The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-09-12
| OUR FEARFUL PERIL.
Water Inspector Leake Re-
ports On the Shameful
Condition of the
PaSsaiC.
POWERLESS TO PREVENT IT.
Not Even the Hudson Grand
Jury Will Indiet Pol
luting Concerns.
IT IS "A MERE OPEN SEWER
ldiocy and Brutality Make the Nor
mannia's Saloon Passengers
Their Victims-Quar.
antine News.
T IS MERE OPEN SEWER
ldiocy and Brutality Make the Nor.

Water Inspector Leake made the fol-
lowing report to the Street and Water
Board this morning.
I'm reply to the Boards resolution of
September 8, l would state that have no
control of the city of Newark, with its one
hundred and seventy thousand popula-
tion. who pour thir sewage and filth
into the Passaic River, besides the great
number of factories such as the Clark's
factories. who employ between three and
four thousand hands. and the Marshall
Thread Company. who employ two thous-
and hands, and the two large gas works,
the Lnoleum Works and numerous
other large concerns who put all their
refuse into the river. 1 have had ell
these cases before the Grand Jury of Is
sex and Hudson counties and tried in
every way to stop their polluting the
water.
81 have no control over the cities of
Orange. Montclair or Bloomfield with
their numerous dye works, paper mills,
label manufactures, which empty all
their refuse and filth into the Second
River, Which is nothing more than
large sewer. They have the Orange
sewerage system completed as
far as Belleville. and it will not be long
beforethey have it to the river; that will
carry the sewage of Orange, East
Orange, South Orange, Montclair
and Bloomfield, which will be
enormous. They claim to have
the right to sewer into the river, and do
not know how they are to be stopped. I
nave collected all evidence pertaining to
the meeting of the Common Council
and submitted the same to the Corpora
tion Counsel.
OUTRAGEOUS PAssAIC
81 have no control over the city of
Passaic which runs its sewers in the
river. and no control over the factories In
and around Passaic which employ in the
neighborhood of seven or eight thousand
hands.
II have no control over K1nglysland's
Paper Mill on Third River which empties
all its refuse into the river.
81 have no control over the Lodi Chem
ical Works at Lodi, Bryns Bros.' Bleach
cry and the Acid Manufacturing Com
pany at Lodi and the Standard OIL Com
pany, which put all their refuse into
Saddle River.
II have taken samples from all these
different concerns and have had them
analyzed, and the report of the chemist
was that they were all very injurious to
the water and made the condition of the
same such that if, at any time, any germs
of disease should get in. they would live
and multiply rapidly and cause some
great epidemic some day.
A PUBLIC SCANDAL.
1.-THE pollution of the Passaic River and
its tributaries is increasing every day and
l. do not understand how the people of
Jersey City, who have to drink this water,
keep well. and I would suggest that all
water be boiled before drinking the
same. I would also suggest
that you have the chemist of. the Board
come before you and explain some of the
poisonous matters that show in the
analysis Of the same. and the danger
there is in using the water in its present
state. If jersey City ever needed any
thing it is new supply of water.
PATERsoN's WICKEDNEss.
Il have no control whatsoever over the
city of Paterson with between eighty and
ninety thousand people who put all their
sewage and refuse into the Passaic River,
which collects at Dundee dam, and
in my opinion there is two feet
of filth collected there. which will cause
a great deal of trouble some day. You
can see that the Passaic River is nothing
but large sewer from Newark to Pater-
son.
= 81 omit some parts of my report owing
to the fear of cholera being brought into
this vicinity as the reports of all chem
lists show that if the germs once enter
into water of that kind they must cause
terrible epidemic.
LET THE PULIC KNOW.
II have been asked by some citizens not
to make these reports public, as they are
demoralizing the people. l said that it
was about time the people were demoral-
lied over the present water supply. The
poor people suffer the most, as they can
not afford 60 buy other water
Il do not wish to cause any indue'ex-
citement at this time. These are the
facts and something should be done at
once. Enclosed you will find report of
chemists who find water very bad at the
present time.o
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS.
Analyst George w. Phillips analysis
of water drawn from tap at Grove street