The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-03-02
TWO-SPAN BRIDGE.
Freeho1ders Debate tn e
Building of One Over
the Penasy Cut.
ARGUMENT ADVANCED BY ELLIS
An Electrical Engineer Appointed
Other Business Of Import
ance Transacted.


his opinion concerning the proposed Boule-
ward bridge over the Pennsylvania Railroad
cut in language terse and to the point. The
Freebooter is a forcible speaker, and when
he says a thing he Is always prepared to
back it up by facts and figures, which are
very hard to ignore. This was the case yes
terday. During the meeting Freebooter
Ellis introduced a resolution to the effect
| that Engineer Harrison be directed to pre-
pare plans and specifications for a two-span
bridge over the cut. Freebooter Hennessey,
who favors a three-span bridge, Immediately
| offered an amendment that the matter be
referred to the Committee on New Public
| Road.
'It is immaterial to me,' said Mr.. Ellis.
ito which committee this matter goes. TIT
Pennsylvania Company is at present consld-
ering aplan for a two span bridge, and ii the
Freeholders will accept it, the company will
soon concede to the county the same rights 1t
offered if we would accept a single span
bridge. Some time ago a majority OF the
Freeholders passed a resolution for a single
span bridge, which the Director vetoed.
Through ignorance Of the law | let the reso-
why q bridge over this cut should not be
built at once. We have let contracts to
grade and pave the Boulevard to each side
of the cut, and the entire work should be
completed.
BRIDGE SHOULD BE BUILT.
"While it is immaterial to me, individually,
which kind of a bridge is built | have been
in favor of a single span bridge. My reason
for this is because it would be cheaper. The
presiding officer of this board did not agree
with me, and he spoke of facts in his veto
which conveyed to the public the idea that
it was proposed to cross the cut In a
different manner from that Of the bridge
over the Central and Lehigh Valley roads.
l desire to call his attention to the fact that
we had plans and specifications for the
bridge submitted to the Pennsylvania
| Company's engineer before anything was
done, and the plans were thoroughly dis
cussed by members of this board.
The two cases are not parallel. Another
thing the presiding officer gave to the public
was the assertion that a three-span bridge
would save the county $4,000. l deny this
| statement. | nave Engineer Harrison's fig
ures, and 1t is by his figures that this board
is bound, that a single span bridge would not
cost the county more than SO, 600 more than
a three-span bridge. Then, too, II a single
span bridge had been decided on, the Penn
~sylvania Company would have given the
county sixteen full lots, worth $500 each, or
| $50 0 in all, and the necessity for a commits
| sion of condemnation would be avoided, and
| thereby 81, 500 would have been saved, which
| would make the total actual cost OF a single
span bridge but $500 less than a three7span
| bridge, according to the figures of the en-
gineer.
"But on the other hand, by not accepting
the proposition of the Pennsylvania COM
pany, we come up against a rich railroad
corporation who can say, you shall not cross
our road as long as we can prevent It,, and
everyone knows what that means, and the
| Do,~o,I-..;o no M oan koon tho pOIlOtU
from crossing for a long time and envolve it
into a very expensive law suit.
IF we agree to except a single or q double
span bridge, we can do it at once. If we do
not, 1 prophesy that it will be many years
before a bridge crosses this cut"
THE OPPOSITION.
The opposition, headed by Freebooter Hen
Messy, contented itself by renewing the
motion that the matter be referred to the
Committee on New Public Road. MI. Hen
nessey suggested that this course would be
the better one, for he understood that En-
gineer Harrison was preparing a plan FOL
a three-span bridge, and both plans should
be submitted together.
1T was for this purpose that / offered the
resolution" said F~reeholder Ellis. II want
the plant for a single, double and triple
span bridge submitted at the same time, SC
that upon comparison the best plan could
be selected"
DIRECTOR Dfu02culduu Sduu UldU JILL OlhAlS
time ago two resolutions had been adopted
by the board. One was that the Engineer be
instructed to draw plans for a column
bridge and the other to the effect that
sci to the'board should wait on the Pensyl
vania Company and make arrangements,
He said that if the engineer and counsel
had not been satisfied to do this, there was
no reason why the bridge matter should
come up at the meeting.
.tWell, I do" exclaimed Freebooter Ellis,
"for it is an entirely new plan. A double
span bridge will be a little cheaper than 9
single span, and a little more expea5l7e than
a three span bridge"
~ did not understand that this was an
entirely new matter" replied the Director,
apologetically.
A vote was taken on the amendment to
refer the resolution to the Committee on
New Public Road, and the amendment was
adopted by a vote as follows:-
For the observation-disclosures Heller,
Doscher, Cronin, Gallagher, Kelly-6.
Against the observation-disclosures. Ellis,
McNally, Swartz-4.
OTHER BUSINESS TRANSACTED.
Bids were received by the board for the
construction of. an iron fence and an arti
fetal stone pavement on Pavonia avenue Ia
front of the Hall of Records as follows:-
both fence and walk, and for the fence alone
Michael W. Grace, Jeckel & Co., Alexander
Hammil, j. M. Haas and William F,
Schwenck. For artificial sidewalk only;
Michael Cannon, M. j. Cnrley, Thomas Nc
Cabe, George Pustanchan and John Parker.
The bids were referred.
The resignation of Mrs. f. Heasley, at
tendant at the Asylum, was accepted by the
board, and Mrs. Mary White was appointed
in her place at a salary OF $300 a year.
August Grossman, custodian of buildings
that had been acquired by condemnation
proceedings for the Boulevard, resigned his
position, alleging as a reason therefor thai
there was no longer any necessity for a Gus
todian of buildings. His resignation was
accepted.
The contractors who supply dry goods and
miscellaneous articles were notified to at
once fill the acquisitions that had been made
on them for supplies, or the same would be
purchased in open market and the difference
in the cost charged against the contractors,
Al receipt was read which set forth thai
County Collector Dugan had received 1926.
rs from the New Jersey Trap Rock Com
pany for the use of water furnished the
company at Snake Hill.
Judge McGrath rendered IN opinion that
the board might pay the expenses in the
election contests of Freeholders Hanna,
Swartz and Noonan If it saw fit to do so
The opinion said hat there was an abund-
ance of precedent for such action.
The board accepted the contracts for grad
ing, sewering and curbing Sections ! and II
of the Boulevard, and ordered final payment
to be made to the contractors, the Hudson
Contracting Company.
Charles Ii. Davis, a civil engineer at No.
100 Broadway, was appointed consulting
electric engineer, to examine the bids for the
electric light plant at Snake Hill.