The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-05-23
NO AWARD.
Street and Water Board VIII
Probably Return the
Bids Tonight.
HEINYzE AND BoLTWooD'S POSITION
They Favor the Rockaway
and Hudson Plan Which
Costs Sc. 900.
TO READvERTIsE AT ONCE
New Bids to Be On a Broader
Basis Than Those
Now Rejected.
TO AT ONCE

1t will be decided tonight whether a
water contract is to be made or not. the
Street and Water Commissioners Will
have a conference at half past seven
O'Clock with Engineers Ferris and Yer
meule and Corporation Counsel McDer
mott. Neither the Mayor nor Finance
Commissioners have been invited. The
Street and Water Commissioners are pro-
ceeding on the principle that, as the
city's representatives, they should de-
eide the water problem in the manner
they consider to be to the best interests
OF the city. 1t was said in the City Hall
today by officials interested in the water
question that no award will be made this
time; that the bids now before the Street
and Water Board will be returned to the
several companies and that new bids will
be advertised for on a broader scale than
ever before.
The principal difficulty about making
an award at this time IS that Commits
{ sioners Heintze and Boltwood are OPP
posed to ali the bids save that of the
Rockaway and Hudson Company. That
c~ompany's proposition costs S6,0o0,O0o. 1t
is the lowest bid. The other members of
the Board, in objecting to the Rockaway
and Hudson Did, contend that it would
be folly to award it a contract, as its
plans are so interviewer with East Jersey
tights that it would not stand q test in
court. The bid most favored appears to
be that of Patrick H. Flynn Commits
sioners Heintze and Boltwood say that
if possible litigation is the only difficulty
in the way of making an award to the
Rockaway and Hudson, that to award to
Flynn will simply be inviting endless lit
igation which can only result in the over
throw Of the Flynn proposal. The ad-
vice of CORPORATION Counsel McDerm0tt,
too, that the bid of the lnnan
Mould be given consideration mas gwen
tho situation new interest Inc lninan
bid had been reported to be informal.
Now that it has been pronounced eligible
the officials are disturbed. The Inman
bid is acknowledged to be free from East
of the concern, S11, 100000, is considered
exorbitant-
There are several officials. however,
who think the Iuman proposition IS the
Company has begun to show It's hand
again, too. Representatives of the conn
pany have been in consultation and nave
announced that the company is ready and
willing to make a new contract with the
city for ten, fifteen or twenty-five years,
at a price per million gallons so low that
all competitors will be put in the shade
The company's representatives nave
shown the city officials extensive plans
for the protection of the watersheds of
the northern part of the State Miles and
miles of sewers are to be built by the
concern so thar the water at Little Falls
will be as pure as the water in Green
Pond, above Boonton. The compan may
offer to sell the city water for something
like S24 or perhaps less a million gallons,
and deliver it at such a head at High
Service as to make pumping unneces-
sary.
1t is said by some Of the city officials
that If the present bids are thrown out
the East Jersey Company will capture
the plum on the next competition.