The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-07-23
JERSEY CITY WATER
Story of the Efforts to OBJ
tain a Pure and Whole
some Supply.
EARLIEST ATTEMPT IN 1880
First Serious Move Fifty Years
Ago Resulted in he Present
Belleville Work.
DEBUT OF JOHN R. BARTLETT
Looking for a catspaw to Rake in
New York Chestnuts for
His Syndicate.
EARLIEST ATTEMPT IN 1880
DEBUT OF JOHN R. BARTLETT

There is no public question which so vital
ly interests the people of Jersey City as that
of the water supply. The dark colored, ill
smelling and as ill-tasting fluid, with which
the city is supplied, forcibly brings the ques-
tion home to every man, woman and child
within the municipal limits. From its ear
hest days the question of water supply has
always been a serious one for old Jersey City.
Owing to the formation of its soil, the yield
of its wells. as a general thing, was inferior,
and large business was done in carting
water from the Heights and selling it by the
bucketful to the inhabitants of Paulus Hook
and Aharsimus.
As the city grew and its population in
creased, the question became more serious,
ana as early as 1850 an attempt was made to
relieve the situation by the Incorporation of
the Jersey City and darsnus Aqueduct
Company" 1t had a capital of $4,000, and
was authorized to search and bora for
water i'll Jersey City and Bergen, make re-
servoirs for the collection of water, and to
lay pipes Ion its distribution throughout the
city. This company, however, never ac-
ccnplished anything.
FIRST SERIOUS MOVE.
The matter dragged along. being frequently
agitated until lo5l when by an act of the
Legislature passed March 49, John D. Ward,
Dudley s. Gregory, A. L. Van Boskerck and
Edward Coles were appointed a Board of
Commissioners to examine and consider all
matters relative to supplying Hoboken, Van
Worst and Jersey City with sufficient quaint
itY of pare and wholesome water" The first
plan considered was one proposed by Clerk
& Bacot, the junior member OF which firm
Nj. Robert c. Bacot is still living and is the
engineer of the State Riparian Board The
plan of Messrs. Bacot & Clerk recommended
taking the water from several springs and
small streams which found their way into a
small reservoir which had been excavated on
the side of the New Jersey Railroad, a short
distance westward of the summit of Bergen
Hill This was to be elevated by means of a
steam engine to a distributing reservoir on
the top of the Hill with a bottom at least IS
feet above tide. This plan promised only
250.00 gallons of water per day, which, as
the population of Hoboken and Jersey City
then amounted TO about 1900, would give
each individual little less that j. gallons
day. This was considered too small supply
asF47sae scheme was rejected.
The next plan submitted was one for dam
ming the Hackcnsack, near Snake Eill, i'll
order to prevent the salt water from min
CLING with the fresh water above the dam. 1t
was supposed that in short time the water
above the dam would become pure and whole
some end could be pumped into distributing
reservoir on the Hill. But as the water it
was proposed to use was declared to he
strongly tinctured with decaying vegetable
matter, and as the plan was sure to be
expensive and its success by no means GER
tain, it was not seriously considered.
RoCKLAND LAKE AS A SOURCE.
Then a plan was broached to take the
water from Rockland Lake. New York,
thirty miles from Jersey City. But that
was rejected because the lake was in New
York State and it was ascertained that it
could not furnish more than 100000 gal
Ions per day.
Still another plan contemplated making
use of SO much of the western slope of the
Hill for gathering ground as would serve
to furnish the necessary quantity of water.
The water was to be that portion of the an
nual rain fall which would sink into the
soil and be gathered into an extensive net
work of drains excayated to the proper depth
and partially filed with loose stones or fur
Dished with earthenware drain pipes, hav-
ing loose joints to admit the water The
trenches were then to be filled with loose
earth to the level of the general surface.
The water thus collected was to be con-
Quoted into an aqueduct at the base Of the
hill, and conveyed thereoy to a large stor-
age reservoir, and pumped from that to a
distributing reservoir on the summit. The
commission gave this plan some careful
study, and finding that it was only used in
one city Edinburgh, Scotland), and that
only for a portion OF its supply, besides be-
VI DuDblQl uOli1tJf Ii W do lCJCNOCe1.
Roosevelt L. Colt, president of the Society
for Establishing Useful Manufactures" of
Paterson. proposed to furnish supply from
the Passaic above the Paterson Falls. The
water was to be brought to Jersey City
through iron pipes across the Passalc and
Hackensack Meadows and the supply was
calculated to be 96, 800 900 imperial gallons
per day. which Mr. Colt agreed to deliver
for $4,000 Mr.. Colt also offered to furnish
100000 imperial gallons per. twenty y-four
hours from the Passaic at Dundee for $4,000
per annum.
Although both of these plans were looked
upon with considerable favor they were
finally abandoned for the reason that, should
the territory to be supplied ever have popu-
lation of 200,00 and the commissioners
freely predicted that it would have 25O, O,0OO
the supply would be inadequate.
SUPPLY FROM THE CANAL.
1t was also proposed to obtain supply
from tEat level of the Morris Canal between
Little Falls and Bloomfield The cost of this
plan had it been adopted, would have been
$3.50, 1896. $3.50, 900 of which was to be paid to
the canal company for the water. After
thoroughly and carefully considering all
these plans the Commissioners finally settled
upon the present supply which Is taken from
the Passaic at Belleyille They found that
the water was abundant there, and could De
taken from the river without materially in
tcrferinls with private rights and, what Will
sound strange to those who drink the water
In these days, analyses of DR.. Chiffon and
Professor Horsford o. Yale College showed
1t to he better than the water supplied to
Philadelphia, New York, Albany or Troy,
while the united testimony of those who
dwet along the rivers banks, was that the
water was ''unexceptionable." Plans for
tho works were submitted by the engineer
IN December of that year and on March %
following the Legislature granted the city
permission to construct the works. Con
tracts were awarded at once and the work
pns.,ed forward SO rapidly that on June 30,
l,s53 water was let into the pipes at Belle
vile. and on August Is it was distributed
throughout the city. Upto that time the works
cost s5652, ,9s5 q, The head Of the commission
was Mr.. John D. Ward, father Of Lebbeus B.
Wsrd of this city. Mr.. Ward was a distin-
pushed engineer who, in 1914. moved to Jer-
;cy CITY from New York City, where he
bed been prominently identified With the in
PRODUCTION of Crotou water in 1872.
GREAT WATER CELEBRATION.
On, October 8, 1854, the completion of the
works ,Tas celebrated in an elaborate manner.
Although the weather was wet and disagree
He thousands of people crowded the
,trcs4s to witness the celebration, If credence
70 be placed in al enthusiastic newspaper