The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-03-24
PUMPS IN THIS PLAN
City Officials Visit the
O'Brien, sheehan, Nc
Bean and Rodgers
Reservoir Site.
PROMOTERS WANT TO SELL QUICKLY
Spacious Figuring to Show
That 1t Would Be Cheap
at IS, 1000, 600.
FOUR HUNDRED DAYS SUPPLY
Sewage Pollution Vaguely Treated
and the Beauties of Mont
vile Eloquently Extolled.
FOUR HUNDRED DAYS SUPPLY


The city officials who will be called
upon to pass upon a water contract,
should one be made, visited the mag
niicent Rockaway Rive watershed again
yesterday. They were the guests of
Messrs. O'Brien, Sheehan, cBe &
Rodgers. There were in the party Mayor
Hoos, Finance Commissioners Simpson
and Midlige, Street and Water Commits
sioners Boltwood, Heintze, Brown, Hauck
and Nolan; Alderman Bornemann, Super
~intendent of Public Instruction Henry "
Snyder, Carl H. Ruempler, Myron Furst,
Julius Berger, President of the Hudson
City Business Mems Associations; c. c.
Vermeule, Garwood Ferris and Chauncey
Holt; all the members of the bidding
firm save Mr.. Sheehan and their engineer,
Mr.. ohm G. Van Horne.
Several public spirited citizens who
have taken a keen interest in the latest
efforts of the city to acquire a new supply
of water and who had been invited TO in
spect the O'Brien, Sheehan, Mclean &
Rodgers plan by Mayor Hoos, sent His
Honor regrets Tuesday evening and yes
terday morning. The party was scheduled
to leave Hoboken on a special tram over
the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western
Railroad at ten o'clock. 1t was fifteen
minutes after the appointed time, how
ever. when all the gentlemen were ready
to depart. Nj special train, which had
been engaged by the company, consisted
of a new and comfortable day coach, and
the Pullman chair car Hoboken. Before
departing the member of the bidding firm
and their engineer, Mr.. Van Horne, were
introduced to the official party.
When the comfort of the guests had
been attended to, Engineer Van Horne ex-
planned the company's general plan. The
concern presented five bids. two of which
were rejected. Two more were practically
withdrawn, leaving only one, which pro-
vides for a monster reservoir in the lower
Montville Valley.
The first stop made by the inspecting
party was at Little Falls, which was
reached after a half hours ride.
at the station carriages were in wait
ing to convey the party to the site OF the
intake. The officials and private citizens
were comfortably tucked into closed car
riages and a start was made for Mont
vile, seven miles over the mountains.
A brief stop was made at Little Falls,
where the East Jersey Water Company
is making extensive preparations for the
delivery of water from that point on the
Passaic. The previous days rain had
stirred up the bed of the river and the
Little Falls water consequently presented
an uninviting appearance. The Mayor
and officials commented upon its roilly
condition and then passed on. 1t was one
O'Clock when the MontviIle site was reach
ed. The officials clambered through mud
two inches deep to the top of a hill from
which an unobstructed view of the beau
tiful valley was had. The plan of the
company was explained by Engineer Van
Horne after the following document had
been read by Mr.. O'Brien-
Messrs. O'Brien, Sheehan, McBea &
Rodgers
Gentlenen-It seems to me to be clearly
for the best interests of Jersey City that
the authorities should accept the Lower
Montville plan and exercise the option
for the immediate purchase of the WORKS
constructed hereunder. The city is now
buying water at S36 per million gallons,
and by the time you would be prepared
to turn over the completed works with a
capacity of 81. 600, coo gallons they will, un-
der the terms of the contract, be payin
S35 per million gallons and will no doubt
be using nearly, If not quite, So,0VO,o00 gal
Ions daily.
The city can save over s10O, 600 a year
by buying these works of yours upon COM
pletion, for the cost of the $1,000, GOO gal
Ions will be the interest upon 49, 600, GOO at
4 per cent, equal to 1920, 600, plus the oper-
ating expenses, 10000, or s3S30,00O, as
against 365 days at g. coz, coo gallons pc.
day, at s35, equal to 81, 12j; minimum
amount saved per year, s11f,125.
The amount saved will eventually be
over half a million dollars. for when the
city uses the full 10000, 600 gallons the cost
will be the interest upon $1,000, 900, plus
the cost of the additional pipe lilie, say
plus the operating expenses $4,000, or
$3.50, 600, as against 365 days at 10000, 0GU
gallons at SO, equal to SS94, ESQ; maximum
amount saved per year, 1914, 10y, making
an average saving of over $325,000 a year,
besides the ownership of works for all
time. with an ultimate capacity of 100,
00c, 900 gallons per lay.
This plan affords an opportunity of pro-
curing water for Jersey City within the
time stipulated in the contract, being free
from interference with the rights of the
Morris Canal, which past experience
shows is an important factor in the prob
lem.
The water you can furnish from the
immense storage reservoir at Lower
Montville will be far superior to that
which can be furnished from the Passaic
River at any point. This reservoir has
a storage capacity of Y. 000. 100000 gallons
(six times that of Jerome Park Reservoir.
is estimated to cost $4,000, 000). sufficient
for 400 days supply at the presrat rate
of consumption. You swould collect the
water in the granite highlands. Wen Tor
ested n sparsely settled; instead Of from
the flat valley of the Passaic River, with
its swamps, a~ggregating 10000 acres. The
water YOU would furnish must run three
miles from the point where the Rocka-
way River enters the reservoir to the
point where it will be drawn off, thus CIV
ing opportunity for settlement, and al
1900 ny a olnor Iir1n mid SlInn1N in
stead of being taken directly from the
river, with no chance of settlement.
Another feature of your plan appears
TO me worthy of attention, viz, the fact