The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-03-26
Appearance Of the Passaic
at Little Falls to Be
ReYolutionlzed.
THE GREAT RESERVOIR
Big Force Busy Below Morris
Canal Viaduct-Water Works
for Millions.


above Paterson, has now progressed 50
far that il is possible to get an adequate
idea of the greatness or the Undertaking.
1t is certainly a very great project. The
manner in which the work is being car
ried on. the attention given to details and
to the finish of the work shows that no
halfway measures have been planned for
the diversion of the enormous volume of
water that passes through the river at
that point for water supply.
1t can be stated on the very highest au-
thority that-the plans Of the East Jersey
Water Company, so far as they have now
matured, are to use the water solely for
public and private consumption, and that
there is no intention of developing electric
power for transmission and sale, as has
been stated. 1t is hardly possible to give
an adequate description of the immensely
of the plant that is under construction at
Little Falls for the exclusive use of this
influential corporation. A great force of
men has been at work for several months,
during part of the time night and day,
pushing forward the operation. At pres
sent there are more than five hundred la
borers employed in each shift, while ma
CIliilStS, tuSllttIS anu QIdQSntSIleA &C
engaged in their different departments.
The work is being pushed rapidly to
cornpletion-for one reason because of the
necessity for completing that part of it
where the Morris canal crosses the cham
mel that is being cut out of solid rock, be-
fore the opening of navigation, which is
Monday. April Is. While this part of the
work is under way the water in the Nor
rs canal has been diverted and the canal
must be fully restored bv the date given
above.
There is another reason though II is
lilsely thar his gives those connected
with the East Jersey Water Company lit
tie trouble. A number of parties claiming
water rights. and having some interest in
the flow of the river. have threatened
legal action to prevent the diversion of
the water. No proceedings have been in
stituted and there is some question as
to the motive that prompts these threat
ened proceedings. but they are liable to
take form at any time and might prove a
serious obstacle.
The work to be done at Little Falls is
apparently now less than half done. The
channel that has been cut for the diver
sion Of the water is to be six or eight
hundred feet long. 1t extends from a
point on the north shore of the river, just
above Beattie's DAM, at Little Falls, to a
point on the river below where the falls
were formerly located-before they were
blasted out-and east of the old Morris
canal viaduct, which spans the river. The
channel Is to- be sixty feet in width when
completed. In the main it has been cut
out of solid rock, in some places from fif-
teen to thirty feet deep. The bed of the
channel is solid rock, and on either side
side heavy granite masonry is being
erected to protect the sides of the cham
mel. At some points the masonry will
be twenty and thirty feet high. This is
necessary to protect the banks of the
Morris canal, which for two or three hun
dred feet skirts the side OF the
The granite BLOCKS whlch are used IN this
masonry are very heavy, and the entire
work mas e solid. massive appearance
At the point where the channel runs
under the Morris tanal, arches OF heavy
granite masonry are oelng erected Fhese
sarcnes are now nearly competed lhere
are Y OF them across the Wioth 81
the sixly-ioot cnahhel. each ol THEM
ABOUT SIX 1eet VIDE ana ten Ieet high- Inc
TOP or the arches IS mace OF several
courses OF brlck. but the walls on eitner
SIDE are OF heaVy biocks OF granite. Ihefe
is little commentator, though the work
manshdp gives 1t a very massive and
handsome appearance The arches are at
least s~eventy-five feet long n rest on
the solid rock foundation forming the ped
of the channel.
At the point where these arches are
constructed the bed of the Morris Canal
was entirely torn away. A cut was made
in The Morris Canal at least twenty feet
below its bed. To do this is was neces-
sary to erect temporary dams across the
cana at either side of the cut A long
wooden flume was constructed connecting
the ANA from one dam to he other, so
that there would be a constant flow OF
water. This 1ume is about 200 feet in
length. AT the point where the arches
are located a riveted steel pipe, about
t~hirty-sIx inches in diameter, is placed,
connecting one part of the wooden fume
with the other. This steel pipe is sus-
pended across the cut in the bed of the
Morris Canal where the arches are being
erected. Gates are located in the dams
in the Morris Canal so that the water
could be shut off at n time should an
accident occur to the wooden fume or
riveted steel pipe. The successful erec-
ton Of this iume and steel conduit is con-
sldered a very fine engineering feat.
When the bed of the Morris Canal has