New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-12-23
A WELCOME CHRISTMAS GIFT
JERSEY CITY's NEW WATER SUPPLY WILL
BECOME AVAILABLE ON WEDNESDAY,
AFTER SUFFERING FOR YEARS FROM IMPURE
WATER QUARTER OF MILLION fEorHH
WILL RECEIVE A FIRsT-CLAss SUPPL
THE WORK ACCOMPLISHED WITH
GREAT DIFFICULTY


GREAT DIFFICULTY.
Nearly quarter of a million people living IN new
Jersey will have more than the customary reason
for rejoicing on Christmas Day. for to the ciNe"'
of Jersey City. Kearny. Harrison and bas, '."a. n
the promise is made that on that day the "no'e'oo
water OF the Pequannock Valley will be sent 'io'e
the water mains In those towns
This will be due to the completion OF the coii-
Meeting pipe between the Pequannock "a'e, nc"
at the Newark Reservoir. In Bellevue anu Wv 49,
sey City service mains in Arlington Ihe iaSt "
ton of the pipe was laid early last week anu tue
5000 feet of 42-inch steel pipe which is 10 carry INC
new supply from the Newark mains 10 the assam
River. tested and found TO be almost periec''
Only leak found. and that gave ou' w
gallons In hours. On Friday the pipe o" the
Kearny side OF the Passaic River was tesleu anu "o
leaks were discovered
There remains now only to test small portion OF
the completed work before the new supply is turned
into the Jersey City, Kearny and tarriso" P'pe''
This will be done on Christmas Eve
Now that a better supply Is imminent, many WIN
have suffered from impure prone to believe
that something will intervene to cause postpone
ment of the new service. Indeed. so douptfu' are
the majority Of the people in Kearny and Harrison
that they will take step TO welcome the long
desired water until IL actually flows from ti'eH
faucets This is largely due TO the abortive eHorts
the residents OF Kearny have made to secure an
indpDendent arteSian
the Passac River has made the fluid served 10 the"i
,nuch worse apparently than to residents OF Jersey
City the six seven miles the water flowed giving
it an opportunity to precipitate It's solids ana MAXINE
it reasonably clear. 1t foul disgusting ana
dsgracefu public service. and its abolition Is IN
the interest of public health
The new supply is taken from the surplus carried
nv the Peouannock mains that supply Newark. and
is sold 70 the other municipalities by the East Jersey
Water Company. which claims proprietary rights 10
the surplus. until the year 1900 when the present
mains will belong absolutely to Newark
The work OF laying the connecting pipes between
the Newark or Pequannock MAN, and that Of Jer-
sey City is OF more than passing interest as I'M
usual difficulties had TO be overcome. one OF these
was the crossing Of the Passac River at Belleville
This was accomplished after several failures, Dy
subdvding the large 42inch pipe into seven pipes or
six inches diameter The smaller pipes were
Joined calked and otherwise fastened together, and
then dragged across the river bed by troop OF
horses Divers were employed to dredge a suitable
bed for the pipes. and the work was completed only
after much hard work. The $500 feet of 42nch pipe
is laid in a trench. which begins In Jeroemon-st..
Beeville runs down Newest. to Holmes-st. thence
through Hornblower Rutgers and Main SITS. to the
edge of the river. The multiple section has other
advantages beside those Of facility In construction
Ea pipe has valve at either side OF the river SO
that II broken by vessel it may be removed ana
East Jersey Water Company. the other pipe being
laid by T. A. and p. G. Gillespie, OF Pittsburg
As Kearny Township was the first 10 contract with
the East Jersey Water Company for portion OF the
Peouannock surplusage. independent connections
ha been provided that in case legal en-
tangements are brought about over the Jersey City
service that township may use the water without
taking IL from the Jersey City mains
The work of laying the pipes was begun on No
vember L. and done by army of nearly four
hundred Italian laborers, aided by the only steam
dago'' In existence This is a back acting steam
shovel which dug out 900 cubic Yards of dirt In ten
hours The machine weighing in the neighbor-
hood OF fifty TONS brought from Pennsylvania
for the purpose The cost Of the entire work APP
proxmates $4,000