The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1879-04-30
MISCELLANY.
THE PINES oFNEW JERSEY.

A well Informed writer has contributed the
following interesting article to the columns of
the Asbury Park Journal:
The interior Of New Jersey, lying south of
Monmouth county, for 100 miles in length by
20 or 30 miles in breadth, is one vast unfenc-
ed, unoultivated wilderness, with the excep-
tion of a strip along the shore where some
small villages are situated, and few along
the N. j S. r. r. 1t is mostly of sandy
soil or surface covered with small growth of
pines in most places. Yet there are thousands
of acres of good land interspersed capable of
! producing crops of anything adapted to the
latitude. Some sections are peculiarly adapt
ed to the latitude. Some sections are peculi-
arly adapted to the cultivation of grapes and
peaches.
This great wilderness contained three times
as many inhabitants 10 years ago as it con-
tains now. Then there were II blast furnace
es making iron from the ore found in the
swamps and lowlands and Is FORCES making
wrought iron OF a superior quality from pig
iron made in the furnaces. Each of these
furnaces employed ut least 100 men, to dig
and cart the ore, make the iron and cart it,
chop and cart the wood, &c. Then this sec
ton was covered with fine large growth of
pines of superior quality many old build
ings have heart pine floor boards sixteen
/ inches wide, made from this pine 100 years
ago.
With all these FORCES in operation much of
the original growth of pine remained after
the furnaces had ceased to operate. Many Of
the furnaces stood on the streams running in
to Mulica river. On Mullica aud its branch
es were Batso, Atsion, Hampton, Martha,
Speedwell, Cumberland and Gloucester. Etna
at lalinger's Mill, Tanostan near Medford,
Hanover 0 miles from Pemberton, Whey
mouth, Millvlle, Tuckahoe, New Furnace,
aud 1se,ofai Manchester, Washington ~
Briclxsburg, and Howell at Allaire.
The FORCES were, two at Hampton, one at
each Of the following Atsion, Ito which
scows assembled through a lock, at which was
forge,) Batso, Weymouth, Retreat at Vim
centown, Farrago at BANNER, Mary Ann at
New Lisbon, Cumberland, Smith Forge, Stat
ford at West Creek, (the large space then oc-
cupied by the pond is now one of the finest
cranberry boys in the State, owned by Capt.
Daniel Gowdy,) New Mills at Pemberton,
Union on Mulica South River, Dover Forge
near Toms River, Federal at Manchester,
Howell at Allare and Butchers Works at
Burrsvile. Some of these works ceased more
than forty years ago. Most ceased about 1910,
on the discovery of melting iron with authra-
cite coal. Now all are abandoned, and at many
of the sites of these works is nothing but
wilderness.
After many of these works had ceased a
large amount of wood was cut and shipped to
New York, employed many vessels, till for
some 10 miles back from the shore most of
the wood was gone. After that charcoaling
was made profitable when wood could not be
proHtably carted so far. Many vessels were
employed for many years in taking wood and
charcoal to New York. Some charcoal is made
now and sold at the Mint In Philadelphia, and
at the Wire Works IL Trenton some ship
ped on the NJ j. s. r. II. to New York and
Jersey City.
After leaving the villages of TOMS River,
Cedar Creek Forked River Barnegat, Ware
town, Manahawk.n, West Creek, Tuckerton
and the villages south of Tuekerton, you i'm
on some of the roads 80 miles west and not
see house or fence. Many old sites of hous-
es and cabins and old fields are seen. AT last
you reach the good lands of West Jersey, con
sisting of n section some 20 miles wide, from
the Delaware east. There are few finer sec
tions of farming land in the United States
than West Jersey.
In crossing from Tuckerton or Bajo river to
West Jersey tract some twenty miles long
and three or four In width called :" The
Plains, or barrens, on which no tree or bush
more than three or four feet high can be seen.
The Pines of Sonth Jersey compose most Of
Ocean. Atlantic and Cape May counties the
eastern part Of Burlington, parts of Cumber-
land and Gloucester Wild deer are still seen
Foxes, rabbits and offers are found, pleas
ants and qnai also formerly the pinnated
grouse or prairie chicken was abundant, but
they are now exterminated. Most of this Soc
ton is owned by non-residents, 10 large tracts
from 10, 900 to 10000 acres. This unfenced.
uncultivated uninhabited wilderness contains
: more than one and half million acres. The
spontaneous fruits are huckleberfies and Gran.
+ berries. Ocean county has sent in one year
$50 600 worth Of huckleberrics to market out
side the county. The money for huckeberres
goes directly into the bands of the poores
people, and is an important crop to the few
who live in that section. There are thous
ande Of acres of low wet lands ma ri len lar