The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-06-02
PURE WATER LIKELY.
The Moffett, Hodgkins and
Clarke Company's Sup
ply Inspected.
INSTRUCTIONS CAN Be OVERCOME.
A Magnificent Watershed
Whose Capacity Far Ex-
ceeds the City's
Demands.
Precautions to Prevent Pollution
Today's Inspection of Mr..
ReilIy's Streams.
Special to The Jersey CITY Ne,os.

BooNToN, June 2, 1893.-Yesterdsy,
| the second days inspection OF the won
| derful source of water supply, which
| Moffett, Hodgkins g. Clarke Company OF
| New York claim to own, or at least con-
troll, was made. The inspection was
made by city officials. The beauties OF
the country were expatiated upon n
the remarkable pureness and abundance
| of the supply at the disposal OF Mofett,
HodgK ms & Clarke Company were adj
mired with a longing eye. That part Oh
the State from which the proposed sup
! ply is to be taken is in Morris county,
| and is mountainous. The water TO be
| collected is mostly from forests, and the
| absence of all traces OF human haDita-
| ton compelled the inspecting party to
| appreciate the fact that all fears OF future
| contamination are ~groundless.
The surface OF the country. III MOTIFS
| county is stony, the rocks being granite
| or gneiss, the class of rocks from which
| the purest water is always obtalued.
STARTING ON THEIR JOURNEY.
Yesterday morning the start was made
| for this beautiful and healthy country.
| The 7:35 train over the Delaware. Lacka-
wanna aud Western Railroad mad a
! SDeCldk Il HGbdStio0
city officials. provided by Moffett, Hodg-
kins & Clarke Company.
In the party were Mayor Wanser, Cor
oorauion Counsel Edwards, City Attorney
Weart, Finance Commissioners Simpson
and DeJwiller. President F'eeney of the
Board OF Health, Street aud Water Com
missioners Madden, Yoe and Somers, Mr..
Moaert. Engineers w. w. Ruggles and
Burlineame, Assistant Engineers Van
Duyne and Dewey, Mr.. Belden, Mr.. Fitz-
gibbous, owner of the waterway at Boon
ton, where, the main reservoir IS TO be
located; aud Edward Merritt. owner OF
Denmark Lake, one Of the chief sources
of supply controlled by Moftett, Hodg-
kins & Clarke Company.
LAKE DENMARK,
At ten O'Clock the party arrived at
Lake Denmark after having been
switched unceremcnicusly around on
several branches of railroads. The sta
ton at Lake Denmark is within a stones
throw of the lake itself. Lake Denmark
is q magnificent body OF water. 1t is on Q
and three-qnarter miles In length. The
lake. even Mt the present time, shows that
its owner proper. Mr. Merritt, appreciates
the value Of the water, which IS as pure
as crystal. The lake appeared at a great
dlsad vantage for a period OF half an houf
hung over it. A breeze soon. lifted
this, however, aud Lake Den
marx appeared IN all its glory.
i Surrounded as 1t is by foliage, il pre-
sents q picture of indsscribable beauty.
Notwithstanding the fact That the edges
are lined with vegetation, not q twig OF
any description is discernible ID che
centre of the pond. At the most south
erly end are three overflow dams. and it
was at this point that the visitors were
impressed with it's marvellous purity.
The rock bottom of the lake was discern
ible at a distance of fully five feet below
the surface of the water.
A MAGNIFICENT WATER SHED.
Lake Denmark is 8l8 feet ABOVE sea
level, and has an average depth of Is
feet. 1t has a watershed Of $50 acres, but
it is proposed by MotfeEt, Hodg-
kins & Clarke, should they Sc
cure the contract, 10 raise the
drains three feet. This move would
increase the number of JACKS in
the watershed to 900, aud would make it
possess az q storage reservoir a capacity
of 1891, 343, 900 gallons. From this
amount Tin case OF emergency 2,000,oUO,
| 600 gallons could be drawn off and at the
same TIM the surface OF the water would
not be as low as it is at present, nor
would there be the slightest danger of
| stirfing up the vegetation which may be
at the bottom Of the lake, Thus with q
reservoir, with a watershed OF 800 acres,
q supply computed a. a rate or consumD-
zion OF 25, 100000 daily. there would be
n supply always on hand OF niusty-one
days. But again to this must ne add
| ed the water steadily lowing
| IN and also the rainfall which, according
to carefully prepared statistics. show
| that an additional twenty days supply
| could be accrued while the other water
is being consumed, which would really
| extend the number of days supply to
| Ill, even at the rate OF 0,000, 900 gallons.
/ - 80. - $50 nrtr roc a fiFfu-ntfn HI usJ
| supply would be contained 10 this one
| alone, and this, when ccutrasted with
| Others to be mentioned, Is really fnsig-
niicant.
OBSTACLES CAN BE OVERCOME.
Mayor Wauser and some Others OF the
party questioned the engineers as TO the
possibility of raising this lake ten feet,
northern bank. 1t was explained that
the road was there on sutferance and
could be and would be compelled TO raise
its road bed higher on the side Of the
mountain overlooking the lake.
At the present. time the overflow from
the LAKE exceedS i've million gallons
daily. Denmark is a natural storage res
ervoir, and would be utilized as sncn, and.
be it understood, is sufficient in itself to
supply jersey City. Some question arose
as TO the right Of the company to dam the
lake. liz is explained that all the com
Dany desires from tnls source ~ ING oVef-
flow which is TO feed into the mammoth
kockaway reservoir. which has q water
shed with an area Of thtrty-dve square
miles.
SEVERAL FEEDERS.
The tributaries flowing into this reser-
voir will be Split Rock Pond, Denmark
Lake, Hoagland's Pond and the Hibernia
Ice Pond. The dimensions OF this reser-
voir as calculated are five miles in length
by one half q mile in width, aud it covers
i about 500 acres. From this reservoir
could be drawn in summer 5.2l3, 264. 600
gallons, which ut the rate of 22,000.00 ~
gallons daily would insure q supply for
2S2 days with eighty days added
for additional water flowing IN. This
reservoir is 4 valley. and is at
present magnificent farming land. but
an option on the land mas been already
secured, and eau at any time be coz
verified Into the proposed reservoir.
TO GREEN POND.
Leaving Denmark Lake, with which
Mayor Wansar and the others were very
favorably impressed, the party proceeded
to Green Pond. The ride Is over d rough,
mountainous country. and the scenery at
tracted the admiration of every Qua. The