The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-07-25

4 chlnery, without expense TO Jersey Sltgs tie
/ entire expense to be paid by his company Tor
| one year from the time the new supply De
| gan, in order that the works might be
started up again, and the city resume Its own
| supply at any time; if, for any reason tne
| company should be unable to deliver. Ihe
company would have, he said, an investment
| of several millions of dollars III The state,
1 making it entirely responsible, and would
| give its bond for S500,000 for the faithful
! performance of any contract entered into
| with Jersey City.
| He guaranteed to deliver the water into
| the reservoir at Belleville within two years
| from the signing of the contract.
In a communication sent to the Board OF
| Finance a few weeks afterward. Mr.. Bart
! lett reiterated aud emphasized the ability OF
| his company to fulfill any contract the city
/ might make with him, and quoted the
| counsel who had advised them that they
| had property in the waters they claimed.
On January "a of that year the Board OF
| Works accepted the proposition OF Mr.. BART
| lett, and directed the Corporation Counsel
| to draw a ten years contract IN accordance
| Herewith.
| CITIZENS OBJECT.
A citizens meeting in opposition to the
| scheme was held and committee consisting
| of Frank O. Cole. G. D. Van Ripen, Alfred
| Henderson, Frank j. Matthews, Charles l..
1 Krugler and James Flemming was appointed
| to protest to the Board of Finance against
| coneurring in the action of the Board OF
! Works This committee sent long COM
| mumcation to the Finance Board, III wnlcn
| it was stated that the citizens We're opposed
| to placing the water supply III Ihe nahos Oh !
| a private corporations; that the Board or
| Works had no authority to make such con-
| tract and that the Passaic and its tr1butar-
| les should be secured as source OF water
| supply for Jersey City. Mr.. Bartlett re-
piled infinitely to this appeal and issued
| pamphlet setting forth the fact that the
| sewers of Passaic and Paterson emptled into
| the Passaic river and polluted its water
| All efforts to secure the contract
| failed however, through the action OF the
| Board of Finance i'll refusing to concur Ia
| the resolution of the Board of Works, which
was accomplished mainly through the IN
| fiuence of the late ex-Congressman Augustus
| A. Hardenbergh, who was then member
| of the Finance Board.
BARTLETT's SECOND PROPOSITION.
In 1889 Newark took decisive steps to
secure new water supply, and that gave the
matter fresh impetus i'll Jersey City: A
| meeting of citizens was held in the Alder
manic Chamber in june and Cominittee
of which DIR. L.. j. Gordon was chairman
was appointed to consider the details OF
another proposition by Mr.. Bartlett that he
should furnish water to Jersey City at $40
per million gallons, and that Jersey City
should have the option OF purchasing the
works at specified time. The committee
held conferences with Mr. Bartlett, and
finally submitted to him the draft of con-
tract the subject of which was that the
Montclair Water Company, which he repre-
sented should furnish new supply OF pure
water from the upper Passalc water shed,
and take as its pay the water revenues OF the
city: the company guaranteeing, ~ to pay
the interest on the water debt, ~ not 20 In
crease the water rates to the consumers. ~
to furnish water to the public buildings and
the fire department without charge. tH to
make all the necessary extensions and re-
newaIs t5 TO give the city the option of
buying the works at cost plus fair COM
tnercial profit within a time named.
To this Mr.. Bartlett replied that plan TO
supply jersey City with water to take
charge of the present plant would be APP
proved by his company, but there were GER
tain details which the company would not
accede to- and those details We're such as to
practically amount to rejection OF the
scheme Nothing came of these negotla-
tions. and the agitation for new supply
subsidized somewhat. although it did not die
out altogether.
ANOTHER EFFORT FOR PURE WATER.
In the meantime the present water supply
kept growing worse and worse, and IN the
spring OF 1892 the Board of Trade revived
the discussion by solemnly declaring that
the prosperity and welfare of Jersey City
demanded that it obtain. as speedily as
possible. new supply of pure and whole
some water The agitation thus started
aroused the Street and Water Board to ac-
tion and ia the fall of that year the conf
missioners advertised for bids for a new sup
ply to be submitted at meeting to be held
on November 21. The specifications called
for gravity supply to be brought to the
Belleville reservoir in cast iron pipes Each
bidder was to desposit 100000 with the
New Jersey Title Guarantee and Trust Com
pany.
Two bids and protest were received in
reply to this advertisement. One of the
bids, that of George B. Inlnan, was un-
accompanied by the certificate of deposit
and was handed back as being informal
Mr.. Inman claimed that he and his asso-
ciates had full control of Morris Lake.
Swartswood Lake, Long Pond ard Culver
Lake. four large bodies of pure water in
Morris and Sussex counties. This water he
agreed to supply to Jersey City at an aver
age price of S24. 80 per million gallons he
also proposed in the event of his receiving
the contract to issue bonds to the extent OF
81. 500 coo and there establishing sinking
fund into which should be paid $l6.15 for
every million gallons taken by the city, in
which manner he argued. a sufficient
amount could be realized in twenty-five
years to pay for the cost of the works. The
plant would then revert back to the city
without further taxation.
EAST JERSE1 MIN
The protest came from the East Jersey
Water Company and was against the specl-
fications which it claimed were SO drawn as
to exclude any waters except those OF the
Rockaway shed. That syndicate, which now
has Newark tightly by the throat then went
on to say that its control OF water rights in
the Passaic Valley and its experience in the
construction of water works. eminently
fitted it to give Jersey City superior water
supply, cheaper than any one else 1t
criticized the gravity and iron pipe features
of the specifications and said they added
greatly to the cost of the water.
The one bid received and read was that of
the Moffett, Hodgkins & Clarke Co., and 4
it Yves generally considered good one, as
the average price per million gallons on the
basis of daily consumption Of 35,0yo,0oO
gallons was $780, and on the basis of a
daily consumption of 50,000,000 gallons,
$33 go
This bid was laid over under the rules, and
the board by resolution requested the COM
pany to afford the commissioners an oppor-
tunity to inspect the water personally. The
company readily complied with the request
and on November 20 party, consisting OF
the commissioners members of the Board of
Trade, citizens and representatives of the
company, visi ed the principal points in the
Rockaway water shed, which the company
proposed to utilize.
At Boonton the place was pointed out
where it was proposed to build drain which
would form a basin capable OF holding
400, 600 gallons from which the water
would be carried to the Belleyille reservoir,
twenty miles away, through iron pipes.
Dixons Pond was next inspected when it
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