The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-01-28
ALDERMANIC SCRAPS.
Messrs. 0'Neill, Norton. Sal
niger and Jordan Make
the Meeting Lively.

! OIL the Board OF Aldermen.
At the prior meeting the effort &c
grant the petition Of the said company
had been defeated by one vote. 1t required
a majority OF votes of the entire Board.
Two members were absent-A,dermeu
Hoos and Keogh. Six votes as against
five had been recorded in favor of grant.
ing the petition. Another vote was
legally required. Alderman O'Neill
asked to change his vote In order that he
might move to reconsider at the next
meeting. Nor did he fail to do this when
he recognized that every member was
/ present at last nights meeting.
As was expected Alderman Norton,
| who at present poses as "the most inde-
| pendent member on the Board.'' bitterly
opposed the effort.
Had that committee" he said. (which
recently waited upon the Pennsylvania
Railroad officials done its duy, the
| friends Of poor Dan Dinan would not now
be carrying around y subscription list for
| his widow" In view OF the happenings
during the past few days. Mr.. Norton
| could not see how Mr.. O'Neill could nave
| the cheek to get up before such an august
body and propose that another railroad
| company be granted the privilege of mur-
| dering our citizens.
Mr. O'Neill was manifestly angry when
he arose to reply 10 Alderman Norton's
| rebuke to the committee which waited
upon the Pennsylvania Railroad Com
pany with reference to placing gates at
the various street crossings OF that splen-
did line.
II have been a member of this Board
FOR five years." he hotly retorted land a
citizen of this city for goodIy number
of years. l say the Alderman. In CRITICS.
as1er Ah1ao Cffa Of faaf -.
norant-I say ignorant-of what he is
talking about when ne intimates that
that committee is responsible for my poor
friend Dinan's death. I say he's ignorant
of what he's talking about" Kissed Mr..
O'Neiil.
STATISTICS ARE COLD COMFORT.
'Mr Crawford, the superintendent of
the railroad company in question, showed
the committee by statistics that greater
number Of deaths occurred at the street
crossings of his road for the corre-
spending period when the gates
were in vogue than when men
were employed at the crossings to give
the danger signal. We reported this to
the Board. That was our simple duty
Mr.. Chairman. / don't understand why a
member of this Board should be given
such latitude. Alderman Norton will not
fight the railroads to the extent will
The gentlemen must hereafter under
after shut his mouth. he may prove that
1000 men are killed every day on the
various railroad crossings throughout the
country. Am | or the committee in ques-
tion to be held responsible for thisa |
want to nall the head of this lie'
Alderman Norton, interrupting:-
You'll never do il"
"The gentleman" continued Mr..
O'NeilI; twill talk anti-railroad, but he's
not willing to 90 down ia his pockets and
contribute to the victims OF railroad dis
asters. He's fit subject for the Morris
Plains Asylum aud not fit for the associa-
tiOn OF Aldermen. / want this Board to
visit Chapel avenue in body and view
the premises. You will find the popula-
tion on the other side is two families AS
to schooners landing near the waters
edge. one lands there in six months. Mr..
Norton must not charge me with grand
larceny don't find any fault with my
1T wouldn't hurt you If You did," in
terrupted Norton.
Mr.. Smith regretted to see that Alder
man Norton's opposition TO the ordinance
was based upon dollars and cents. He
had seen it stated in a newspaper inter-
view that the Alderman was willing to
vote for the ordinance if the railroad
company would pay the city $1,000
Alderman Norton replied that he didn't
think it would be an unjust thing Tor the
railroad company TO pay 81, 600 year for
the privilege OF crossing Chapel avenue
and Old Cayen Point road &C grade. Mr..
OfNelll had infused lot of blarney into
the discussion; but, all the same, one
life was worth more than 81 COO
just how MIR. Norton reconciled this
latter notion To his own logic appeared
difficult for the minority of the Board to
see, and when the vote on the fiual pas
sage of the ordinance was taken the roll
cfn n x q a xxuc
follows;-Y Yeas-Hoos, Jordan. Kaiser,
ONeIll, Schermerhorn. Smith, Ward and
Allen Nays-Connolly, Keogh. Near
thur, Norton and Salinger.
MR.. sALINGER ON FIRE ESCAPES.
In addition TO the friendly" spat be-
tween Aldermen O'Neili and Norton the
proceedings were further enlivened by
another passage at arms between Alder
men Jordan and Salinger. This was over
the two ordinances recently introduced
by Alderman Salinger IN accordance with
laws passed by the Legislature prescrib-
ing the limits inside of which no frame
building shall be erected, and another
the owners OF all buildings
where twenty or more persons 'liye or
or are employed temporarily"
to provide such buildings with wrought
iron fire escapes of such dimensions and
character as the Building Inspector shall
approve of.
Alderman Jordan strenuously opposed
both ordinances. Mr.. Salinger introduced
q resolution TO the effect that notices of
the ordinances relative TO fire limits be
sent to every architect and builder, with
a request that they forward any sugges-
tion they might think practicable to the
Board before action was taken upon the
proposed ordinance. The resolution was
almost unanimously voted down.
Then Alderman Salinger moved that the
ordinance relative TO tire escapes be taken
from the table and put upon It's final pas
sage. MIR. Jordan said he had not read
the ordinance thoroughly, but he init
mated that he was suspicious of Alder
man Salinger's exertions in this diree-
tion. He had been Informed by learned
counsel that theidea of placing the matter
in the hands0 of the Building Inspector was
not in accordance with the provisions of |
the law passed relative TO the subject. |
The matter should be left in the hands |
the Board of Aldermen. The passage of |
of such an ordinance would involve the |
city in no end of litigation. Many |
property owners would certainly GER |
tiorari the Inspectors orders. MIR. Jordan |
became quite bitter, and sarcasfically al |
luled to MIR. Salinger as the working |
brains OF both the Republican and Demo- |
cratic parties of the city, and he intmated |
that Mr.. Salinger was trifie conceited
Mr.. Salinger said he had simply drafted /
both ordinances in accordance with the |
provisions OF the laws passed in 1889 |
The Board could do with them us they |
saw lit, whereuDon the Board took a ut /
and refused to take up for fnal passage |
the ordinance relating 10 escapes, Mr.. |
SalfnOar alone ynffuC ave 4