Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-02-08
WATER OCTOPUS
DRAGS IN j. s. TO
PLEAD ITS CAUSE
Need of Supply at Staten Island
Forts Urged as Reason for
Granting Rights.

fFrom a stan correspondent
TRENTON. Feb. S.-Former Governor
John w. Griggs, Of Paterson, and Rob
ert II. Mocarter. before the Assembly
judiciary committee last night urged
amendment to The MlcCran water bill
The bill seeks TO prohibit the diversion
of s~ubsurfare water from the state. and
tol give the state Water supply Com
mission supervision over all such
waters.
They asked the committee TO add
a section to the bill which would
pes. nit the Hudson County \ alter Com
pany to carry out its contract to fur
Ilsh 1o,000.0 900 gallons Of water, or less,
per day to Staten Island from the
thirty wells which have been driven to.
draw from the Passaic River at Belle
Vile.
MIR. Grigg pleaded for the %bondhold-
ers of the company, representing par
ticularly the r. a. Gillespie Company,
of 50 Church street, New York n Pat
erson. The Gillespies furnished the
pipe for the fifteen miles of mains that
were laid in the direction of Staten
Island before the plot was upset by the
State. In part payment they accepted,
Mr. Griggs stated, 800, 900 of the bonds
off the Hudson County Water Company.
About $4,000 of bonds have been sold
in all. and it was pointed out hat these
bonds are worthless unless the Staten
Island contract could be carried out.
Mr.. Griggs laid particular stress
upon the fact hat a direct appeal had
been made to this State in a letter
addressed to Governor Fort only a few
days ago by Secretary of State Philan-
der G. Knox setting forth that the
United States needs a water supply for
its Notifications on Staten Island for
a time sufficient, at least, to permit ar
ranging for a new supply from AdirOn-
dack reservoirs. The letter in question
was laid before the committee. 1t bears
date of January IS last, n reads:
For a number of years past the question
OF the existing water supply for the mill
Island. New York. has given the War
Department Of the United States serious
concern. The present supply Is inadequate
insamount, and seriously Objectionable upon
Solitary grounds; 1t is Obtained from wells,
from which no greater quantity than is now
supplied can be expected in the future.
The pumping works are located AT the
eastern extremity OF the island, and would
be liable to destruction by fife OF d hostile
feet in time of war.
Explains Need of Water.
II is represented to me by the Secretary
Of Wur that the Borough of Richmond,
through its president, Mr.. George Cromwell.
has been engaged for several years In an
effort to secure the introduction of an ado
quate supply from the adjacent mainland,
the water being brought under gravity pres
sure from the mountains In northern New
Jersey: that 10 that end Il contract was
entered into between the city OF New York
and the Hudson County Water Company
which promised to effect relief to the ex-
isting conditions on Staten Island; that
after the contract had been approved by
the Board of Estimate of the city of New
York the Legislature Of New Jersey en-
acted a law which prohibited the carrying
of supply within the territorial limits of
the State OF. New Jersey; and that it Is
understood that the legislation so enacted
supply obtained in the operation OF the
contract was intended to furnish water TO
a larger portion of the population of Greater
Island, but such. the Secretary of War
states he is advised, was not the case.
Under date of February s, 1906, my
predecessor, his excellency, Edward G..
Stokes. asking his good offices in sub
hitting the matter 70 the Legislature Of
ton Of the legislative provision adopted as
would be calculated TO except from Its
cpefHtlon the coast dcfenSpH which had been
lection of the cities located at the southern
entrance Of New YORK harbor.
The Legislature of New Jersey, il is un-
dcrstood, declined to modify It's existing
law ut that time. as a ease affecting the
validity of its statutes was before the
courts. AT that time no contract had been
entered into by the War Department with
q view 10 increase the water supply at the
military reservation on staten island.
Since that presentation of the matter the
conditions In respect to the water supply
ut Fort Wadsworth have become steadily
WORSE. and TO meet the emergency the War
with the Hudson County Water Company
for Il supply OF water from the New Jer-
soy mainland upon an undertaking annually
renewable for n period of twenty years.
1t is hoped that your eXcellency will see
the necessities of the case and will favor
ably recommend the matter to the Legis-
lature OF the state. with a view to such
notifications in the existing law as will
exempt the United States military reser-
vations and other government establish
ments situated on Staten Island from .ts
provisions. it is respectfully suggested
that the emergency might be met by n
provision withdrawn these reservations
and establishments from the operation OF
the legislative prohibition for such period
OF time. not exceeding twenty years. as
will enable an adequate water supply to
be obtained from the Adirondack reser-
voirs. or from some other suitable source.
I shall appreciate very iluch your rood
Offices in the matter.
49, N'a6So ilaAt u ElhSlt dI EullISIlI
outside of his picture of Federal needs.
Hesdwelt wholly upon the proposition
that bonds had been sold and work had
been done that would be rendered
worthless il the McCran bill was
passed and the Hudson County Water
Company was prevented from dimin-
ishing the flow of the Passaic River for
the benefit of New York State terri
tory by 10, 900. 900 gallons daily.
Enterprises Not Connected.
The Hudson County Water Com
pany and the New York and New Jer-
sey Water Company are intermixed.'
SAID the former Federal attorney-gen-
erai, but there is one thing that ]
want to make clear. These companies
are not any part of the East Jersey
water system. Dismiss the idea from
Your minds that there is any connec-
ton. The East Jersey doesn't have ia
sell bonds for it's enterprises: the Hud-
son County Water Company does"
lie went on to point out that 1t was
previous to any public agitation" that
arrangements were made to serve
staten Island and it's Federal reserva-
lions with potable water. The Bach
eller law was enacted to stop that and
the United States Supreme Court up
held its prohibition of diversion Of
any potable waters of this State. A
new contract had then been made, he