The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-06-02
POINTS FOR WANSHR.
The Street and Water Com
missioners Explain Those
Payments for Pi1ing
and Sewers

Out of courtesy to Mayor Wanser,
the Street and Water Commissioners de-
cided last night to explain to him why
s4, 1872 was paid to Patrick Connolly for
pilng in the Hackensack River, why
sl,S725O was paid Patrick O'Conpor to
connect Public School No. % with a
sewer, and why So, ,752 so was paid to the
same man for making similar connec-
tion for Public School No. "a.
"Inasmuch as Mayor Wanser tooK the
trouble to delve into ancient history, we
will show him that neither he nor his
adviser knows anything about what has
occurred in the city in the last
year or two" sag .n;a one, one 10, OF
"We want him to investigate our acts.
We want him to make all the politica!
ammunition that he possibly can out of
our actions. and If he discovers
ANYTHING that is not right and
proper we Will acknowledge it.
We court investigation. We earn our
money. We protect the city's interests
by acts and not by yRwps intended merely
to create dissention and controv-
ersy. If Mayor Wanser will,
at the end of one term contrast
our record and our actions with his own,
people will discover who is working for
the interests of the city and who is doing
nothing but uttering lot of trash"
FACTS IN THE CASE.
From Chief Engineer kuggles the fol-
lowing facts were learned this morn
ing:-
Prior to October 10. 1891. when the first
payment cited by Mayor Wanser was
made to Connolly for plling. a heavily
loaded schooner ran into the Hackensack
River bridge. County Superintendent
Cannon, several of the Freeholders and
Chief Engineer Ruggles examined into
what the extent of the damage was. In
making this investigation the fact was
discovered that the schooner before col
liding with the bridge had struck and
broken the water main which crosses the
Hackeusack River just above the bridge.
Chies Ruggles reported the break in the
rain to the Street and Water Commits
sioners Commissioner Dugan directed
the Chief to have the necessary repairs
made at once. While these repairs were
being made, the Chief discovered that
the piles under the pipe bridge
were rotten and literally useless, aud
liable to give way at any moment, in
which case the water main would be
parted, and the water supply cut off.
Commissioners Dugan. Madden, Yoe
aud Cook ordered Mr.. Connolly to go
to work at once to do the neces-
sary piling. The pile bridge was
reraired with oak piles; turn brackets
and rods were fastened on them To sup.
port the pipe and bulk heads, made of
billings. to prevent further accidents of
the kind in the future. Oak piles were
also sunk near Duffield avenue TO sup
mort the 36-inch main, at Chief Ruggles's
suggestion. and in every instance where
piltng was done, it was an actual neces.
sity.
considerable piling was done In the
river that year to protect the water
mains" said Chief Ruggles. What WAS
done was done satisfactorily. There still
should be piling done there. and for
months past have been urging the Com
missoners to order Connolly to go to
work. A person not understanding
the locality cannot appreciate the tlct
thousands of dollars could be spent there
without any Improvement being noticed.
The Board has sunk pllngs to protect
the water mains. but tying boats to them
loosen them, aud ia short time they are
nulled out of shape, Nothing has been
done there except what was absolutely
necessary. ,.,.
"rhe work was done a5 q reasonable
rate in my estimation"
The only reason bids for the work were
not advertised for was because Connolly