The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-03-17
WATER, WATER!
Everywhere, and All the
(Municipal) Boards
Did Shrink.
WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE
Nor Any Drop to Drink-At the
Inspection Of the P. H.
Flynn's Dam Sites.
THOSE WHO WENT ON THE TRIP
Gathering Grounds on the Upper
Rockaway Valley Visited
Description of The Sup
ply Proposed.

All day yesterday was spent by Mayor
HooS and some of the officials of the city
in roaming over hills and down dales on
the Rockaway watershed looking at dam
sites-the former word without the M
discussing sources of supply and debating
on contamination, drainage area aud
floor level. and fguratively up to their
neeks in water. One would imagine that
the hayseed fraternity of the Rockaway
district, having seen so many water ex-
petitions in their region during the past
ten years, would by this time have become
accustomed to the sight of a party On
gentlemen wandering about looking earn
estly at the streams and rivulets, with
out surprise, but yesterday one individual
in Boonton asked one of the party
political convention, hey?' and anoth-
err, while they were driving through
Longwood Valley, eagerly said to Street
and Water Commissioner Richard Brown,
whom he thought to have the. sportiest
look in the crowd
Say mister, be you going IL a cock
fight? If you be, 1 hev too or three fine
birds and viii sell 'em cheap"
1t was neither a political convention nor
tina humane sport INDUCED in by our
forefathers, but a reply to an invitation
from Mr.. P. H. Flynn of Brooklyn. one
of the bidders for the contract to sell
Jersey City a water supply. In the party
were Mayor Hoos, Finance Commissioners
]. A. Bailey and Henry Kellers, Street and
Water Commissioners C. Boltwood, F.
Heintze, r. Brown, A. Hauck and James
S. Nolan, President Myron ]. Fulst VI
the Board of Trade, W. D. Edwards, DIR.
Ulamor Allen, Engineers c. C. Vermeule
and Garwood Ferris, Acting City En-
gineer C. Van Keuren, George c. Foun-
tain, D. Edwards, ex-Assemblyman David
H. Cagney and NJ. Rooney.
The start was made from the D., L. and
W. R. r. depot in Hoboken on Tuesday
evening, at which place they We're re-
ceived by Mr.. NJ. J.. Kennedy, represent
ing Mr.. Flynn, Messrs. N. K. Con-
molly and Henry Belden. Boonton was
reached before supper, and after that
meal, accompanied by Engineer Van
Din and Major Fitzgibbons, the party
paid a visit to the blast furnaces in that
city of ups and downs, where they spent
an interesting hour watching the process
of forging iron plates. Then to bed, a
fortunate half of the visitors going up
stairs and the remainder crossing to the
annex, there to be haunted with the noise
of the furnaces and the wailings of the
city's engineer, who complained that in
stead of Investigating the water the wa
ter was investigating him, and dropping
from the roof to his bed.
Next morning-yesterday-after a hearty
breakfast, escorted by the engineers and
the representatives of Mr.. Flynn, the Wis
itors were driven to old Boonton, on the
Rockaway River, and there Mr.. Kennedy
explained the first intake from which the
pipe under their plan A would be created
by building a ~ninety-foot dam across the
river. This proposed intake, he said,
would be ffty-one acres in area and have
a storage capacity of $50, 900, 900 gallons of
water at an elevation of 800 feet above
high tide. There will be, said Mr.. Ken
nedy. tributary to the intake the whole
flow of the Rockaway River, having a
watershed or gathering ground of lis
square miles, including the waters of the
Longwood Valley, Green Pond, Denmark
Lake, Split Rock Lake, Dixon Pond and
other streams. 1t was explained that all
the sewage of Boonton and Dover, wnere
the canal i~ntermingles with the river,
would be amply taken care Of
Then, as I understand it," interposeu
the Mayor, pointing toea building on the
left bank of the bubbling, rushing stream
at his feet, 1.-THE only danger of contain
nation would be the silk mill and West
Side Park?'
I'VE would take care of that" said
Mr.. Flynn's representative, who went on
to explain how after The canal and river
interlocked above Boonton. He admitted
in reply to a question put by President
Furst that at Powerville at present some
of the overflow from the canal must pass
into the river, but it would be taken care
of. He said that the sewage of Dover
would be treated by either evaporation,
absorption or by burning it. The con-
tractor would have to look after that mat
ter. and there would be a sufficient sum
of money as a guarantee in the hands OF
the citizens to ensure a performance OF
that part of the contract.
Getting once more into the carriages, the
marty were driver to Dixon Pond, a lovely
sheet OF water of about seventy-five
acres. and when a forty-foot dam was
placed there there would be a storage OF
about /, fbU,u UU,UW Sd1ioiS " WdlSis SpS-
cial feature of the proposed reservoir
will be that when during certain seasons
Of the year the river is roily there viii
be a special 42-inoh pipe connecting il
with the Jersey City pipe below the gate
of the Old Boonton intake, SO that the
roily water of the river need not be used
and SO great can be the quantity stored
in the Dixon's Pond reservoir hat 1t vii
furnish at least one months supply t.
Jersey City independent of every ocnel
stream or source on the system. The lax