The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-09-23
Low, BLACK And Oily.
Fearful Condition of the
Passaic Water at the
Present Time.
TRIBUTARIES. MERE SEWERS
The Water Too Bad to Be Used in
Factory Boilers-Kerosene
In 1t Too.
TRIBUTARIES. MERE SEWERS

SaS SSNAI 4gkNOA ii uu-
usually low. black aud oily. The dry
summer accounts for the small quantity
and the sewers aud factories along the
stream explain the quality. These sewers
and factories have been for many years
engaged in the enterprise of poisoning
the Passaic River and have been success
1ui beyond the limits of the widest
nightmare OF q long suffering people.
These sewers and fac ories are not all
situated directly on the va X of the Pas
sale River, but the filth they cast out
reaches the Passaic just the same in the
liberal quantities supplied by those null
sances, which iud a direct outlet in the
stream which furnishes this city wit h
drinking water.
PAssAIC TRIBUTARIES.
The Passaic River had originally five
principal tributaries known as the First
Rivtr, Second HI yer, Third River, Saddle
River, and Dundee CanAI or River. First
RIVER was Il small stream which ran
through the upper section of Newark. 1t
was a natural drainage, and some years
ago Newark seized it and converted the
stream into a pipe sewer. Second River
ieGlso a Natural drainage for Il large sec
lion of territory. Its source Is iu u spring
above Montclalr. and its mouth is at the
Passaic River. half u mile below lha Jer-
sey City Intake. where it enaits a body of
water SO foul that unless seen, its filth
cannot be realized. AT Montclair, where
the spring developes inlo q river, the
water when / examined it Tuesday, was
clear and lit for drinking purposes. The
dry weather had caused the stream, which
ordlnarilS is two feet III depth. TO shrink
to Ii depth of only "a few inches. IusIead
Ff lntnty from fan 4. fyrnnfv fat yui6n la
water actually running was not more
than three feet across.
l follow ed the stream one hundred
yards to the large manuf8ctory of the
United States Printing Company. This
is II label mill aud was until recently the
property OF Samuel Crouk. II employs a
large number OF hands aud Il big manu-
~1acturiug business is done. Here begins
the first pollution of Secoud River. The
company has damned the river just
above where it run beneath tue factory.
When the hour arrives for emptying the
refuse of the factory, the large sewer
Lites which lead into the river bed are
opened and vast quantities of all coloreti
WATERS impreknated with the dye stuff
USED in the business are turned into the
riyeY. Hhen the gate Of the dam is raised
aud the volume of pent up water rushes
beneath the factory carrying down the
stream the discolored and pernicious
s. uff the company desires TO rid itself of.
This is u ashed ON through the water
course to tue Psssa:c River.
YOU'LL UIN A BOILER
Continuing my walk. aud passing a
number of small places of business along
Second river. 1 reached James Moffel's
Brass rolling mill. This mill was for
nlpEls II paper factory, u III 1880 il was
cos Yerted into a rolling mill. Here the
owner of the mill built Il dam twenty
fa4I high and Second river obtains a
OrFan xuidfh If inv fact TneEol NJ
Moffet what lie used the water for, and |
looked al the dirty stuff inlently, wonder
ing if he drank it as | am daily compelled
10 do. 1t was SO thick with solids that IL
was impossiblet to discern al object two
inrnes below the surface.
"Do with it'll Why nothing. except wash
away the refuse"
Don't you use it In your b~oiler?"
ION, bless You, no, / hay a we'll. Why
that water there" pointing 10 the river,
''wpuld ruin a boiler in a year. The river
is nothing but a sewer 1t Is a natural
sewer and is fit for no other purpose han
to carry sewage to the river" (Passaic).
"One of the reasons Second river is 40
dirty" continued Mr.. Moffet, lis because
the Road Btsard draius all the surfuce
water aud hlth into il and where there is
30 much travel on vehicles this drainage
would made auy water vile. No, the
W ter is OF no use now except to take
sewage TO the Passaic"
BRASS PICKLE.
In looking through the rolling mill /
saw a great through filled with Il greenish
liquid. / asked Mr.. Moffet what it was
and he replied "Pickling."
''Pickling?"
Eyes, it is In that trough where we
pickle the brass"
By his direction a workman lifted from
the bottom of the liquid, with q big pair
OF tongs. Il heavy piece of brass which he
said was being picked.
What is this liquidi" l enquired,
pointing TO the green stuff in the trough.
''Vitrioi," he answered.
"Aud do you drain this into the river?''
sob no." was the quick reply, that is
run off into a receiving basin where all
the solids in it settle. / will show you
In another part OF the mill a trap door
was raised a3d there was disclosed q Dit
built into a rock. Here the vitriol re.
manned until the solid matter settled and
the water gradually ooZed through the
crevices into the river. Mr.. Moffet was
very earnest in assuring me that nothing
of an injurious nature reached Second
river from his mill.
HAT FACTORY SLUSH.
Continuing down the stream through
Montclair and Bloomfield, / passed q
dozen or more hat factories and some
BILE tcheries. The water below these was
black as q silk hat and covered with q
slime. A very disagreeable odor came
from it. | also liassed the brass rollin q
mill of Hendricks Brothers, at Soho, one
OF the largest In the county, The same
course is pursued there as In Moffet'S.