The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-11-23
4 RAILROAD ROMANCE.
The Pennsylvania Estab.
fishes a Rule That
Doesn't Work Well
Both Ways.
CHAPTER /.

A few months ago the National Docks
Railway Company conceived the project
of making line from the Point of Rocks
to the shore front at Bayonne. 1t was an
easy thing to do, apparently, but when it
had built up near to the Point of Rocks
it ran afoul of the Pennsylvania Railroad
bed.
$50 far" said the great Pennsylvania
corporation, shall those go, and no fur
ther."
The National Docks people went right
along with their work in spite of the
warning; but before going upon the
property of the other road they had to
stop to think how best to wrestle with an
engineering difficulty. The point just
beyond the Pennsylvania tracks which
they aimed TO reach was five feet above
the level of the tracks, and to reach 1T, 1t
would be necessary for them to change
the grade Of their rivals roadbed at the
point of contact. lSee foot note a.
The Pennsylvania forestalled the design
of the National Docks Railway Company
by having an injunction issued by the
Chancellor.
The ground of the application was that
the National Docks people could not make
the crossing without raising the grade of
the roadbed of the other road.
CHAPTER IL.
A few months ago the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company conceived the project
of making bee line from Waverly across
the Meadows to the waters of the Hudson
River, and proceeded straightway to carry
the plan into execution. Men were put
at work laying tracks at both ends The
two gangs worked towards each other till
on the Meadows, just beyond Newark,
they ran up against little strip of land
belonging to the Jersey Central. The
tracks ana sleepers of the Mosquito line
of the Centrai-extending from Elizabeth
to Newark-lay on it. The two roads
were on the same level, and 1t was only
take up rail here in the Mosquito
line'' and rail there, and put in q frog
or two, to close the gap. This connection
would have been made one morning, but
that the Central, anticipating the design,
had run two locomotives up to the cross
ing point the night before, jacked them
off their feet, ripped the rails and the ties
from beneath them, and then sank the
locomotives In the soft mud of the
meadows.
The Central frustrated the action of the
Pennsylvania by having an injunction
issued by the Chancellor against the dis
turbance of its tracks on the Mosquito
Line"
The argument on the motion to make
the injunction against the National
Docks Railway Company permanent was
heard few days ago. The Chancellor
decided that the National Docks people
might cross the Pennsylvania tracks at
grade but il they wanted to cross the
road above grade, it must be on trestle
that would give the rival corporation all
the space 1t needed in the clear for It's
traffic or they must 60 under the road
bed through tunnel. Under no circum-
stances could they disturb the grade of
the Pennsylvania's tracks.
The National Docks line is five feet
higher than the grade The crossing
could not be made except by elevating
tine PeGnsylvania's roadbed. And so the
decision made the injunction against the
National Docks people practically per-
manent one. (See foot note b.
CHAPTER ~.
When the Pennsylvania's workmen on
the Waverly line approached The scene of
their labors on the meadows the day
after the decision, they discovered that
during the night some body (see foot note
c) had gone to the place where the cross
ing was to be made, and raised the grade
of the mosquito road about three feet
above the level of the Pennsy's tracks
(see foot note d).
FOOT NOTES FOR THE STUPID.
a. 1t is essential to an understanding of this
romance TO make special note of this fact
b. Ex-Chancellor Williamson, the shrewd old
fox who advises the Central officials, probably
heard the decision.
c. Doubtless with the consent or the Central
Railroad Company.
d. The principle that the Pennsylvania had
succeeded in establishing against the National
Docks people was thus turned to practical ac-
count against the Pennsylvania Itself, and the
rule under which it forbids the National Docks
concern to cross its track at the Point Of Rocks
makes 1t impossible for the Pennsy to cross the
Central on the Newark meadows. See it? Pretty
sharp business, eh!