The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-01-14
THE ALDERMEN.
Family Rum Seller" Nor
ton Grows Pathetic Over
Lehigh Valley
Tracks.


by one vote at last nights meeting of the
Board Of Aldermen. The vote stood
Yeas Jordan. O'NeilI, Schermerhorn.
Smith, Ward and Allen; nays-Connolly.
Kaiser, Macarthur. Norton and Salinger.
Messrs. Hoos ana Keogh were absent.
Mr.. O'Neill, seeing that one Of the neces-
sary seven votes was lacking. changed
his vote before the result was an
nounced In oreer to be able TO reconsider
the vote at the next meeting
Mr.. Reon Barnes, president Of the rail-
way company. occupied a seat in the front
row of the lobby.
The matter provoked much lively dis
cussion. 1t appears that some members
opposed the ordinance because after the
company had been ordered to remove the
tracks and reported that every vestige
had been removed, it was discovered that
the rails alone had been removed aud the
ties were still there. Chief Engineer
Ruggles also reported that the tracks had
been removed. Alderman Schermerhorn
produced copy of the original notice and
showed that the company was only
directed 10 remove its rails The effort TO
pass the ordinance Was led by Mr..
| O'Neill. Alderman Norton assumed the
leadership of the opposition. ara the fight
between the leaders WAS interesting.
N0KToN PATHETIC AND HUMOROUS.
Mr.. Norton braced himself on ice water,
visiting the ice cooler in the corner many
times during the course of the debate
Mr.. Norton, after intimating that cer-
tain members we're not faithful to the
oath they had taken as members of the
Board, grew pathetic and humorous by
turns. He had visited the scene and been
asked by a man who lived there, For
Gods sake not to vote for that ordi-
/ M
many dead people around there already
in the cemetery. Then Mr.. Norton
drew q pathetic picture of the thousands
who visited the graveyard every Sunday
to kneel around and plant flowers over
their dead This man who asked him not
to vote for the ordinance offered him
cigar if ne would come out there some
Sunday and look at the crowds. That
was more than the railroad company had
offered him. A Lahigh Valley Railroad
employe asked him few days ago if GER
tain members of the Board of Aldermen
were knights of Labor Whys because
they visited the offices OF the company so
ofLeu of late that they had been taken by
the employees Of the road for walking del
egates
In reply to Mr.. Norton, Mr.. O'Neiil
said wise men often change their
minds; fools never.n 1t Was u good
thing the company had let the ties re-
main. de went out there 10 look at mat
ters, too, and If it hadn't been for the ties
he might have gone up to his neck in
mud. He appreciated the stand Mr.. Nor
ton had taken and said DO doubt ne would
some day be regarded by the people as a
great philanrhroplst aud would find
sfatuettes OF himself decorating the pub
lie places of the city. Tie property own
ers interested AL wanted the road there
The ordinance had been laid over from
meeting to meeting since December 9, and
hQf "a
being acted upon.
Mr.. Norton seconded Mr. O'Neill's mo-
| tion to put tine ordinance upon it's final
| passage, as he said, in order TO give IL
| good clip. p"
Alderman Salinger said he first asked
that the matter be laid over in order to
satisfy himself on certain points in con-
nection Herewith. That ne had not yet
been able 10 do. and ne wanted the mat
ter again laid over. What the certain
points were be refused to state. They
were detrimental neither 10 the interests
of the company nor TO any members OF
the Board.
Mr.. Jordan wanted to know why 1.-The
| watch dog Of the treasury" surrounded
himself with so much mystery, and want
ed to know If he was trying 10 establish
| for himself the coguomen Of 1.-The Mys-
ter1ous." He had been greatly touched
by Alderman Norton's eloquent ailusion
| TO the dead in the cemetery, andgalso by
his aIIusion TO the members who wanted
TO take $3.50 salary grab. If Mr.. Norton
referred TO him he had misjudged his
man. Mr. Jordon voted fof the ordin-
ance.
FIXING LIMITS FOR FRAME BUILDINGS
Alderman Salinger presented the drafts
for two ordinances. One provided that
all buildings OF more than one story,
where twenty or more persons are EN-
ployed, temporarily or otherwise. shall
/ Raf. n lad a WrntQnt
iron of such dimensions aud character as
the Building Inspector should direct and
| fixing penalty of $50 for each violation
aud S25 for every days 5 continuance after
notice to erect such fire escapes snail
| have been given. The other ordinance
prescribed the limits inside OF which no
frame or partially frame building shall
be erected ia the city, except when in the
| Judgment of the Board of Aldermen a
particular exception was required. The
I limits are as follows
beginning or commencing at the in
tersection of the Hudson River and the
Morris Canal basin thence rnnning west
along the centre line Of the Morris Canal
! to Jersey avenue, thence running north
along the centre line Of Jersey avenue TO
Golden street thence running west along
the centre line of Golden street TO
| Varick street., thence running north along
the centre line of Varick street to Bright
street, thence running west along the
centre line OF Bright street % Brunswick
street. thence running north along the
centre line of Brunswick street TO Division
street, thence running north along the
| centre line OF Division street to Fifteenth
street, thence running along the centre
| line of Fifteenth strret to Cole street,
thence running north along the centre
| line of Cole street to Eighteenth street.
| thence running east along the centre line
| of Eighteenth street TO the Hudson River,
| aud thence running south aud along the
Hudson River to the point or place Of
| beginning
The ordinance also provides for the
| width and thickness OF building walls.
Mr.. Salinger also made an effort to put
upon its final passage the ordinance
| changing the name of Water avenue
| 10 Vanderbeck avenue, hut the effort was
defeated by a vote OF yeas to nays.
| The City Marshal will notify the proper
| ty owners interested to appear before the
| Board at its next meeting. in order TO
| clear up the conflicting statements Of va
rious mem 0ers OF the Board as To wheth-
er such a change is really desirable.
NO MONEY FOR THIS
The Committee on Streets reported, in
| answer 10 the recent communication
| from the Bergen Improvement Associa-
tion asking that tho streets of the city be
| tagged az the street corners and that the
houses on Bergen avenue pe renum-
bered, that there are no funds available
| for this parpose. Tue committee. after
thoroughly Investigating the matter. is