The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-06-07
The East jersey Water Com
panY Now Asking
Newark to Be
MerCifu1.
HUGE MISCALCULATI0NS.
The Pequannock Works Cost Dou-
BILE the Estimate, and Are
insufficient After All.
Special to The Jersey citu Ne,cs.

NEWARK, June Z, 1S92.-There is strong
probability now that some arrangement
will speedily be made with the East Jer-
sey Water Company by which the latter
can be helped out of it's financial difficult
ties. which consist of having to pay inter-
est upon the money which it has bor-
rowed and put into the construction of
the reservoirs and conduits. 1t Is getting
nothing for the investment. and the ex-
pense is constantly going on. The conf
pany does not know where to turn for
money, it is said, and is now in position
to plead with the city of Newark to help
it out of the difficulty upon its promise to
furnish temporary supply and to COM
plete the works in accordance with the
contract.
MAY BE GENEROUS.
The city need not pay dollar, but can
enforce the performance of the speclhc
terms of the contract just as the company
would compel the city to pay for the work
If it had been completed according to the
contract aud there had been any haggling
over the payment. The city may be gen.
erous, however, and may make some ar
rangement by which something can be
given to the East Jersey Water Company
in anticipation of the proper completion
of the work. 1t has been claimed that the
water company has spent S4. 000,O 900, $780,
900 of which was borrowed in Newark and
So 100000 paid In by the Lehigh Valley
Railroad Company. This is Il large sum
to lie idle even for q few weeks which
have passed since May /, In which the
water company has been apparently inert.
1t mas virtually made confession that the
work is not properly completed and is
making poor mouth over the unexpected
difficulties which caused unlocked for eX-
penditure of money.
The water company has undoubtedly
got representative in this city smooth
| ing the way for conciliatory arrange
ment by which it can get an early settle
| ment of the difficulty and a payment on
account. The rich New York bankers,
promoters, railrOadmen and politicians
Interested in the company are placed in
| the position of moneyless contractors who
cannot we'll keep on with their work
| until partial payment Is made. The
only difference is that the poor carpenter
or mason would see that provisions for
such payments were made in his contract.
| ABSURD BLUNDERS.
| A blunder has been made in calculating
| the capacity of the works, as well as its
| cost, and perhaps both errors are attri
| buted to the same man. 1t will now be
| necessary to add considerably to the cost
| of the work by providing additiona
| storage capacity, and by deepening tht
| shallow parts of the present reservoirs
until they comply with the terms of the
contract. The water we are getting now
comes from Clinton reservoir, which ha:
never been full since the dam was com
pleted 1t was within foot of being full
last week when the draught was made
| upon it. and when the gates at Oak Ridge
| were shut down. 1t is such STORYTELLING
! reservoir that the result of the presen
drain upon it will be watched with In
terest.
Clinton reservoir cannot be enlarged
with advantage because of it's watershed
being now inadequate to keep it full, bu
| the Oak Ridge reservoir is on dfferen
kind of a stream which could supply an
other storage basin fully as large as eithel
above or below the present one. There il
| q good site for an immense reservoir IL
| the meadows, half mile below the Oah
Ridge dam, and it is deemed probable
| that the company will use it as 1t nov
owns fully one-half OF the tract. A dan
| thrown across the valley would make {
pond almost as large as the Oak Ridge
| Balm and would pro badly store .wate
enough to supply the estimated de-
| ficiencV.