The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-02-01


the city to divert and use seventy mill
ion gallons of water daily.
In order to provide for the increase of
the old Boonton reservoir, as hereinafter
provided, the plan includes the acquire
ment of the additional lands required for
such reservoir sites, making total of
1,242 acres therein.
Whenever during the term of the con-
tract as provided in the specifications,
the city shall notify the contractor to in
crease the capacity of his water works.
then it is proposed to increase the Old
Boonton reservoir, above described, by
raising the dam and increasing the ca
pacity thereof as follows
The dam will be raised so that the flow
line thereof will be at an elevation of three
hundred and seven and one-haf (S0I12)
feet; the area of said reservoir at the flow
line, as increased, will be LIT acres; the
maximum depth thereof will be one hum
dred and seventeen and one-half Q1715)
feet, and seventy-five (75) per cent. OF the
area thereof will exceed eight 80 feet in
depth at the full water level It Will then
have capacity above the effluent pipes
of 1858 million gallons; an elevation al
the flow line of 307.5 feet above mean high
pipes will be 1862 feet. The dam will be
of masonry, one hundred and twenty-five
CPD feet high, exclusive of foundation.
1t will be constructed and equipped as re-
CURED by the specifications, and is marked
Dam No. /, and shown on maps Nos.
and 2.
From the intake at Old Boonton res
ervoir, above described, there will be
constructed an additional steel pipe con-
duit along the route as shown generally
on Map No. l, upon the right Of way
therefore required, capable of delivering
thirty million gallons daily into the
hundred and twenty-seven Q2D feet above
mean high tide This pipe and the pipe
first abpVe described. in connection with
the tunnels, will enable the contractor to
deliver seventy million gallons of water
daily into the Bergen reservoir. This
steel pipe conduit will be sixty-three t63)
to Hook Mountain, where it win connect
with the tunnel hereinbefore mentioned; !;
from the tunnel at Hook Mountain to the
tur at Watchung at Mountain viii be 60 OF
connecting with the tunnel hereinbefore
mentioned through Watching Mountain;
from the tunnel at Watchung Mountain
this steel conduit will be of forty-seven
(4O inches diameter to Bergen reservoir,
where it will deliver the water with a
pressure equal to head of one hundred
and twenty-seven Q2l) feet ABOVE mean
high tide.
All of the above conduits and tunnels
will be constructed and equipped as re-
quired by the specifications.
The route of the last above conduit IS
shown ON map No. l annexed.
The profile and hydraulic gradients OF
said conduits and tunnels are shown on
profile No. l.
In6 TlgnL Is TeS6TN0Q, SuDJcCl " lliC
approval of the engineer of the city, to
substitute at the crossing OF the Hacken-
sack, Passaic and Rockaway Rivers for
each single steel piEe, two or more cast
iron pipes of approved strength ana ma
teriai. having a combined capacity equal
to the steel conduits for which they may
be substituted.
In the foregoing description the phrase
elevation means height above mean
high tide.
On the morning of December 9 the reso-
luton of award was forwarded by Clerk
Bouton of the Street and Water Board
to the Board of Finance. 1t was expect
ed that that body would concur without
delay, as the members had always ac-
companied the Street and Water Commits
sioners on tours, of inspection and had
always been given the full benefit of the
advice of the experts who had been en-
gagged.
Finance Commissioner Ringle first rais-
ed the question of protecting the sources
of supply from contamination or pollu-
ton He positively refused to act until
that point had been settled to his en-
tire satisfaction. Then he raised the
question of maintaining the sources OF
supply from pollution and he refused to
act until he had saddled that responsible
ity for the future upon Mr.. Flynn. Then
he made a fight for the elimination of
that clause which would have compelled
the city to pay 81, ,995, 900 for the plant in
stead of s7,595, 900, if it were not ac-
quired within one year after it's compile
ton.
Mr.. Ringle's final fight was that the cost
of searching the titles of the lands which
would have to be acquired for right OF
way should be borne by the contractor.
AS in all the other instances he won and
then he was ready to vote.
Then the public meeting in City Hall,
at which Thomas McEwan and several
other long-eared gentlemen distinguished
themselves, was held. The expressions of
property owners, who are not playing
politics, at that meeting settled the ques-
ton SO far as the Finance Board is con-
cerned. Accordingly on the twenty-frst
day of December, 1898, the Finance Board,
by a unanimous vote concurred in the re-
olution of award of the Street and Water
Board. The important document was en-
crossed at once and on the morning of
December %, 1898, an official copy of the
concurrent resolution was served on the
Mayor
The time limit is placed on the Mayor
for action on the water matter. He, ac-
cordingly, took his time considering the
problem He inspected water plants of
other cities and left no stone unturned to
gain all the information possible concern
ing the plant the city proposed acquiring.
The public was given opportunity to pro-
test or approve.
The only protests received emanated
from the McEwan infected section of the
city. The protests were prepared by the
oily Thomas and were circulated by his
club for signatures. Suspicion was cast
upon the genuineness Of the protests
when McEwan refused to permit the
Mayor to make the names of the pro-
testants public.
Mayor Hoos returned the protests to
McEwan without considering them. Since
that occurrence one or two protests
bobbed up, but there was a noticeable abb
sence of the names of important property
owners on them.
So that the public could have absolute
ly no room for complaint, Mayor Hoos, on
January 5, 1899, caused to the published
in the local newspapers the full text Of
the contract which would be entered into
with Mr. Flynn in the event of his ap-
proving the award. The contract was
published in .The News a few days ago.
Since the publication of the ducument
the Mayor has received more letters ask
-, er him 10 anprova the contract than he