The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-11-30
MR.. SIMPSONS YAWP
Eight iCkers Resolve Them
selves Into the Citizens
Of Greenville.
ALL OVER GRADE CROSSINGS
Mr.. Detwiller Says the Road Will
Benefit West Side Property
Owners.

A special meeting of the Sixth District
Citizens Improvement Association was
held at Bamber Hall, G~reenville, Wednes-
day evening, for the purpose of making
a final protest against the crossing at
grade of the West side Connecting Rail-
road tracks at Danforth avenue. AL
though Secretary John Morrell sent one
hundred notices to that number of Green
vile citizens, only twelve residents, in
GLIDING President Reuben Simpson n
Secretary John Morrell, responded.
In spite of the small attendance, how
ever, the meeting was a lively one, the
twelve residents taking upon themselves
the task of deciding what the railroad
shout pay to the people in consideration
for the right of crossing the thorough
fare at grade. Library Trustee Stephen
l.. Harvey was the first speaker. He
said that. as a matter of principle, all
residents should be opposed to grade
crossings, and that the experience of the
past should prompt them to a that
stand.
President Reuben Simpson spoke for
over a half hour, and among other things
he said
MR.. SIMPSONS YAWP.
Those of you who can remember as
far back as twenty years ago will recall
what a@barren place Greenville was at
that time. But look at it today. See
how 1t has developed. There are houses
by the hundred, and Improvement has
followed improvement. Twenty-Five years
hence G~reenville, including the West
Side, will be a solid city. So let us pre-
pare accordingly. Let not the coming
generation say of US that we were neg
lectful of their interests. In face of
everything that we have to guide US, 1
can't see any other duty but to demano
elevation. If the railroad cannot be com
PEELED to elevate now, we should insist
upon an iron-clad agreement by which
the railroad viii be compelled, at the ex-
piration of a umbe of years, to raise
their tracks, providing the circumstance
make this necessary.
IF the railroad is fair and honest in
this matter it will see nothing but JUS
tice in our demands; If the railroad
grants US what we ash we should make
sure that whatever agreement We make
IS strong and binding. In my past ex-
p~erience with railroa6s here l have
promises. no prove what I say I neeG
but refer you to the Lehigh Valley Rail-
road. When his road wanted to cross
avenue D It promised to sewer that street
and put it in first-class condition. OF
course, the sewer never came, but the
railroad left a bank of earth there in
stead that will cost thousands to remove.
Consequently whatever demands we
authorities, SO that, If aeceded to by the
railroad, we can force the performance
Of all promises"
Finance Commissioner Jacob J. Det-
wiilef, who owns all the property in the
vicinity of Danforth. avenue, where the
railroad wishes to cross, and who has
been repeatedly hauled over the Goals by
the kicking G~reenville property owners
tor committing the awful crime of SELL
ing property to a railroad, was also
present, and at the conclusion of Mr..
Simpsons address, he made an address
in defence. He said:-
MIR. DETWILLER'S REPLY.
1T seems to me you are very much ex-
ercised over the prospect of an improve
nent. In explanation or my position in
this matter | wish to say that 1 was
instrumental in having his road built.
Owning a large tract of land on the West
Side, l realized that it would be useless
to attempt to improve it or sell it unless
facilities for reaching the same were af-
forded. l interested a number of other
gentlemen in the matter, and l was elect
ed q director. We organized solely for
the urpos of creating a market value
for our lands. Everyone knows that In
It's present condition the property is a
DGTIGl Waste. lHGIS are III SlI6GlS loaQ-
lag to it, and, even if there were, it would
be such an Inconvenience to reach the
markets that manufacturers would never
build factories there. l personally own
all the property on Danforth avenue, 600
feet east of the railroad line, and l
a a greater interest in that locality
than n of you gentlemen.
II have been paying taxes on those
lands regularly for the past thirty years,
and still there is no prospect of ever
making a sale. 1t is absolutely necessary
that something should be done We
would have plenty of offers If we only
had facilities for reaching the place. The
| property owners on the West Side want
the railroad, and for the past six years
gether with the other gentlemen, sold
out our interest in the railroad. 1t was
our intention to connect with the Erie,
D.,.L. & w. Pennsylvania and Central
| the Central Railroad. The past financial
crisis delayed the work, but now thai
there is a prospect Of better times we
property. 1t is very likely that there
will be a depot at Danforth avenue, and
Il you make the road elevate, this will
be Impossible. At present the road will
carry only freight, but if the condition
of things demands it, it Is more than
likely that in the future passenger rains
will also be run. l am decidedly in favor
of a grade crossing, because it is not adj
~vantageous or advisable to elevate.
If the road ran through a public street,
as Mr. Simpson and Mr.. Harvey wish to
| prove. it would be different. l am in
| favor of improvements every time, no
matter through whom or by whom they
| come. 1 have been a resident here for
thirty years, and never Kicked against an
Improvement.
SAYS HE DID KICK.
We'll, you did kick against an i'm
| provement," interposed Mr.. Morrell.
''You kicked against and killed our West
Side Sawer.'
Il do not deny" replied Mr., Detwiller,
! u~ndaunted, that | kicked against that
| sewer. l never made an explanation, but
/ see that the time to do SO has come.
| kicked against that sewer because, in
| the first place, you were going to pay
1923, 900 when it could have been built for
$22, 900, and, secondly, because it was a
brick sewer. To build a sewer of brick
on marsh land is folly. and l favored an
iron pipe sewer"
This matter having been settled, Mr..
| Detwiller continued
Nov, here comes an Improvement,
and you shout and cry out against it.
It is ridiculous. The railroad will be the
biggest Improvement that could be given