is appar-
ent to the most casual observer that the
company never contemplated removing
ter of shallow fowage was not ex-
pected to make any trouble.
When the dams were ompleted the COM
pany Withdrew its men and allowed the
water to accumulate without attempt
ing 10 remove the filth of old barn yards,
the bogs and turf, or even the accumula-
tions left behind by the army of negli-
gent Italian workmen. The etumps were
blown ont with dynamite and the under
brush was cut off. Then both were
burned on the spot, but did the Water
Company ever intend to do any more
than this? 1t is extremely doubtful. for
ii such had been the intention, the six or
eight weeks of good working weather
would not have been allowed to slip
away, nor would twenty-seyen feet Of
in the Oak Ridge basin.
In the summer months the Pequannock
water shed is seldom equal to demand
of twenty-five or fifty million gallons Of
water per day, and it is generally under
stood that it was the object of The COM
pany to store up the overplus from spring
freshets to make provisions for the sum-
mer drought. If this is true it seems i'm
probable that the water now accumu-
lated was intended to escape and that the
company proposed to waste the spring
months of water harvest in preparing the
ground to comply with the terms of the
contract.
MUCH TINE WASTED.
This is perhaps what DR.. Hendry meant
when he said that he doubted that the
supply would be served to the city by
May l. There can he no doubt, however,
TINT it could be turned on by January l
il the men had been kept at work and
the company had honestly intended to
comply with all the terms of the contract.
1t has been said that the engineers of the
East Jersey Water Company never con-
sidered grass and turf as vegation. but
who can construe it as anything elsef
On the other hand, it is said that i'm
partial experts have viewed the ground
and have announced that the reservoirs
are better than any others in the country
and that the basins for the new water
works of New York city are greatly in
ferior, even the stumps Of trees having
been left to decay there. This has no
bearing on Newark's works, however. as
the terms Of the contract are plain. and
the question whether eight feet of water
is necessary or whether The smaller vege-
tation should be removed is entirely ex-
tranecus, inasmuch as the contract de-
mands both.
At recent meeting of the Common
Council, the Water Supply Committee
was increased to six members. with in
structions to act with the Board of Works
on the acceptance of the works and for
the celebration of the opening. Pres-
dent Dempsey appointed Messrs. Stains
by. Mahan. johnson, Henderson, Kane
ami Burgesser.
The Board of Trade Committee will
vieit the works at an early date and
make such examination as may be feas-
ibe.
TOWN rUrI,rry,N CTrrNTnr3