The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1904-04-06
FERRIS REPORTS
Engineer In Charge Of the
New Water Works
Tells Of Their Con-
dition After the
Winter.

The following report of the present
condition Of the new water works and
how the incompIeted masonry work with
stood the severe weather Of the past
winter has been submitted by Mr.. Gar
wood Ferris, engineer in charge of con-
struction:--
Jersey City, March 81, 1904.
Honorable BOARD of Street and Water
Z Commissioners:
"Gentlemen:-
During March weather conditions
have been such as, in the main, to pre-
clude outdoor work on the new water
supply.
"At the main dam some work has
been done on the delivery gate house,
and on the 25th work was started, in
small way, on the main wall.
"Mueking work in Watching tunnel,
to bring invert to sub-grade, has, how
ever, gone on during all the month; with
the result that the required excavations
will probably be completed about the Ith
of April
During the month the masonry dam
has been gone over at different times
and given the closest inspection in order
to ascertain how the large mass had
been affected during the past severe
weather
AS was to have been expected, a
few temperature cracks were located
one at Station 9-45, three-sixteenths of
an inch in width at top of dam and ex-
tending irreguIarly and with diminishing
width down both faces: one at Station
24-S5, a scant one-eighth of an inch wide
on top of dam, with some diminishing
characteristics on both faces, and four,
respectively, at Stations 1876, 20-30,
21-00, and 21-79, very slight hair cracks
showing only on the top and for slight
distance on the faces.
ssThe only thing remarkable is, net
that these cracks should have occurred,
but that they are so few and so slight.
When last gone over on the 2Sth inst
the four slight hair cracks, even with
the moderate increase in temperature,
had taken up so as hardly to be discern
ible. 1t may be as well to state that
these temperature cracks could in no
way impair the stability and reliability
of the dam, for the mass is such and
so proportioned that to take an extreme
case, a section of foot in length, or
even a series Of such sections, if sawed
down from top to bottom so as to be en-
tirely out of contact with the remainder
of the dam would still remain in place
and resist the pressure due to a full stor-
age basin. Of course, however, it is
desirable that the water face of the dam
should be made tight and the cracks,
so far as they extend in from the face,
filed with Cement grout. When, how
ever, took into consideration the size
of the dam and the quantity of water
impounded, together with the great re-
sponsibility running along with its main
tenance, notwithstanding my absolute
confidence as to the comparatively tri-
fling Importance Of the defects, felt
that not even suspicion should be al
lowed to exist as to the character of the
work or as to its reliability. | there
fore deemed it proper to invite the adj
visory engineer, Mr.. g. Keuchling, to
accompany Mr.. Hall and myself to
Boonton on the 2Sth inst. so that he
could give the matters a personal exam
ination.
am glad that Mr.. Keuchling fully CO.
sncided with my views of the situation.
On conference it was decided that the
four fine hair cracks needed mo treat
ment and that all that was desirable or
expedient to be done with the two larger
ones was some cutting out caulking and
pointing up on the water face, little
exploration along the line of the cracks
on top thereafter forcing in grout, under