The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-11-30

F, NJ.
Present at roll call-commissioners
Heintze, Nolan, IIauck and President
Boltwood.
Observation-Disclosures Brown.
IN motion, William A. Tolson was ap-
pointed Clerk pro tenn.
On motion, the reading Of minutes OF
meeting held on Monday. November s,
1897, WAS dispensed with and they were on
motion approved as engrossed.
PRESENTATION OF PETITIONS AND
COMMUNICATIONS.
From James f. Earle and others
P~etitioning for the improvement of Van
Reypen avenue, between Summit avenue
and Hudson Boulevard.
From Benjamin d. Daumont.-
In the matter of change of grade on
Cfarefnont avenue, between Jackson ave
nue. and Ocean avenue.
From the Hudson Telephone Co., per
G. Fl. Atkinson, general manager
Requesting permission to lay d subway
in Montgomery street.
From Archibald Macarthur and 9TH
| erS:-
Protesting against the erection of a stone
| crusher in the neighborhood of Newark,
Hoboken, Palisade and Oakland venue
From Randall & Underwood
IN the matter of switch on Twelfth
! street, near Monmouth street.
From Sheridan & Shea Company
Requesting an extension of time of thir-
ty days in which to complete their con-
tract on reconstruction of Montgomery
street.
| From E. w. Harrison, President Ravine
1 Road Sewer Commission
Submitting plan for construction OF w
main sewer under Ravine Road sewer at
Fifteenth street and Jersey avenue and
Seventeenth street and Monmouth street.
Five 90 petitions for signs, etc.
Received and referred to the Commit
fee on Streets and Sewers.
From the Borough of North Arlington
Transmitting bill for taxes.
Received and referred to the Corpora
ton Counsel.
OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS.
From His Honor the Mayor
Jersey City, N. j., Nov. Is, 1897.
To the Honorable the Board of Street
and Water Commissioners
Gentlemen-Herewith return, Wfehout
my approval, your resolution adopting
SPECIFICATIONS for a new water supply for
Jersey City, having reached the conclu-
sion that they should be amended in
several particulars.
which proposals are asked for, as fol-
/. The supply of fifty million gallons per
day at ar elevation of TWO hundred ana
ten feet.
Ii. The supply of thirty-five million gal
Ions per day at the same elevation.
III. The supply OF seventy milli2n gal gal
luis pc NQS 1t Ill
dred and twenty-seven feet. !,
These schemes are respectively called
Plans a. 81" and &C" l think the
Plan "a" does this, and | recommend that
the other plans be stricken from the specl-
ficationS.
Plan .B" seems absolutely worthless. 1t
is proposed to construct a plant to de-
liver thirty-five million gallons per day, at
maximum capacity, and give the city the
right to order additions to the plant to
IA orpaS itG On ms nitu fn ClWnnTV n1llnnS
The city will not need seventy million
gallons per diem during the term for
which the contract is to be made. but it
is fairly certain that it will need more
than thirty-five million gallons per day in
about ten years. Under plans and
3d." whenever the need of the city eX-
ceeds thirty-five million gallons per day,
the contractor must provide works of sew
enty million capacity. The light to pur-
chase the plant from which water is ac-
cepted can be exercised by a vote of the
people, and l think we may assume in this
undertaking that if the water is satisfac-
tory and the plant a proper one, the peo-
pie will, within a few years, desire to
purchase the plant. Jersey City should
own its water works, but it will not be.de-
sirable to purchase a thirty-five million
gallon plant or one having a capacity of
seventy million gallons. | could not ap-
prove of a contract providing. that the
city should have, at the completion of the
first conduit, a supply OF only thirty-ive
million gallons. Pa G provides for
llC L ~ " tN11 ck aA SASN 4 lAic-L
would require the maintenance of a
pumping station, and this should, under
every circumstances, be avoided. Under
Plan the city will be wholly supplied
with water without the expense of pump
ing, and l therefore recommend that bids
be received for only this plan,
Plan "a must also state a price for
which the city can buy and own the water
works, water supply, water rights, lands,
right of way and all appurtenances and
ga Snf1anfS nPP6SS2rV TO fulfin the rpO11irp.
mentS of this specification to the extent
of fifty million gallons OF water daily; said
purchase to take effect on completion and
acceptance OF the works if the city shall
give notice of its intention to purchase
within one year after date of contract
should be stricken from the specifications.
er of the city to give no.
tiee of an intention to purchase
works that have not been tested. The
city, under this paragraph, is to give no.
tice of intention to purchase within a
year after the date of the contract. that
is, when the works are about half con
structed, and eighteen months before the
first gallon of water is to be delivered. If it
is said that the city would never give this
notice, we haye only al additional reason
for striking out the provision. Where
the exercise of a oWe canno work bene-
fit to the public, the power should be
withheld.
Under the heading thine to Complete
it is provided that the contractor shall
have two years and six months from the
date of the contract to complete the work
and furnish water. / think this time
should be reduced to two years, but if this
change is not made the penalty for each
days delay should be raised from two
hundred to one thousand dollars.
The section under Amendment of con-
tract reads as follows.-
IF the engineer shall certify thai the
contractor has abandoned the work to be
done unde the contract, or tina said work
is being unnecessarily or u~nreasonably de-