The Jersey City news., 1892-05-13
PEQUANgOGK FLOWS.
And Newark Drinks the
Pure and Pellucid
Stream.
BUT FOR HOW LONG ?
The Company Has Done Nothing Yet
Towards Making Good the
Terms of lis Contract.


NEWARK, May 13, 1892. Pure water
from the Pequannock valley has been
flowing through the pipes of Newark for
ten days in spite of the disagreement be
tween the city and the East Jersey Water
Com pany about the contract. Mean
while, the big pumIs mt Belleville have
ceased their throbbihg and the water of
the Passac has been entirely excluded
from the re ervoirs. The city pipes have
been flushed out in all the low parts OF
the city and the water flowing from the
faucets in all quarters is better than. 1t
las been at any time since Newark had
AN aqueduct system. 1t does not require
scientist to determine this. Everybod
eau see it who holds glass of water up
to the light before drinking 1T.
WASTE WATER.
Water is flowing over the dam at the
Mucopin intake reservoir besides what is
flowing through the conduit TO Newark.
This is the season of plenty, and as water
must be supplied to the mill powers be-
low and the company's storage capacity IS
none too large, much of it must go to
waste. It costs 10 more 10 let 1t flow
through the pipes to this city than it does
to permit it to flow over the granite dam,
and the East jersey Water Company
would not shut down the gates until the
works are accepted or a decision arrived
at, because il the company did shut off
the water it might increase it's liability TO
pay penalty for delay, which is provided
for in lhe contract.
At the meeting of the Street and Water
Board last week President James Smith,
Jr.. said that he had talked with EnRi-
neer Herschel in an accidental interview
abont the engineers of the city not having
beeu afforded an opportunity to test the
p pc line, and that Mr.. Herschel told him
mat he was ready to give Engineers
jacobsen and Fteley all the assistance
they required. Mr.. Smith moved that
the engineers be instructed 10 communi-
cate with Mr.. Hersehel and begin the
tests as quickly MS possible. employing
such help rs they required to facilitate
the work. This was adopted.
NO RESPONSE FROM THE COMPANY:
commissioners Harlan. Hahn and Trier
said vest terday that the Street and Water
Board had received no officipl commune
cation from the East Jersey Water Com
pany siuce the city refused 10 accept the
works. They could not understand the
delay. 1t appears dis IL the members Of
the East Jersey Water Company were
uot III perfect harmony, and that some
disagreement is preventing prompt
action in the matter. Little mas
been said about the shallow fiowage
clause in the objection TO take
tie works as offered by the water coui-
els said Yesterday that the neglect to
prov de eight feet OF water over large
trnct covered by the reservoir at Oak
Ridge was an important factor in the re-
fusni to accept tne works. He said that
TIE difficulty in relation to this feature at
Clinton RESERVOIR was much slighter, and
that the matter of testing the pipes was
being arranged for and would probably
begin tomorrow or next day, as MT. 1
jacobsen had been in consultation with
Mr.. Fteley and they were prepared 20 be.
gin work ut once.
THE ENGINEERS OBJECTIONS.
The objections TO he acceptance OF the
works are based upon the reports OF these
engineers rather than upon personal OBJ
servations by the Mayor and the Commis-
sioners, who, no matter what experience
thev may have had in matters pertaining
TO water supply. must be regarded us lay
men. The defects they see and object 10
have all, or nearly ali, been pointed out
by the two engineers, who have acteu
faithfully to the Board and to the public.
The Commissioners say hat none of the
defects have been giossed over or hidden
from the public and that no work of even
less magnitude has ever attracted more
public attention or been watched more
cosev. Nothing of the kind has ever re-
ceived so much attention since the Sum
daU Call of this city told years ago
OF the early attempts made by Bart
lett aud others to secure options
upon lands ana water rights in
The valley of the Pequannock, when people
wondered what was in the minds of these
schemers, and suspected that the waters
of New Jersey were to be diverted to New
York. The ensuing steps We're followed
closely by the CdjI and kept before the
public, When the construction began
the Call was almost alone III giving the
details to the public week after week, as
public interest increased in the matter
other papers took up the theme until, as
the Commissioners say, there is nothing
that is not publicly known in regard to
the details of the work; nothing but the
Intentions of the company supplying the
water and that this is not Il matter of
publicity is due to the delays in the Office
of the Water Company. That the work
is not completed according to contract is
assured on the word OF competent eng-
neers employed by the city and others
who have been privately consulted by
members of the Board of Vrrk. What
the East Jersey Water Compuhy will do
is still in doubt.