The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-11-09
Where, Oh Where, Are
They? Asks the Long
Suffering Citizen.
STORY OF a RIDE In A CART.
One Hundred and Thirty Thousand
Dollars Haven't Filled the
Holes in the Pave.
AND STILL THEY YAWN.


Office one afternoon ten days ago. said
a well known resident of this city yester-
day. "a round of the livery stables
showed me that the buggy desired to
hire was not within reach, and was
obliged to go on my mission in a two
wheeled village cart. The vehicle was
comfortable enough, but it responded
with such annoying accuracy to every
ilnperfection in the streets that my sides
ached before had gone far, and my head
had been well nigh shaken OF my
shoulders by the time got back to the
store. If man wants to come to pain
fully realizing sense OF the condition OF
the chief thoroughfares in this city all he
has to do is to hop into village cart and
drive over them
BILE and emphatic manner, that, in spite
OF all the talk about street Improvements
heipatch work done here and there has
served only to make them worse--if that
were possible-than they were before.
THE VALUE OF A STREET.
.The purpose of street Improvement is
two-fold First it is for show; secono for
comfort and ease to those who have use
for them A line of handsome well
paved thoronghfare pleases the eye, and
SO. attracts residents. II builds up
What has made lot on the Rumson
road, between Seabright and Red Bank
AWAY back in Monmouth county-aS
valuable as q city lot, and lined 1t with
succession of the most beautiful villa
homes in the country, the resort OF the
merchant princes of New York, but the
splendid smoothness OF the drive? East
Orange. famed for her exclusive aris-
tocracy and wealth, owes her worth as
place of residence wholly to the macad-
amized roads, smooth as floors, that are
the delight of bicycle riders and horse
owners One broad roadway has made
Morristown all she is; and she's good
deal.
aT.lewellyn Park, the home Of the Lords,
and the Edisons, and the Hudnuts, and
the Marcys, would be q wilderness with
out her well kept thoroughfares. The
good order in which Broad street in New
ark is kept, makes that the busiest trade
centre in New Jersey. There are two
points about these drives that make them
valuable assistants to the communities
they traverse. First. they are attractlve
to the eye; second, they are admirably
adapted TO their purpose They are pretty
to look at and delightful to ride oyer.
"While was riding in my little village
cart through the chief thoroughfares OF
this city the other day." The citizen went
on, and making not always successful
efforts to prevent myself from being
hurled by an unsupported rut over the
head of INV Pegasus, / could see that
whatever had been done with the vast
sums put into alleged street improve
ments here OF late, noth.ng had been done
that made the city streets more attractive
to the eye than they had been The merry
dance that broken pavements under my
cart wheels gave nle on my seat con-
vinced me that just as little had been
done to improve their comfort and
smoothness. .@s.
done, and, finally, to doubt whether any
thing had been done. That money had
been spent hand over fist, knew. But
where was the show for Il? None what
ever that / could see. Not thing had
been accomplished that would attract
dollar of an outside investor, or enhance
the value of the holdings of taxpayers
whose moneys We're being so liberaily
disbursed
LARGE EXPENDITURES.
a.At the City COmptroller's office Mr.
Hough informed me that. of the 500, 900
liceuse money to be devoted to street i'm
proyements, contracts had been awarded
! on various streets that called for an ex-
Deuditure of $44, ,935.54; and that in addi-
ton to this the sum OF S29, ,603.03 had been
paid out on the certifcate of MI, Commis-
sioner Tumulty for the payment of day
laborers In making little patches here
and there and all around Here Is total
OF $74, ,588 and a few odd pennies for al
legged street improvements out or one
fund.
penditure by any means. Contracts have
been made for other street improvements
at the expense OF the property benefited
BY them The total expenditure involved
In the improvements by this plan is
s59,1e7.92. That added to the total
abstracted from the license fund gives
grand total of $133,705 for Improvement
Of the streets. "
AND NOTHING TO SHOW.
What is there to show for it?"
"Well there's nice little patch of
pavement-a hundred yards or soup on
Monticello avenue. But who'd ever find
1t there if he were not to look for 1t?
..And who's going to run the chance of
having his neck jounced of his shoulders
driving to 1T
DBy and by there'll be decent little
patch of stone paving on Montgomery
street above Jersey avenue.
"But who'll risk his carriage wheels on
the cobble approaches that run into it
from all pointsi
sThe little unused alley way running
by the City Hall from Montgomery street
to Newark avenue is being smoothed
down. OF what practical use will that
sixty yard stretch be to the citizen after
it is completeds N
What folly to inlay the mud hole on
Cook street on the Heights. between
I1OtOkcu duu NoWdIA hNCAurct WIN
granite blocks when the main thorough
fares that approach are full of sunken
holes and wagon traps.
When q man has reached 1t, he can
speed his horse over it for only half
block length. And then, besides, it is
lane that no one would patronize if it
were approached by the most perfect road
III creation. Whatgood is such improve
ment as thats How much does that help
to attract Investment to the city and
assist to build ii up?
s BY and by there will be- q pavement on
Grove street from Grand to Newark ay--
+ efitle. Whit is Grove street north of
Newark avenueP What Is Grand street
below Grover What is Wayne, what is
Mercer street, when they run into this
piece of new paving3 Pitfalls at every
footI To what extent Will the city at
large be benefited their by this expendi~
ture of 81 ,a00s Practically nome
TUsdULTY'S PATCHES.
;sBeyond all this what practical good
has been achieved. in the interest Of the
public, by the patching Mr.. Commissioner
Tumnlty has done at an outlay of close
on to $50, ,O00s II you ask Mr.. Tumulty
where he has done the patching he will
name certain spots to you rs he did to me:
but he knows nothing of the extent Of
The patches, and above all is unable to