The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-05-13
DOES NOT |NJURE CANAL
sheehan Company Says Its
Plans Interfere With
No Ones Rights.

nCorporation Counsel McDermott today
received a second letter in answer to the
funny little communication of the East
Jersey Water Company, in relation to It's
water rights in the Rockaway River shed
and other parts Of the state. Til letter re-
ceived today is from O'Brien, Sheehan,
Mclean & Rogers.
The P. H. Flynn Company has an answer
ready TO file. 1t will doubtless be sent TO
Mr.. McDermott some time today.
The OBrien, Sheehan, Mclean & Rogers
letter is as follows:
New York, May 10, 1895.
Hon. Allan L.. McDermott. Corporation
Counsel. Jersey City, Nj
Dear Sir-Your favor of May !, encios-
ing a copy of letter received from the
Morris Canal and Banking, Company N
| answer to a request thai they point out
to you wherein bids received for FURNISH
| ing water to Jersey City interfered with
their vested rights. In reply tnereto We
The claims of the Morris Canal and
Banking Company la no application 70
our submitted plans excepting the pia
| Rockaway River at Old Boonton. We al.
init that, although the intake or point OF
diversion of water is below, az
this plan contemplates the erection OF
storage reservoirs and other works upon
1 the streams above and tributary to the
Morris Canal intakes. IT may be held 70
interfere with the right claimed by tne
Our bid under Plan c, for a supply
from the Rockaway at Lower Montvllle,
is entirely free from interference with
the rights claimed by the Morris Canal
for the following r~easons: Our storage
reservoir and intake are situated some
miles down stream from the lowest polnl
at which the canal can take water from
the Rockaway River. The cana can draw
water from the Rockaway at the head OF
BoontOn Falls, also at PoWeryille, ana
again at Dover. 1t can likewise take the
/ waters of Beach Glen through a short
feeder near Rockaway village These are
the only points of connection. We do
not propose. under Plane, to Ike a gal
lon of water. or build a single dam or
reservoir upon the watershed at any
point above these intakes. The water of
various intakes as they have flowed in
the past, without diminution or alteration.
AS to the sufficiency of supply by this
lower Montville plan. thai is a question
which we are willing to submit to the
city's engineers. We will only point out
that we store 1000, 0o0, 900 gallons, or 34s
days supply at IS million gallons daily,
and III days supply at 20 million gallons
daily, at our intake, below all points OF
contact with the Morris Canal. This
stored water alone would furnish $4,000, 00(
gallons daily during the entire 20 days
that the canal is open each year, even il
tho canal could divert the whole river
above. But even the communication OF
the lanai Company admits that there
a surplus of water The total yield OF
the river at Lower Montville, from 49,
square miles of gathering ground, will be
1l0,COG.000 gallons daily in the driest year,
/ according to the tables on page 100 of the
I Report on Water Supply published by the
Geological Survey of New Jersey. This
leaves an average of 49, GOO gallons daily
throughout the driest known year, or IS.
100000 gallons daily for the $50 days OF
navigation. which may be distracted by
the canal without causing any deficiency
in the supply of 10000, 900 gallons daily to
your city. But an actual test Of what
the canal can carry when all its locks
are thrown open and the water is allowed
to run to waste, is given on page SO OF
Cross. & Howelfs report to the Newark
Aqueduct Board of 1875. This shows thai
it is impossible for the canal to carry
| more than 41,000. 900 gallons daily when
thrown wide open, but of course 1t could
and the Cam Company has no right to
wilfully waste the water. For purposes
of navigation 1t cannot use half as much,
However, the question of sufficiency can
not concern the Canal Company, for the
projected works afford no possible means
by which we can diminish the supply to
Where the canal passes the head Of
/ Lower Montviile reservoir we will, OF
course, be under obligation to erect all
necessary protection works and adopt
other engineering expedients to fully pre-
serve to the Morris Canal and Banking
Company I'M rights 1t may have. The
physical conditions are such as to make
actual interference with those rights quite
unnecessary. Our plan. offering a supply
from the Raritan headwatefs' is also en-
Etirely free from interference with the
rights of the Morris Canal and Banking
Company.
Very truly yours
OsBRIEN, SHEEHAN, MCLEAN &
D0GERS