The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-04-20

twelve miles llp the river, where the
water is as pure as Is the Pequannock.
We may have to take four or five million
gallons daily of Passaic, but we will not
be taxed exclusively for Passaic. as has
been represented. vote for the contract
for it will save the people of our city 4
this summer from drinking filthy Pas-i
safe"
4 didn't say interrupted CommissionI
er Botwood, that we would get ala
Passaic and have to pay for it.
You intimated as much,'' retorted
President Brown, and you know it is
I'VE are charged for Passaic and Pc
quannock Mixed replied Mr.. Boltwood,
land you know that we will get more
Passaic than Pequannock. And let me
tell you gentlemen, right now, plainly,
that this is only one step in the direction
of giving to the East Jersey Water
this State between the Delaware and
Hudson Rivers. No one dare or can
consistently dispute. the fact,
Without further discussion the PROPOSE
ton, which was in the form of resolu-
ton, was passed and declared carried.
proposition. ana It will become operative
today, as ali the necessary agreements
have been signed and sealed and are
As to what prompted the making of the
present contract review of the situation
may not be amss.
In 1895, when the city received propo-
| the East Jersey Water Company offered
certain quantity from the Pequannock
watershed. The company agreed to give
the city all the water its Pequannoek
plant could deliver in excess of the re-
quirements of Newark; That excess was was
city an adequate supply To make mat
tiers sure, however, the company was al
its arrangements for turning the Pequan-
mock water into the local water mains.
The six months did not expire until April
r. but the company, on January q, noti-
| fed the city that it was prepared to
turn on the new supply. Arrangements
were made by the city officials and on
that time, however, the discovery was
made that the Pequannock plant, in
stead of being able to furnish fifty million
gallons day, could only supply thirty
7 seven, leaving over and above the 27,-
100000 gallons required for Newark never
more than s,500,eOo gallons for this city
The whole thing was such an utter fail
tme tim na Citing as the 2aof hat sa f9 had % nnti
April II in which to make good its agree
ment. The fulhllment Of the compact
in that time however, was not feasible
and in consideration of being allowed a
agreed to allow all the surplus flow of
the Pequannock plant to run into the
local mains until April 12 free of charge.
rejected The company went to work
with large force of men, increased its
storage facilities. laid a new main from
the Macopjn intake, and brought its daily
supply up to and exceeding 50,000.000 gal
Ions a day. On June 30 everything was
IN readiness for an average supply, and
would continue to take water it Qhe
company would only charge for the wa
ter received between April IL and June 80
just what it cost to pump it,
On September l everything was in APP
pie pie order for the delivery to the city
of all the water it could possibly use
The company then demanded that from
June 80 until September it should be
paid at the rate of $40 a million gallons.
Tl,s11
into there was, the company contended,
an implied contract. So the furnishing
of temporary supply continued, no
payments being made-in fact, no bills
being presented.
From September 1 the city's consump-
ton began; oddly enough, to grow from
prising fgure Of ssoeoo,oeo S'isS a day: :. ~
600 gallons day into the Jersey City
mains and Newark Kept using q, 100000
gallons day and sometimes more. The
consumption was SO great that the drain
upon the PequanDock watershed began to
be felt. and complaints were pouring into
the company from all sides. They were
finally very forcibly reminded that in
condeming lands in the Pequannock VAL
ley for Newark's supply it was upon con-
dition that not more than fifty million
gallons day should be drawn off. The
condemnation quantity was being daily
| exceeded by 100000 gallons Or more The
drain continued in extent and about four
weeks ago the company was forced to
notify the officials of this city that the
supply of Pequannock would have to be
reduced, as the Pequannock was being
drawn on for from ten to twenty million
gallons a day more than was allowable
under the terms of the condemnation.
! The company agreed to give this city so
much of the Peauannoek. however, as it
could spare over and above Newark S
| quota of 27.5o00 600 gallons. That was the
| first time the screws We're put on and
| the officials concluded that something of
| a remedial nature had to be done at once.
| Since the failure of the Company to
keep it's original agreement, the city
| officials have held that inasrluch as the
| company did not furnish as much water
as it agreed, that what was furnished
was not worth as much per gallon as
unmxed Pequannock would have been.
There were conferences galore to patch
up the difficulty, but no understanding
recover was finally instituted by the
| company, and since then the officials have
been endeavoring to adjust the case out
/ of court The conlpany's original bill
was for $24O000, but by conferences Mayor
/ Wanser had $4,000 of that claim knocked
/ off; $4,000 more was taken away on ac-
| count Of water rendered but not accepted,
| and $1,000 for interest was deducted.
/ More conferences were held with the re-
! suit that S32 per million gallons was
agreed upon POI as a settlement price, in
| stead of SAB, as demanded by the COM
pany
The situation simply resolved itself into
a notice from the company that if an
| agreement was not made at once the
| company would refuse to furnish any
more water after June L. this summer
| which meant a return to the filthy Pas
/ sale. The city officials also want it borne
| in mind that the new agreement was
| drawn up by the city exclusively. When
| it was first shown to the company it was
| repudiated, but repeated conferences have
resulted in its acceptance.
To begin, all the additional water that
| is required for this city over what will
/ come direct from Newark's Pequannock
pipe, is to be gathered by grace of the
| Paterson Water Company, which is a
| part of the East Jersey, at the Great
/ Falls, where Paterson's pumping station
| is located From that point a pipe is to
| be run to the. point where the surplus
flow of Newark's Pequannock main will
meet it and thence direct to this city
Newark is entitled to 27,500 900 gallons
! daily, and when she uses that QUANTITY
| this city will get about Is, 600 900 gallons
| daily of Pequannock and about 10 million
| gallons of Passaic from Great Falls.
/ When Newark uses less Pequannock. the
| more, consequently, the city will get
/ Never, it is estimated will this citv eef
1 more than twelve or fourteen million gall
/ Ions of Passaic daily, even in extremely!
| hot or cold weather. There will be also
| an Independent pipe for this city, which
| will carry Pequannock and Passaic
1 mixed.
/ The drawing of Passaic water at Great
will moi ic 49,