The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-01-26
RAFTER RIDDLED.
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Jersey or any other company or CONTRACT
out profit. What they do seem to show
is that Mr.. Rafter, the experienced engi-
neer and lawyer as well the man Of
sense. does not know what he is talking
ae osMaw - - ,oop into III va,,,sn,s s,,s.
Mr.. Rafter has ventured into this sub
ject after a mere glance. for a few mo-
ments, at the river at Belleville. He does
not appear to have gone to Passaic or
Paterson to view the sources and extent
of the pollution. and what is the out
come of 1t? Merely the abstract propo-
sition that the Passaic water can be fill
was so? I think that some of the mem
bers of the Board of Trade have misun-
derstCod entirely my own position with
reference to filtration. Your W engi-
ly and personally. I nave the highest re-
spect. reported that the water could be
filtered, and showed you how to do 1t,
but he refused to say that this was the
best and wiSeSt thing to do. ! think
that Mr.. Hazen's estimate of the cost.
was too low. and If I cared tn go into
the matter ! feel that l can prove it,
but, nevertheless. he did not show that
it was a profitable thing to do. I entire
ly agree with Mr.. Hazen as to the pos
Sibility of filtering the water, and / am
also convinced that the plan which he
proposed is the only practicable way to
do it, but with a knowledge of all of the
conditions, due to my long and intimate
acquaintance with the Passaic River. /
do say emphatically that it is not a wise
thing to do. and that water cannot be
obtained as cheaply as it, would be OBJ
tanned either by the contract under dis
cussion or by the building of munich
pal works, bringing a supply from the
Highlands. In comparing the cost
of filtration with the cost of a gravity
supply we mi take all the elements
into consideration. First there is the in
toroSf on o1aot1t tunn rnillionS IF dnl1o - q n a
cessary to build the plant; next, there is
the maintenance of the entire plant, in
Guiding renewals; then we must add for
the operation of filter beds. and finally.
for the operation of a set of pumps to
raise the water to the filter beds, and
another set Of pumps to raise the water
from the filter beds to the reservoir at
Belleville. and a third set of pumps to
ply the higher portions of the city. When
all these items are taken into account
it will be found that there is not a dollar
to be saved by continuing to use this foul
disgusting source of supply. Many of you
are still disposed to rely upon the recon-
mendations of the Passaic River Commits
sion, but at a paper read before the Sani-
tary Association at Lakewood Dr.. Marsh.
of hat Commission, incidentally declared
that the idea of purifying the water be-
low Passaic Falls to an extent which
would make it desirable as a source of
water supply must be abandoned. No one
who ~intelligently and without bias careful
" into all of the conditions
cannot fail to see that the continuance of
a supply from Belleville is inexpedient. I
understand perfectly that under more ia
vorable conditions filtration is a wise, in
telligent land efficient method OF treat
ment.
I will call the attention of this Board to
the fact that last spring you passed a
resolution alleging that I had admitted
that the filtration specifications were pro-
hfhftiyn of onnanafiff0n This WAS n CaT1s
Gus error on your part, and a charge
which you should not have a without
careful examination. 1t is untrue that
I ever made such a statement. l had
fully set forth that l did not believe that
filtration could be secured under sufficient
guarantees from any contractor under
any circumstances. I had so advised the
Board of Street and Water Commission
ers, but they requested me to waive my
objections, prepare the best specifications
for the purpose, and give them an oppor-
tunity to make atrial. / did So and If
any specifications calling for safe and
proper guarantees would have secured
bids these specifications would have dong
so. / confined the first attempt to sand
filtration, which had been recommended
by Mr.. Hazen, and which / believe to be
The only method capable of purifying
there were no bids, and the specifications
were then further broadened to admit
bids by any method. Even this conces-
sion brought no bidders. but merely a
COlll III L L mp 1ACk wv
had not offered to turn over to them our
pumping plant at Belleville and all the
city waterworks and land connected
Herewith. This would have placed the
city completely at their mercy, SO that
il they had not given us pure water we
should have had to take what they gave
us or do without water entirely. / be-
lieve 1t wise to keep the present pumping
station and works out of the hands.of a
flterfng mpan SO that we could use
them if necessary, and refuse to accept
works are so inefficient and out of date
that 1t was Just as cheap for the fltering
company to put in its own plant OF
modern construction as to use this plant,
and I believe the complaint was entirely
a specious one.
asMr. Rafter's criticisms in his report
are clearly based on the assumption. that
way. and is contracting for works and
aying out its money therefor as the work
is dome. In other words, his, point Of
view is the same as would be taken IN the
case of specifications prepared for the
building of sewers or the laying of pave
ments. The proposed contract, however,
dollar for the works. All that you are
bound to pay for is water received at the
reservoirs; Many things may ?
to exercise its right to purchase at all.
It is true that the authorities may SUBJ
nit the question of purchase to a popular
vote, but they need not, but if they do
they must always face the contingency
Of the defeat of such a measure. Under
such conditions the contractor who in
vests a large amount of money in these
works is compelled to take the point OF
view that the works will probably always
remain his own property. Not only does
his hold over him the direct loss re-
sulting from all workmanship, but I
maintain that IL the broad provisions and
intent OF the specifications and contract
are not fully made by the works as con-
structed, and If he does not fully live
up to his contract. then these works may
be. condemned and taken by the city at
their real value as constructed. Fur
thermore, in view of the fact that the
see that If the contractor is denied the
privilege of designing them in the way
which he regards as the best, he may
exact a considerable sum of money from
the city for the loss of the privilege. and
more d~ificult for him to finance such a
large and important undertaking. SIM
ilarly. very many requirements might
have been introduced into the spec.1cat.ons
which would appear valuable to the city,
but, as matter of fact, would only add I'M
necessarily to the cost, or would tend to
destroy competition.
1T seems to me that Mr.. Rafter makes
an error which Is growing much too COM
NOR among engineers, namely, that spec
iications and contracts cannot be drawn
too stringent as against The contractor
n in favor of the city. This is not the
real duty of the engineer, nor is it the
course which secures to the city the most
economical results. For every unneces-
sary risk which you impose upon the con-
tractor the city must pay, and every such
payment is an absolute loss. Within the
last fortnight have heard a Judge of
denim, in no uncertain language, aeon
tract drawn In one OF the Drescrihpd forms