The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1889-11-24
Fate Of the South Cove Col
ony Which was Founded
by " Laughy Jack"
STORY OF THE CENTRAL's LANDS.
The Long Litigation Which Still
Holds Its Place in Court.

sternation among that unique portion OF
the city's population.
1t is probably seventy-fve years or more
since the first squatter took up his abode
| upon an old deserted canal boat near the
foot OF Henderson street, just south Of
the canal towpath. Stephen w. Tread
well, who was known to almost every one
IN the city as Laughy jack" and who
recently died, always claimed to have
been that individual.
He had been locksmith and consta-
Bile, and it was the faithful manner in
which he discharged the duties of the
latter position which brought upon him
the odium of the petty law breakers of the
city. They gave him his sobriquet from
the broad grin which spread over his en-
tire countenance when anything pleased
him. The small boy on the streets readi-
ly caught up the appellation and it soon
came to pass that no matter where the
old man went he was sure to receive such
attention as only the modern street gamin
can bestOw. Then his wife died his
family became scattered; and poor old
Treadwell conceived the idea of going
into sort of hermitage in the South
Cove.
HOW "LAUGHy JACK " sQUATTED.
There was no bridge over the canal at
Henderson street then, and ne considered
the location one which wonld afford him
seclusion from the jeers of his implacable
enemy.
He bought an old, abandoned barge
which had been run upon the flats, and
left to quietly fall to pieces like an old
horse turned out in the fields to die. He
| fixed up the cabin, and by the sale of the
drift wood and the old junk which he
obtained from the dumps in the neigh
borhood he managed to exc out a living.
He enjoyed his seclusion for only a
short time. The Cove was great place
for storing veteran canal boats, which
Many OF these boats were in a fair condi-
ton, and when the bridge was built
across the canal, and sort of wagon
way was filled in across the Cove to the
crib work at Broadway, they were driven
aground close to the wagon road and
taken possession of by squatters In the
winter months, during which navigation
was closed on the canals, that portion of
the Cove was filed with canal boats.
AS time went on many old Captains
who had navigated the sraging canawl"
for the best part of their lives came to
in their old days They followed old
Treadwell's example and took up perrna-
nent quarters along the continuation of
Henderson street.. --@-- saa
THE EVOLUTION OF THE sQUATrRR's COT.
Some were not content with the mere
cabin of canal boat. Over the old hulks
which served for q foundation they
erected neat little one-story cottages, the
windows of which they embellished with
lace curtains, and around the doors of
which they planted a few common flowers
and the rank running vines which -four
ish in that soil of refuse. In this manner
fair sized colony came into existence.
The thoroughfare on each side of which
it was planted took the name of Hender-
son street, and some of the more enter
prising numbered their huts and shanties.
About ten years ago this colony began
to assume SO much the appearance of
fixture that the Central Railroad Com
purpose of asserting its title to the land,
more than for any other reason, notified
the squatters that THEY would thereafter
pay the company ground rent or quit
the premises.
THE RAILROADS. TENANTS.
Treadwell was the first to object and
consulted a lawyer, bringing, as his re-
tainer, an order for two cords of his best
drift wood. The lawyer smiled at the re-
tainer, but told the patriarch of the squat
tiers that the railroad company's title was
good. Treadweu was convinced, and like
all the other squatters thereafter paid q
small ground rent to the company
One day last week went over to where
the colony used to flourish and was struck
by the change. With but few exceptions
all the cottages and huts had disappeared
The roadway had been greatly enlarged
and railroad track traversed its entire
length. Where the boat Of Treadwell
used to lie stood a freight depot and an
army of workmen were busy filling in
the fats between Henderson and Warren
streets with refuse brought from New
York in boats and from this city in carts
On the east side of Henderson street, there
yet remained few cottages and huts.
Men were engaged in demolishing these,
while several women stood by sadly
watching the demolition of their homes
One old squatter had placed his hut on
wheels and was awaiting an opportunity
of carting it away, and all that remained
of one OF the largest and most pretentious
of the structures was the bare rafters and
the upright beams. Through these could
be seen single apartment in which there
were a sewing machine, cook stove and
melodeon. All around lay small heaps
of lumber, and in several places could be
seen the old hulks which served as the
foundations for the huts.
LONG LITIGATION.
The property lying south of this city
and east of Communipaw, which belongs
to the Central Railroad Company, has
furnished more litigation to the State and
Federal courts, perhaps, than any other
land within the boundaries of New Jer-
Sey.
r4dEly III Uu0 SlAUlcS pu0 TdllTOdQ COM
pany which had just been formed of the
roads running from Elizabeth to Somer-
vile and Somerville to Easton, under an
act of the Legislature, began to extend
its tracks from EliZabethport to the tide
water of the Hudson River.
They started from Communipaw and
ran a string of piles out to the channel.
AS this went on the property owners
along the shore began to object, claiming
that the railroad company was about to
cut off their free and uninterrupted &C.
cess to the channel. So they immediately
commenced suits against the company to
restrain the progress of the work. Some
resorted to the Court of Chancery and
others began their suits in the Federal
courts.
NEW YoRK's CLAIM.
The State of New York also attempted
to stop the work on the ground that their
jurisdiction extended up to the Commu-
nipaw shore, and that the company was
encroaching ON New York territory
After running through the courts of New
York with varying success, this case got
into the United States Supreme Court,
where it was finally abandoned by New
York.
The Jerseymen were more fortunate.
The company became convinced of their
rights, and bought from them strip one
foot in width around the entire shore.
The men they had to deal with had an
eve to the main chance, and the railroad
company paid for this foot, $50, coo. This
made the railroad people riparian own