The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-01-25
EXPERT KNUDSDH REPORTS
Says the Water Mains Are
Affected by Electrolysis--
Remedies Suggested.

1 49,
/. For the purpose of ascertaIning whether
or not the city's water Mains are being
damaged by electrolysis, Engineer Van
Keuren was deputized by the Street and
Water Commissioners to ngage A. A.
Knudson, the we'll known New York
electrical engineer. to conduct an investi-
CATION. Mr.. Knudson made tests on
Belleville avenue, where the lines of the
Union Traction Company to Arlington
and Rutherford are operated. He found
that stray currents were conducted to the
water mains and were damaging them.
The trouble seemed due to defective
bonding of the rails. 1t was found that
the pipes being most damaged are those
on the Hackensack meadows, running
from Belleville to this city.
The trolley company's power house for
the lines crossing the meadows is located
at Rutherford. The salt meadows act as
a conductor and the mains are being bad
" damaged. In regard to the remedy Mr..
Knudson writes:-
81 nave consulted with the officers of
the Union Traction Company in reference
to making such changes hi win reduce
this escape of current into your mains,
S~Aio tAlSS ca lax IL SfESo Z w
whatever is necessary to obviate the
trouble.
Il do not think that this escape of cur
rent is due to any imperfect design Of
construction, as, generally speaking, the
road is well built, much better than is
found among the average trolley roads,
operating through and between small
towns. 1t is provided with an insulated
return conductor through it's entire
length, which many electric roads do not
have. / have also seen the character
Of bond used for connecting electrically
the ends of the rails and they seem to
be as good as any in the market, two
being used, / am told, for each rail. Not
w~ithstanding this. there is something
wrong, anG the railway people appear to
be as anxious to discover and rectify it
for their own interest as well as yours.
The most effectual method of elimin-
ating this current escape to your mains,
would be a removal of the rails from
this portion of the street in which the
mains are located; as this, however, may
be impracticable, / would suggest that
the company be allowed to make such
changes to reduce the escape that they
have in mind, such as putting in more
frequent tap connection from their return
wire to their rail (they now being over
one thousand feet apart, and examining
and renewing such rail bonds as well as
cross bonds that may be found imper-
feet.
when his is done, further tests
should be made at Belleville avenue. as
well as the danger section on the mead
ows, to determine if the escaping cur
rents have been checked and danger from
electrolysis removed.
I'm referring to future tests on Belle
vile avenue, these can be made without
further excavation, as before the holes
were covered in we took the precaution
to make a good connection with insulated
wire to one of the mains (No. 81 which
led up to a known point on the
surface. This was done at both of the
excavations, and as tests nave been made
at both places since covering in, the read
ings of the voltmeter show the wires to
be intact and ready for future use.
Should future tests Indicate a condi-
ton still dangerous to your mains, after
the changes spoken of, we shall be ready
to suggest, if desired, additional methods
of correcting the trouble.
THE instrument used in making these
tests was the Standard Weston High and
Low Reading Volunteer, which had not
been used since being recently standard
lied at the Weston factory at Newark,
consequently was in perfect order.
"In conclusion permit me to say that
the action of your Honorable Board in
having recent investigation made is most
commendable, as in all probability, the
dangerous secret agent found actively at
work at the source of a great city's wa
ter supply would not hav been discovered
until after some accident had occurred,
such as the bursting of a main. caused
by the weakening of the iron by this pro-
cess of el~ectro1ysis."
Engineer Van Keuren concurs in Mr..
Knudson's views, and suggests that the
remedy he recommends be adopted. The
report was filed.