The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1886-08-29
ELEVATE THE TRACKS.
now THE SURFACE RAILROAD AZ
FEC7S PROPERTY TALUATfONS.

Values of Property North and that
south Of rhe Pennsylvania Railroad
Tracks-views of Prominent Officials.
The articles which the SUNDAY TATTLER
has been publishing for the last two SUM-
days, rejecting and enforcing the popular
demand for the elevation of the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad tracks, have aroused the
widest interest in the matter Citizens
write to us, urging us to keep up the agita-
ton, in the hope that something tangible
come from it. In conversation with some
of the city officials about the matter, some
new suggestions were got by the TATTLER
reporters.
City Collector Love said that because
OF the danger and delays at the crossings
Very many people will not rent
property north Of the. railroad
track, and that the surface road has kept
property north of it from being as valua-
able for renting purposes as the property
lying south of it is. In the same line
City Comptroller Dickinson declared that
he knows families who are restrained from
sending their children to the schools they
would like to have them attend, because to
reach them they would have to cross the
railroad The City Comptroller in fact
favors the elevation of the yards and de-
pot and everything else after the manner
of the Philadelphia depot. Jersey City
people have to go up and down stairs now
to get into .the waiting room. He can't
see why the rest of the world shouldn't be
made to climb to reach it as well. Asked
about the closing of Greene street, City
Collector Love said that he would like to
see some arrangement made by which
or
could be kept open for traffic. The high
ways are needed by the large firms doing
business on the other side of the tracks,
who pay large taxes and pay them prompt
ly, and, their desires should be respected.
As for Jersey City helping to bear tie ex-
pense, that is out of the question.
sThe Railroad Company should be COM
PEELED" Mayor Cleveland said, "to raise
their tracks. As to the particular plan to
be followed, that is matter of future con.
sideration. Keep up your fight for the
raising of the tracks. The details can be
arranged afterwards. won't say any
thing about the advisability or the neces-
sity of closing Greene street. Itmay come
before me for official action and I cannot
properly anticipate my course. As for
Jersey City paying portion of the ex-
pense. that's impossible"
"The subject was agitated in 1873,
when was in the Assembly, and thought
a great deal about it then. Indeed even
then the plan was looked on by every one
most favorably at that time but there was
an insurmountable barrier in the way and
that was the theory of the Railroad Com
pany that the city should pay one-half.
The city could not afford to then nor can
she better afford to now. At the time
mention the Jersey City members of the
Legislature had conference with Col.
Thomas Scott, then President of the road
for the purpose of trying to prevail upon
him, as president, to pay greater amount
of municipal tax to Jersey City and the
subject of elevating the tracks came up.
We demonstrated to him by actual figures
that the interest on the cost of the i'm
provement at 4 per cent. per annum
would not exceed the cost of maintenance
oflthe surface roads; but Scott would not lis
ten 20 the proposition unless Jersey City
would pay half the expense, and the mat
ter was dropped.
AS for favoring the plan, do heartily. If
the city could afford it, and it could be
done in no other way, it would pay her to
bear half the burden, but, as / say, in her
present financial position, she could not
afford to pay cent toward the improve
ment. Vacate Green street? I see no
real necessity for doing that Why not
have depot above the level OF the streets?
It's so in Philadelphia; it's so in London.
To get at any railroad depot in London
you must ascend or descend a flight of
steps. Yes, it would undoubtedly be a
great improvement. See now our streets
would be cleared by it, and what a great
saving of life and property. In short, you
can put me down as heartily in favor of
having the tracks elevated and making the
railroad pay the whole shot.
The interviewing reporters next turned
to the business men of the city, and con-
fined himself especially to those whose
stores are in Newark avenue. Here is
what those of the gentlemen who could be
found in their stores said:
Mr.. Hoos of Hoos & Schulz, furniture
dealers, said-"Ought to have been done
long ago. 1t will be an excellent thing"
Mr.. w. Cunningham of The Marshall 4
Ball Co.-sI have figured out the cost of
saving in gatemen's wages alone, for the
next ten years, as $i50,000. Add to this
the cost of gate repairs, repairing OF the
Newark avenue and Grove street railroad
crossings, and the numerous lawsuits, and
it is safe to say that the money saved in
ten years will be almost large enough to
make the required changes and construct
the elevated road of stone arches"
Mr.. Z. Sand, boots and shoes-sI am in
favor of the change from first to last 1t
ought to have been done long ago.
Perlmutter, the hatter-sThe company
ought to becompelled to raise their tracks
instead of petitions being circulated. The
crossings are regular killing grounds for
the public. They should be done away
with as quickly as possible.
Mr.. G. w. Clerihew, the clothier.-ssWe
frequently hear the ladies say that they
are afraid to come down this end of the
avenue on account of the crossing. which
is dangerous from teams, regular outgoing
and incoming trains, and from the silent
but death dealing drill engine. The lower
part of the avenue is hurt by these cross