The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-09-28

Citizens Will De ASkeu W maho
Suggestions Before a Con-
tract is Awarded.
The Street and Water Commissioners
met yesterday afternoon, and as Tore
shadowed in 1.-THE News" deferred action
on the water specifications prepared by
Messrs. Vermeule and Ferris. The docu-
ments were formally presented to the
Board. and were by mutual agreement re-
ferred to the Committee of the Whole.
There is a probability of their being
adopted at next Mondays meeting The
principal change of the specifications IS
that a daily supply of at least l0,OOo,ooo
gallons must be guaranteed by the bid
ders To furnish such a supply more
extensive watershed will have to be ac-
quired than under previous specifications.
1t may also require the building of more
and larger storage reservoirs
1t is requisite that the water be gath
cred in this State, and SO far as can be
learned the Rockaway Valley is consid-
cred the best possible source of supply.
Concerning the selection of gathering
ground the Commissioners will be guiaeo
almost entirely by Engineer Vermeule,
whose familiarity with the watersheds
and their productions is well Known Great
reliance will be placed in Mr.. Vermeuie 5
advice. The specifications will allow the
building of one or two pipe plant. the
two pipe being favored by nearly all the
officials interested by reason OF the re.
duced danger of sudden cutting or OF
the supply by a. break in one of the lines
The officials say however, that is one
pipe plant is much cheaper than Two
pipe they will not overlook that fact.
1t is required that the water pc de-
livered by gravity at such head as TO
insure the abandonment forever OF the
expensive Belleville and High Service
pumping stations. The specifications nave
manner Of constructing the works. the
materials to be used and so on. The DEM
ocratic members of the Street ana water
Board say that so far as they are con-
cerned they are prepared to adopt the
specifications at once, believing them 10
cover all the necessary points and to give
the city all the guarantee that is re-
auired under such an extensive WORK
Features which have been objected to in
previous specifications have been ellmln-
ated
Before finally passing upon the specifi-
cations the Commissioners, for the1r own
information, propose consulting with dis
Interested engineers with view TO as
certaining if the specifications can IN any
particular be improved upon Inefe are
ing water may be submitted The COM
missioners do not expect, however to re,
ceive any bids for fltering. They will
adopt specifications, however, n oraer u, 70
terested in water supplies an opportunity
to bid.
The specifications cover sixty-five pages
of typewriter copy. They are designated
as Plans A, B and and filtering. Under
Plan A, contractors will be compelled to
provide for a daily supply of 90 million
gallons, the water to be delvereq at
Bellevil1e at head of 21O feet, which the
engineers say will make pumping stations
unnecessary. Bidders may use one or
two steel pipes.
Plan is the one under which h;a1. the ne
calls for daily supply of at least ~, ,oVo,-
600 gallons, delivered at High Service at a
head of 210 feet. 1t is optional with the
preferred with capacity of S5,00O,00O gal
Ions each.
at least 70000,000 gallons day. one or
two pipes may be used The water has TO
be delivered only at head of LIZ feet
The filtering plant must have. a capa-
city of 40, 900 gallons day at the outser
with for an an smPbPy
cons,lfnption The filtered water must
be pure and wholesome, with no more
than 500 bacteria to the cubic ceutimeter.
Before the city will purchase the nlterlng n Ter dG
plant it must have capacity OF 7o0O0, ,0U0
Gallons. Under all the plans it is dis
tinctly required that the source of supply
offered must be an independent one, and
one which the city may acquire and en-
large as occasion requires. Ii the source
offered is polluted by the flow of surface
water from Port Dram, Boonton, Dover,
the northern part of the state, the con-
tractor to whom an award Is made must,
within thirty days after such award has
been made, stop the contamination by the
use of sewer or drain pipes, which will
carry the polluted water far below the
source of supply. If the pipes or the
within LOO feet of the Belleville reser-
voir. and provision is made to have them
pass within that distance, connection is
to be made with the reservoir @ e. Ihe me luea a
at that point at all times, and at the same
time to insure a bountiful supply to Har-
rison and East Newark and the other out
of town customers of the city.
Bidders will be required to furnish a
check for only $4,000, with their esti-
mates, instead of 100000, as heretofore;
a contract must at once file with tie city
an indemnity bond of S500,000 The city
reserves the right to purchase the plant
at the end of the fifth, tenth or fifteenth
wear. The city, before buying, agrees to
give the owner or owners one years no.
tice
Many Inquiries have already been made
about the specifications. Those who
have sought information were representa-
tives of New York syndicates. The Com
lnissionerS are confident that more bids
will be presented this time than ever be-
fore. They expect, too, that the price
of the plant will be down to figure that
there will be no objection to paying.
Just as soon as it has been agreed to
adopt the specifications they will be pub
lisled so that the public may study them
and make suggestions if any occur to
them. Reasonable propositions will not
he disregarded. The Commissioners say
they want to know how taxpayers feel
before they go ahead, receive bids end
award a contract. Commissioner Heintze
says he wants to have objections, If any
are forthcoming, made before the con-
tract is ready to be, approved. He wants
to avoid legal complications, if 1t is pos
sible. The Street and Water and FL
nance Commissioners are to meet with
The Mayor this week and discuss the spec
ifications.
G.. O. P. BRIDAL.
TIA PIP TCRJ1R(S pa Sent oe 1907 =