The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-02-11

million gallons. consequently. we should
'haye had to draw from the reservoir SIG
m;Eion gallons that month. Next no
account is taken of evaporation from the
reservoirs, because they were not then
acres Of surface, and the evaporation
from this during the period from May /
to November IS would have been 662 mil
to the amount which we would have
had to draw for. May we find that 1,53S
Of the 1,6l6 million gallons balance re-
appeared, so that on November Is he
would have actually had only Is million
gallons in his reservoir, or about one
did not come until about that length of
time after the 18th, his reservoirs would
really have been empty. That IS what
He Herschel,s Md1 Aes own me measurements % during
year which was not, by any means,
dry one accepting his assumption that
Anyone acquainted with the flow Of the
Pecuannocs knows, however, that no
period of 1853 days, such as covered by
Without a very considerable amount of
water wasting over Macopih dam The
storage reservoirs are situated about
from eight to nine mile. above the IN
take measuring along the stream. In
order to keep the pipe full the gates at
the reservoirs above must be ADJUSTED
50 million gallons daily, and in the event
of sudden shower during the summer It
would be Impossible to close these gates
at just the right time to ayola waste. ass
Then again at times, even II these gates
were shut, the rate of discharge from
the lower part of the watershed not Iur-
nished with storage would FOR q cay oe
more be greater than the capacity or
the conduit, and it is Impossible TO deny
that in actual operation there would
have been deficiency at the close Of the
cut off the supply both OF Newark and
Jersey City for considerable period
You will appreciate that the effect Of
such deficiency might be not merely
the cutting off of your own supply but
that of Newark, for, in approaching such
a danger point, the tendency is always
to hope for breaking up of the drought
and to continue drawing until the reser-
voirs are empty We must expect, how
ever. that in such an emergency Newark
would be on her guard, and when the
reservoirs were drawn down to an ex,
tent which threatened failure she would
enjoin the furnishing of any water from
that source to Jersey City, and unpleas-
ant complications would be the result.
there were three years of abundant rain
fall, and the lowest point reached during
this time by Mr. Herschel's estimates
would have been November 13, 1892, when
the balance in the reservoirs would have
been LAP million gallons or about TWEEN
ty-eight days supply. The year 1895,
just past, is looked upon as a dry one,
but it has not really been as dry as was
supposed The summer rainfall during
the past year amounted to 11.21 inches
in the Highland district. while for the
autumn months it was 8.22 inches, Civ
ing total for the. six months, from
June to November, of 1913 inches; where
as the average of these months is 22.S
inches, and the least to be expected 12.1
as low as the rainfall of an ordinary
dry year.
The East Jersey Water Company has
reported the flow of the Pequannock
ditlon of the reservoirs would have been
if it had furnished SO million gallons
daily. This report is continuous up to
January rs of this year According to the
report the reservoirs would have been
full June for the last time.
second table is made up on the same
assumption as the previous one, namely,
that during any week in which the total
flow at Macopin dam does not exceed $50
million gallons the whole flow can be
taken into the conduit with a draft of
point out the error of this assumption
and enforce 1T by a single illustration.
During the week ending December 20 last
the total flow is reported at 1862 million
this would be collected. but as matter.
of fact, according to Mr.. Shererd's rec.
ord, 81 million gallons OF this flowed off
that the gates in the reservoirs had been
closed just at the right moment which
we have stated to be impossible, the waste
during this week would have been "A
million gallons. 1t may be asserted,
with perfect confidence, therefore, that
on the showing made by this table there
would have been empty reservoirs early
in November. Even as it is here figured
out there is on the 24th only little
over two days supply
The table here spoken of shows the
flow of the river at the Maeopin intake
q N n r he oysnc y,iv, q
80 milldon gallons per day had been
drawn through the conduit from May q
to December %, 1895. It shows only p
June 2. The natural flow of the river
fluctuates between 8 million gallons for
the week ending September Is to 44O
million gallons for that ending Decem-
Der l.
The fluctuations in the storage vary
between 80 million gallons added on the
last mentioned date. and a reduction Of
522 million gallons in the week ending
October 6.
The volume on storage on June 2 was
6,075 million gallons By December / it
had fallen to 211 million gallons, and on
to that much less than nothing.
There is another method by which we
can probably arrive at the actual con-
greater safety than on this assumption
that all of this waste can be collected
The Engineer of the Board of Street
and Water Commissioners of Newark
Mr. M r. sSherrerd, has kept records
of the amount of water actually in stor-
age, and of the waste over Macopin DAM
BY the courtesy of the Board we have
obtained copy of these records. I also
personally visited and examined the con-
dition of the reservoirs on January 13
last, and can certify to the accuracy of
the records of the amount IN storage at
about that time. I submit with this re-
pors, five photographs, showing the ac-
tual condition of the reservoirs on the
cate OF my visit: No. shows the in
that It is drawn down about 13 feet and
also from the breaking down Of the ice
on the shores, the fact that it was then
stu being lowered at the rate of about
Two Two feet weekly No. shows the out
large draft then being made in order
to furnish supply of IS million gallons
daily. No. shows the inside of Clinton
reservoir, the over-fan being seen at the
ieft, the reservoir being down about
feet. No shows the out-take Of Ciin-
was at that time being drawn there here
FROM No. shows the dam and gate
mouse at Macopin intake, the accumula
uon OF ice on the dam, and the small
q OF water flowing over the same.
copin we find not only evidence from
Mr. Sherrerd's s record that 1t cannot ali
pc collected, as is assumed in the East .Ter-
sey tables, but also evidence that the
waste during the winter months may often
@ oe rated @ too high. This waste is as
nlgn the water in the intake reservoir
Stanos above the overflow of the dam
Ihss overflow during the winter is fre-
anenee anenefy t6a j6enecsed esr oy Ice and IN conse
does not actually exist T,his fact vs. upss
known to Mr.. Sherrerd, but he had moi