The Jersey City news., 1892-02-10
HARRISON HITS BACK.
A Full Reply to the Jour
nails" Boulevard
SANDERS.
JUDGE KNAPP APPROVED.
But There Was No Interview at All
On the Fatal Day-Facts and
Figures About the Road
and Expenditures.

CuleL EuSiueer q. W. f1dEIlSou, VI III
County Road, was somewhat exercised
this morning over an article which ap-
peared In last nights Journal. charging
himwith extravaganza in having expended
$4,000. odd on the County Road before
spadeful of earth had been turned. In
view of the patient painstaking efforts OF
Mr.. Harrison TO successfully carry
out the idea of boule ward extending
rom one end of the County to the other
with credit to himself, the Journals ac-
count and insinuations appear, to all
levelheaded business men, to be some-
uncalled for.
II plead guilty" said Mr.. Harrison to
NEWS reporter this morning, ito spend-
the preliminary work of the Coun-
ty Road. but 1 maintain aud
can prove that every dollar was we'll
spent and with a dollars worth of re-
suits. am satisfied to leave my work to
any competent engineer In ; the cou county ynd to
for him to prove me wrong,
if he can, when say that have, instead
of being wasteful. saved the county
something like $350,000 in the cost of con-
structing the road. I am an engineer,
appointed by the Court to build the road,
HAS WORKED CAREFULLY
I have calculated every move carefully
and have spent weeks, in de.
termining what was best for
the county's interests. to be
done. The sum of $780, 900 looks large,
but 1t does not amount to row OF pins
in actual construction on any big under
taking, and my plan has been TO spend
whatever might be necessary as the
outset, however large it might appear, in
order ord. IT to .s save na In the hm,,4 end; We "
and bridged for the million dollars,
quite difference from the plan of 1868
when the cost was estimated. with half
present population, at s2.6oo.ooo I don't
propose to have any mistakes,
ssss snS The ] hno%I rosd osn ansn be | buiiy sny
for million, that it won't cost three.
provided, of course, that the Condemna-
tion Commissioners do, as presume they
will, their duty.
DID NOT SEE JUDGE KNAPP.
tIn the first place," continued Mr..
Harrison, "the Journal seems to mint
that I with my big bills was In some
respects responsible for the agitation that
Immediately preceded, IL 1t did not cause,
Judge .Knapp's, death; As a matter
Of fact t,s a.1 ;. dig dig mot not ,aes see
talk with him about the road and It's cost,
and then, as always, we were in perfect
accord. The dav before his death we
arranged, in the presence of Judge
LippiD cott to get out a report of all the
work done and money spent. ]. as a
court appointee, it was thought, should
report to the Court, leaving it TO Judge
puDId RnaPp if deemsd ms1' best ans mfstss hase
the manuscript of the report nearly
ready, and will submit it in a few days.
JUDGE KNAPP APPROVED.
Ind II ipt tQd
with all my plans and the methods
/ had determined upon in bui1dJ
ing the road, and he approved
of them in every detail. AS an
engineer am supposed 10 know what |
am doing, and professional pride. if
nothing else, would lead, and will lead.
to my resignation If there was or is any
real dissatisfaction. Instead of any fault
finding. however. l had Judge Knapp's
complete sympathy and support.
Now, as to my methods. The Journals s
statement of figures is evidently taken
from the County Collectors report and is
correct. but Judge Knapp never said,
to my knowledge that $500 a
mile was ample for engineering
expenses No sane man would say that.
In New York State the sworn statement
of railroad engineers proves that In 3,415
miles of road built the engineering ex-
penses averaged $4,000 per mile. In
Brooklyn they were $9.671 per mile, and
In the Spuyten Duyvil railroad, $12,243.
"Irf starting, my plan was to save in
construction by care In locating the road;
to save $50 in construction by spending
one for engineering. In consequence,
$4,000 was spent In preliminaries before
q stake was driven. Such plan
is naturally expensive at the outset, but
it enables us to determine exactly and
scientifically what is to be done.
and saves money over the old
methods of slapping through regardless
of consequences. My maps show every
rock on the road. and the careful study
and survey OF the ground enabled us to
avoid such obstacles or remove them, as
the surroundings proved most ad-
visable. No man can tell from a
field survey the cheapest route for
road. That was the old way. My
plan, as followed. was to prepare from
survey map showing every detail OF the
belt through which the road was to run.
That map was made and it shows
every inch of the route. 1t is
an absolute picture. Every house,
its cost and size and The lot lit stands on
on is shown, as are also the streets, their
all the sewers with their grades
to save the county as far
nossible the cost of sewering theroad-all
the grades OF the road itself with cross
section levels to determine the precise
amount Of filling or cutting aoo required G0red
affected by the route. covering territory
81 II miles long and 1853 acres in extent.
Tnat picture enabled the location
of the road to be made, by
means of study of the surroundings, SO
that am sure myvement of foot.
either way, would mean difference in
cost of thousands of dollars. So clearly
is the line erawn that two inches.
in places, would mean the cost OF
expensive buildings saddled upon the
county. The plan was that Of
haIancing scale To take $1,000
hnuse might look costly, but to
swing the line ten feet to the other side
would mean, little further along, $40, 600
for filling or excavation. The total cost
nf this important work was SIS, $40. or
e674 per mile, $11 30 per acre. Il, private
surveys. one lot costs $40. AS $500 were
Infected, the question Is, did this pay OF
not? -,
from this map, avoiding all expense,
where possible in the construc-
lion that is to follow, an
Idea practicable through, no other aeI
means. Through the cost OF that SIS OoG
map. showing fourteen miles Of road,
wns enabled to save $3.50. QUO. H.
bv carelessness. had struck
nv ten houses on each mile
wouId not have been blamed,
INF the county would have had TO pay
he bills, an average of 5000 per house