632 TRANSACTIOXS OF THE 



Distributing Pipes. — Of these ^there are now laid about 19 1-5 

 miles, of the following sizes and^engths, to wit : 



Of 26 inches diameter, 3,420 feet. 



"20 '' 8,472 " 



"16 " 1,411 " 



"12 " 12,124 " 



" 6 " 69,195 " 



" 4 " 6,778 " 



101,400 feet, or 

 19 miles, 1080 feet. And there are used in the rising main, 

 connecting pipes and distributing pipes, 143 stop-cocks, varying 

 in size from 36 inches to 4 inches, and in the streets of Jersey- 

 City are fixed 186 fire hydrants, from anyone of which, by at- 

 taching a hose of sufiicient strength, the water may be thrown 

 over the highest buildings yet erected within the city limits. 

 And if the same proportions are hereafter adhered to in laying 

 down distributing pipes, which have hitherto been observed in 

 that department of the work, the same effective head will be 

 retained as the city is extended, and fire engines continue to be 

 an entirely useless apparatus, so that the municipal govermnent 

 may not only be saved the expense of purchasing others, but with 

 perfect propriety may dispose of most of those now on hand, and 

 place the proceeds of the sales in the city treasury. 



The quality of Passaic water, as received by the consumers, 

 after resting as it does in the reservoirs, is excellent; and careful 

 analyses have shown that it is superior to the water furnished to 

 the people of Albany, New- York, or Philadelphia; and experi- 

 ence has shown that it is well suited for domestic use, and for all 

 manufacturing or other purposes where pure and wholesome 

 water is required, and the quantity which may be brought to the 

 distributing reservoir is only limited by the power of the ma- 

 chinery employed to raise, and number and dimensions of the 

 pipes to deliver it; and as these may be increased indefinitely, it 

 may be safely said that the water supply in Jersey City is inex- 

 haustible. 



The actual cost of constructing the works made up from the 

 statement of receipts and expenditures contained in a semi-an- 

 nual report of the water commissioners, to the mayor and com- 

 mon council of Jersey City, on the 1st July, 1854 (after the steam 

 engine had been actually at work), was $594,885.78, or a little 

 more than $5,000 below the original estimate; although vari- 



