The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-10-28
The Protest of the Montclair
Water Company Exposed
by It's President.
EVIDENCE ON CERTIORARI
Old Statutes and Nusty Deeds
Which Resemble the Flowers
That Bloom in the Spring.
ENGINEER RUGGLEs' TESTIMONY

were OCuplSC l1iS L1OAlhAS ~
NcGiil and Vice Chancellor Pitney, the
taking of testimony in the matter of the
certiorari of the award to the Jersey
City Water Company OF the water con-
tract for Jersey City, Was esrmed IN
the law library before Supreme court
Commissioner John A. Nugent-
Some of the counsel Interested having
business before the Equity judges, II
was nearly eleven O'Clock before the pro-
ceedlngs CT the fourth day commenced.
civil Engineers c. c. Ycrraeule and
Edlow w. Harrison were early on mana,
besides Chief. Engineer w. w. Ruggies
and Henry Belden for the Jersey CITY
Water Company.
Mr. Charles L. Corbin. counsel for the
Morris Canal and Banking Company, the
Lehigh Valley R. r.. and the Montclalr
Water Company. began the days work
by offering in evidence the charter OF the
Morris Canal and acts passed relative to
the company in 1924, 1925, 1880 and 1873.
1--WE object to the Offering of these
acts said ex-senator W.. d. Edwards,
for the Jersey City Water Company,
because they are incompetent and i'm
material to the issue"
Mr.. Corbin offered deeds of w. Scott
and wife, Sophias Kitchell, c. H. Kit
chell and others to the Canal Company
conveying lands Then he put Thomas
w. Hume, assistant real estate agent OF
the Lehigh Valley Company, on the
stand. and he identified the title DEEDS
offered. which Mr.. edwards objected to
as immaterial to the issue before the
court. The witness was not cross-ex-
aInined.
After a request to the Mayor and Al
dernis.i to produce the protest of the
Morris Canal Company sent March. 1895,
2Ar. Gernin called Chief Engineer w. w.
Nugg!es 10 the stand and asked that
Official TO produce the settlement OF daily
CONSUMPTION which he was requested TO
make al the last hearing.
Before the engineer was allowed to pro-
coed Mr. Edwards asked the Norris
kitehell agreement of which the one
produced was only a supplement; but
agreement. Mr.. Ruggles then described
The territory supplied by. the reservoirs
PLACE III '1 millions Of Of gallons all ssae Of water stae
were daily pumped; but he could not
state The cost Der million gallons of
COST or PUMPING.
Can y2u guess at the c%ost?".
vredenburgh and Edwards.
line question was pressed and Mr..
Ruggles said he guessed" it would be
per million gallons. He had not, he said,
made any estimate of the relative cost
per Inlh.lOn SallOnS on the IlTeG DiOS
offered. nor had he been requested to
make any by the board.
you make the estimate for city i'm
provements?" asked Mr.. Corbin, was
It not part of your duty to make an
estimate of the relative costs of the
bids?"
the ground that the estimate of city
improvements was prescribed by the
charter and it was no part of Mr..
Ruggles' duty to make estimates for the
wafer
THE specifications provided for that"
added Mr.. V~redenburgn.
In answer to eX Judge F. w. Stevens
Mr.. Ruggles stated that Bayonne. Harri-
son and Kearny were first supplied in
but was never metred. Questioned by
Mr.. Weart, the engineer said that a pipe
had been connected with the pump at
section to Bidwell avenue
As the, city grows up in the south
and as far as West Hobqken the
sof course" said Mr.. Ruggles.
"As a matter of fact the pumping in
creases year by year?"
ayes"
Mr.. Edwards asked the engineer a
duties and showed that the street i'm
~proverent estimates prepared by him
were .prr9yided for BY the ehar stSsrizn
"You visited these water sheds a num-
Der of times with the officials?' asked
Mr.. EDWARDS -
a great number of questions relative. to
the water questions" said Mr.. Rugg,es.
R mr afaRqne r Of eansum NJ Jon,
ELECTED from him that in making up the
figures he did not allow for leakages.
clair Water Company was the next wit
ness. and he named. the towns supplied
hy bis eomT an Uith water; P These are
The contract with West Orange was
made. he said. for twenty-five years,
a ana the orange ba said don toof its sen wS years- fr rne
p large we'll and the balance from the
Newark pipe of the East Jersey Com
panW. The company controlled Split
Rock pond for the purpose of supply;
Part of the lands surrounding the pond
is held by lease. Tbs privilege Of fishing
is rented by the Split Rock Fishing Club.
The lease of Carrot A.. Hobart to the
Montclair. Water Company. concerning a
part Of the tract surrounding the pond
The protest of the Montclair Company
to Jersey City that that corporation
controlled the waters of Split Rock pond
Bloomfield. Montclair and West Orange.
TN those who included it in their bid
therein, was offered in evidence.
EAST JERSEYS CHILD.
Mr.. Edwards subjected the witness to
map of Split Rock pond offered Nv tho
Montclair Water Company, showing. the
lands leased DIV IT, Mr.. Snow didn't
know who made the map or whether
it was accurate. IT came, he said. with
the East Jersey Water Company deed.
by whom is the Montclair Water
Company owned?" Mr.. Edwards asked,
"By the New Jersey General Security
Company"
w sWnie cona 9atr9lss asked ths E r.. nd% Ssrsiy
Yes" admitted the president, after a
Handing Mr.. Snow the deed of Mr..
Hobart to the Montclair Company, Mr..
Edwards asked him to point out where
the company acquired the title to the
water on the Split Rock strip. Mr..
Snow read carefully the deed and read
out aAH the right, title ard interest in
the houses" and everybody laughed.
a matter of fact, you were mis-
taken when YOU said you owned the
water rights?"
Mr.. Snow didn't know whether he was
or was not.
"Have you ever seen this pond?"
eyes. once. nine years ago"
He didn't know its outlet or anything
beyond the fact that it was a pond; it
was called Split Rock and contained
water.
He was asked what other corporations
he was connected with, and he ratified
off a list. He was up to the neck in
water ~syndjcates.
Continuing, be said that the company
pumped out of the driven wells about
spa.N00 gallons daily and bought 1.O00s000
gallons from the East Jersey Company.
A WATER MIDDLEMAN.
Then your company is a SOPt of mid