Perth Amboy evening news., 1905-06-22
What Transpired Behind Closed
Doors Not KnOwn,But Opinions
Were Given.
NEED OF REFORM.
Commissioners Unanimous in
Opinion that City Must Take
Steps for Emergency.

Many things were taken up and dis
cussed at the meeting of the Water
Board, held in the council chamber
last night, and the board thought some
of them so important that part of the
meeting was held in private.
Before the meeting the members
discussed in an informal way the di-
mensions of the water mains, also
the condition of the Eagleswood plant
The meeting was called at s o'clock
with all of the commissioners present.
A petition from Rev. J. L. Lancas-
ter, rector of St. Peters church, asked
to be allowed to tap the main in Rec
tor street so that water could be used
in the church to pump the organ. The
request was referred to the committee
on that subject. The superintendent S
report showed that no grades we're
established in the South First or Pu-
laski streets, where, at the last meet
ing, requests had been made for the
extension of the water mains.
After this the board took recess
for nea rly an hour.
The superintendent was ordered to
place hydrant at Pearl place and
Miller street. A resolution was passed
to pay the engineers and firemen.
whom Commissioner O'Hara had put
to work at the Eagleswood plant.
Locks were also ordered to be pur-
chased for the doors at the plant
During the coming week three car
loads of pipe will be advertised for.
When the board had attended TO all
of the regular business they discussed
the breaks in the new twenty four
inch main which occurred during the
past few days and they all were of the
opinion that something would have to
be done in case of such accidents when
the entire town was left without prac-
tically any protection.
Commissioners VOORHEES, and Jensen
were appointed as committee to go
over the entire system and see what
would be just the best thing to be
done. 1t was suggested that it. would
be n good idea for the water depart
Amt to have at least three men to
look after the mains all the time.
These men to receive good pay and to
work for the water department alone
and not for that department one day
and for the gas company the next day.
1t was also suggested that it would be
a good idea for the department TO own
horse and wagon and boat, so that
if these men were employed they could
be called at any time and in short or
der be able to get right down to work
and not have to be running about first
looking for things. These ideas were
put up to the committee and they are
to report at a special meeting TO be
held next Wednesday.night. Commits
sioner Clark thought it would be a
good idea to have better system OF
telephoning and this matter will also
be taken up.
Engineer Samuel Mason was present
and had suggestion to make in re-
CARDS to the mains. He said that at
the present time the twenty-four-inch
and the sixteen-inch mains are con-
>nected with cross pipes and that
when a break takes place, as it did the
other night, the water is sent across
the river through the good main, but
that if the break is large enough the
water flows back again through the
bad pipe and out of the break. He adj
vised the cutting out of the cross pipes
and the placing of two cages in both
mains at each end. II this was done,
he said, as-soon as break was dis
covered in the main the gage at both
ends of the pipe that was broken could
be shut off and that would leave the
other pipe free to send water to this