WATER NOTES FROM NEW JERSEY.

Correspondence of FIRE & WATER ENGINEERING.

According to the New England society of Orange, “as the use of water in cities is growing at a much faster rate than the population, it is our duty to keep the matter before the public; at the present rate of increase and without new sources of supply, all the northern cities of New Jersey will be facing a water famine within twenty-five years. The new [State water supply] commission is at work traveling about and examining plans and sources of supply, but their work has been the subject of much ignorant or biased criticism.” A report of the society’s committee accompanied by a statement from Cornelius C, Vernmele, pointed out that there had been two reservoirs proposed, one by the Northern New Jersey flood commission, having a dam at Mountain View, and the other proposed by the Geological Survey, having a dam at Little Kails. The temporary potable water commission reported in favor of the second reservoir. The dam project, Mr. Vermuele is of opinion, is being opposed by about six wealthy and influential owners secretly assisted by the water companies, the latter “trading on their own Unix polarity by making it appear that they favor it and will be benefited by the w’ork.” The act as it stands is not unfair to Newark (Mr. Vermuele claims), which holds its water supply under the same conditions and by the same title as every other city and water company in the State. The act does not in the least jeopardise Newark’s right to the Pequannock water. What it does do is to assert the right of the State to make a reasonable charge against the city of Newark and all other cities and corporations for water diverted, on the theory developed in the Hudson County water case—namely, that the State is the owner of an important interest in the potable waters. It is true that Newark paid the Fast Jersey Water company, and that the Fast Jersey Water company paid certain mill owners and other riparian owners for the right to divert the water; lmt they never paid anything to the State or the community at large for the injury inflicted by the diversion. Mr, Vermuele insists that, although some 300 or more property owners favor tlte hill, “some hidden influence has been actively at work against it.” Some “plausible and indefinite objections have been formulated against it in the newspapers, but not one even of the able lawyers employed to attack the bill lias been able to point out definite specific objections.” He would not amend it till it had been given a fair trial. The proposed Passaic lake (lie declared) will “control the largest flood that has ever occurred in the valley. The site at Mountainvicw, as suggested by the flood commission, seemed to appeal to the commissioners more than that proposed at Singac, above Beattie’s mills, known as the “Big Piece,” the location of the long-drearncdof “lake Passaic.” The lie of the -land and the nature of the soil, which is inclined to be swampy, make the latter site the less favorable. Either site, however, would be suitable, and it is for the commission to decide. After a two-days’ tour through the northeastern part of the State the State potable water commission has come to the conclusion that the East Jersey Water company and its subsidiary corporations are profiting by the abuse of public rights and in violation of the laws of the State. The commission visited lake Hopatcong and the neighboring watershed ami claims to have found that millions of gallons of water were being appropriated from that lake. They also viewed conditions and secured evidence calculated to convince them that the waters of Greenwood lake are being illegally diverted to the liencfit of the East Jersey and other private companies. At Greenwood lake they say that they found volumes of water flowing into the Wanaque river from Greenwood lake. which joins with the Pompton river and becomes a tributary of the Passaic. At the Little Falls pumping station of the East Jersey Water company, this water is diverted and appropriated for selling purposes by the company. The commission also ascertained that thousands of gallons of water from Greenwood lake, which flow into the Morris canal, presumably to be used for the purposes of navigation, as the law prescribes and limits, are being diverted for commercial purposes and for private uses.—The death of William J. Birdsall, manager of the East Orange water department, took place in that city. He was born there and was fifty-five years old at the time of his death.