Ramapo Lake Dam
ARTHUR G. PULIS AND THE ROTTEN POND (RAMAPO LAKE) DAM
On October 10, 1927 Mr. Arthur G. Pulis, owner of Oakland Beach and Oakland Grove, penned a letter to the New Jersey Division of Water expressing his “anxiety” over the safety of the Rotten Pond Dam. Included were concerns for his downstream cabins and their inhabitants as well as “the increasing number of new bungalows placed on both sides of the Ramapo”. Just two weeks later, on October 24, 1927, a state engineer performed a safety inspection on the Dam and promptly responded with a letter ensuring Mr. Pulis of its safe condition.
Mr. Pulis also wrote letters expressing his “anxiety” over the dam on October 3, 1938, August 18, 1942, and July 25, 1957. On August 13, 1957 a state engineer made an inspection of the dam in the presence of Mr. Pulis and found it to be unsafe. A letter was subsequently sent to the owner, Mr. Clifford MacEvoy, notifying him of the problem. Mr. MacEvoy promptly consulted with dam safety engineers and repaired his dam to the state’s approval.
Arthur Pulis, who penned his 1957 letter in the shaky hand of an old man, must have finally felt vindicated for his years of vigilance. The attached link (below) is to the first letter written by Pulis in 1927. Please note the perfection of his signature, which resembles that of John Hancock’s.
It is also interesting to note the New Jersey Department of Water Policy and Supply had no official letterhead as late as 1957. If anyone is interested in a link to the complete set of records, I will gladly post.
EZ