The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-09-21
Another Million Gallons
of Sewage fer the
PasSaiC.
WHAT ORANGE WILL DO.
Inspector Leake's Horrible State
Of Affairs Will Soon be
DOubly Intensified.
Engineer Bassett Tells a Story
That Should Greatly Inter-
est This City.

The present cholera feet anchored
down the Bay, and the thickly populated
quarantine sections at Fire Island and
Sandy Hook have given rise to much
thought all over the land as to the condi-
tion of cities, towns aud hamlets shoul
the dreaded cholera epidemic take root in
this country. In this city with but a
single voice, the population cried, sour
water supply" and filled with just fear,
the people follow the advice of their
physicians and learned chemists, and boil
the water furnished them by the Passaic
River before they dream of drinking it.
The awful condition of this water has
been repeatedly described in THE JER-
sEY CITY NEWS. but the gravity of its con-
uition ever keeps it fresh subject to be
discussed. Yesterday / went up the Pas
sale River to see If its condition had i'm
proved and found it had not. If possible.
1t was worse than ever and presented q
most enticing invitation for few cholera
germs to make their home in the black
and Shiny water. While gazed on this
death dealing liquid l wondered what it
would be In the future, and then l put to
myself the question. II wonder how
Orange system of sewer drainingW !
went to Orange to ascertain.
During drive through the sire cts of
Orange, East Orange, Bloomfield and
Belleyllle l saw scores of laborers up
heaying the beautifully macadamized
roads. digging deep trenches. This up
heaval was going on everywhere. There
scarcely seemed to be a street where the
same kind OF work was not being done.
inquired and was told that every effort
possible was being made to complete the
laying OF thirty miles OF sewer pipes be-
fore fall.
These sewer pipes are to drain the
towns before mentioned and carry the
re1use TO and empty It into the PasSaic
River just one half mile below the Jersey
City Intake. Work. l was Informed, must
be finished before cold weather comes.
THIRTY MILES OF NAsTINEss
Thirty miles of sewering is great deal
for a city which has but 19, 600 population,
but learned at the Office of Chief En-
gineer Carroll Phi. Bassett that the sewer
system was being built on basis of
about 10000 people, an increase of popu-
lation anticipated.
Mr.. Bassett stated: "There are proba-
bly, over 1900 teaching cesspools and por-
ous privy vaults in the city. Into these
more than one million gallons of LIQUID
NTH is poured every twenty-fOur hours.
it may from the fetid mass which it en-
ters. soaks into the ground"
Heaven help Jersey City," thought,
when this mass of filth is conveyed by
sewers into The Passaic River"
Tho result to Orange by the
sewer system, it is claimed
will be the rapid and efficient removal Of
domestic and manufacturing wastes
Nth laden water-from the proximity of
habitations. The removal of ground
water to depth sufficient to secure dry
cellars. The removal of all surface or
storm water wherever it becomes nus-
ance TO health or property. Orange will
be relieved of all these Objectionable
features and through its sewers will pre-
sent them to Jersey City for drinking
water. That the sewers will be entirely
adequate to do this required service can
not De doubted when it is known that
they will have a capacity of flow from
the city of about 7.3O0,00 gallons per day
The main sewers into which the later
sls will empty are being constructed as
follows:-A twenty-four inch pipe ex-
tends through East Day street, from
Sheridan street to Washington street. At
this point two twenty-inch mains Join.
One Jwenty-inch main extends through
the Parrow Brook Valley south to VIII
liam street, where two branches are re
ceived; the branch from the east extends
as an eighteen-inch pipe through William
to Caulfield, to Main, to Commerce. to
Hill. to Hickory, to Parrow street. where
IL reduces to fifteen-inch pipe and ex-
tends through Hickory street to Oxford
place; it there reduces to q tWelve-inch
pipe. which receives the flow from the ex-
treme southern limit of the city.
WHAT THE ANNEX DOES.
The secoud branch, joining this one at
North Cen tire and William streets, eX-
fon6o QG a fftann yaip <b
Centre street to Reock street, to Cone
street, to Essex avenue, to Mechanic
street; it here reduces to a twelve inch
pipe ana extends to he south, collectin q
sew age as far as fremont avenue
A second twenty inch main from w ash
ington and East Day street, extends
through Alden to High street, to Lake.
side:avenue. to Standish avenue; thence
through Standish avenue, Spring street
and across private property to Main
street, TO jefferson street to Monroe
street. Reducing here to an eighteen
inch pipe, it extends through Monroe,
Bell, Glebe and Scotland streets to Tre-
mont avenue, where it receives the sew
age which is pumped through a twelve
inch main from the yolley near Norris
and Valley streets.
"a twelve inch pipe extends through
Valley street from Morris to christopher,
ten inch pipe extends thence to Nc
Cheney and South Jefferson streets, and
a nine inch pipe through South Jefferson
to Freeman street. These mains all drain
into an enormous six foot sewer which
extends from William street through
Center to Reock street. This sewer is
the outlet to the river through six foot
six inch sewer which extends from the
east branch of the Railway river through
Christopher street to the brook east of
Valley street. and thence across private
property to MeChesuey street; thence
east to Jefferson and North to Forest
street where it receives the drainage of
over 400 acres in West Orange, and ulti-
mately reaches the Passaic river, in close
proximity to the mouth Of Second river,
the natural drainage of a large portion of
Orange. The total cost of this gigantic
labyrinth Of sewers it is estimated Will be
about $483, sos ,6s.
IN recommending the Passaic River for
receiving basin for the filth of the
Oranges, Cnief Engineer Bassett said:-
"Farsthe line to the Passaic River only
6,e60 liueal feet Of right of way will have
TO be secured. other Jnan that acquired by
legislation"
He summarized the merits of the Pas
sale River route in this manner:-
"First-The shortest practicable liEe to
tide water Civ. miles)
.'SecOnd-1he natural outlet to tide
through the natural drainage valley.
"ihnd-The only practicable gravity
putlet.