The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-02-15
WATER FAMINE OFF
The Reservoir Rapidly Ris-
ing and Arrangements
Made for a New
Supply.
COMMISSIONERS MAKE A STATEMENT
Excited Fourth District Citizens
Talk Of Lynching City officials
But They Soon Cool Down.

The street ana w atSr Soii1iAa9io-iSAS
held a consultation with Mayor Wanser'
Corporation Counsel Blair and City At
torney Weart at City Hall this morning
and then issued the following stateent
on the scanty supply of wafer
The City of Jersey and especially that
section Of it lying north OF the High
Service Pumping Station on the high land
of that section has been confronted, and
the case of the last named section,
has experienced serious condition OF
affairs from a scarcity of water. The
extraordinary spell of severe weather
has furnished an excuse for people
throughout the city to turn on the fau-
Gets in their houses and allow the water
to run at full force TO prevent any chance
of their pipes freezing. This has con-
tinued for some fifteen days ana mas
caused loss of water in the reservoir
which is estimated as being upwards OF
seventy million gallons.
The carrying capacity of the mains
from Belleyille to this city under favor
able conditions does not exceed twenty
million gallons daily, and during the
present severe weather the pipes did not
carry more than twenty million gallons.
AS the city has been using upwards OF
twenty-eight to thirty million gallons
daily for upwards of ten days the dif-
ference between the amount supplied
through the pipes and that consumed by
the city has been drawn from the water
in the reservoirs where the storage ca
pacity is only a little over one hundred
million gallons. The result has ben that
the water in the reservoir has fallen
from one hundred and twenty-eIght rect
above tide to one hundred and fourteen
feet above tide; and the pressure has
been reduced to minimum
THE TROUBLE GENERAL.
The trouble has been general through
out the city as to an insuhciency OF
pressure and in old Hudson City as TO
lack of water. Realizing the crisis Whlch
was fast approaching, on Friday last,
February s, the local authorities appeal
ed to the Hackensack Water Company
for assistance, that company did noS
feel warranted in endangering its sur
plus by furnishing Jersey City with any
water. The reservoirs fell steadily until
Wednesday afternoon when they had
reached that point where the water was
below the mouth of the suction pipe lead
ing from the pumps by which the wa
forced to the houses on the nigh
ground <ef old Hudson City. That night
bv direction of the Mayor the police
force was doubled in that section and
the Fire Commissioners transferred all
their chemical apparatus to the nre
houses in that locality. BY the direc-
tion of this board the pumps were manned
and steam kept up to tn highest prssure
SO that in the event of fire they could pc
used to force what little water tney
could reach into that section. fortunate
IL 1hat danger did not occur and yes
terday after renewed appeals from tne
authorities of this city, the HaekensacK
Water Company. agreed 10 turn on I,at az
much water as they could spare between
the hours of six and ten O'Clock iast
night, and five and nine O'Clock lnls
Ia aadbtion to this the Hackensack
Water company agreed TO allow almost
their full supply TO pc turned On ~ n psii 81
saie avenue and the Paterson Plank
Road, the point where their main con-
meets with onrs an lass eht u turn mt their
water on upon the direction OF uni
formed policeman or fireman: Wnen the
policemen left the stations in that sec
Tion for Their night tour last night and
for the day tour this morning they We're
notified TO avail themselves of these pre-
sgo today and on last Saturday this
board issued notice by advertisement In
the public press to the people OF the
was being wasted there was great dan>
GER and on the evening on Which we
were compelled to shut down the pumps
which supplied the high section of old
Hudson City watering carts and the
sprinkling cars of the railroad companies
were procured and sent through the sec
ton in trouble to prevent lnaSmuch
as was possible the Inconvenience to
house-holders consequent upon the lack
of water
est capacity both at Beileville and at
High Service until the pumps gave out
for want of something to pump. 1t is
hat
count Of the water in the pipes freezing
oat o on pue account noa of a1h s and Wsf ths aut
made no material difference in the
trated year and half ago when the
same main was cut off entirely for nine
months without making any difference. in
city as between the times at which all
three pipes were in operation and when
there were % only I y,tt two; 2 HANn
Since the water was turned on by the
Hackensack Water Company We have
gained over two feet OF water in the
arrangements with that company to con-
tinue that supply we hope to make such
gains as to relieve the section that is
now suffering. by reason Of the scarcity
of water. We are glad to inform the
public that there is no danger in any
part Of the city except old Hudson City
and in that section we are confident that
the danger has been reduced to a mln1-
mum or. account of the precau tons InaI
have been taken. We ask those people
to be patient and assure them that ev-
erything that could have been done by
our board was done TO prevent this crisis
and that we are now doing everything
that is possible to relieve them.
We desire to notify the property owners
in the section from which the greatest
complaint is made that they should see
to it that their service pipes have not
been frozen up, as we are informed that
the Eackensack Water Company has
turned on a sufficient pressure to fur
nish them with water.
JOHN J. CONE.
WILLIAM H. HOOKER,
H. L. KELLERS.
G. N. HARDING
gsnce the board prepared this statement
notice has been received from High Ser
vice Pumping Station that the water IS
tional supply furnished by the Hacker
sack Wafer Company, but from the fact
that our mains are delivering an in
creasing volume Of water
MENDINGs BROKEN MAINS.
Chief Engineer Ruggles and his assist
ant. Charles Van Seuren, are working
day and night overseeing gang Of
ress IN the removal Of the broken and
.sYro2en- Iergtfls of pipe. The main from
the foot 81 the Iiiil to the river hss
5ntn disconnected and the pipe foiied
o1,f of The way The greatest Giff4euily
being experienced IA clearing Inc
fanr{hs which cross the pricge- it WAS
thought yesterday that only nine iehgsns ss.,ls
had collapsed, but the sdlseowerg = VIZ 81
made this morning that there are =