New-York tribune., 1873-07-04
LAND TAKEN FROM WATER.

RFCI. AIMING THE JERSEY MEADOWS.
NATURE AND PROGRESS OF iHE ndPRovEMENTs-A
NEW CITY ON TIE MEADows-MASdNoTH RAIL
ROAD SHOPS.
There is large tract Of salt meadow lana
IN Newersey varying in width from 500 yards to four
miles and extending from Elzabethport to EngleWoou
distance OF 40 miles, and containing nearly 1oVV a
This section Of waste land has attracted the ateho Vi
sscientino men for years and why shre"u spo"""''o
have not reared photographic cities there mas peon
source OF surprise This tract is interseceu .! '"o
.,,ovsao, on. paseaio Rivers and Newark Bay thus
vin MANY miles OF waterfront navgabe streams,
which renders it desirable for mannlacuhg Sues dc II
hAs In addition ample railroad facilities Iwas Formerly
.overed with dense cedar forest the remains OF wch
aro etn visible, and every traveller who has crossed
,he marsh on any Of the limos Of railroad
naading from the Hudson, has doubtless OBJ
served the blackened stumps which stud the
meadow for miles The meadow consists OF blue mud,
peat marsh and cedar swamp, the mud IN some places
Atng Is feet deep, with depth Of feet The
sond bottom foundation is riassc red sandstone COW
cred with layer Of gravel II is bounded on the east
by Bergen H huge outcrop OF trap rock, Whch mas
descending dip nearly E west the western boundary
being hill known as Barbados neck which is com
posed of strata OF shale and sandstone parsey raV
srsed by thin plates OF trap rock On one part OF lns
boundary isthe Oldest copper mine ID the o'"
Ftates which was discovered in 17l9 10y Aren't schuye
who DOnCnt the lduO anu MOihcu IAO UNIV ~
tent and the records show that he had shipped 6 TONS
Of conner ore 10 the copper and brass works OF Brso
England prior 20 1881 Probably at some time IN the TO
mote past this entire valley under water ana formed
n vast bay with Snake Hill and Seeaucus raeeraoR as
islands similar 10 those now IN New-fork BAY the
saueerke conformation OF the bottom sNins ee 'H'V'!
OF probability.
TINS extensive swamp has been used for raising
meadow hay until within few years, when some hel'
feetua efforts made to reclaim small sections ana
the assistance Of scientific was secured TO give o.
rection 10 the attempt II found that the ground
was nearly on level with high water and dykes would
REQUIRE very little elevation make drainage ofectual
che mean rise and fall OF all tides being A. feet The
average ram fall recorded for long term Of years was
found TO inches with al extreme variation OF nine
or ten inches above below the average The expense
which would necessarily be incurred was snfieent 10
retard the early cxpermeners and examiners, ana u
was not until the late E. N. Pike became interested IN
The project that any considerable attempt az utilizing
tiis land was made; but under his managenent COM
pany was formed, who purchased and lh-
closed with n dyke q tongue OF Iand st ule
head of Newark Bay. between the HacRensacR
SDd Passaic Rivers, extending from the bay to
Raw Mil Creek and covering area Of t,cO0 acres.
From this tract the tide efectualy shut out and
The water IN the bitches with which il rs intersected
1tood al very nearly lowwater mark Several hundred
scres OF tins land under cultivation and have
hardened very rapidly. Tins tract is ntersected by four
Central Railroad passes very the center OF the pc
insula formed by the Hackensack and Passaie Rivers
the Morris and Essex Railroad the Hackensack
IO feet farther north and forms long angle between
that point and point $500 feet west where the lines
converge
In this tract the mammoth shops OF the Pennsylvania
Railroad are IN course Of erection. large portion OF
Ihis ground more than third OF the area is cedar
swamp bottom and Prof Cook, State Geologst OF New
Jersey, when examining IT IN 1868, found "cedar
Fiumps 20 thick that u difficult 10 run q
rod down" The sOundings made by him at that
time showed the result those made by the rail-
road surveyors last Summer when the work was begun
pu the shops. The sOuodings varied from TO feet,
and on either side IL found that the sOundingstck
would SINK % feet Work begun with force Of 400
men Fall and continued during the Winter, the ice
forming auxiliary in hardening the ground aud al
towing heavy ARTICLES he transported il with
sinking. The shops and round house are all lnnder
present, and some of the walsaIl OF which are
Di brick are far advanced that the shape OF the build
inRs can he seen Ihtre are tWehty o,anss ia AL c au
fhe covered hy them will exceed le acres The
iTg freight cars. which when completed VIII De
circular building 42o feet in diameter. one
ihe coming summer The next building is the paint and
vaish shop o01Go feet long building rnnulng north
sBd south comes next; II 430NlO feet and designed
fs painting aud uphoIsering vel rs erecting pHesen
ger West Of this shop large transfer table. $50
1tO feet; the northern side OF tie angle u an inineuse
shaped building combining locomotive works, boiler
md tank works. and shcetlrOD DrOliugmH. II VIII De
MOTTO feet EeXt comes shop l2OXl6O feet
. Vlaunc.miI, l30X7O feet; a bccr-shop and engine
SOX5o feet With rtcuaI smokGstack; - !ett
and feet diameter ~ the base Beyond this -
drymg house 4OA % feet and unnei shed iOOx6G The
western budlhg o thc settlement Is the iouuu
house. 800 feet m diameter and caIoe Oi aceonmo-
utUnc a locomotives AT one side oI thls house
the "lI ana coltou waste si"it C'A 20 ne
TIE general apTeJauce of the "oFks Is IKE
civ, with immense rotundas with donef and cupoas
al either end, aud large Shop with towering culm
Gey IN she center. TIE boiler and taDkhO1se aud the
sound ready the rOO and viii he finished
a. two weeks. ara the whole place viii require orte
,i nearly operatives. nearly all OF whom will come
tics and fffu n
yania Railroad. aud, with their families. VIII increase
the population Of Hudson County nearly l2OoO Beyond
ihe shops portion OF the an immense
Cai ~ the coal Wharf Though not "n the water
e s a. of IL vii front on the Morris nSd Essex and
Delaware, IaCkawanna, and Western Railroads, the
nfher on the Pennsylvania RailrOad and stOrageroOm
viii obtained for million tons. II necessary On the
southern side Of The track the PeHusYIyaa railroad
foopany mas also purchased strip 150 feet WIDE aud
neariy mile IN length which vii be used for coal
suies for supplying engines and for part OF the car
yard Tie car yard 10 be used for making up and
storing trains will contain about 80 miles Of track, and
room oT between 1903 aud 5000 car the tracks being
laid ar close possible 80 as t. admit OF compact
tiaTage aud switches at intervals Of 1890 feet connect
the tracks for drilling purposes The COMPANY IN
tend to large humber Oi their isolated shops to
the meadow shop. and these VIII Le the largest works
Of the kiDd 10 zoe country. ., -,
Tue advent of tins Company has increased the value
soGpanie are looking Gg 1esEsble es 10 s1e yienIty,
COMPANY The 1alteF will, is said, move pvss,.9. -
lie Chicago shop TO Il site near the westerh end
meadow Will he filed up first, az the Jersey city
water maiuS pass al convenient distance, Sud onii an
abundant supply. The meadows being submerged IN
salt water, there natural supply unless II should
be found on examination that itrsh water can BE- OH
iuL
DYKING THE STATEN ISLAND MARSHES.
EEnONsrRANCEs or Rs-PLEAs or
IHE IMPROVEMENT COMPANY.
The residents Of the towns of Westfeld,
Eorbbed, and scuthded, Staten Island have lately
of he