The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-02-21

b1N NDAotAtiiuE bAE AIEtuA uccu VI a.
hospital, he thought the area proposed
would be restricted.
The hearing was then adjourned till
half-past ten O'Clock tDis morning.
THIS MORNINGS PROCEEDINGS.
Engineer Harrison Says There Is =
Good Demand for Trap Rock
Judge McGrath opened the proceedings
this morning Dy requesting the news
paper men 10 report the proceedings
fairly. he complained that the reports
were all one sided and highly colored in
the interests Of the applicants for the
writ Although the Judge spoke gen.
orally, he referred particularly TO the
EUentug Journal, which has not only
given the testimony but has commented
upon il IS Il went along Engineer Ed-
low W. Harrison was the first witness
this morning. He testified that he was
acquainted with the property and be con-
sidered the trap rock on the property the
best around New York from the fact that
it was 50 accessible. He also said there
was a good market now for trap rock and
was increasing from the fact that 1t was
the best material for ballasting railroads
aud the railroads were using it as far
West as 1t paid them to haul IL. The
Pennsylvania Railroad now had 900, 900
cubic yards of this ballasting and required
from to 10 per cent. for renewals.
IL was also extensively usec in con-
structing teiford aud macadam roads.
Staten Island was using great quantity
on its roads, and all the Essex county
roads were laid with trap rock. The
county was using considerable now, and
the new county road would require q
large quantity. 1t was also
used for concrete for foundations.
As engineer of the new elevated road, he
proposed 70 put down piers OF the rock.
instead Of brick, Of fifteen tons weight.
Already thirty of those piers had been
put down on the property OF the Central
Railroad. Similar concrete piers were
used for the elevated roads Ill Brooklyn
and New York.
Almost every city, Mr. Harrison con-
tinued, west Of the Allegheny Mountains
had discarded trap block pavements, and
In its place were using asphaite, which In
the opinion Of engineers was the coming
pavement, and In consequence there was
an increased demand for the trap rock
1 The demand for trap blocks pavement
had fallen of. and the block was used
only for inferior work.
The new County Road would
be fourteen miles and would require
thousands aud thousands of cubic yards
of tnis trap rock. In Mr.. Harrison s
opinion the property in question is most
7
he did nos know OF an existing quarry
from which the material needed for the
road could be obtained as easily as II
could ffom snake Hill. The nearest point
with equal transportation facilities was
Tompklns Cove, about sixty miles
from New York, but the stone
found there was of an inferior
quality and not so durable. In his judg-
menU a contractor could we'll afford 10
/ pay royalty of from seven TO ten cents a
/ yard for the privilege OF putting Up MS
own plants and taking out the stone as II
now lies in its natural bed on Snake Hill
| 1t made very handsome building stone
and would be excellent for county build
ings. Mr. Harrison said that among the
| buildings already erected out OF the stone
was the Court House. ST. PatricKis
| Church and the Monastery.
| Mr.. Edwards cross examined Mr.. Har-
rison, who. continuing, said that he mad
not been TO Snake Hill recently to virIu-
ally examine the trap rock on the Thur
ber-Smlth property. De had not examined
I it 10 see il the seams could be worked.
| The trap rock was formed by a volcanic
action. IL came up as heated mass and
the outside cooled trst, which accounted
for the fact tnat the outside was
the border. He never saw any
paving stones from there aud could
not tell whether any paving blocks were
/ made. The PennsylTania road got its
ballast from Mount Pleasant and the ex-
tension OF cut. The Palisades, from
Nyack TO Bergen Point was made 0f trap
| rock.
Mr.. Harrison said that from all sources
an average Of 10000 cubic yards Of trap
| rock had been taken out of Hudson
| county each year during the past few
years.
The bulk Of that was obtained back Of
| the West Shore, partly by the railroads
aud partly by private contractors. Prob
/ ably one halt of that was used by the
railroads which have taken IL out Of their
/ own land.
| The Snake Hill quarries furnished only
4 a small proportion OF the amount taken
/ out OF the county.
Most OF the rock used in Essex county
/ came from Orange. A great deal OF that
used in Union county came from near
/ Summit and back of Piainheld. AbouI
| four hundred yards have been used
so far in the construction of the
/ L road, aud about five thousand more
| yards will be required. An average run.
/ ming .Oof Of ROAD in this county would re-
quire 2 cubic yards of crushed stone,
/ which would make 10 200 to the running
/ mile. Ia his judgement as an engineer,
/ Mr. Harrison said the stone for the eoun-
/ Is road could be furnished cheaper and
\ better from Snake Hill. The new
county road wodld require go,
4 uDJ yarOs OF trap ROCK Al
1 though there was that quantity Of
rock on the property now owned BY the
county it would rot be safe TO take il out.
/ as il would leave a portion of the Hill
occupied By the county institutions in a
I bad shape. Ine value OF The property
/ Mr.. Harrison figured in this way. II
| steam crushers and an improved plan
| including scows aud tugs, we
placed there it would be valunb
4 Tor ouarrv Ourposes Ia twenty yea
the rock Will be cut away, and then wigu
the railroad facilities ana the fact that il
| will be the only properly with a hard bot
tom on deep water will make it exceed
I ingiy valuable as the site tor an oil works
or a foundry. Tne demand for crush
rock was in its infancy and Just com
menced- Il was likely to increase
I greatly
Sheriff Whelan's bereavement
The wife Of Deputy Sheriff Joseph A.
| Whelan died yesterday suddenly, al
I .sra zfa had for %