The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-06-16
A FORTIFIED RAILWAY.
Central and Lehigh Valley
Forces Face to Face on
the Meadows.
REVIEW OF THE FAMOUS WAR
The Defenders We're Ready to Deluge
the Besiegers With scaId-
ing Water. y

The spectacle presented by the Central
and Lehieh Valley Railroad Companies
Is not pleasant to civilized community.
Their warfare on tho meadows is a
strange combination OF child's play with
a serious menace to law and order The
Central has thrown mp solid bulwark
of rocks. old timber and iron to protect
its tracks against the attempt Of the lie
high to effect a crossing. Forces OF men
are constantly on hand watching each
other. and altogether IL IS as perfect an
illustration as could be desired OF that
''private warfare which Cha nceIlcr Nc.
Gin recently so strongly and justly con-
demned.
The history of this celebra ted case runs
as folio Es:-Aoout two years ago the Le-
high Valley Railroad, which uses the
tracks OF the Pennsylvania Railroad from
Metuchen 70 Jersey City. began the con
structien Of road OF its own from South
Plainiield TO its new terminus at Com
munipaw. In constructing this track IL
believed it would be advantageous TO
cross the mosquito line" OF the Eliza
beth branch Of the Central Railroad on
the meadows just where thefort has been
built.
OPPOSED TO GRADE CROSS srSes
1t applied to the Central Railroad for
permission to cross the tracks here, but
the Central claimed to be opposed to
grade crossings. They claimed that a
grade crossing meant great danger and
that ii also meant that the Lehigh Valley
road would have a share of the business
when the meadows should he occupied
by factories. II the Lehigh Valley were
on an elevated structure they would not
be able to reach these f.ctories, which
are. sof course, in the perspective, but
would be above them. The Central Rail-
road. therefore. refused point blank to
give this permission, and three commits
that II the Lehigh Valley Railroad crossed
these tracks the Central Railroad should
be awarded sl2 0cJ damages
This the Lehigh Valley refused to pay,
and struck jury, cal % Judge Depue on
an appeal IN the Circuit Court, decided
that the Central Railroad should have at
least $50. 90 damages. The jury wanted
a new system sf switches and signals put
in which, IL was claimed. would prevent
any accident nzppzaing- Accordingly
the Lenizh Vzltey Railroad paid the
amount into the Court OF Caalcsry, bun
here is Just where tns hitch occurs The
legal luminartss 81 t1e Central hzilroad
say this amount should have been paid
into the Circuit Cs1EL- that tEe decision
of the struok i1ry was a 1zdgzsnt against
the Lehigh EaIleT Railr1ad, and the pay
ment OF the uh1ueT into the Chancery
Court meant uaEhinG- Is WAS suly a way
to evade D1FmenE ef tna zEnznE awarded
By the jury The Central authorities
therefore, Geeide1 % prszszs tAe crossing
of the Lehfeh Valley Ralzroaz uatll they
had this So. o0u n their etEssessl
The FEEST FczTIEEEArI0SS
A year and hAix zzo. Whe4 Eois mai
ter Of a crossing was nrs1 orczeaesl. ths
Central RAitEea7 sa19 .1en s->A@EleAlIy y
and 10 emphasize il s-1lI more 5uilE rwc
cut outs, OF rev tracks. arvUnd EHs old
ones at the point IN q1eSz101- lne1 E1eg
backed TWO old lccom1EITes and a nun
Der of fat cars on tEs rs-ulsr trzeks, aud
after taking the wAeets CT Ens iocouu-
tives and dats cars covered the whole
mass with heavy Stones
On Tuesday last ths Lehi<a Valley
Railroad authorities se1s woru shst they
They were aware Of the obstrucrions
which had been placed there by the Cen
tral, and said that II these were not re,
moved by the Central Railroad by -four
O'Clock Saturday afternoon they would
remove them by force The Central Rail-
road people laughed. and instructed Cap
tain B. W. Hopper. who has charge in
vent them from crossing until the
money had been paid The Captain was
prepared He had twenty-five car loads
of broken rock conveniently at hand He
dumped few loads and held the rest for
an emergency. Saturday afternoon be
received word from the telegraph opera
tor who was stationed at this crossing for
year and half thae the Lehigh Valley
Railroad was getting ready TO make the
attack about two o'clock. He accordingly
summoned his men, about three hundred
in all, coal beavers and laborers, at
various points along the road, who were
prepared for the fray. and proceeded to
named.
THIS IS WAR.
They distributed themselves along the
track and waited. Mosquitoes. big al
most as bumming birds and in fiocSs that
cast shadows, were first to attack, and
they made the position almost untenable.
The sun poured its fiercest rays on the
railroad tracks, devoid of shade at any
point, and about four O'Clock the oppos-
ing forces appeared, H. Stanley Good
win, the general eastern superintendent;
James Donnelly, New Jersey superintend-
ent; doc" Murragh, assistant supervisor,
and several Lehigh Valley officials came
at the head of an attacking party OF about
200 Hungarians.
On the Central tracks were three big
'shog sealders" and engines from which
could be thrown streams of hot water,
which backed up the three hundred coal
beavers. In the little telegraph office was
Captain Hooper, commanding the attack
ing forces.
The two gangs of men glared at each
other for few minutes, and then the at.
tacking party retreated. They did not
appear again, and the Central Railroad
divided its forces into watches. Passenger
coaches were run on side tracks for the
men TO sleep in, and provisions were sent
out from this city. The watches took
their turns guarding the crossing. and
Captain Hooper stayed down until eight
o'clock yesterday morning. When he
came up he was covered with ltltle red
bIotches. the result OF the raid Of mos
quitos. 1t was not pleasant. but he had
been ordered to guard the crossing at all
hazards, and would do so.
As the scene Of battle is in Newark,
Captain DAILY, OF the Third precinct. went
down with a force of men. but finding no
fight in progress returned