The Jersey City news., 1892-06-14
MONEY MELTED AWAY.
The East Jersey Water
CompanY'Sl s Disastrous
Newark Contract.
COSTLY LAWSUITS NOW.
Officials Inspect the Pequannock
Watershed-Its Capacity an
Unknown Quantity.
.Snecinz to the Jerseu Citn News.

SpSCttIt 70 tte JeFStY SttD 4'SDS'
NEWARK, June IA, 1S92.-A visit was
paid last week to the big reservoirs on thH
Pequaunock by the Common Counci
Committee on the new water SUPP
William Stainsby, John Mahan. Lyma
Kane, Frederick Burgesser and JOSEPH
Henderson, together with City Counse!
Guild, City Clerk O'Connor and Engineer
jacobson. Mayor Haynes went with the
party and took his son George with him.
What was TO be gained by the trip is diff
cult TO soc, unless it might be tn at the de-
sign was to familiarize the Aldermen with
the appearance of water before it is in any
wav adulterated. The Aldermen saw the
Zig dams, drove around the reser voirs,
took dinner in New Foundland and re-
turned to Newark without getting IN
conforta bly, wet, It was not a nice day
for inspecting water works, because the
roads were heavy aud the clouds dripped
moisture at frequent intervals. Tney
found Clinton Reservoir nearly full, but
this was quite natural in such season OF
rain as had ensued. and it did not give
much promise for reservoir which has
been nearly six months in reaching this
point.
The visit of the Aldermen did not por-
tend or promise anything toward SETTLE
ment OF the difficulties now in the way of
the city accepting the water works. Their
knowledge of the locality may be of use
to them individually in the future, but
after their visit the situation IS un-
changed. Newark is getting Pequan-
mock water and the East jersey Water
Company is getting nothing but debt and
trouble. The injunction served upon the
water company by the users OF water
power at Butler IS still in force. and the
water company has been compelled to
keep up the flow in the river at the nor
mai height. To do this Oak Ridge Reser-
voir was drawn to such an extent that
exposed, the grass being above
water for many yards from the
shores. The drain upon Oak
Ridge reservoir was in measure com
pensated for by the heavy rains of last
week, and at the Same time only one foot
opening was needed at Clinton reservoir
to supply this city, the flow from the
watershed below the two big reservoirs
being sufficient to keep the intake basin
full. This could not be depended on in a
dry season, however, and false impress
sion was likely to be created in the minds
of the visitors last week. Nothing can be
learned definitely of the capacity of the
water shed in any single year and per
haps not in ten years, provided that no
serious season of drought occurs. Conse-
quently the people must depend upon the
estimates of those who have thoroughly
studied the subject from the data found
in reports of rainfall covering period of
forty years, not only in New Jersey, but
other localities within few hundred
miles.
LONG LITIGATION.
The trouble with the Butler Rubber
49, % ~
will be settled III the courts. Proceedings
haveckeen begun by Joseph Coult in the
interest ofrthe city to condemn all of the
water rights upon the Pequannock water
shed. There are five or six which have
been purchased outright by the East
Jersey Company which has not the right
to sue for condemnation. The company
has purchased several small mill powers
outright. and now asks the city TO exer-
else its rightof condemnation. Mr.. Coult
did so yesterday in behalf of the Board
of Works and Judge DeDue to whom the
application for the appointment Of COM
missioners to condemn the water rights
was made, set down next Saturday for
thereception of the application and di-
rected Mr.. Coult TO give notice to all par
ties concerned. The expenses of the con-
domination cases are to be paid by The
East Jersey Water Company in pursuance
of the agreement entered into by that
CODlpNuy WIN tH0 Cluy. WnfCu dlOu6 Ado
right to condemn the property.
After this matter is settled the East
Jersey Water Company will probably en-
dsavor to make definite arrangement
with the city for the acceptance of the
works as they stand and the payment of a
portion of the money upon the promise to
carry out the terms of the contract in full,
which will probably mean the building of
another big dam on the course of the
Pequaunock River and the deepening of
all of the shallow shores of the two pres
ent reservoirs.