The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-08-19
OIL ON The WATER
Condition of the Pequan-
mock Shed Found to Be
Worse Than Des-
crlbed.
nEnARK's OFFICIALS INVESTIGATE
City Counsel Price Says There Is
Law Enough to Prevent
the Pollution.
EEMARK'S OFFICIALS INVESTIGATE

Especial to THE Jersey City News."1
NEWFOUNDLAND, Aug. 10, 1ss7.-Be-
fore the Newark Board of Works MEM
bers and health officials had traversed
half the 1000 acre tract owned by the city
of Newark at Charlotteburg on their tour
of inspection yesterday they unanimously
agreed that the condition of the property
was worse han it has been depicted by
THE News BY the time they had finish
ed the Board of Health members found
much to complain about. and he other
officials agreed with them, and said every
building on the tract should be RACED
without delay.
The privy vaults and ground about them
were found in such condition as 70 cause
those present to say 1T is shocking, and
that it demonstrated utter carelcssness on
the part of the official in charge.
The lake of the lower erd of the city
property was found covered with oil, that
escaped either from the Standard Oil pipe
line which skirts the Pequannock River
at Newfoundland, or from the pumping
station located there. The stencil was
nauseating. Engineer Sherrerd said the
oil would find it's way into the pipe line,
out by remaining en- top of the water
would flow over the dam at the Macopin
Intake. He could not recall having ever
seen the old lake in such condition before.
The ground on either side was SO
thoroughly saturated it was evident that
a large quantity of the. oil had reached
the place..
Six of the houses on the tract We're
found occupied, as was stated in the
News and it was admitted that twenty
four people lived in them now and that
eight had left last week, making a total
of thirty-two. 1t was also found that
about forty children attended the . Old
schoolhouse coated on the tract.
: Caretaker M. F. Hennion admitted that
he rented five houses, but said he received
rent from only two of them, 50 a month
each.
The occupants of the other houses
worked for him, and he at first declared
that he paid them their wages regularly
and exacted no rent from them, but under
a crossire of questions he admitted that
all the tenants understood that they were
to pay a nxed rental when they obtained
permission to live in the houses. Inc
lessees who worked for Hennion at hrst
denied that they paid a rental, but later
Ilt1 LIN WIN
houses with the understanding that they
We're paying a stipulated sum for them.
Hennion and some of the tenants at hrSt
denied but later admitted that they had
been notified of the coming OF the board
and had talked the situation over. Hen
Mon admitted that along with the 80 a
month rent he received from two OF the
houses, he obtained 81 a month rent for
the pasture of five horses, which, with
the income from the other houses taken
out in work, makes the total income
from the tract S29 a month.
Hennion stated positively that he made
arrangements with Mr.. Ball for the use
of the property, expecting to obtain it
held it, $3.50 a year. Later he said Mr..
Sherrerd told him he could not have a
lease, but might remain rent free for an
indefinite period, in consideration of which
in repair. Ball denied having made any
arrangements with Hennion, and said
that all he had done was to report the
matter to Mr.. Sherrerd.
The latter admitted that Ball did report
to him. The fact that people were living
on the tract was not at any time report
ed to the Board of Works.
Mr.. Van Duyne, while admitting that
the place was in a filthy condition and
that the buildings should be RACED with
out delay, endeavored to show that there
was no danger of pollution. Not one of
his associates entertained a similar view,
but all declared that the condition was
worse than had been described in The
News The barns, outhouses and pig
visited mad found just as stated. Sam
Piles of water were taken at points along
the Pequannock as we'll as from streams
on the Charlotteburg tract.
The investigation will not be concluded
until today, when an effort will be made
to have the oil nuisance abated.