The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-12-07

be made acquainted with the erect tnal
the adoption Of the Recommendations
made by the Chief Executive would nave
| upon the water matter, and the reasons
why this Board has arrived at the con-
clusion that the less alteration made IN
| the specifications as at present constitute
ed, the better for the interests Of the
| WHAT THE SPECIFICATIONS PRO
VIDED.
The specifications as prepared and SUD
nitted to the Mayor provided three plans
Plan A was for a plant of fifty million
gallons s(50,0G0, 0oo) daily capacity. The
water to be delivered by a single pipe at
High Service, 20 feet above tide water,
Plan B provided for a plant from which
the city would have the right to draw
seventy (l0) million gallons OF water
have thirty-five (35) million gallons ca
pacity. with a single pipe line; the water
to be delivered at the High Service Pump
| above tide water. When the city APP
| preached the limit of supply provided at
the outset, a second pipe was to be Lao;
and the capacity of the works increased
to seventy Co million gallons daily, one
| half of which, the last thirty-five million
gallons, would then be delivered at the
High Service Station at an elevation OF
1877 feet.
Inasmuch as the city is required to
pump only four "a or FIVE 90 million
gallons at High Service daily, and as me ne
this plan would be delivered at a head
| SUFFICIENT to do away with pumping tviz.:
21o. feet above tide waterl and the sec
ond thirty-fiye million gallons would be
delivered at a head sufficient TO serve
all other parts of the city without pump
ing wiz: 127 feet above tide, it will be
| readily seen that this plan is as bene-
fetal to the city in the matter OF DO
ing away with pumping as Plan A, and
in addition guards the city against the
| water syndieates for additional water and
water rights in the near future.
In addition, this plan, guaranteed a
complete supply of seventy go million
gallons daily instead Of fifty 900 millions
| as Plan A provided, butin such a way that
the city would enjoy the Dement'S OF a
supply of thirty-hye million gallons aaly,
and when its needs increase and man
| ciaI condition warrants, it would be IN a
position to command a supply ana plant
| of a capacity of seventy million gallons
daily.
Plan G provided for a plant from which
the city would have the right to draw
seventy million gallons daily; the works
to be built first with one pipe OF thirty
five $50 million gallons daily capacity, TO
be increased whenever required by the
city, by building a second pipe OF an az
! ditional thirty-five million gallons daily
capacity; all the water to be delivered TO
| the High Service Reservoirs, but not at
an elevation sufficient TO do away Wlth
| pumping. The intention being to con-
tinue pumping the small quantity used in
that district as at present.
His Honor's objections to these plans
| seem TO De dllllGu 1lTSl, dl dly pan mn
| does not deliver the whole supply, with
out pumping, at High Service, notWlth-
| standing that the city does not use more
than one-hfth of it's supply at that eie-
walton. secondly. at any plan which per-
mits of the exercise of great economy py
building works at first just sufficient Tor
the city's needs, such works to be afser-
| wards increased when the city shall be in
a better financial condition. That IS, ne
| condemns Plan B, which gives all the
advantage Of High Service delivery ana
| +f,a ~ cf Gradual annGtTJInf11n or
the works as absolutely worthless
| PRESENT CONDITIONS EVIL OF
LIMITING BIDDING TO PLAN 4 j.
Let us look a moment at the conditions
which now prevail as to sources OF sup
ply. It is well known that under a de-
| cision of the Supreme Court the city has
which are tributary to the Morris Canal.
The East Jersey Water Company Whicn
| controls the Morris Canal, therefore has an
absolute monopoly of the RIVER
| above Boonton, the only source which lies
| entirely within the State Of New Jersey,
| and which is high enough to be economic
| ally delivered to the city at High Service.
It may be possible to obtain such a sup,
| ply lust below Boonton, but the disposal
| of the sewerage of that city and the
towns above it would be a serious PROB
for the city. If his Honor's recommends
lion to confine the bidding entirely to
Plan A is adopted, the result will be to
put the city absolutely at the mercy OF
this water ompan Plan 3 which ne
| condemns, gives some opportunity to de-
velop the other sources of supply, and
1 plan c, which delivers all at Low Ser
vice, gives a still greater latitude, and
allows other sources to come into com
petition in the bidding. The Fact that
Plan A was included in the specifications,
which plan is extremely favorable to the
East Jersey Water Company, seems TO IN
dictate tina it was intended to give the
| city the advantage of bids from that COM
pany. and give the company an opportunity
to make its best offer, but the two other
plans prevented any monopoly OF the bid
70 Justify his position in attempting to
| limit the bidding to Plan A, His Honor
makes a great bug-bear of High Ser
vice pumping. The cost of pumping water
to High Service, with good modern ma
chinery and careful administration, need
| not exceed So, 600 yearly for many years
to come, and this represents the interest
at "a on only $300,000 whereas, the OPEN
ing of competition to bidders less favored
than our leading water company might
save the city ten times that amount.
His Honor quotes Mr.. Croes. Let US see
what Mr.. Croes testified to under OATH in
1896, when he was a witness on the same
sid as the East Jersey Water Company,
in the certlorari proceedings. We ind his
| testimony on page 6fI Of the printed case:
%. What would you say with regard
to the requirement that all the water
| should be delivered at a height of 30
feet above mean high tide? A. [ should
consider it inexpedient. Q. Why? A. For
the reason that the delivery of water at
210 feet above tide in Jersey City by
| gravity would exclude from consideration
| and from the possibility Of furnishing a
supply, several sources of supply, which
might be offered; and moreover, that it
involved a very great and apparently un-
necessary expenditure in the construction
of the works, etc, etc. 1t would largely
increase the cost of any supply"
His Honor also claims that a supply
the city is entirely inadequate. Last year
of thirty-five $50 million gallons daily for
| we used twenty-six million gallons daily.
| Since then we lave lost Bayonne, using
reduce the consumption to "a million gall
| Ions daily.
It has many times been urged that the
city should reduce consumption by the
use of meters, and the prevention of
waste and thereby effect the great econ
omy in expenditures SO necessary to the
city, in order that the Water Department
| may be made self-sustainfng. This step
has been urged by practically everyone
who has studied the question. Mr.. R2fter
liz his criticisms of the specifications last
year claimed hat the consumption could
be reduced to IL million gallons daily, or
one-half the proposed supply. Mi. Croes
ceedings, page 621, that to call for fifty (50l
million gallons daily was to increase the
price to be offered by any bidder, because it
would involve the Immediate expendi-
ture of a large sum of money-which the
| city would not derive any benefit from
| for g number of years.
His Honor is continually urging econ
orny in all branches of the city govern
| ment, yet. as already stated, he condemns
Plan B, which gives the opportunity for
1 exercising enormous economies, as abso-
lutely worthless.
OPTION TO BUY PLANT.
He further objects. to giving the city the
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