Connecticut western news., 1872-05-17
Driggs, Pike and DiRe.

What trio they have become for the reclamation of the salt marshes of New Jersey. What a success they have made of a hitherto accounted impossibility can l be almost stated in the fact that out of the private speculation alone of Driggs and Pike in the buying up of marsh meadows previous to their improvement, 1 they have realized the snug sum in the increased value of the land of over ESQ., 100000, saying nothing of the increase to others.
 After passing the tunnel of Bergen Hill, one sees stretching away north and south as far as the eye can reach, long, wide sweep of bottom land covered with coarse sea grass, subject to inundations of the tide, and utterly fit for nothing but to breed mosquitoes, horse-fies, chills, levers, | and all other pests and pestilence to Jer- segment, and an offense to everyone who passes through them or near them on the trains. Land which lying so near the greatest city on the continent, should be worth five thousand dollars per acre, would scarce bring fifty as it has been.
 It has been claimed by the people of the State, that the land could not be diked at anything less than an enormous cost, but Driggs said it could, and conided his plans to s. N. Pike, of Opera House notoriety. Pike, (who, while he has not made as much noise as the late Fisk,) has always proven as successful in speculation, told Driggs to go ahead, and he would back him in the grand scheme, and they quietly bought up 17,0O0 acres, or over twenty-six square miles, at $25 to $40 per acres, and much to the joy of the state and people who still hold the land. but to the confusion of those who sold, tley have .digged and diked, and drained and reclaimed it to the highest state of culti- vation, until the land is now worth $2, 900 per acre.
 All previous attempts at diking had failed, and musk-rats had proved the greatest bar to the improvements, for no sooner was dike thrown up, than the musk-rats would honey comb it, and l let the water in. Iron and stone were found too expensive, and so all attempts at improvement were abandoned, until the practical Driggs drove hemlock plank down below low water mark, by screw power, and jointed SO closely that it was | impervious to water. These are covered Lis twenty five feet broad, at the base six | lc0b9 Wlbu SOOucu 6lOpc OH ItNOI olu0 The rats are beat at their own game, and have all emigrated, not one is to be found, while the mosquitoes, taking umbrage at the insult and injury to them and their neighbors, the rats, have also migrated, or "gone where the woodbine twineth." /"
 A complete drainage of the land is eff fected by water-g gates placed at intervals of five hundred feet, through which all water runs off at low tide.
 To the praise of Driggs, be it said he has not stopped at the improvementof his own lands, but has charters from the states of New York and New Jersey, and he proposes to reclaim about fifteen miles of waterfront in the latter state under which state supervision, the work is to be done and paid for by an assessment on the property owners. MT. Driggs simply acting as contractor. | Now it seems that the city of Newark has raised a very foolish municipal row, because 4,500 acres of the land to be reclaimed belongs to that city, and they feek indignant that the state has given to Driggs the work which they thought i'm possible to accomplish. Regardless of the fact that it will be of untold value to the city; they have held indignation meet ings, passed resolutions, and now culi mated their wrath by the introduction O the famous "Driggs repealer bill'' into the Legislature.
 Whatever may be the result of this bill and opposition, the good work has begun and soon these unsightly meadows vii
 cease to be land marks of Rip Van Win
 kleism.