The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-02-10
new NARK'SWAlTINGGAMB
If the Coming Summer Is as
Dry as That of 1895,
She May Cut Off
Our Water.
sHERRERD COMES DOWN A. PEa
Even With the Canistear Reservoir,
the Pequannock System Is
Pronounced Insult
fcient.
sHERRERD COMES DOWN A PEG
Special to the Jersey osty Nssss.

TRENTON, Feb. 10, 1Ss7.-An echo OF
the controversy between Engineer Morris
r. Sherrerd. of this city, and Superintend~
ent Herschel Of the East Jersey Water
Company, was heard at the meeting OF
the Water Committee of the Board OF
Works yesterday afternoon.
The water company officials have nos
sent the plans for the reservoir work car
ried out in 1896 in the Pequannock water
shed, and recently the company sent its
monthly report for the draughts of water
and Quantity in storage during January,
The Canistear reservoir Is not included in
these statements.
Referring to the letters passing between
the city and the water corporation, Mr..
Sherrerd says
In regard to the recent correspondence
between the East Jersey Water Company
and the city. touching ON contract obli-
cations, 1t may be well to briefly refer to
Mr.. Herschels open letter under date of
February l, "a. In this letter the oo1n-
pany claim the right to draw an aver
age OF 100000 gallons per day. This view
of the situation, to my mind, certainly
5ustifies the position taken by the city in
giving timely notice both to the company
and to Jersey City, that Newark might
find iF necessary to enforce its rights I'M
der the contract. would not recommend
that such action be taken at this time, and
believe it is the wish of the Board that
such action may not be necessary. A fair
consideration Of the situation both by the
city and company win no doubt result In
mutual benefits.
1T was fully understood by your engi-
neer that the necessity for action on the
part Of the city of Newark to limit the
amount of water drawn from the Pequan-
mock watershed would depend upon the
rainfall of the present and succeeding
years. 1t Is certainly true that if this
summer should prove as dry as the sum-
mer Of 1895, the Pequsnnock plant would
be drawn very low If the attempt
be made to furnish a full supply to all
the consumers now furnished therefrom-
Even with the new storage reservoir at
Canistear, the yield Of the watershed is
not increased in anything like the pro-
portion its capacity would seem to indi-
cate, because it's drainage area Is at
present limited to about six and half
square miles. and it now has only a
small percentage of its capacity Ia stor-
age. -.
the contract requirements as to the stor-
age necessary to guarantee a supply OF
fifty millions each and every day, even
for the driest period, believe the bur-
den OF proof to be upon the company, and
the city of Newark can well aIord TO
trust to future developments and Its own
records to settle this question before final
payment upon the contract need pc
made
When the letter had been read Mr..
Stainsby remarked that the course pnr-
sued by the city's engineer was perfectly
right and proper, and he went on to say
that all the trouble between the East
Jersey Water Company and the city was
due to the sharp, brusque manner in
which Mr.. Herschel has treated the
Board itself. The Board was lookang out
for Newark's water supply for 100 years
ahead, Mr. Stainsby said, and he moved
that the report be accepted and copy
be sent to the East Jersey Water Com
pany. The motion was carried.
Chairman Van Duyne announced thar
this year the Water Department would
hardly need the $40, 900 appropriation that
has been made annually for several years
back for the lowering OF water mains.
It is anticipated that all the work to be
done in this direction during the coming
season can be paid for out OF the aepart-
ment funds 1t is also expected that tne
regular receipts will enable the depart
ment to lay the proposed new feeder for
the eastern section of the city without
other aid and the only extra appropria-
tion that will be needed, Mr. Van Duyne
said, would be the usual $4,000 allowed
by law for the extension OF water MAINS