The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-12-27
CAUGHT UNPRtPARtD
Cap" Rockers $50, 600
Bel1eville Gang USE
less in an Emer-
gency.
PUMPS ALL OUT OF ORDER
True Reason Why the Pequan-
mock Pipe Break Caused
Trouble on the
Heights.
TOOK A WHOLE DAY TO START UP
How the Water Famine Was
Caused and How 1t Spoiled
Christmas Day-Full
Supply Tonight.

All danger of a water famine has
passed BY three o'clock this afternoon
the break nj the East Jersey Company's
Pequannock main will have been repaired.
BY eight o'clock this evening at the
latest the usual supply of water will be
delivered in every house and factory IN
the city.
Chief Engineer Lucien D. Fowler re-
turned to the city from the scene of the
break at five o'clock this morning Al
that hour the work of repair had so far
advanced that full supply of water was
assured before evening.
The scandalous failure of Captain
Hooker and the $4,000 a year emergency
force at Belleville to do anything to re-
heve the situation caused boundless in
dignation all over the city ever since Sat
urday 1t was one o'clock on Saturday
afternoon before it gave any relief to the
waterless Bergen section, and it took the
entire day to get the pumps into any sort
of efficient order.
1t appears. that the entire plant, under
the supervision of the Republican sinecur-
ist who was unloaded on the city by the
last Street and Water Board, has been
going to the .sdemnition bowwows."
1t was one O'Clock Saturday afternoon
when one OF the big Warrington pumps
-. cd
that time, the water had been well drawn
out of the Belleville reservoir. Owing to
the fact that the engine had not been used
in several months, difficulty was expert
enced in starting it. Even then it had to
be run slowly and carefully with the re-
suit that more water was drawn from the
reservoir than was pumped in. At five
o'clock the second Worthington pump
was started. 1t was rusty and the pack
ing had become dry and loose. The en-
CINE was repaired hurriedly and finally
started. A cylinder head then blew out
and caused delay, and then one of the
boilers sprang leak.
The situation was becoming more
alarming every minute. To start the
Corliss engine, it was claimed, required
more men. Engineers who live in Belle
vile were summoned and at ten o'clock
at night the three engines were running
slowly but smoothly. Bergen was only
then deriving a partial supply and the
Hudson City pressure had been reduced
more than one-half. The same condition
of affairs prevail at this time, but by
nightfall it will have been remedied and
"a bountiful supply of Pequannock will
be flowing through the pipes.
The break in the pipe which deprived
thousands of people of drinking water
ners difficult, occurred about four miles
above Little Falls. Little Falls is the
point on the Passaic River at which the
East Jersey Company proposes establish
ing new intake and supplying towns and
cities of the State with water when it
has to surrender its Pequannock plant to
break occurred is a wilderness. The pipe
after crossing a hill makes a quick de-
scent into a valley 1t was at the base of
the hill that the trouble occurred. The
pipe did not break, that is, give way to
pressure, but simply pulled apart Heavy
rivets were snapped like bits of string.
It was the result of unusual pressure
which there is upon the main at the pres
ent time.
When it was found that the single pipe
which had been laid for Newark was in
capable of carrying the stipulated guam
tity of water, it will be remembered the
company at once laid an additional main
from it's intake at Macopin and several
miles below connected that pipe with the
main supply pipe which is four feet in
diameter. The latter main was so securely
riveted that it was considered almost an
impossibility to break the joints The adj
ditional pressure was not feared, as every
length of pipe had been tested and found
capable of carrying nearly double the
pressure that was placed upon it.
1t was not until Saturday morning that
Engineer Fowler learned OF the break in
the main. He at once went to Little Falls
and from that point was driven to the
scene of the break. East Jersey engi-
neers were already on hand and with
them fifty experienced men. Arrange
ments were at once made for electric
lights so that work might be prosecuted
day and night. The only difficulty was
that special castings were required and
to procure them it was necessary to send
to Paterson.
AS soon as Engineer Fowler found that
the East Jersey Company was doing all
to this city The break had cut the Ber-s