The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-12-27
The WATERW0RKS
Garwood Ferris Reports on
the Progress Of Con-
struction to the
Board Of Works.
CHANGE OF DAM SITE
Damage Done By Last Weeks
Rain Storm-Contractor
Flynn Active.

J,1st how far the work on the new
vaterworks has proceeded was submitted
to the Street and Water Commissioners,
at their meeting yesterday afternoon by
Mr. Garwood Ferris, engineer, the cfty's
sunervising engineer. From this state
ment it appears that Mr.. Flynn is push
ing the construction works along at a
rapid rate.
He has had any amount OF difncullles
to overcome and obstacles to remove ~
the way of securing right OF way TOT the
railroad from the quarry to the site Of
the dam and now that all is comparative
ly plain sailing the work will go on IN
interruptedly. The report has this 70
Vt
"The contractors request for permis-
sion to change the location OF the aan
for the new waterworks to the site ac-
| ceptable to him on the Bant properly
having been granted by the city, formal
notice of such granting was given py
your engineer to the contractor IN tne
18th day of November and a copy OF such
notice was the same day 70 your
honorable body.
Since that date the work necessary 70
| prepare the site for the masonry con-
struction has been energetically prosecut-
ed.
1.-THE bottom Iand on the south side of
the river mas DeSu G4ClOSSQ Ny
drain and all the soil removed down to
rock. which was found about six 70
| seven feet below the surface.
The river has been temporarily olyeTt =
natural bed, and that bed is now also
being enclosed by a Golfer dam so as 70
permit it also to be cleared down TO
rock.
ION the side slopes Of the site above the
| river bottom, the earth above the rocn
is also being rapidly removed, the WORK
on the north side being more advanced
than that on the south.
The reservoir location includes about
$50 acres of woodland and the trees tnefe-
in are being rapidly felled. | am glad
throughout for the railroad from the
quarry to the dam has at last been
secured and nearly all the grading done
and a large quantity of track laid. While
some grading remains to be performed,
mostly in the portion where there mas
been delay in securing the right of way,
the bulk of work necessary to complete,
consists mostly of ~trestle. At the quarry
the contractor has installed ready for use,
a plant capable of crushing 1900 cubic
yards of rock per diem.
THE contractor confidently expects to
have the area of the dam site cleared
down to rock SO as to be able to COM
mence masonry construction at the
earliest date in the spring that the
THAT he is preparing to drive tha por-
item of the construction work when it is
possible to 1t, IS evidenced by
the railroad before attended to, the in
stallation of a plant at the quarry, now
ready for use. which will crush 1900 cubic
yards of rock per diem, and the improve
ment OF the water power at Fitzgibbons
nishing compressed air for operating the
system of derrick at the dam, and posi-
bly, also for electric light.
Respectfully submitted.
"GARWOOD FERRIS"
mn -
played the dickens in the n~eighborhood
of the dam site, water to the depth Of
five and six feet lies in the excavation. A
bridge crossing the Rockaway River was
put out of business and generally the
storm got in its fine work. This state of
things will soon be changed and the con-