The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-05-31
GREAT RAILWAY WORK.
How the North Hudson
County Road Is Scaling
the Palisades.
A VERY TALL ELEVATOR
The New Line May Be Extended as
Far as Englewood.

Que of the most remarkable railroad
structures that has yet been attempted in
this county is now In course of erection
just above the grounds of the Palisade
Amusement and Exhibition Company.
The structure Is remarkable on account
of its height and the difficulties to be
surnounted in It's construction.
The job Is being undertaken by the
North Hudson County Railway Company,
and although the immediate aim of the
road is to convey passengers from the
West Shore ferry to the Amusement
grounds, the railroad company will not
confine is scope to such a small area, but
will continue the road to Union Hill and
perhaps to Engiewood. thereby becoming
formidable rival to the Northern Rail-
road of New Jersey,
visited the scene of operation yester-
day afternoon, and Mr. John Fallon, who
is engineering the big job, kindly showed
me Whit was being done. Anyone who
has been in the locality knows how the
land about there lies. The West Shore
ferry from Forty-second and Jay streets,
New York, comes in at q point directly
opposite the northern end oil Union Hill.
There is level stretch of land for about
quarter of mile from the ferry west,
AMI then the high cliffs With Highwood
Park IN the southwest and the grounds Of
the Palisade Amusement aud Exhibition
Company almost directly west.
When the projectors Of the amusement
company decided to make the big i'm
provements on the bluff that are now I'M
der way the North Hudson County Rail-
way Company was asked to provide some
means Of conveying the patrons of the
show to the grounds aud the railway COM
pany at once took tue matter in hand
and now are we'll advanced.
A TALL. ELEVATOR
About two hundred feet north Of the
entrance to the ferry there looms an i'm
mense structure built on piles thirty feet
In length. This structure Is not yet COM
pleted, but it can be seen for miles on the
river 1t will be $50 feet high, and one of
the towers of the span will be forty feet
higher so that the highest point
will be 1870 feet. This building will be
known as the elevator. 1t was designed
by the Eiffel towers architect. Within
this structure there win be three cages.
Each Of these cages are capable of hold
ing $50 people, and will convey passen-
gers to the top, where there will be a
large station and the passengers In the
cages will board cars. A dummy will be
attached and they will be whisked off to
the amusement grounds on the cliff in
one minute.
mannerin which this big elevator is built
and he has reason to. as it is a marvel
From the station at. the top of the
elevator to the edge OF the bluff the
road will be spanned. The longest span
will be $50 feer.
LAYING THE TRACKS.
On the bluff is the busiest scene Just
now. The tracks had TO be laid in an exca-
yation of ns least fifteen feet. One reason
that this excavation had to be made was
because the lines Of the county road
touched the bluff. and would have to
cross. Now the county road can cross the
| cut on a bridge
To excavate fifteen feet for a distance
| OF nearly three-quarters of mile when
| ten feet OF the excavation is solid rock is
| no small undertaking, but the work Is
I being rapidly pushed forward. Half
| dozen steam drills are boring holes in the
big boulders for dynamite blasting. A
couple of huge derricks carry off the rock
as fast as 1t accumulates.
When the road bed is leveled off the
work OF laying tracks Will be begun, and
station will be built at the entrance to
the grounds of the amusement company.
AS the road may not be completed by the
time that the amusement grounds open,
the amusement company will provide
carriages for their patrons aud will also
build q stairway leading to the bluff
This will be very high stairway. Mr..
Fallon is enthusiastic over the success at
tending the work thus far.
1.-THE road will not end here by any
means,n said he. 'sThe intention is to
continue it to Hudson avenue, Union
Hill, and then north. Perhaps It may
reach Englewood. The structure is very
strong and will easily bear the weight of
big locomotive and freight train, al
though 1t may never be used for that pur-
pose"
Mr.. Fallon said that the estimated cost
of the construction was $500 900, and that
it was expected that the road would be
carrying passengers to the amusement
grounds by July Is.
While the North Hudson County road
is providing rapid transit in the northern
part of the county it is not idle in the
central portion. The elevated road In
course of erection from the Palisade ave-
nue. station TO Favonia and Summit ave-
nues Is under Roadway. Last week the
guard rails were laid and rapid COM
municatiou will be established between
upper Newark avenue and the HoDoken
ferries within couple of months.