The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-08-23
WATER FOR JERSEY CITY,
Only One Bidder for the Con
tract The City Still
in a Bad Plight.
iron the Newark Sunday calLvl

M III thAnS SS<
The efforts of Jersey City to obtain a
failed. That is the only construe-
ton that can be put on the single hid
offered the Jersey City authorities on
Thursday. Specifications were prepared
by the city and advertised for several
weeks, as the law requires. Bids were
to be presented on Thursday, and when
the time arrived only one was offered.
That bid came from Patrick II. Flynn,
of Brooklyn. Mr.. Flynn submitted three
proposals, but one OF them; designed to
pump water from Bellevilie, is irregular,
for the reason that no slch plan was con-
sidered in the specifications. The two
other proposals vary only as to the num-
Der of storage reservoirs. The water IS
to be taken from the Rockaway River, at
| Montville, just below Boonton, and is to
be delivered by gravity at the distribute
ing reservoir on Jersey City Heights. BY
Plan a single reservoir is proposed at
| Montviile. and the cost for q 10000, coo gall
| lon daiiy supply is placed at ST $3.50 BY
Plan 2, three storage reservoirs are pro-
| posed: a small one at Montville. and Two
| others in the upper water shed. The
| cost Of the works under this plan for a
50. 900, 900 gallon daily supply is 81, 600.
Mr.. Flynn in his proposals goes through
| the customary form of quoting prices for
q 10000. COO gallon daily supply and fori
water at the million gallon rate, but these
| are of little Interest. Under the specidca-
tons Submitted last spring, MI. Flynn.
was a bidder, but his prices then were
about 5000 0 or s4o0, 600 lower than the
- -rrc~asl l-v A. to fGf tb % npIEH hid
der under the latest specifications there
is some talk Of a combination.
This is the sixth time in three years that
tho city has advertised proposals for a
water supply. Each time it has failed to.
accomplish anything. Many bids have
| Been submitted and many plans proposed.
The bidders have either been bought off
all but this one-or they are tired Of
making offers. The bidding has in the
main been confined to three or four diff
| ferent interests. hi East Jersey Water
Company has submitted a number of pro-
positions. but on the general belief that
the city could not carry out the contract
This company is now furnishing the city
water under what is called a temporary
contract. and desires more than any other
one thing to have that temporary contract
put unon a little irmer basis as to its
legality and as to its permanency. Fur
ther than that, the East Jersey Water
LCompany has no desire to so at present.
In the last three biddirgs the East Jer-
sey Water Company has submitted no
proposition to the city. preferring to stand
on the advantage II has already secured.
These advantages are numerous, In the
| first place. the city must have pure wa
ter, Il pending the construction Of a
new plant. the East Jersey Water Conn
pany is the only party having water to
sell. The people would not tolerate a
severance of the relations of the city with
the company if it would endanger The sup
ply Of proper water. Then. by the 0
troll of the water rights at Little Falls
and Paterson, and through its relayions
with. the Morris Canal Company, the Easf
Jersey Water Company has put itself II a
position where it can compel an outside
competitor in any part Of the upper PAS
sale watershed to pay it tribute
Mr.. Flynn's plan is to draw water from
the Roekaway River. near Moutville,
three miles below Boonton. The rights
of the Norris Canal in the Rocisaway
River do not extend below Boonton. II IS
4 III OtOSGd IL &GA41A ~ q SN@ 49,
vile. This would not Interfere with the
flow of water at Boonton. A single reseT-
voir at Montville. to insure a daily sup
ply of 5o.oo0.Ge0 gallons of water, must
cover. a very extensive territory. The
dam to be constructed to impouna the
Isnecessary quantity of water must ne
about 120 feet high and about half 4 mile
long. Such a reservoir would irapound
II - 1..~o ,,,o-+s+v of uratcr-6VS fjT1GS
as great a quantity as the Oak Ridge
reservoir IN the Pequannock. The water
is to be delivered under a head of 20
feet. but the gradient line would be very
low. and a tunnel would have to be com
structed through the Orange mountain
! belov the level of the hill at Great
Notch. TO deliver 1000 eco gallons daily
at such a low grade would require a plpe
seventy-six inches in diameter.
These are ON Of hi engineering prob
lens that will confront the contractor
The Interruption of the flow of the Rock
away River win bring the contractor into
open conflict with the East jersey Water
Company. That company claims the
right to the use of all the water above
its new works at Little Falls, which is
not now diverted, or under contract TO
permit Newark to divert. me contractor
VIII attempts to interrupt the flow OF the
Rockaway River would find himself IN
volved in legal complications from the
very beginning. These could be so shaped
ard arranged as to cover a period OF
years and it would be made next to i'm
possible for him to make any progress
under his contract
This. as has been pointed out by the
SUNDAY CALL is the purpose Of the East
Jersey Water Company in locating It's
new water plant at Little Falls Water
power. supplemented by steam, IS TO Pc
used to raise the water, except in times
when the flow of the river ls enormous,
steam power win have to be used But
for at least six months Of the year the
East Jersey Water Company will claim
that the entire flow of the river VIII be
needed, to supply the water e ne pump
ad. and to supplement the use OF steam
for power in pumping the water.