Perth Amboy evening news., 1914-06-03
WATER SYSTEM PLAN
FOR PROPOSED STEEL
PLANT NOT OPPOSED
City Attorney Of Railway, Who
Yesterday Opposed PROPOSE
tIon, Was NOT Acting for City,
but for a Client, II Is Said.
ALL BOOST THE PROPOSITION

At the second hearing by the State
Water Supply Commission held In
the Woodbridge Hotel at Woodbridge
yesterday afternoon, the commissions
ers We're informed that City Attor-
ney f. Y. Dobbins, who opposed the
application of Witherbee-S Sherman
and Company for permission to use
the waters in the upper part of the
Woodbridge creek and the south
branch of the Railway river, was not
authorized by the council of Railway
and was acting for the individual in
terests of another party.
George A. Viehmann of New Bruns-
wick, representing realty interests
and property owners, among which
was the Baldwin Realty Company, of
Perth Amboy, called the attention of
the commissioners to this fact at the
Woodbridge hearing Mr.. Viehmann
declared that Mr.. Dobbins had in
formed him that no resolution had
been passed by the Railway council
authorizing him to oppose the ap-
plication. Chairman George F,
Wright, OF the commission, said he
understood that Mr. Dobbins had
said he represented the city of Rah-
way, in the capacity of city attorney.
However, the commissioner declared
the real source of the opposition
would be determined to see If 1t
emanated from the governing body
OF the city. Several citizens of Rah-
way corroborated Mr.. Viehmann In
declaring that though Mr.. Dobbins
was the city attorney he was not
present before the commission by
order of the Railway council.
There was no opposition to the
plan of the iron ore company to dam
the two streams to make a watershed
for their proposed iron and steel in
dustry at Sewaren except that which
was presented by Mr.. Dobbins. Sew
eral large property owners of Rah-
way came to express approval of the
plan, and declared II would mean
boon to the city of Railway. They
even went so far as to employ Attor-
ney Orlando H. Dey, of Railway, to
speak before the commission in favor
of the granting of the application.
Thomas Brown in behalf of the Sc
warren Realty and Investment Com
pany, of this city, and in behalf Of
tract of Sewaren property he re-
Gently purchased, appeared before
the commission in the afternoon and
urged the approval of the plans of
the corporation.
There were some fifty persons at
the two hearings, about a score of
whom were representative citizens OF
this city, city officials, members Of
the Board of Trade, real estate oper-
ators and property owners. The
whole commission was present and
Chairman George F. Wright, of
Paterson, presided. The other mem
bers are as follows: Harry r.
Humphreys, of Camden; Mahlon L.
Hoagland, of Rockaway, Morris
county; Elmer H. Geran, of Mata-
wan, and Charles Meyer, of Andover.
The commission did not seem
strongly impressed with the slight
opposition offered to the granting of
the application. Though Chairman
Wright, after the second hearing,
said he could not say whether the
grant would be made, when asked If
it looked favorable by an EVENING
NEWS man, he smiled and shook his
head in the affirmative. He said he
thought that a decision would be
reached by the commissioners by
next Tuesday The commission has
already inspected the streams for the
use of whose waters application was
made The inspection of the two
creeks was made about three weeks
ago, and the commissioners have an
idea of JUS how, If any, the opera
tion of the plan of the corporation
would affect surrounding property
and municipalities.
William II. Boardman, chief engi-
neer of Witherbee, Sherman & Com
pany, explained the plan of the cor
poration before the commission at
the hearing in Railway. He said that
the plan was to locate pumping
station at tidewater of the south
branch of the Railway river, and TO
dam the stream at this point and
pump the water to the reservoir
which they plan to establish about
two miles up Woodbridge creek
south OF the point where the Phila-
delphla & Reading railroad crosses
the stream, where they plan to con-
vert some 230 acres of salt meadow
land into a reservoir having a eapa-
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