The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1900-07-13
CITY SHOULD
BE SEVERED
Mr.. Hurtzig So States at the
Meeting Of Aldermen.
He is in Favor of a Trunk Sewer
with which the system from this
City Could Be Conaected-A VI
tai Question.

The first bomb in the sewer matter
was fred by Alderman Hurting at
the meeting of the city fathers last
Friday evening. When the alderman
was given the opportunity he arose
and delivered himself of an address
on sewers which left small doubt in
the minds of those present that he
intended to see the matter right
through to finish. He spoke as fol-
lows:
Heretofore the question of sewer
ing the town of Morristown has either
been entirely neglected or it has
been broached at a time when the in
terests OF many were liable to be in
jured.
Now, however, in taking the
matter up we do it at time when
no one's interest will suffer and also
because the necessity of making a
beginning is daily becoming more
urgent. In opening up the subject
do it not only from realization
that it is very serious question
which must in the near future be
looked squarely in the face, but also
because it is the wish of quite a
number of our influential citizens,
amongst whom are several of our
most prominent physicians. and they
all agree that the time is now rife
for the question.
Very recently we suffered severely
from the effects of a few cases Of
smallpox, the result being that the
business interests of the town have
received a severe setback. Now, if
from so small an affair so much
damage can arise, ask what would
be the consequences should an epidem-
ic of typhoid fever break out. 1t
It would put us back 20 years and be
the immediate cause of the failure of
half of the business houses in town.
Some may say that no such danger
exists. Perhaps not at the present
time, but if our population keeps
increasing and concentrating and
there can be no doubt but it will,
then the danger will be upon us and it
will be too late to go through all the
preliminaries necessary to a proper
and complete system. What this
Board should do is to look little
into the future, forestall any such
possible calamity and take action be-
fore it is forced upon us. If the
method to be adopted for the disposal
of our sewage is to be by means of a
trunk sewer, and that seems the most
feasible at the present time. then it
will be necessary that we meet the
representatives of the towns and
townships between here and South
Orange, (where it is proposed to con-
meet with the trunk sewer to tide
water, in order to ascertain their
views as to bearing their share of the
expense.
''If the method to be adopted be
other than that stated, then, there is
much to be done to find out which
would best meet our requirements
this will take time and labor. And
when the moment arrives that we can
say that the best system is found
our labors are only just begun for
there remains the consultation with
competent engineers, the obtaining of
estimates. the preparing of the proper
act to be passed by the Legislature,
the meetings of our citizens from
whom we shall no doubt receive much
help and valuable information and
the many other matters which must
necessarily arise before the question
can be put in even rough shape.
To do all this so that the agitation
shall not interfere with the interests
of our citizens, it behooves us to take
up the question without further delay
and for the purpose of question:, / move
that your honor appoint committee
of three including the Mayor, to
be known as the committee on sewer
age whose duty it shall be to obtain
such information relating to the dis
posal of the sewage of the town as
will enable this Board to act intelli-
gently in placing before the public
the system that shall be best suited to
our present and future wants and that
this committee shall from time to
time report progress. ("
OF course this speech created a
little furry among the members of the
board. Some of them favored the sewer
idea and some of them did not. The
motion was adopted, however the
committee to consist of Mayor Fox,
Aldermen Hurting and Crane On
motion 800 was set aside for the
expenses of the committee durings the
work of investigation.
Speaking OF the matter after the
meeting Alderman Hurtzig said to a
Chronicle reporter:
"This question of sewers is one
which cannot long be put off The
health Of the city, the business in
terests, all demand that some system
of sewers be adopted at an early
date. OF course, we do not know
what system is best until the matter
has been fully and carefully gone
into.
"A few years ago the people Of
the city were opposed to sewers. Even
now some Of them are opposed but the
great majority believe and now know
that this city is getting SO large that
we must come to it, and that in
very short time.
''But it is problem, a great prob
lem. What shall be done with the
sewage of the city? There are many
systems now in vogue in different
cities but as far as ! am able to learn
the systems using filtration bed are
not very successful. 1t seems to me
that the only way to do is to eonnecT
the city with trunk sewer.
To pay the expense Of sewering, the
town should be bonded. To provide
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