The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-05-26
ALL SORTS OF KICKS
The RockaWay & Hudson
Company's Bid Now the
Target for Water
Sharpshooters.
PAssAIc POLLUTION RESOLUTION
It is SoIemnly Decided By the s.
4 W. Board to Throw Safe
guards Around the Pas
sale River.

Water had another inning at the meet
ing of the Street and Water Board yes
terday afternoon. Commissioners Bolt
wood, who, as is well known, is opposed
to the making of a contract with any
individual corporation, started the ball
rolling by offering the following resolu-
tom
Resolved, That the Corporation Counsel
be and is hereby directed to institute at
once. both civil and criminal, proceedings
against every person, corporation or mu-
nscipality that may be found polluting the
water of the Passaic River.
In asking to have the resolution adopt
ed Mr.. Boltwood said:-sI think it is the
duty of this Board to throw every safe
guard possible around the Passaic River
and prevent. if possible, its pollution"
The Commissioner was somewhat taken
back when Commissioner Kaiser arose
and quietly remarkably agree with
commissions Boltwood. I believe we
should prevent the pollution of the Pas
sale water, although we do not want to
drink it." I
The resolution was unanimously adopt
ed.
The solitary bid of the R~ockaway and
Hudson Company to give the city a sup
ply of water from northern New Jersey,
which is now in the hands of the Com
missioners. also claimed considerable at
tention at yesterdays session and the
plan in many important respects was
given a black eye.
The Montclair Water Company, through
its President, W. G. Snow, sent the Board
the appended information:-
The Montclair Water Company re-
E~pectfully calls the attention of your
Board to the fact that the bid of the
Rockaway and Hudson Company, under
Fran b presented in May, 1886, proposes
the use of the Montville reservoir site
as an essential part of their offer. This
property belongs to the Montclair Water
company, having been purchased by that
ompan some years ago to use. in con-
nection with its property. as a public
water supply. Under q recent decision
OF the Supreme Court in the Jersey CITY
water case this propert is not available
the consent of the Montclair Water Com
pany- AS to the plan of the same bid
der the Montclair Water Company is the
owner OF Split Rock Pond and water
rights, which involve 5 23 square miles
drainage area available for the supply
OF Jersey City, under their bid. the Rock
away and Hudson nave included this
section of 3 rs miles. The award of the
contract 10 the Jersey City Company last
year was set aside in a suit brought by
the Montclair Water Company on the
ground that this water shed had already
been appropriated for public use, as will
appear ny reference to the records of the
suit. The Montclair Water COMPANY.
therefore, respectfully notifies the CITY
of its rights and protests against the
Proposed contract for the appropriation
of It's property"
The Morris Canal and Banking Com
pany, through its counsel, Collins & Cor
bin, also made a substantial kick against
me Rockaway and Hudson people laying
claim to all the good water in New Jer-
sey- The company's protest Is as fol-
lows
II. The two plans proposed involve the
diversion Of water from the Morris Canal
at Boonton Falls. The bidders admit
tnat TINS is their design and assert that
the Fights of the Couper-Lord estate are
paramount to those of the Canal Com
pany. This is exactly contrary to facts
Inc rights of the canal company tn the
waters are expressly made prior, and the
IN their custody. This viii appeaq[ both
py actual inspection eff the use 6f the
canal and river at that point and by the
deed made in 1929, under which the canal
mas ever since held possession.
g By plan it is proposed to intercent
ana divert waters above Powerville.
where the waters of the Rockawav arc
drawn into the canal and 50 much there
Of retained as is necessary for naviga-
s. By Plan A it is further proposed
by a dam to be constructed across Beaver
Brook, below Beach Glen, to divert the
waters frcm the canal feeder at that
point The rights of the waters flowing
through Beach Glen were granted to the
cana company by deeds in 1898 and 1854
and 1874, all of which were offered in
evidence in the suit against the Jersey
City Water Company. The Supreme
Court. in setting aside the contract Of
that company, dwelled Upon the com
pany's water right and said, THE act
81 1883 does not authorize the water
right granted to the Morris Canal 20 10
condemned for the use of Jersey City.
y The bid proposes to intercept and
to divert substantially all the waters OF
Inc RoekaWay above Port Dram. The
waters Of the Rockaway at Dover inter
mingle with those of the canal and arc
drawn into the lower levels of the canal
1or purposes of navigation. Among the
sources OF the river above tlls point is
Green Pend, which is expressly desie-
mated in the charter of the Morris Canal
and Banking Company as one of its
sources of supply. The canal company
owns the mil site at the outlet of this
pond and has been in possessioa at
It since the year 1929. The scheme Of
the Rockaway and Hudson COMPANY in
wolves an interference with the Morris |
Canal to an extent even greater than
thai which was held unlawful In the
recent certiorari suit between the canal
company and the city. and we respect
fully ubnit that a legal right establish
ed after a full trial by the Supreme |
court OF the state ought not to be wan
fonly assailed by the officers of the city,
Bacon, Hedges & Erdman OF No. Q
Wall street, New York, wrote, under date
of May 49,
AS the specifications under which Won
asked for bids, on the 18th inst, were
prohibftory to our system of filtration.
we were unable to bid Hereunder, and
beg leave to submit the following:-
mined that it is for the best interests Of |
JERSEY City to contract for a new water