The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1889-12-29
1890 1910
4 NEW YEARS EVE
ID r E A M
Mr.. Charles H. Winfield
Speculates on the
Future Of Jersey
City.
Arguing from Past and
Present He Reaches
Some Strange
Results.
/ ACITYOF THIRTEEN MILLIONS
Curious Possibilities of Population,
Building, Commerce, Finance.
Religion and Crime.
.ACITY OF THIRTEEN MILLIONS
Curious Possibilities of Population.
Building, Commerce, Finance,
Religion and Crime.
GRAND PROSPECTS ANYWAY

1890 upon usl
The death of an old year prompts a
glance backward and long steady look
into the future.
The dawn of new year lifts the veil of
the future, and the view it opens is al
waysone of hope.
How much further have / advanced,
and what will you be when 1880 folds it's
december mantle about it for the slum-
Der of the ages?
But there is scarcely scope enough in
this short space for the kindling inn
agination. 1t is only year ahead.
Where then will l be five years, ten
years. fifty years from nows
Where will we all be?
Where will Jersey City be?
Yes, and what will she be fifty years
from now?
*Who can tell?" What brilliantly
equipped imagination can picture the
scene here In 1940-the growths?-the
changesi / was dreamily asking myself
The question when Prosecutor Charles H.
Winfield crossed my path.
Here, indeed, was the prophet sought.
Brought by the fairies of good fortune to
my hand, as it were, and put the ques
ton to him.
His eyes wrinkled with a merry humor
when he heard it. He turned his head
pensively aside, and then he answered.
LONG LOOK AHEAD.
you ask me what Jersey City will be
fifty years hence. 1t is a very difficult
question to answer, especially by one
who is not a prophet, nor so far as he
knows, related in the slightest degree to
prophet My Imagination is not suff1-
ancent for the purpose. l have feet and
n must walk upon the ground, and if |
bai.t the city as it will be fifty years
hence / must mix with the gorgeous hues
Ubf my Imagination the dull leaden facts
ff the past fifty years. By considering
bow Jersey City has grown in the last
Nifty years, and what it now is. we may
form some sort of estimate-not perhaps
absolutely correct-of what it will be at
|Ekhe end Of another senli-centennial. 1t
ks only by what has been that we can
Dkpproximate to what will be. The con-
illusion comes within the beautiful ex-
1 preston applied to the everlasting
overt, art and ever shalt be" the "shalt
be- seeming to be a corrolary of the
.'wert'' and ''art''
'This city has not only grown inter
nally, but it has expanded by absorbing
adjoining municipalities. In both re-
spects it is moving on as irreslstibly as
fate. and the outlying cities and towns
4 which to-day are hanging on its skirts,
like fringe on petticoat, only waiting
the inevitable hour. So then we cannot
consider Jersey City within its present
limits; but we must look to the whole
county, especially that part lying east of
the Hackensaek River as the Jersey City
of the future
ARGUING FROM THE PAST.
'sUnder its original incorporation this
city was part of the old township of Ber-
gen, the parent of municipalities, and
wasbounded on the west by ditch nearly
on the line with Warren street. On March
s. 1889, its boundaries were extended
northerly to First street and westerly to
Grove street. 1t had separated from the
township of Bergen one year before that.
The remaining part of old Jersey City, all
St@oc VI INC WILL OIeek3 WIS IuCluueQ III
the township of Van Worst. Now let us
mix the past with the present and see if
! we canuot paint from these ingredients
Jersey City as it will be fifty years hence.
Fifty years ago the population of this
city was 3,03S. BY the census of 1S5 lists
population was 1888, an increase over
the census of 1880 of 32,79l. This will
make the population of the city at the
net census about 100000 If we assume
the rate of increase for the next fifty years
to be at the same rate as it has in the last
fifty years we shall have reached popu.
lation in this city of Is, 100000
Less than fifty years ago the voters III
Jersey City on the question of consolida-
tion with the township Of Van Worst
\ numbered 495. At the last election its
vote numbered 26.922. Fifty years hence.
II the voters shall increase at the same
tate that they have for the past fifty
N years, we shall reach the vote of over
\ 100000
Fifty years ago there were, In all DER
Iey City. but 40 dwellings. By the cen