The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-08-28
FROM THE HEWARH SUNDAY CALL
FROM THE NEWARK SUNDAY CALL
JERSEY CITY WATER.
Our Sister Municipality About
to Yield.
WATER CO.'S OPEN ARMS
The Public Necessity Again
the Official Excuse.

JERSEY CITY. Aug. 25, 1S94.-If the
experience of Newark counts for any
thing, this city is about to be delivered
hand and foot into the clutches of the
North Jersey Water Syndicate. Such a
surrender means the soiidiication and
p~erpetuation of the interests of this
water monopoly.
Like Newark, just prior to the execu-
ton of the water contract, Jersey City
is badly in need of pure water. If any
thing, the supply is worse h it was
when Newark cut loose from the Passaic
water at Belleville. Ill Newark, al
agitation is being pushed by some unseen
power rejecting on the health of the
community. 1t was started in the local
press a month or six weeks ago, but is
now being vigorously treated by the
New York Times in a way that indicates
"a hidden purpose. Typhoid fever is
said to be almost epidemic. OF course,
the water is responsible for it. The agi-
tation on this line was commence a
few weeks ago, when the local Health
officer sent a communication to the
Board of Works referring to the condl-
ton of the water n declaring that the
health of the city was menaeed. This
is much like the experience in Newark.
Once started, the danger cry has been en-
larged one hundred fold. 1t is a repeti-
ton of the Bartlett agitation OF five or
six years ago, though the cunning hand
of Bartlett is now hidden.
Practically nothing has been done
about a new water supply for Jersey
City since the reflections of the propo-
sitions submitted last year for a fifty
million gallon supply from the Rockaway
watershed. These propositions were made
in response to an advertisement for bids
for a new water supply authorized by
the old Board of Works. The new Board
of Works, known as Mayor Wansers
board, released the parties submitting
these propositions last spring as soon
as it came into power, apparently pre-
ferring to deal with the question from the
start, if anything was to be done. The
propositions were made by New York
contractors, and while they were not
known to a any direct connection
with the Bartlett-Hobart syndicate, rep
resented by the East Jersey Water Com
pany, the claims of the latter in the
Rockaway Valley, involving ownership of
supposed reservoir sites and the interests
of the allied corporation, the Lehigh
Valley Railroad, in water rights in con-
nection with the Morris Canal. would
very soon have forced a combination if
one had not already been effected.
It was proposed to take the water at a
point heal Boonton, and. with suffici-
ent storage provided in the valley above,
supply the city with 100000 gallons a
day. The water would be delivered un-
der q head of $50 feet, considerably below
tina Of Newark from the .P~equannock,
but sufficiently high to supply the water
into the city's distributing reservoir
The section of the city from which the
Greenville end. which is supplied direct
from the works at Belleville: The other
sections of the city are supplied from the
distributing reservoir on bergen MI,
In this reservoir before passing into the
supply pipes it is a little better than
the water supplied to Greenville. The
Rockaway watershed is hardly. suited
to give a permanent supply, as the river
drains a territory in which there are
several growing towns, notably power
and Boonton. and in time the pollution
may be SO great as to necessitate an
other change.
Mayor Wanser has expressed not de-
cided views on the question CT q ne,y
a change, and is known to have eX-
pressed the view THAI the best course
Tor he city to pursue WAS to follow in
H.ew ks footsteps .l,ld have the worn
lone by contract. One reason why he
favors this plan is that the city could
then give it's bonds in payment for the
works, and thus avoid the necessity of
floating the issue in a timid market.
Mr., Wanser is also known to favor the
Rockaway watershed.
A well-known resident of the city said
to the Cali reporter today that he be-
lieved the present agitation had been
started by the water syndicate through
alarm. He said:-"With Jersey City Sc
cured, the position of the water syndicate
would be supreme. The promoters of the
East Jersey Water Company fear the en-
actment by the Legislature of such a
law as the Bradley bill now in the hands
tof the States Attorney General, who has
been asked to pass Upon the constitution
ality OF certain unimportant side features
of the bill. When the measure was be-
fore the Legislature last spring it was
opposed tooth and nail by the water syn
dictate. If enacted, it provides for the
creation of a State Water Board to have
control of the potable waters of the
State, except that controlled by Newark
With such a body the opportunities of
the water syndicate to seize and dis
able waters of the State would be ene.
They wish to work Jersey City up to
the point of making a contract before it
is possible to enact such a law, and with
Jersey City provided for, there would be
only smaller and scattered communities
outside the grasp of the syndicate. They
already have Newark n some of the
Surrounding towns and Paterson and
..Passaic. With Jersey City, Hoboken,
|}Bayonne and neighboring towns must
F,be included. Another consideration that
might add to their strength is the fact
that the leading men in the syndicate
are in political accord with the3Ipowers
I that now exist in this city. The ques-
.Etion of State control has long been a
bugbear to the syndicate as it naturally
would be. 1t has been repeatedly recon-
mended in this State. In a letter written
State Constitutional Convention. now III
session at Albany, ex-Mayor Low of
Brooklyn strongly indorses a proposition
of the same kind, relative to the control
by the State of the waters of New York
State, advanced by Commissioner White
of the Brooklyn Water Works.