The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-02-01

1HeTe Is not the SIgnteSt uaH5eE VI
Jersey City's temporary supply being
cut off. 1t may be worth while to state
again some of the facts which have been
so often stated and so often covered up
and forgotten under the rubbish Of gos-
sip and rumor.
In 1883 the East Jersey Water Com
pany made contract with Newark to
build the Pequannock water works for
that city, the company to retain the pos
session and control of the same and to
operate the works at it's own expense un-
til September "a. 1900; in the meantime
they were to supply Newark therefrom
on and after May l, 1892, with water
provided the city should not draw on any
one day more than 271s million gallons.
All the rest of the water was to belong
to the company until 1900, when the
works were to be delivered to the city
of Newark with the capacity to carry
and accompanied by rights to divert from
the Pequannock River sufficient water to
afford supply of so million gallons on
each and every day perpetually.
Water was delivered to Newark under
this contract April 26, 1s92-four days
ahead of contract time-and she has
ever since had an abundant supply of ex-
eellent water and has enjoyed the full
fillment of her contract in every parricu
lar SO far as the time for its fulfillment
has arrived, and beyond all doubt on Sep
tember "a. 1900, the Pequannock works
will be delivered to her. having a ca
pacfty and having rights much in excess
of the contract requirements. She has
suffered no embarrassment of any sort.
except that the maximum supply of 27is
million gallons has recently proved too
small on freezing days when all the
spigots are running, but this, believe,
has occurred on only few days. After
Newark's contract was made the East
Jersey Water Company made contracts
with Montclair, Nutley, Kearny, New
York and New Jersey Water Company
and certain other small concerns for a
portion of the Pequannock water and
finally on October H. 1895, contracted to
give to Jersey City all the remaining wa
ter which the Pequannock pipe line would
afford until September "a, 1900. The
right of Newark to draw is paramount
to all others; Montclair and the other lit
tie towns come next and Jersey City has
the rest. During 1896 the entire draft CT
all these towns including Jersey City,
was less than As million gallons per day,
and in 1897. the draft will not be allowed
to exceed SO. 1t is true that on certain
very cold days Newark has taken the full
271s millions and Jersey City has taken
S21a millions. but those days are excep-
tional and few, while the days are very
numerous when Newark takes about 81
millions, and Jersey City about 25 mil
lions. The fact that Jersey City has re-
Gently on few days taken 80 millions
Is no cause for alarm. nor does it afford
any basis for calculation for the yearly
draft.
The consumption of water by cities
huctuates enormously with the tempera-
ture, and big reservoirs are made for
the very purpose of allowing the city to
have much when she wants it and to hold
the flow back and take but little when
she needs but little.
What the East Jersey Water Company
has right to draw and what will be
ultimately delivered to the city of New
ark in 1900 is an average for the year of
SO millions Of gallons per day; that is 50
times 1855 or, 1S25O million gallons in a
year. What the Newark officials profess
to fear is that the East Jersey Water
Company in supplying both Newark and
lion of gallons per day, and thus jeopar-
dize Newark's part of the same, even
though Newark has the first right to
draw. They need have no fear; the draft
of so millions per day will not be exceeded.
There is one phase of the situation
which is important to Jersey City and
which the city officials no doubt have in
mind. AS the supply is limited to 50
n mo- dox
ark and the other towns have the first
right to draw, it is evident that as they
draw more there will be less left for Jer-
sey City, and it is perfectly clear that
before 1900 so millions will not be enough
for all these towns This is clearly fore
shadowed in Jersey Citys contract of
October H. 1895, in which the city ex-
pressly undertakes to use the Peouan-
mock supply SO far as it will go and to
supplement 1t with other waters to the
extent necessary and only to that extent.
The company has repeatedly called the
attention of Jersey City to the fact that
supplementary supply must be obtained
after while. AS matter of fact the
company has been able to do better by
| Jersey City more than anybody expected
having given them full supply for sew
| eral months past. This. however, cannot
| go on Indefinitely.
l cannot say just when the SO millions
will prove to be too little, but probably
about the first of next June the city will
have to begin to supplement the tempo
rary supply with other waters either by
pumping at Belleville or in some other
way. The company long ago offered te
! supplement the temporary supply neal
Little Falls If the city desired to have
that done and so avoid any further use
of the Passaic water at Belleville, but nc
action has been taken on this sugges
| ton.
| To sum I'D the matter the situation is
this Jersey City will continue for few
| months to get its entire supply from the
Pequannock pipe line, then it will have
to supplement its supply from some
| other source and will continue to so sup
| plement it until September "a, 1900, though
| it is possible that even up to that date
it may, during portions of the year, ge1
its entire supply from the Pequannocl
and be compelled to pump only a few
| months in each year.
Some persons have the erroneous ide;
that the temporary contract is for {
complete supply of all Jersey City.
wants. This is not so. The original of
fer and indeed the contract itself, boil
stated that it is a supply of the surplu.
waters available from the Pequannocl
! pipe line after supplying previous con