Documentary History of American Water-works

New Brunswick

New Brunswick, New Jersey

New Brunswick was formed by Royal Charter in 1730.

The New Brunswick Spring Water Company was organized around 1799 with Dr. Moses Scott as president. He purchased "Barrack Spring" in 1799 and distributed water from it as mentioned in the 1801 charter of the Old Fountain Company.

The Old Fountain Company was organized around 1799 and wrote a letter to Dr. Scott "seeking to unite rival interests." The Old Fountain Company was incorporated in November, 1801 by John Bray, John Dennis Jr., John Plum, Jacob Dunham, William Dunham, William Lawson, Nehemiah Vernon, John Drake, Sarah Wallace, Benjamin Lindsay, John Clark, George Clark and Jacob R. Hardenburgh. The charter provided "That not more than four rods in any of the said streets shall be dug up at any one time, nor kept open for more than six days; and, provided also, That the said pavement so taken up or removed, be laid down at the expense of the company, as good and sufficient as though the same had not been taken up or removed." The charter also forbade the use of Barrack Spring without permission of its owners.

The Old Fountain Company issued currency in 1815, including this specimen.

Twenty-Five Cent Note from Old Fountain Company, September 16, 1815, signed by John Bray

A 1932 history indicates that the Fountain Company distributed water from the Barrack (Haviland) Spring through Albany, Peace, and Burnet streets in 1801.

The Old Fountain Company was apparently sold to the City of Brunswick on April 2, 1829, but no further information about this system has been found.

The New Brunswick Water Company was incorporated in 1859 by Henry L. Janeway, Ezekiel M. Patterson, A. D. Newell, T. V. D. Hoagland, Lyle Van Nuise, Christopher Meyer, James Bishop and Allen H. Robbins. An 1863 amendment added Henry R. Baldwin, James Hutchings, McRee Swift, Benjamin D. Stelle, Frederick Staat, Garret G. Voorhees, Lewis Hoagland, and Johnson Letson to the list of incorporators. They constructed a water system that began service in 1866 using Lawrence's Brook at Weston's Mills southeast of the city limits. The water was pumped into an elevated reservoir using a water-wheel and steam engine.

The City of New Brunswick purchased the water system on April 30, 1873 and continues to own the water system.

References
1799 Papers of Moses Scott, 1738-1821 at Rutgers University.
Deed, 1799, for "Barrack Spring," Letter, 1799, received as president of the New Brunswick Spring Water Company from representatives of the Old Fountain Company (seeking to unite rival interests)

1801 An Act incorporating an Aqueduct Company in the City of New-Brunswick, with the name "Old Fountain Company," November 21, 1801
Nothing in this act contained shall extend to authorize or empower the company thereby incorporated, in any wise, to interſere with the spring known and distinguished by the name of the "Barrack Spring," continuous to the spring belonging to the company aforesaid, from whence they now conduct the water, without the consent of the proprietors of the said Barrack-Spring, having been first obtained.

1829 New Brunswick Fredonian, March 18, 1829, Page 3
Old Fountain Company.
AT a meeting of the owners of a large majority of the Stock of the Old Fountain Company in the City, on the 7th inst, it was unanimously resolved, That the Board of Directors be authorized to advertise, sell and Convey the Spring, House, and Lot, to them belonging, situate on Church street, in the city aforesaid, together with the privileges of the Charter of incorporation obtained from the Legislature for the conveyance of water from said Spring, thro' the several streets of this city, &c.
The Board of Directors do therefore give this public notice, that the said Spring, House, Lot, and the privilege given by said Charter, will be sold at Public Vendue, on Thursday, the 2nd of April, ensuing, at the house of William Mann, in this city, between the hours of 12 and 5 o'clock. By order of the Board, JOHN BRAY, President. New Brunswick, 17th March, 1829

1855 Centinel of Freedom, January 30, 1855, Page 3.
The Report of E. Willard Smith, Engineer, on the subject of the cost of constructing water works in the city of New Brunswick. Water works voted down due to opposition of liquor interests.

1859 AN ACT to incorporate the New Brunswick Water Company, March 1, 1859.

1861 A Supplement to " An Act to incorporate the New Brunswick "Water Company," approved March first, eighteen hundred and fifty-nine, March 15, 1861.

1862 A further supplement to an act entitled "An act to incorporate the New Brunswick Water Company," approved March first, one thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine. March 28, 1862.

1863 Further supplement to an act entitled "An act to incorporate the New Brunswick Water Company," approved March first, eighteen hundred and fifty-nine. March 19, 1863.
2. That Henry R. Baldwin, James Hutchings, McRee Swift, Benjamin D. Stelle, Frederick Staat, Garret G. Voorhees, Lewis Hoagland, and Johnson Letson, be added to and associated with the corporators and commissioners named in the first section of the act to which this is a supplement.

1865 Further Supplement to "An act to incorporate the New Brunswick Water Company," approved March first, eighteen hundred and fifty-nine. April 6, 1865.

1867 Supplement to an not entitled “An act to incorporate the New Brunswick Water Company,” approved March first, eighteen hundred and fifty-nine. March 4, 1867.

1870 A Supplement to " An Act to incorporate the New Brunswick "Water Company," approved March first, eighteen hundred and fifty-nine, March 18, 1870. Company authorized to supply water to customers outside the city limits of New Brunswick.

1873 A Further Supplement to the act entitled “An act to Revise and Amend the Charter of the City of New Brunswick," approved March eighteenth, eighteen hundred and sixty three, March 27, 1873. Mayor and Common Council authorized to purchase the water works.

1882 New Brunswick, from Engineering News 9:100 (March 25, 1882)

1882 History of Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey: With Biographical Sketches of Many of Their Pioneers and Prominent Men, by W. Woodford Clayton
Page 675: Water Supply.-- The water for the supply of the city is taken from Lawrence's Brook, at Weston's Mills, southeast of the city limits. The water is raised by two pumps. One is driven by a fifty-four-inch turbine-wheel and supplies the city from November 1st to June 1st, or during that portion of the season when there is sufficient water to run the wheel. The other is a steam-pump (capacity two million four hundred thousand gallons per twenty-four hours), used with pumping by water is not practicable. The reservoir is located at the head of Comstock Street, two basins, total capacity fourteen million gallons. The works were constructed in 1864. There are at present twenty-two miles of mains. For fire purposes steam fire-engines are employed.
The New Brunswick Water Company transferred their works to the city on April 30, 1873. Since then they have been managed by a board of water commissioners, two of whom are appointed each year to serve for three years.
Present officers: Joseph Fisher, president; Arthur G. Ogilby, secretary; A. J. Jones, treasurer and superintendent.

1887 "The New Brunswick Masonry Dam," by Isaac Wright Reynolds. Twenty-Third Annual Report of the Rutgers Scientific School. Account of the failure of the dam of the New Brunswick water- works, at Weston's Mills at 6:30 P. M. on February 25th, 1888.

1888 "New Brunswick," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 1.

1890 "New Brunswick," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 2.

1891 "New Brunswick," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 3.

1897 "New Brunswick," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 4.

1919 "A Successful Public Utility," Fire and Water Engineering, 65:293 (February 5, 1919)

1919 "Court to Review Water Company’s Grant," Fire and Water Engineering, 65:397 (February 19, 1919)

1932 The anniversary of New Brunswick, New Jersey, 1680-1730-1930 by William Henry Steele Demarest
Page 65: Barrack (Haviland) Spring and Brook--Spring-site about 25 feet north of Church Street and 45 feet west of Spring alley. Brook ran through ravine between Albany and Church streets. Bridged in Little Burnet street (1730), Fountain Company supplied customers with spring water, through bored or pump logs laid under Albany, Peace, and Burnet streets (1801)