The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-07-25
WATER SYHDICATES
Would-be Candidate Hobart
the Father of All the
Companies.
us FAMOUS BILL OF 1881
Story of the Attempts in Recent
Years to Furnish a New
Supply For Jersey City.
ROCKAWAY VALLEY PROJECTS.
Julius Pratt's Little Scheme
lnman's Novel Sinking
Fund Plan.
ROCKAWAY VALLEY PROJECTS.

4
ed himself as a candidate for the Guberna
torial nomination on the Republican ticket
can with propriety be called the father o.
the various water syndicates which are Sc
willing and ready to furnish Jersey City
with a water supply. 1t was in the Legisla-
ture of 1881 that his famous water bill first
reared its head. He was then the Senator
from Passaic and man OF much influence
in the upper chamber That bill authorized
the formation of aqueduct companies tc
supply cities, towns and other municipal
tiles with water the companies were to
have the power to condemn water and water
rights. were in no wise to oe restricted,
and could dispose of water to cities, cor
porations or individuals outside of the State
The bill created decided sensation. Citi-
zens' meetings protested against 1t, and the
newspapers generally condemned the meas
ure. Mr. Hobart however had enough in
fiuence to secure its passage through the
Senate. but it met with SO much determined
opposition in the House that it was defeated.
Assistant Secretary or the Navy William a.
McAdoo, who was then member of the
Assembly from Hudson county, was one OF
the bitterest opponents of the bill. and its
death was to great extent due TO his de-
termined and able opposition.
at the following session of the Legis-
lature the measure bebbed up serenely, as
though it had never been up before. This
time it appeared smiling in the Assembly
and the irrepressible TOM Flynn, then a
member from Passaic, started it SO well
that it won in a canter. The hopes OF its
projectors however. were shattered by a
brief crisp veto message from Governor
Ludlow, which. being filed after the Legis-
lature had adjourned. killed the measure
completely.
:,,I, sill Tod
resulted in the passage by the Legislature of
tnat year of an act authorizing the appoint
ment of commissioners ito determine upon
plans for the storage of any of the waters Of
ne State for the purpose of furnis hing
cities and towns with joint water supply" +"
That bill originated with the Newark
Aqueduct Board and its primary object was
tile construction of joint aqueduct for sup
plying Jersey City and Newark. Governor
ludlow approved that act and appointed
.he four commissioners provided for. The
governing body of any municipality was
authorized to apply to the commissioners to
determine upon the best practical plan for
supplying such municipality with water
supply and the commissioners were to act
upon such application.
WATER BOARD SHELvED.
The municipality availed itself of the OPP
poruunity and the commission SO reported to
the Legislature. 1t also pointed out the
great importance of formulating some plan
for the preservation and storage of water
for furnishing a supply to the cities and
towns lying between the Orange Mountains,
the Hudson River and the New York Bay
and the Legislature appropriated $4,000 toen-
able the commissioners to make an 1nyestlga-
ton into the matter. In March 1894 the
commissioners made a report recommending
the utilization of the Pequannock water shed
for a Joint supply to ten cities and towns
within the prescribed area.
This Stirred the sYndicates to renewed
activity and their first move, according to
the friends of the State Board. was to shelve
the Water Commissioners. This was accomp-
lished through the efforts of John w. Griggs,
who succeeded Mr.. Hobart in the Senate.
The commissioners still remain in Office, but
they have no duties to perform. In 1888
New York City obtained from the New York
Legislature authority to increase its water
supply by the construction of the new
Croton aqueduct. AT the same time COM
bination of large owners of land in the
Ramapo water shed, Orange County,
procured the passage of a law authorizing
the City of New York to contract with the
company, organized by them, for the sale of
50,e00, 900 gallons per day from the Ramapo
shed to be carried across The hudson and
@Arough New York territory
This was looked upon in this State as
scheme hostile to the rights of New Jersey in
the waters of the Ramapo as tributary of
authorized the State Water Commissioners
to resist any diversion of the waters of the
Ramapo River, and required the Attorney
General to take such action as the commls-
sioners should direct for that purpose. The
decided stand which New Jersey took in this
matter prevented the adoption of the Rama
DO scheme by the city of New York
It thus became apparent to Bartlett and
his associates that if they wished to get the
Ramapo water into New York they must in
some way satisfy the demands OF New Jer-
sey. They conceived the plan OF bringing
the water down through New Jersey to Jer
sey City, and takinglt to New York through
the Hudson River Tunnel, which had prac-
tlcally been abandoned for its original pur-
pose In order to quiet the New Jersey
authorities it was proposed to make con-
tracts with the various cities and towns
along the route of the aqueduct, with pro-
viso that they might dispose of the surplus
as they saw fit. Nothing was heard OF this
scheme until December, 1886, when Bartlett
began communicating with the Board OF
Finance on the subject of furnishing Jersey
City with new water supply, and finally
on January 13, 1887, ne made denhte
proposition to the board.
BARTLETT'S PROPOSITION.
He stated that he and his associates had
purchased from the Society for Establishing
Useful Manufactures and from the Dundee
Water Power aud Land Company, the ex-
elusive right to divert Ine SupcfuDuHudilu
waters of the Passaic water shed above the
Great Falls, where the waters exist in
their native purity, for the express purpose
OF supplying Jersey City, Newark and other
places with pure and wholesome water
They had secured by purchase, he further
said
Great Notch Reservoir in the Orange
Mountain: Garrett Monntai;l Reservoir near
Paterson; Macopin Lake in Passaic county;
bunker Pond Reservoir in Passaic county:
Split Rock Lake in Morris county, and
Moatville Res srvoir in Morris county
These reservoirs, when completed, dams
built. etc. when filed with water, were to
have a capacity to deliver at least 60.O00 600
gallons daily Tor domestic and public USE
Mr. Bartlett then said:A.sin consideration
pf these facts we now offer to deliver into
vour present distributing reservoir at Belle
vile all the pure water required for all the
wants of your city, public and domestic, for
such term of years as vou may by law he
authorized to contract for, at the price of
E36. SO per million gallons delivered at Belle,
Fiile.1
~ BOARD OF WORKS ACCEPTS.
nsSssrther agreed to keep the same in per-
aud maintain intaep the entire