The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-02-21
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ABSOLUTELY PURE
EAST JERSEY WATER COMPANY
Some Interesting Facts Detailed by
samuel r. BfoeloyV.

samuel r. BfgelOv.
To the Editor of The Jersey city Ne,rs:
THE NEWS, with its complimentary refer
ence to my remarks on the Newark water
| question, at a recent meeting of the Newark
Board of Trade, has been received.
When Messrs. Hobart and others of the
East Jersey Water Company contracted with
Newark, it was popularity believed that upon
payment OF $6,000,0 600 the city would be put
to no other expense for a water supply.
The contract provided for a water supply,
"a pipe line OF lines to be made n con-
structed of steel, wrought iron or cast iron;
reservoirs sin the Pequannock, Wynockie or
Ramapo valleys" to be completed, finished
and, in every respect, perfected by the 1st of
| May, 1892" The works were to be sufficient.
on completion. to supply 30; 000,0 600 gallons of
water daily, one-half to be be delivered 800
! feet, the other 165 feet above high water, in
the city reservoirs.
Having an option under the contract
to build one OF two pipe lines and to use steel
or iron pipes, the company built one pipe
| line and used inferior steel pipes. Iron water
| pipes will last indefinitely, but steel pipes
have not been tested under such climatic
conditions, as will warrant the belief that
these pipes will last very long. They are
much cheaper and not so durable as iron
pipes. Already many troublesome leaks
have developed, and experts, far Il near,
are watching the experiment with great
| interest. apprehensive of a sudden collapse
of the whole line. Mr.. J.S. Mundy, an
intelligent engine builder of both practical
and scientific attainments, well versed in
| hydraulics, of this city recently add
think that the Water Board in selecting a
| sheet steel pipe line made one of the greatest
mistakes they could possibly have made as
cast iron, asphalted, in my opinion, would
| last as many years as the steel would last
months" < = ''The danger of this sheet
steel pipe giving out an any time is very
serious"
Having also an option to build reservoirs
in either the P~equannock, Wynockie or
Ramapo water sheds, the company built all
| the reservoirs in the ~Pequannock shed.
Without stopping to discuss the doubtful
| title of the water company to the indigenous
water flow, the many insufficiencies and Inn
projections of the reservoirs, n their
| wrong relations to the water sheds, l wish to
say that the consensus of opinion of expert
| hydraulic engineers is that the Pequannock
| shed will not yield so, 000,0 900 gallons daily,
| the quantity due to Newark under its con-
tract. The State g~eologist, in a well con-
sidered and exhaustive report OF the water
| capacity of this shed for 1892, says that with
storage for all parts of the shed 100000
| gallons daily may be collected. He further
| saws that 40 square miles, of 63.7 square
miles are now provided with storage, and
the remaining %. 7square miles are practi-
| cally destitute. By careful management the
water shed as now improved, may be de-
pended upon for about 80, 00,000 gallons
| daily. 1t is useless to cite other and numer-
| Gus authorities to sustain these views.
The East Jersey Water Company cannot
| fulfill its contract with Newark without
| building more reservoirs and other water
| pipe lines of which there is no present sign.
| The exhaustion of the Pequannock facilities
will not supply the 5o,00O,0O0a gel
Ions, and the deficiency must
come from the Ramapo or Wanna
que region. The contract requires the
water in part to be delivered 300 feet above
high water. The elevation of the Ramapo
is POP feet, of the Wanague, 2U0 feet, n I'M
less the East Jersey Water Company can
subvert some natural laws, it must begin
anew, excavating and p~ipelaying, actually
or figuratively.
Apart from the East Jersey Water Com
pany, it is difficult to fix the responsibility
for this much needed and most costly public
work. The lawyer who drew the contract
was JosephCo ult, andit was approved byCort-
landt Parker, both acting for the city. Ii it is
said that more particular Investigations of
the water title should have been made and
further assurances of its validity obtained,
that the contract is defective in not more
exactly specifying the locations and dimen-
sions of the reservoirs, and the courses,
number and materials of the pipe lines, it
should be recalled that these matters were
all considered by the lawyers in the light of
the public interest.
Unfortunately, at the time Mr.. Hobart de-
manded payment of the 81, 00O, 600, a cholera
epidemic was feared, the water lac been
turned into the pipes and distributed through
the city mains, and the possibility of resum-
ing the use of the polluted Passaic water un-
less his terms were complied with had
created much alarm. This may have caused
the city authorities to relax their usual
vigilance and yield to the pressing impor-
tunities of the many sanguine and distin-
guished men who were anxiously seeking a
settlement.
SAMUEL F. BIGELow.