The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-12-11
THAT WATER CONTRACT
Expert Criticism of the
Award to the East Jer-
sey Company.
SPECIFICATIONS NOT ADHERED TO
Objections Purely Technical and
Rockaway and Hudson an
Offender as Well.
SPECIFICATIONS NOT ADHERED 10
tFrom the Engineering News.ao

(From the Engineering News.a1
The seri0-comic water war in Jersey
City has been resumed, but with little
prospect Of an early termination. A
contract has been awarded by the Street
and Water Commissioners, as noted in
our news columns, to the East Jersey
Water Company, but the rival bidder
and some of the citizens are reported
as sure to fight it in the courts, should
1t receive the approval of the various
city authorities. which still have to pass
upon 1t. The main legal objection to
the award thus far made is that it is
for a single pipe line, whereas the speci-
leations call for two or more conduits.
The contestants seemed to have over
ooked the fact that the specifications
call not for either two or three pipes,
but also that these must b. stof equal
capacity" The defeated bidder proposed
one b, 100000 and one $1,000, 600 gallon
conduit. The successful company made
two bids, one for a $4,000, 00o-gaIlon CON
duit and the other for two %, 600, o00-gal-
lon conduits. Neither the one single
pipe line nor the two of unequal capac-
ity comply with the plain provisions of
the specifications, and the two of equal
a. al " 1
the apparent intent OF the specifications.
These specifications emphasized the
fact that the city wanted two distinct
advantages, or what it considered as
such, offered it: % More thar one con-
duit. as a safeguard against accident to
the supply; ana () a choice between
buying works with capacities Of 5,000,-
900 and 50,0 co. coo gallons, respectively.
To fhia and tho ,I.,ro ffe1.I-f+- 5, -
everywhere used throughout the speei-
fcations, and it is stated, first, that the
contractor must provide storage and
econduits' with a capacity of IS, 600, 900
gallons; next that he must increase
these, on demand, to 50,000, 600 gallons,
and that, speaking Of the "conduits,''
when SO increased where metal pipes
are used, there shall be either two or
three pipes of equal capacity Finally.
the bidder was required to name a price
at which he would sell to the city works
of either of the capacities named. OBJ
viously, the only way in which all these
conditions can be met is by building two
give 35,000,000 gallons of carrying capac-
ity, and then adding another one of
the same size, in case the city ordered
the plant Increased to SC, 000, 600 gallons.
A $4,000, 000-gallon pipe at the start fails
to give the city the safety which it
thought would result in having. two CON
double 5,000,0 00-gallon line, built
at the outset, deprives it of the full adj
vantage of the lower cost of a IS, 0O0.0
gallon supply. This advantage may or
may not have been more fancied than
real, but the specifications demanded 1t
n the unsuccessful bidder was govern
ed accordingly. put in a bid for two pipe
line instead of one, in case the works
rrynen 70 ~ - n nnh - =
and now finds himself the highest bidder
on this basis, although the lowest for a
3d. 1000 gallon plant. The successful bid
der names the same figure for the smaller.
as for the larger plant, and thus the
city gains nothing by its efforts to make
1t easier for it to become the owner of its
water supply. On the basis of buyine
water by the million gallons, the success
full bidder is the lowest one on all the
quantities involved. but the difference
would be only so cents per million gall
Ions when the full $4,000, 900 gallons was
required, and might well have been on
the other side, and greater in quantity.
had the specifications plainly said that
gallon conduit.
If the plain language and intent of the
specifications is to be regarded. it APP
pears to US that the Rockaway and Hud-
son Water Company is fully justified in
its claim that the award to it's rival is
illegal, being based on conditions more
favorable than the specifications admit.
But the only advantage the Rockaway
Company can reap from upsetting the
to it's rival seems to be a possible
new opportunity to bid on the contract,
It's own proposals are also at vari-
ance with the specifications.
Perhaps more amusing still, to peopIe
outside of Jersey City, is the fact that
while this matter is in dispute the Eas.
Jersey Water Company will be furnishing
Jersey City with a temporary supply Of
water at SAB per Loco, 900 gallons, or IS
more h the average price it would
receive under the permanent contract.
Unless some new arrangement is made
between the company and Newark the
cannot continue the temporary
service after 1900, but a modification was
made in the specifications before the last
call for bids, giving contractors three in
stead of two years to build works. so If
Il found it advantageous to do so, the
East Jersey Water Company could take
care that its permanent supply was not
ready until the last extra dollar had been
secured from the temporary supply con-
This all shows most excellent
business management on the part of the
company, but the ways of the city au-
for years past lave been in
a~xplicable, when viewed from the stand
point of those who believe in able and
honest city government.
WILLIAM T pucT INC MAN