The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-07-25
BETWEEN TWO Fires.
Assessor Do1lard's Figures
Thought High Enough by
H0bokenites.
FERRY BOAT VALUES.
The Jewelry of the Stevens Family
Escapes Assessment-ls Castle
Point Property Assessed2

At the meeting Of the County Board
for the Equalization Of Taxes yesterday,
Captain W. L. Wolsey, superintendent OF
the Hoboken Ferry Company, was
present to expiain to the Com
missioners why Mr.. Dollard's
figures, in assessing the real
and personal properties OF the company
should not be considered low. Indeed,
the company considered the increase in
the figures over last year hardly fair to it.
1t is assessed this year at s663, 900. real
and personal. The commissioners
thought these figures enormously low.
The superintendent of the company
apparently labored under the impression
that the Commissioners proposed to raise
these figures. He was assured that 1t
was scarcely probable that this would be
done in any Individual case.
The object OF the Commission is mainly
to ascertain the respective values OF prop
critics in the various districts; to equalize
the values between cities and towns
throughout Hudson as levied by the as
SCISSORS and &C find out the true value of
property in the several districts. The
rigid examination into Mr.. Dollard's fig-
ures was to ascertain IL the entire city Of
HobOken Is not undervaiued. The Com
missioners explained that Mr.. Dollard
appeared to be in doubt concerning the
ownership of certain properties belonging
either to the Hoboken Ferry Company or
the Hoboken Land and Improvement
Company.
Captain Woolsey said that the Hoboken
Ferry Company was a separate organiza-
ton from the HoDoken Land and I'm
provement Company, although princi-
pally owned By the latter. The boats and
landings and whatever Is found thereon
are assessable to the terry company. The
principal ownership is vested in the ferry
company. II was with reference TO the
boats especially that Captain Woolsey
desired 10 talk.
THE VALUE OF A FERRY BOAT
"Of course" said he, "the value of a
boat is peculiar thing, and that of a
ferry boat still more peculiar. A ferry
boat is constructed for particular place,
more particularly so with reference to
our olaest ferries. Our original ferry boats
are practically yalueless on modern ferry
plants. The Hoboken ferry is one Of the
oldest. When we are through WITH our
boats they are valueless. We know what
the ann ual depreciation of such property
is. The last two boats we laid aside were
sold for 81 500 apiece. No other ferry con-
cern wanted them. The valuation Of our
eight boats, as we keep them ON our
lot two of them are on their last legs and
we shall soon have to get rid of them"
In response to a question by Commis-
sioner Morgan, Captain Woolsey said the
Hoboken Land and Improvement Com
pany owned small portion of-the repair
shops assessed to the Ferry Company.
The property owned by the Ferry Com
pany included the Fourteenth street
ferry and the coal pockets.
Mr.. Hexamer was also before the
Board to complain of the total increase OF
S24. 600 in the assessed valuations of his
property. He claimed the increase was
out OF proportion with the increase put
upon surrounding properties and made
numerous comparisons. His main griev-
ance was Mr.. Dollard's figures upon Nos.
&c, 6S, 20 and ~ River street Assessor
Dollard called his attention to the fact
that some or these lots ran back twenty
five feet further than those upon which
the properties he cited for comparison are
located.
wEEHAwKEN ASSESSMENTS
Some OF the figures reported BY Assess
ors Bruce and OiDonnell of Weehawken
were also examined by the Commission.
ers. There did not appear to be any
fragrant ATTEMPT upon the part of these
assessors to undervalue the properties
considered by the Board. The principal
figures OF interest were those Tor which
Assessor O'Donnell assessed Eldorado.
Sixteen acres OF ground were assessed TO
the Palisade Amusement Company for
S75, coo. There was no assessment for per-
sonai property. The dresses and cos
TUNES, explained Mr.. O'Donpell, were not
there on the first day of May. The As
SCISSOR thought 1900 q fair valuation,
considering the character of the build
ings. While grand and portentious. they
were liable TO be struck by lightning and
demolished at any time.
"Oh, man is likely to be struck by
lightning, too" interrupted one of the
Commissioners.
"But consider the amount of electricity
used thereW
Eyes, a mans got TO take electricity
into consideration, too, retorted the Com
missioner.
The County Park property (King's es-
tate), forty-one acres, is assessed at S9O.-
600, and the Brown tract, upon which the
splendid old Brown mansion, with its
forty-three rooms, now converted into a
pany's employees, is assessed at Sl57 200.
-Four acres h,sye been sold as roadway to
Eldorado. The commissioners appeared
to think the valuations upon these last
two mentioned properties about fair.
The Gutenberg race track property
was assessed by Mr.. O'Donnell as fol-
lows:-Stables, 5000; club room, 81. 500;
pool room, Sc, 500; grand stand, IS. 500; one
thousand feet of shed, 81. .0o0; Office build
ing, 81 500; building adjoining, 1000; one
thousand feet OF covered shed, So 600;
fen ces, s., 600 Total, So. 900. The land Is
assessed at zoo. Personal property,
$500.