The star and Newark advertiser., 1908-04-10
BIG CRACKS IN
RESERVOIR WALL
At CEDAR GROVE
100000 Jobs Foreman
Scores Contractors in
Chancery Fight.

81 can go along the base of the con-
crete wall of the Cedar Grove reser-
voir near Little Fails and chip Oft por-
tions of the rock with n pick. The rock
forming the foundation of the wall Ia
cracked through and through. The wall
was improperly built, and 1 SO notified
the contractors at the time"
The above is from the testimony of
Edward r. Donald, general foreman of
the Stewart e. Abbott Company, who
built the Cedar Grove reservoir for the
city at q cost of 81, 100000 in 1901 to 1905,
in an injunction suit brought against
the city of Newark by property-owners
in the neighborhood of the reservoir.
Donald was put on the stand before
Vice. Chancellor Stevens, to give his
opinion of the manner in which the res
ervoir was constructed. The reservoir
holds 6T9,000,000 gallons of water.
AT one point, opposite the William
Small property, the concrete wall goes
down only six feet in porous, unstable
rock. The pressure of the water against
the wall is almost as great at this
point as at the point of greatest pres
sure. The foundation should so down
to blue rock in order that the wall
should be sufficiently strong and that
there may be no leakage. l said this at
the time the wall was built, and if my
advice had been followed. do not think
we would have any trouble with prop
erty-owners now.
dumped Around Thing"
MIR. Abbott made a written protest
against the use of Rosendale cement
instead Of Portland at certain points in
the wall. but without avail. The Ros-
endale cement should never have been
used in certain spots where we had to
use it, as 1t is light, and if the water
touches it before it is thoroughly dry,
it will become porous allowing leakage
from the reservoir to flood adjoining
land In fact, the whole affair was a
jumped around thing from start to
finish.
81 was told by Mr.. Abbott that we
had tc use Rosendale cement because
it was cheaper, and l considered it very
poor economy"
ComplGinants in the suit allege that
rich farm lands were changed to swamp
land by leakage from the reservoir.
Rushes and "cattails" sprang UP where
luxuriant crops had been formerly
raised; pastures were changed into miry
hogs, and two dwelling houses were
made unfit for occupation, according TO
the bill, their foundations crumblinE
from the action of the water. The
court is asked to assess damages
against the city and enjoin it from con-
tinuing to allow the leakage.
Sherrerd's Explanation.
Morris r. Sherrerd chief engineer of
the Board of Works, who designed the
reservoir and drew the specifications
and superintended its construction, was
in court ready to testify, but was not
put on the stand. Later, Mr.. Sherrerd
made the following statement to an
EVENING STAR reporter:
"At the time the reservoir was built
we adopted the best plan that I could
devise. 1t was an excellent one, and
the work was done in a good workman
like manner. The testimony given by
Mr.. Donald is on it's face prejudiced,
as he has been engaged, as 1 under
stand it, to go on the stand for the
other side
I'VE have never considered this suit
very seriously, and have no fear of any
disclosures that may be made. The
work was properly planned and eX-
ecuted correctly"