The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-12-12
SOUTH cove LAND.
The Manner in Which 1t
Will Benefit Jersey
City's People.
AN INTERESTING STORY.
low the Tidewater Basin Was
Saved to the Public By
Fifteen Minutes.

Inc Stars and Stripes hoated exuItfnolv
from the staff of the City Hall, Saturday
a1lernoon In honor of the great victory
which Corporation Counsel Edwards won
1of tne city in the great South Cove case.
Inc nag was raised by order of Navor
"anser, VINO is particularly pleased
villa the victory. There was much
rejoicing among citizens over the result
ana unstinted praise was bestowed upon
Mr, Edwards for the energy and vigor
Win which he prosecuted the suit in the
lace of the formidable opposition whicn
ne encountered on all sides. The ac-
QUESTION of this vast tract of land.
situated as it will be upon a deep tide
water basin. will be Of great value to the
city.
Jersey City might as well be an inland
city today for all the benefit her grear
water front is to- her. Corporations have
gopoied up all the available docks and
WharVes so that the city has no place in
tne hudson River, even to
perty which the city has Just won Will
change all this. Situated as it will be.
upon broad, deep tidewater basin 500
ieet VIDE aud extending from Warren
street to Washington street. it will
enable the city to construct several
large Wharyes at which the larg-
es' craIG IN tne haroor can dock.
IMPORTANCE OF THE GRANT.
Such Il disposition of the land WouId
greatly improve the condition of thai
part or the city. Streets would be laid
out across the track, and the com rnerce
which the wharves in the basin would
attract would in time build uD the neigh
IN l.
increase IN value. and the city would rs-
celVs the benefit which would aucru. in
lakes from the increase in the value OF
The land.
Mr.. Edwards Is greatly pleased over his
victory, and Justly so. Tne litigation
caused MIN much trouble, and the OBJ
stacles be had TO contend against hardly
seemed impossible to overcome.
MI. Edwards said this morning that, as
soon as the necessary papers arrived from
trenton, Immediate steps would be taken
to put the city into possession OF the
property. The technical description of
this:-
commencing at point in the centre
OF Van Worst street. If the same was ex-
tended, southerly and distant 1900 feet
soutnerly from the southerly line Of
Grand street, and from thence running
westerly and parallel with Grand strest.
one Thousand and ninety feet; thence
nor6herly at right angles with Grand
street eight hundred and ten feet to the
| centre of Morris street. il ex-
tended westerly; thence easterly aud
parallel with Grand street, to the present
nigh water mark on the westerly
de of the Norris Canal; thence south.
easterly along said high water mark to
the centre of Van Worst street; themes
Southerly through the centre of Van
Worst street, if extended southerIy. to the
place Of beginning
PROPERTY WIPED OUT.
One o: the eresults OF the sweeping VIC
tory would be the wiping out of two es-
tates which have sprung up out of the
old wster way. One of these, the estate
of William NJ. Force, has 80 feet fronting
| ON the line parallel with Warren street
with a depth of 230 feet. This is
worth about S150,0O0. The other
| track is worth about 100000
| aud Is to the west of the Ford tract. 1t
| is owned by the Jersey City Steel Works
| aud upon it are erected several buildings
which are used by the steel works in the
course of It's business. This land
was purchased by the pres
ent ostensble owners from the
| Central Railroad Company, which re-
claimed it from the waterway, known as
Broadway under the grant of the Ripar-
| ian Commissioners. which shifted Broad
way to the south 500 feet. aud which
| change OF location was afterwards set
aside by the courts.
The city's victory will compel the re-
storati9n of the waterway back to the
| original position defined by the act of
1872. which made the grant to the city.
This will wipe out 800 feet of the Force
and Steel Works property, aud leave the
Force estate only ten feet upon Warren
street line.
There is an interesting story connected
with this case which has not yet appeared
| above the surface. The Central Railroad
based Its application to the RIPARIAN
Commissioners to shift the channel of
Broadway 800 feet to the south upon law
which gave the Commissioners the
authority to change such basins or water
ways which then existed. This act was
drawn up by Jacob NJ. Clark, the en-
gineer of the New Jersey Central Rail-
road aud became a law the same day that
the act ceding the property to Jersey
City did. 1t became a matter of utmost
importance to determine which of these
acts became a law first. II
| the act granting the act to Jersey
city was law where the other was ap-
proved. there the line of the channel as
fixed by the Legislature then existed aud
came within the scope of authority given
the Commissioners to change the lines.
il on the contrary, the act giving the
Commissioners the authority, was passed
first, the lines as fixed in the grant did
not exist at the ''then" meant in the act
and the Commissioners had not authority
to change them afterward.
A long, tedious search was made
through the State archives In the Secre-
tary of States office aud it was discovered
that the act giving the Commissioners
authority to change the lines was aD-
proved first by about fifteen minutes.
And so it happened that the tide water
basin was saved bY quarter of an hour
AID Jersey Ctty's new property given q
water front.