The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-12-14
HIGH SERVICE DOOMED
The Pumping Station to Be
Abolished and $4,000
a Year Saved.
EAST JERSEYS "BIG HEAD"
1t Will Make Gravity Supply
Possible Mapping the Pipes
Bigger Mains, Too.


The pumping station at High Service is
to go. This important step has been
practically decided upon by the Street
and Water Commissioners. All remains
to be done is revise the piping of the Hud-
son City section and make a few new
connections with the main supply pipes of
the East Jersey Water Company.
For the past few weeks Engineer Fowler
and the Commissioners have been watch
ing the water supply pretty closely. The
officials entertained the idea that the
eompany's meters Were registering more
water than the city was using. During
the investigation it was found that the
East Jersey Company frequently has and
is able to deliver all the water the city
desires at High Service at a greater head
than 220 feet. In all the specifications for
a new water supply which have been pre-
pared for a great many years, or rather
since it has been known that a supply
delivered by gravity would enable the
abandonment of the BellevilIe and High
Service pumping stations, no greater head
at High Service has been called for than
210 feet The discovery that the East
Jersey Company is now able to deliver
water at head of 22O feet delights the
lessen the financial drain upon the water
department. The maintenance of High
Service runs up in cost in the neighbor-
hood of $50, 600 year and frequently more.
If the Commissioners find that sum can
be saved, they propose doing it In order
to put the water department on a self
sustaining basis
In the Hudson City section at the pres
ent time the supply of water is very in
ADEQUATE In many instances water can
n "a
Property owners have of course vigor-
ously protested, but the Street and Water
Commissioners could offer no remedy. The
situation was simply that the engines at
High Service were unable to give any
greater pressure. When the High Service
station was built an arterial pipe system
was adopted. Just so long as the plans
of that system were adhered to the sup
ply of water in the northern section OF
ministration resulted in departure from
those plans and for many years instead
of pipes of a uniform size being laid pipes
of all sizes were laid, with the result as it
is today.
Engineer Fowler and his assistants are
now work preparing maps which Will
show every pipe in the city and give it's
size. No such maps have ever been in
existence. and so it has occurred fire.
quently that 12-inch mains were con-
nected with some of much greater di.
guess work in the laying of water mains
has to cease, Engineer Fowler says, and
he proposes adopting a system Which Will
at least approach uniformity.
In the Hudson City section there are
great many six inch mains. They are too
small Many of them are to be removed
as soon as practicable. That done, arr
rangements are to be made with the
East Jersey Company to make connec-
tions with its large supply mains. Me-
chanical devices will be placed at High
Service, where the company will be en-
abled to deliver water at a head of go feet
if it is desired. With such head, or
even 220 feet. there will remain absolutely
no use for the High Service station. It
will be abandoned at once and the men
employed there removed. In every part OF
the city save the Hudson section. the
water is delivered at a satisfactory head
With the increased pressure and substi-
tuition of larger mains for the small ones
in Hudson City, it is believed that all the
water the people want up that way will
be at their command at a head that will
make it have a froth not unlike the
| beverage that at present appears to have
the cali in that locality.
AS soon as Engineer Fowler completes
his investigation and prepares his plans.
he will submit them to the Street and
Water Board and recommend the aban-
donment of High Service. Perhaps moth
| ing will be done for a week or ten days,
as the Engineer is busy regulating street
| and sewer Improvements. The Commis-
sioners say the station cannot be aban-
doned too soon to suit them.