The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-12-26
A Huge Work.

huko WOThs
There are probably few travellers, says
a New York paper, who do not remem-
ber, when crossing the tract of country |
between Jersey City and Newark, N. j., |
known as the Jersey Flats, before the |
late Mr.. Pike had begun his undertak-
ing, how at high tide the entire expanse
seemed like large lake, and as far as
the. eye could reach hardly anything
could have been seen bat water, through
which the embankments of the various
railroads twined their way. At low tide
the water receded, exposing q mass of
mud 900 acres in extent, which exhaled
noxious vapors to the air and was pro-
ductive Of all manner of disease, Nu-
merous were the endeavors to put an end
to this state of things and to emulate
the Hollander in wrestling his domin-
ions from Neptune, but none were sue
cessful till Mr.. Pike, fresh from rebuild
ing his Cincinnati opera-house after its
destruction by fire, with characteristic
energy took hold of the work. 1t was
no light undertaking in pecuniary
point of view, even at the start The
owners of the vast tract of mud, con-
scious of its immense value should it
ever be reclaimed, were not disposed to
part with it on easy terms, and Mr.. Pike
did not become its purchaser at a small
outlay. This was in the fall of 1864. At
that time the entire tract, extending
from Bergen Heights to the suburbs of
in width, was nearly completely covered
with water at every high tide.
Before twelve months had elapsed, by
system of dyking which has seldom had
its parallel, considerable portion of the
land was reclaimed, and stood high and
dry out of reach of the waves. The riv-
ers which intersacted this region, and
whose overflow caused all the trouble,
were the Passaic and Hackensack, and
all along the banks of each strong en-
bankments were reared at every neces-
ssry point. A species of iron-plate was
used in the construction of the dykes, to
prevent rats and other rodents from
making holes in the embankment
through which the water could find its
way. This the iron plates prevented,
and in the Passaic, where the current
was stronger, large stones were placed
all along the dyke to prev mt the earth
from being washed away from the top.
All this time the land was being inter
sected in every direction by drains which
carried off the water from the surface.
Where the water remained in too great
quantities to be disposed of in this way,
it was dyked off from the rest of the land,
channels being left through which it
could find its way to either of the two
: rivers, till with the aid of other sppli-
! ances its entire removal could be effect
ed. Mr.. Pike was his own engineer, and
superintended the entire work himself.
, Notwithstanding the slow nature of the
| undertaking, and the thoroughness with
which it was performed, it was completed
in something less than four years. As a
proof of its thoroughness may be taken
, the fact that during the spring of last
year, when the tide rose unusually high,
and the cellars on Front and other
streets near the water in this city were
: flooded, the Jersey flats, which for CEN
/ turies before had been under water, were
: not affected in the least.
, The cost Of the work was commensur-
| ate with the grandeur of the under
taking. An enormous number of men
= had to be employed, earth and stone;
r brousht from great distance, the ap.
pliances for driving piles and other tool:
euployeu were Ill VI du expensive CHAR
acter and before it was completed more
/ than one million dollars had been ex
pended. The property acquired, it il
= needless to say, is of immense value
D There are over 1000 acres, estims ted a
t an exceedingly moderate computation t.
= be worth on an average oyer $4,000 al
e acre. Indeed, sixty acres on the sid
o nearer Jersey City have already beei
i disposed of TO the Pennsylvania Rail
n road as a site for repair shops and ca
e factories at the rate of $4,000, and tsis i
2 said to be by far the least valuable o
h the whole.