The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-07-15
VIEW The LAST PLAN
City Officials Inspect the
Water Scheme of the
Hudson and RockaWay
Co.
IMMENSE RESERVOIR At MONTVILLE
Engineer Harrison Claims Superior
Advantages for the Project
Engineer Ruggles Ill.
IMMENSE RESERVOIR At MONTVILLE
sneefnl 10 the Jsrseu citp Ne.rs.

to the watershed was given up " ools
sidering the offer of the RockaWay anu
Hudson Company. When the party
aIighted from the train at Boonton frl-
day evening after its visit TO Lake no.
patcong as the guests of the East Jer-
sey Company. they were met by Henry
Fl. Holmes. President of the Rocl1away
and Hudson. who Immediately took
charge of the inspectors. Saturday morn
ing the early train brought Finance Com
missioner Jones and Edlow w. Harrison,
the engineer of the company, who Joined
the party at the hotel. where carriages
were taken to the site of the company $
proposed reservoir back of Montville.
This was found to be one of the best
sites for a reservoir yet seen by the
party. 1t is a deep gorge between two
high hills, the greater part of which is
rock. The outlet is comparatively mar
row and can be easily closed with a
dam, When completed the company de-
clares the reservoir will contain enough
water to last Jersey City forty-eight
DAYS Mr. Harrison explained that the
great advantage of this reservoir will be
that it will be capable of containing
enough water to last Jersey City over
the spring freshet season. when the river
is full of vegetation and floating debris
which are liable to pollute the water
Montxille is SO situated that the water
from the main intake at the reservoir
can be easily emptied into the reservoir
by means of gravity.
The weather had been threatening all
the morning and at this point great drops
began to fall upon Mr.. Harrison's maps
and papers. The commissioners lost all
further interest in the Montville reser-
voir and hurried to the carriages just
as the rain began to descend in torrents
curtains were hurredly pulled down and
the drivers whipped up their horses and
hurried back to Boonton.
THE INTAKE RESERVOIR.
Safely back in the hotel. Mr. Harrison
got out his maps and papers and explain
ed at length the scheme of his company
He said they proposed to bring the water
from the Roci1away River at the head of
the water power of the Couper Lord es-
tate at Boonton. erecting masonry
dam at an elevation of over ASS feet
above the level of the sea. The Rocka-
way Valley above the proposed intake,
he said. had a drainage area of 11S
sauare miles, 50 per cent of which was
forest land and which was capable of af-
fording a supply of 7S.0oo.eO0 gallons per
day, with a draught of only IA inches on
the water shed.
From this intake. Mr.. Harrison contin-
ued. the company proposed to carry a
pipe line of either single sixty inch or
forty-eight inch steel pipe at the option
of the city to the combined storage and
. distributing reservoirs at Montville. The
surface elevation of the Montville reser-
voir Will be approximately 455 feet. or 30
feet below the head of the dam at the
intake Its depth will be on an average
so feet, which will be retained by an i'm
mense dam go feet high. It will be 1,500
feet long and will give the reservoir a
storage capacity of upwards of 2,000.0 .000,
900 gallons, which, as has been said be-
fore, will furnish supply above the
level of the draught for over forty days
The reservoir itself. Mr.. Harrison de-
clared, would drain an area of about 2.7
miles of rough mountain land, thirteen
inches of which would furnish Gil, ,000, 600
gallons while the reservoir would be SO
situated that it would receive the sur
plus flow of the whole Rockaway Valley
water shed of 11S square miles, which
would fill it in a very few days i'm the
rainy season.
ADDITIONAL RESERVOIRS.
The company, according to Mr. Harri-
son. propose to provide additional stor-
age reservoirs in the upper valley of
the Rockaway shed, utilizing one or
more of the numerous lakes in the
northern part of the State in order to
secure the 5O0o,0O00o0 gallons required
by the citys specifications. Mr.. Harri-
son produced a map and pointed out the
lakes and streams which they proposed
70 SO utilize as required. They were:-
The Berkshire Valley designated in the
JeTSey 1,itV COmDanv'S nI2n the Long
wood Valley: and Beach Glen. already
described IN the account of the inspec-
In addition to these there were men
toned Middle Forge, with water shed
of 101 miles. where a reservoir will be
erected covering an area Of 100 acres at
an average depth of thirty feet, and hav-
ing capacity of 160G, 100000 gallons. BY
this time the rain had ceased and the
Commissioners went ibo inspect the,
point where it is proposed to locate the
to be in the gorge which divides the
town into two sections just on the edge
of Boonton. Either side is thickly set
tied, and homes and cottages are slow
~ creeping above the point Where it is
proposed to take the water
1t was remarked by some OF. the. party
from the sewage was great Mr.. Harri-
son replied that the company pro
posed to take care of all sewage of Dover
and Rockaway, as well as Boonton. by
building a system of sewers to carry it
away from the river.
These Mr. Harrison said were the
pnIy two sources of danger from con-
tarlination This sewer would be built
Of vitrified pipe and run through the
valley of the Rockawav. All isolated
cases of nuisances likely to contamin-
ate the river waters would be corrected
by removal outside the limit of possible
contamination or connected with the
Sewer. In order to do away with any
eontaminaticn by the venting of the
the Morris Canal, the company. pro-
vice which will carry the lockage waters
across the river into the guard locks on
the other side.
THE PIPE LINE.
Containing his explanation, Mr.. Har-
rison said that from the reservoir at
Montville his company proposed to run
i pipe line either single or double on
he city's option, drawing from the wa
ser IN the reservoir at an elevation of
shout 400 feet or. IS feet below the nor
nal service, in the most direct line to
Tonmele avenue and the County Road:
hence through Tonnele. Manhattan and
surninit avenues to the High Service
eservor. deliverinr the water at a
lead of 210 feet. The actual fall be-
meen the proposed surface of the water
n the reservoir at Montville is 245 feet:
rhe actual hydraulic grade line Will
lave fall of over ten feet pet niie.
The plan Of the Hudson and Rockaway,
ker ali others. In the first place the