The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-11-14
NEWARK'S SUPPLY.
Inspection Tour Of the
Watershed of the East
Jersey Company.
NEW RESERVOIR FILLING UP
Description Of the Great Plant
Which Newark Will Own
in 1900.
NEW RESERVOIR FILLING UP

User or November II, the Board
of Works. in pursuance of the
terms of the contract by the city
with the company, proceeded to the Pc
~quannock region yesterday to inspect the
new work, and TO make a general inspec-
ton of the plant-in the watershed. The
Board was accompanied by Mayor Sey-
mour. Engineer Sherard, ex-Mayor
Haynes and editorial representations of
the local newspapers and a few others
connected with the municipal govern
ment. The weather was unpropitious for
the trip. fas rain fell until late In the
afternoon, but the inspection was thor
oughly made, and was erninently satisfac-
tory.
The party took a train at the Market
street station at S:07 A. NJ, and changed
at Jersey City to THE New York, Sus-
~quehannas and Western, arriving at
Charlottesburg after ten o'clock. Here
carriages were in waiting and conveyed
the party TO the intake reservoir at
Maeopin. the starting point for the
Boards tour of observation. November
had destroyed the brilliant hues Of Oe-
tober in the foliage that CARRIED the
hills and mountains and a cloudy day
deepened the shadows in the lonely val
Ieys.
Some members of ne party had
never before visited the watershed. and
the first glimpse of the scenery
ELECTED expressions of admiration. Al
the intake. the water was going to
waste over the dam. There had been a
heavy rainfall on the watershed. and
the Oak Ridge and Clinton reservoirs
were full to overlooking. while the trib-
utaries Of the Pequannock were some
what swollen Inspection ait Macop:n
proving satisfactory, the carriages were
headed for Echo Lake, the recent aequi-
sition by the East Jersey Water Company.
This beautiful sheet of water was nor
included In the original watershed. II
holds COO, 100000 gallons and drains a con-
siderable areage. To increase thesstorage
the engineers have erected a solid lam.
n diverted a water course having a
drainage of six square miles by cutting
an artificial ehanne to carry the water
directly to the lake for storage. The wa
ter formerly flowed through its natural
channels to the intake, where, If the in
take was full. it was lost over the DAM.
1t will be a question whether Echo Lake
IS to be transferred to the city with the
rest of the plant. The Board of Works
insists that the whole watershed tribu-
tary 10 the Macop.n intake, with neces-
sariiy all the plant established in it, will
revert to Newark in 1900, under the terms
of the contract.
From Ecno Lake the party drove, with
appeyftes ~Sharpened by the mountain air.
% New Fonndiand, where dinner was
served at Brown's. No time was lost here
and the vehicles having been brought
around ne start was made for Clinton
reservoir. In the approach TO the reser-
about a century old. A small part Of ii
was blown away py concussions of dyna-
mite in blasting rocks nearby, but the
structure is Well preserved, and is a most
picturesque object. 1t was remarked that
the city, Which practically owns the Pc
q~uanneek watershed ana wiz enjoy il in
future years as a great park, slould take
means to restore and preserve this an
cient monument.
Clinton reservoir was grandly overflow
ing when the party reached rts enormous
masonry dam and walked its length to tho
Wastewater. Down into a vast gaping
cavern, blasted u OF the rocks. the
water fell a distance of about sixty feet
in tumultuous fashion, being churned into
masses of cream at the BOTTOM, and send
ing up great showers OF mist. IL was a
beautiful spectacle, well worth q journey
from Newark to see. Before the beholder
stretched the surface of the reservoir,
covering Nn3I was once q Qulet valley.
in when stood a school house dwell
ings, Nearly fifty feet below the surface
nerhalf of the reservoir could be seen,
as It is of Irregular shape, n the other
half was concealed by a projecting arm
of we'll woode land.
Clinton reservoir contains 1888. 600. 600
gallons at It's full capacity, and il drains
an acreage Of ten and cne-haif square
miles. The water apparently going to
waste yesterday was pouring into natural
ehannels leading to the intake, and would
90 into the reservoir there, so that the
loss was only to the impouRded supply,
unless the intake dam was Overlooking,
too. In approaching the reservoir. the
visitor sees the abandoned and party dis
mantled huts of the Italian Iaborers still
standing. while at various places of hAb.-
tatlon for these laborers are great stacks
of empty beer kegs. showing how they
had solaced their leisure hours.
The next point to be visited was Oak
Ridge Reservoir. Driving back over the
road from New F~oundland the carriages
turned off to the right, and after a long
drive reached this superb body CT water.
Here the work is of the same substantial
character. The gateways at both Clinton
and Oak Ridge are nearly fifty feet below
the crown of the masonry, and are
reached from the top by winding iron
stairs, set in the masonry OF the great
dams The doors were locked yesterday.
After looking over the dam, the party
drove along the road skirting the dam,
and for some distance at the base of 4
froW1ing rocky precipice, until the upper
end was reached. Ex-Mayor Haynes
pointed out q spot near the cenfre OF the
submerged valley where a small village
had stood. The houses were removed be-
fore the water was let into the basin OF
the valley.
Something should be said here about the
roadWays. The East Jersey Water Com
has constructed about sixteen miles
OF admirable roads. Crossing each of the
valleys used as reservoirs were public
roads OF d primitive kind, and, in closing
these roads, ii was Incumbent on the
company to construct new ones aroun
the old valleys. This hes been admirably
done and all the reservoirs are circled by
good reads. The contract calls for the
deciding of sixty feet of the banks Of the
the city deeds for all the land embracing
many thousands Of acres. between the
centre lines of the ~roadways 10 the reser-
voirs. All this Is now Newark property.
The storage capacity at Oak Ridge is
2.509. 000, 600 gallons. Before it was con-
strueted other valleys higher up were ex-
amfned. In one Is located bunker Pond,
is tributary to Oak Ridge. The
waters Of the pond were found to be dis
colored, and. as the drainage area was
smaller than Oak Ridge. the idea Of max
very large valley Just above Oak
Ridga would haye held some eight billions
OF gallons, but there is no rock bottom
and a cemetery Is located on its edge,
which presented sanitary objections to
the plan. Oak Ridge has q drainage area
OF ~twenty-seven miles
From Oak Ridge to Canistear the new
is IN almost constant ascent.
the direction being northwest. The CAR