The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-07-16
POLLUTED PASSAIC.
Governor Griggs' Commits
sion Listen to Jersey
City's View of the
Dirty River.
yERMRuLE PRESENTS THE CASE
An Able Exposition Of the Prob.
lem as II Relates to the
Water Supply Of
This City.
Dear, condict and Cole in EVE
dence With Plenty of Words
and a paueity Of Ideas.


Jersey City yesterday afternoon pre-
sented her views of Passaic pollution to
the Commissioners appointed by Gov
ernor Griggs to devise some plan to dis
pose Of the sewage of the Passaic VAL
ley in accordance with an act Of the
Legislature passed February, this year.
The Commissioners present in the
Aldernanic chamber were DR.. N. c. H.
Herold Of Newark, Dr. E. ]. Marsh OF
Paterson, DR.. W. T. Hunt Of Newark
and G. W. Scott of Paterson. secretary
TO the Commission.
Representing Jersey City were:-Afavnr
T. F. Wanser, Corporation Counsel Judge
John A. Blair Street and Water commis-
sioners Kaiser, Brown. Harding and
Boltwood, ex-Commissioner Captain W.
H. Hooker, President of the Board OF
Trade A. ]. Corcoran, Messrs. Joseph
Dear and Henry Y. Condict of that board
and Commissioner Warner of the Assess
ment Board.
The proceedings were opened by Mayor
Wanser. who made the following speech:
In behalf of the city / beg to thank
your commission for your courtesy In
coming down 10 this city and for your in
Vltatlon 10 the city officials and to cifi-
-@--AS7 cs7k'CS|iol1J Interested IN lNo matter
under investigation by you TO aid YOU bv
cooperation and suggestion. Since the re-
celpt of your communication informing
me Of your intention to hold this confer
eHce. have invited the Board of Trade
TO cooperate with the officials in extend
ing to your commission every aid possible
en- our part 70 assist in your labors; zhe
Street and Water Board in compli5face
with my suggestion have requested tneir
consulting engineer, Mr.. c. c. vsrSueuIee
TO lay before you our views in tEe matter
a the cleansing Of the Passaic River. and
to present to you some of the engineering
problems which have confronted the city
IN connection Herewith. SO that it Is not
my purpose to enter into any extended
discussion of the problem With the IN
vestigation of which you are 1hargeds
and it is not the intention of any ~ the
city officials to take up the time of Nour
commission to any large extent withNJhe
the ques t1on fully from the standpoint
of the city and who will present our en-
tire case, so to speak, as briefly and logic
ally as possible.
to place all the data and suggestions he
has to make at the disposal of your COM
mission and to assist you in every way
he can. ! am sure that it Is the sense or
all the Jersey City officials who have
closely followed the reports of your la
bors as you have proceeded since your
appointment that you are endeayoring 70
make the work of your commission as
and you are to be congratulated upon the
manner in which you are performing
your labors.
been for years the bug bear with which
the city of Jersey City has been harrassed
IN the matter Of the purity or inquiry DF 1S,
problem Of good drinking water for Jer-
sey City has been intimately associated
VIII the p9lgStlon sS Or the prevention b oI
contended that our city under the terms
of the act of the Legislature giving Il
the right to use the Passaic between
for its water supply was entitled TO pure
and wholesome water. When was con-
into the question of our rights in the
river, and also into the problem Of pre-
venting the pollution of the Passaic to a
great extent before committing myself
or the city to the policy of abaItdonmen-
OF the Passaic River at Bellevdle as
source of supply
now that whatever rights the city. had 20
a pure and wholesome water supply from
the Passaie River between the points
mentioned by virtue of the grant OF. the
Legislature have either been forfeited by
the neglect of the city to enforce these
rights during the forey years ears pre- ppreeeasng
Offset by the rights that have been estah-
lished, 50 TO. speak, by the cities and
ing IT an outlet for their sewerage sys-
tens It appeared to me that while the
first cost of a new supply from new
maintenance would be slight in compare
son with the cost of preventing pollution
and forever disposing of the sewage now
would be most expensive and uncertain in
its results. ! believe that it should be
the policy of our State to protect in the
fullest sense of that term the waters OF
this State
sfThe day IS not far distant when the
demands upon those wakers for sources
cf1r1 off las a NJ
win exceed the supply: If your Commis-
sion had been created and the agitation
years age. Jersey CITY would not now have
4 water supply problem to settle Be
that as il may. the fact remains that you
have been appointed to deal with this
question and are here to learn what our
officials and citizens can suggest 10 aid
YOU in your labors have now tbs
Engineer C. c. Vermeule who is a
faeile princeps in matters pertaining to
the Pessaie, stepped forward with a big
nap of the entire valleys f1rafres7 bv 5re
Passale- Taking up a pointer re made
tbe following report for Jersey City
As Consulting Engineer to the Street and
Water Board Of this city in the matter Of
! new water suoplys ! have been re-
luested by His Honor the Mayor. and
he Board TO lay before you the views Of
Jersey City in the matter Of the cleans
% you the engineering problems which
rave confronted this city in connection
herewith. ! am also instructed to aid
,Sgr 'f,'s tb waInmssion; SO far as may bs
shall attempt TO do as briefly as..possi-
3le.
First, allow me to cali your attention
q the necessity for comprehensive treat
nent of problem which IS necessarily
somewhat involved The waters OF o
'trealn are derived from the whole %
,opular ssconception on this point. ana
ne are prone "a lock to the head waters