The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-11-28
'PELLUC|D ROCKAWAY
Details of the Inspection of
the Watershed by Jer-
sey Citizens.
MANY POND FEEDERS.
The Water is Of Wonderful
Purity and Unstinted
Abundance.
SITES OF THE RESERVOIRS.
Great Storage Capacity Afforded by
the Natural Conformation
of the Valleys.
MANY POND FEEDERS.
SITES OF THE RESERVOIRS.
Special to The Jersey City Ne,os.

Special to The Jerseg City Neius
BooNToN. Nov. g. 1S92.-When the
party of officials and citizens which came
up here from Jersey City on Saturday to
inspect the Rockaway water shed alighted
from the train, they were met by Lewis
Van Duyne. a local engineer. Mr.. Van
Duyne is well known resident of Morris
county, and has surveyed almost every
foot of land within the Sheriff's baliwick
He had provided carriages for the party,
and while they were being made ready
the party crossed the tracks and took
their first look at the Rockaway, and q
most picturesque view it WAS. 1t is here
tht the river. having distributed
much of its strength among
the various mills, which it sets
in motion In Boonton, gathers itself
together again and pushes its way
through wild rocky gorge On its journey
TO the Passaic. After admiring the scene
for some time the party proceeded to
enter the carriages. Mr.. H. v. Condics.
the Jersey City lawyer, who lives in Nor
ristown. Joined the party at the station.
There were then in the company Mr..
Joseph A. Dear, President; DIR. Lsonard
j. Gordon and Mr.. Lebbeus Ward, the
hydraulic engineer, representing the
Board of Trade; John F.aMadden, Presi-
dent; William r. Cook. Chief Engineer
Ruggles and Stephen Yoe of the Board OF
Street and Water Commissioners: George
R. Hitler of the Finance Board; Corpora
ton Counsel William D. Edwards, Hum
phreY w. Carr. Colonel John j.
Toffey. Mr.. Isaac N. Seligman of
the banking house of j. & w.
Seligman of New York; Thomas C.
Woodbury. of the banking house of
Woodbury. & Moulten OF Portland, Me-;
Captain William Henry White, promi-
neDt hydraulic engineer of New York;
Henry Belden, J. V. Clarke. treasurer of
the Moffett, Hodgkins & Clarke Co.; E.
Il, Burlingame, chief engineer, and E. w.
Z Dewey. assistant engineer of the COM
pany. The party first drove to the prop
erty OF Edward Fitzgibbons, about mile
from station.
THE INTAKE RESERVOIR.
Here will be located a mammoth dis
tributing or intake reservoir. The deep,
narrow gorge which was viewed at the
station winds around through the
country and ends at this place. A
large straw board mill Is now here
aud short distance up the hill to
the left is Mr.. Fitzgihbons' reside nee.
The party, under the direction of Mr..
Fitzgibbons, wound in single file around
the mill, across the swift running race
way. which carries the water from the
dam to the mill. up narrow path, with
the great but swift running raceway on
one hand and the noisy, tumbling Rocka-
way on the other, up to the milldam,
where it is proposed to erect the distribut-
ing reservoir. The walls of the gorge are
of solid rock and almost perpendicular,
and form natural abutments for high
dam OF masonry. This is the nearest
point on the Rockaway River to Jersey
City, affording the required head for a
gravity water supply. giving at the same
Time the greatest amount OF water shed,
distant about 81 miles from the Belleville
reservoir in an air liue. The dimensions
of the dam which 1t is proposed to erect
here are 125 feet base, top line about 500
feet and so feet in height The dam will
be built of solid masonry. The distribut-
ing reservoir will cover approximately. 40
acres; this will afford an intake reservoir
nearly 1000 feet in length, with an aver
age width of about 700 feet. The capacity
of this basin will be approximately 40O.-
COO 600 gallons.
While the party was examining this
site, Engineer Dewey explained the entire
scope of tie Rocksway water shed. What
he said in substance is this:--
THE WATERSHED.
The sources OF supply are the lakes of
Northern New Jersey, which are within
the water shed of the Rockaway River
and tributary to it. This water shed
covers above Boonton JAS square
miles. so per sent. OF which is covered by
the natural mountain forests. 1t is pro-
posed to store in artificial or natural
basins the surplus water which comes
down the Rockaway River in torrents ia
she freshet seasons, aud to retain this
water until the dry summer months
when it will be utilized as required
The annual rainfall upon this mountain
district is. for an average of over twenty
five years, as shown by the State Geolo-
gists reports 4S 81 inches, which upon
this surface of l4S square miles is equal
to l45. 900, 600 gallons, or 400 00o, 600 gallons
per day for 365 days, OF which there
could be stored in the lakes and artificial
reservoirs about one half
This entire quantity of water passing
down the Ro ckaway River is emptfed
into the intake reservoir proposed to be
built at Old Boonton. This intake reser-
voir site is the lowest point on the Rock
away River. giving the required height
to deliver the water by gravity to Jersey
City, and the entire supply from the 148
square miles of water shed as
shown above enters Rockaway River be-
lore reaching this point. The elevation of
the flow line at dam OF the intake reser-
voir. at Old Boonton is $50 feet above sea
level, and Chief Ruggles states that the
now line of BelIeviile reservoir is 1856 feet