The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-01-12
Work on the ASYLUM Dis
continued During the
Winter.
THE NEW RESERVOIR
Site for the Contemplated Electric
Light Plant selected-Intcrest-
ing Gossip.

| of nature known as Snake Hill. This island
of rock in the centre of a circle, which for
miles surrounds it with almost bottomless
marsh and quicksend, looked cold and al
most desolate as the great leafiess oaks and
the more tender shrubs shivered and trenl-
bled when the wintry wind whissied
through boughs and branches as it journeyed
eastward to be lost i'll the waves of the
broad Atlantic. The thermometer registered
six degrees colder than those in this city, and
the icy trail left in the marshes and on the
| river by the frigid wind indicated that the
mercury had made no error. 1t was too cold
for out of door work in the afternoon, and
employees, keepers and convicts alike were
| snugly housed in steam heated apartments.
THE NEW ASYLUM.
/ took a walk about the Hill and first Wis
tied the new Asylum. When complete, this
| magnificent structure of brick, stone and
mortar, ON the east side of the Hill Will be
an institution that any county in this State
may well be proud of. 1t will not he finished
| before next fall, for work has been stopped
on it for six months to enable the contractor
to have only good weather to do his work IN.
TIL north and south wings OF the asylum are
practically finished as far as the erection OF
| the walls and the roof are concerned, and
! UlG OILY WOIk W Dt uOuc OA DuSil u Sch-
| sequence is the finishing of the interior.
These two wings have been protected against
bad weather, and there is no fear that the
| winter will damage them.
The centre or main part of the asylum has
only been walled up to the second story, and
| this work has been covered by planks to pre-
| vent the weather from doing injury to the
walls and foundation. 1t will take until fall
to finish this portion of the great building.
and while work progresses on this, men will
also be employed to finish the wings. The
building, as a whole, in its winter garb looks
as snug and comfortable as any unfinished
building can be expected to appear.
THE
Next | wandered to the broad plateau at
| the summit of the Hill, and examined the
reservoir which is being constructed there
for the use of the institutions. This I'M
provenent is a much needed one, and will be
finished in a very short time If the weather
permits the work being done. The reservoir
will hold a forty-eight hours supply of
| water, and should accident happen to the
water supply from the city, the storage
water would be invaluable. Heretofore
whenever there has be a break in
the water main the institutions
lave been supplied from the Hackensack
| River. While the storage water in the
reservoir will be of great service in cases of
water famine. it will prove to be OF far
greater Importance in cases of fire. The
| gravity force alone will be sufficient to
throw a stream over the five-story Aims
House and will be of invaluable service to
the fire department at Snake Hill, should
| one of the institutions take fire. Isolated as
| Snake Hill is from this city, too much pre-
caution against fire annot be taken, and the
Board of FreeholdeTs believe that when the
reservoir is completed but little fears need
be entertained of disastrous conaagration.
The institutions at Snake Hill have been
singularly fortunate in regard to fires. There
has never Leen a very serious one there.
The nearest approach to it was a dozen or
more years ago, when George Osborne was
Warden of the Almshouse. Fire broke out
in the storehouse then, and had it not been
for heroic action by Warden Osborne, a
dreadful panic and great loss OF life would
have resulted. As it was he stopped the
The fire was put out and but little loss was
occasioned. The new reservoir is, in my
Judgment, the best improvement the Free
holders nave made at the Hill.
SITE FOR THE POWER HOUSE.
Yesterday the committee of the Board of
Freeholders having in charge the erection of
| the power house to supply the new County
| Boulevard and the Snake Hill institutions
with electric light visited the Hill and select
| ed a site for the building. 1t is at the foot
of the west side of the Hill and adjoining
| the barn. There are several reasons why
this location would prove to be better than
any other. First, the power house will be
a massive brick structure about 81 feet
long, and to operate the engines
| and dynamos successfully the building must
nave a solid foundation. The site in ques-
| ton would give a solid foundation by the
| aid of some piling. The second reason for
| selecting this site is that it is near the Hack
ensack River, being but one hundred feet
from it. The river would furnish all the.
- roo,,irol aud tho cordancorc would
prepare it for the boilers. A third reason is
that there would be no carting of coal, for
| barges land the coal near the site. 1t is
more than probable that the W house
/ will be built at this place. The wardens of
the different institutions are delighted with
the prospect of having electric light, for it
| will remove almost entirely the danger from
| fire. Some months ago The JERSEY CITY
! NEWS published the views of DR.. King
| Superintendent of the Asylum on this ques-
| ton. The doctor showed me through the
the Asylum and pointed out the extreme
danger from Iunatics setting fire to the
building when the gas was burning. He
said this great danger caused him more I'M
easiness than all of the rest of his response
bilities. He said that some ~lunatics have a
mania for fire, and if the opportunity was
afforded, they would set fire to their bedding
or any article that they could get hold Of.
The same danger exists in the Aims House
| where Unef6 are So MANY luIIm people anu
young children, and constant watchfulness
is required of the attendants.
The consensus of opinion is that the power
honse will prove a blessing at Snake Hill, as
T! well asto the persons who will use the Boule-
ward. Director Bruggemann is taking great
| interest in this matter, and he will push the
! project as rapidly as possible.
o FURNISHING E
Another great improvement in contem-
| plation in connection with the power house
is to have the engines in it furnish the steam
for all the buildings at Snake Hill. Steam
is required the year round in all the build
ings because the cooking is done with it.
The cost of furnishing this steam is enor-
nous. The one item of coal alone is very
| great, for each institution now has its
| engine and boilers. 1t requires eight en-
gineers to run these engines. If the steam
for the buildings should be supplied by the
| electric plants boilers it would do away
kwith the services of five engineers. which
item alone would save the county $4,000.
The cost of carting coal from the river to
the top Of the hill is also very great. There
are many other economic reasons why it
wouldsbe cheaper and better to supply steam
from the power building than to continue
the present costly system. Warden Grimes
said yesterday that the saving to the county
by this arrangement would pay for the en-
tire electric plant in a very few years.
x-r er7 Hrrrrr