Bridgeton pioneer., 1893-07-20
BOARD OF FREEHOLDERS.
They Grant the Traction Conn
pany the Right to Pass the
County Property ON Broad

| county PrSporty ON Broad
| street.
The Board of Freeholders Wednes-
| day afternoon at two o'clock, met the
special committee of that body on
Broad street bridge.
The meeting was informal, the whole
Board looking over the situation with
the committee and with the engineer
and others of the Traction company.
At three O'Clock the Board convened
In the Grand Jury room in the after
noon session.
The Broad street bridge matter was
the business under consideration.
The special committee through Mr..
Mr.. White, reported the situation at
Broad street bridge as they found it to
be, but would make no recommends
tion. The committee, he said felt as If
it desired the Board to give them in.
structions.
The Board did not seem inclined to
do go but accepted the report, such as
it was, and continued the committee.
County Solicitor J. Boyd Nixon, be-
ing called on for his opinion on the
question as to whether or not the
Board of Freeholders had the right to
give the right of way to the street rail-
way over Broad street bridge, as 1t had
done by resolutions adopted at the
meeting of Dec. IA, 1892. did SO in q
brief, but very emphatic manner, bis
opinion being affirmative.
He was handed by Walter n. Bacon
a certified copy of the resolution
adopted, and he said that the resolu-
tion had been submitted to him and
he had before Its adoption, written an
addition to it, the addition providing
for the appointment of committee as
we'll as for the construction and num-
ber of tracks, their location and the
weight of the rails. The additions he
had written read. "The location and
construction of tracks, and their num-
ber; the kind and weight of the rails,
to be first approved bya committee of
three to be appointed by the Director
of the Board, and the work to be of
NO expense to this county"
The original resolution WAS read by
the clerk by direction of the Director,
and reads,
ResolUed, by the Board of chosen
Freeholders of the County of Cumber-
land that permission is hereby granted
to the Bridgeton Rapid Transit Com
pany, its successors and assigns, to lay
double tracks across all such bridges
as are crossed by the route of the
Street Railway of said company, as
designated in petition this day filed
with the clerk of this Board, together
with the right to operate a street rail-
way thereon by any mechanical power
except steam. The location.and con-
struction of tracks, and their number,
the kind, weight of the rails, to be first
approved by committee of three to
be appointed by the Director of the
Board, and the work to be of no ex-
pense to the county"
He said, in reviewing the action of
the Board in passing the resolution,
that the Board had provided for the
laying of double tracks on the bridge.
but his addition had given the com.
mittee the power to determine the
number of tracks to be laid upon the
bridge.
At this point Mr.. Bacon stated that
the provision for double tracks, incor.
porated In the resolutions had been
put there at the suggestion of some
members of the Board who had
thought that double tracks would
equalize the weight upon the bridge.
Mr.. Nixon said that his opinion had
been asked for upon one question only
as he understood 1t, and that was as
to whether the Board had the right to
grant the privilege asked for to a pri-
vate corporation. II entertain no
doubt whatever" said he, 'of the en-.
tire right of the Board to do so. That
is my answer"
Continuing, he said, bridge is a
part of the highway, and the Board of
Freeholders, owning the bridge, has
the same right to grant the use of it to
street railway company that the
city authorities have to grant the use
OF the highways for a similar purpose.
He knew, he said, 1t was customary
thing for the Freeholders to grant
such rights over bridges crossing the
Passaic river.
The committee, by resolution pre-
pared by the Solicitor at the request
of the Director, was, on motion, auth
orized and instructed to employ an ex-
pert and collect such Information as
was necessary to make an agreement
with the street railway company, and
submit the same to the Board.
The resolution Is as follows:
Resolved, That the Committee on
Broad street bridge are authorized
and directed to employ an expert to
examine into the effect of the addi-
tional burden to be imposed by the
street railway; that they be empow
| cred to collect all necessary informa-