The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-01-05
span BRIDGE VETOED
Director Bruggemann Says
a Column Bridge Would
Be Much Cheaper.
pENNSY'S OFFER NOT SUFFICIENT.
Construction of the Boulevard
Makes Valuable Railroad Prop
erty-County Should Receive
Some Benefit.

At the meeting of the Board of Freehold
ers yesterday it was decided to advertise for
proposals for an electric light plant to be
used in lighting the County Boulevard. The
plant will be operated by the county. A
committee was appointed to select a site for
the power building at Snake Hill. A num-
| Der of judgments in Boulevard cases were
referred to the Finance Committee. Michael
| Kelleher, the contra tor for the new asylum
| at Snake Hill, reques ed the board to extend
| the time for the completion of the building
| eight months, but Architect Kreitler in
| formed Freebooter Ellis that a six months
| extension of time would be sufficient, and
| the board agreed with him and granted
| Kelleher that much more time.
William Burke, the carpenter at Snake
Hill who was recently dismissed by the board,
sent it a communication in which heprotested
against such action and said that ne was a
veteran soldier, and that under the act OF
March 9, 1891, he could not be removed ex-
cept for cause. He insisted on being rem
stated. This letter was referred to the pro-
per committee.
The Township Council of Kearney at a
recent meeting requested the board TO hla,
cadamlze River road, and not having heard
from the f~reeholders sent them another COM
munication yesterday. 1t is stated that
Kearny was taxed for the County Boulevard
but received no benefits from it. The Rlvef
road if put into proper repair would pc a
great benefit to Kearny, and the township
Council asked that a committee be appointed
to confer with the council. TINS requesb
was granted.
DIR. >B~RUGGEMANN'S VETO.
At the last meeting of the Board a resoiu-
tion was adopted that a single span bridge Tor
the Boulevard be built over the Pennsylvania
Railroad cut. Director ~Bruggemann vetoed
this resolution yesterday. This Is b ne SAID:
herewith return to you without my approval
the resolution passed at a regular meeting OF
| your body held on Thursday, December ~. 1878.
which resolution purports to authorize Chlet
! Engineer Harrison to prepare and perfect plaus
for a proposed bridge over the Pennsylvahla
| Railroad ar a point where the line OF the new
| Public Road is to cross said railroad.
In the first place the resolution is somewhat
| inconsistent in its language starting out WITH an
| approval of some .'plan or sketch" OF a single
span bridge and then proceeding to instruct the
1 Chief Engineer ITO complete and perfect same
| plans But aside from this seeming incon-
| gruity and accepting the probable intent and
meaning of the resolution, l am obliged 10 ais
| approve of your action in this matter as oeing
in nv Judgment against the Interests or ths
| people Of this county. and principally for the
| following reasons;-
1t has been explained by the Chief Engineer
to the COMMITTEES on New County Road thar q
| column bridge would answer the purpose as
| well as q single span bridge and could be cou-
structed, according to his Estimate, Tor ABOUT
| $40 OG0 less. | fail TO understand why you
should neglect to save this large sum for the
tax payers of the county with whose interests
you are intrusted. 1t is claimed on behalf OF
the railroad company that the LAND onereo OF 70
| he coded to the county on condition of the con-
| struction of q single span bridge. is very valu-
able aud that consequently ii tue railroad com
pany insisted upon condemnation proceedings
| the county would be subjected to greater ex-
| penses than the difference in the cost OF the Two
| styles OF bridges as above mentioned: After
| making careful Investigation on this point
i am convinced that such is not the case
but that, on the contrary, the land in question Is
| now OF very little value. find that by q recent
| property in the immediate vicinity, q large
| house and some twelve lots of land were sold
for about SO. 500. In fact by the construction or
| the road at that point, the land OF the railroad
| company is opened up and rendered valuable
| and made marketable, which the company
| should ia all fairness take into consideration IN
dealing with the board on this subject. l should
| not want any action of mine TO delay IN the
| least, the progress in this Improvement. ana
| trust the railroad company Will admit tne Iorce
of these statements and concede that the tax
| payers of this county have rights. as wen as
railroad corporations.
Again, when so many vast sums OF money
| are required to be expended on the work or this
| public road, and the burden falls equally upon
the people of the county, too great vigilance
and care cannot be exercised by us to see that
the peoples money is used as economically anc
judiciously as possible.
Before closing I want to call your attention to
the concluding paragraph of the resolution re-
ferring to a communication or offer from the
| attorney of tho Pennsylvania Railroad Com
| pany, upon which the resolution is based.
Far be it from my purpose to cast any rehec-
tiou upon the honor or integrity or the gentle
| men from whom the communication comes, but
it seems to me that 10 arranging so important a
business transaction it should be done with far
49, hD n nanro \ ~ oRnN.
| munication from an attorney, 1t should be in
the shape of O formal agreement written and
signed by the duly authorized officers or the
railroad company and sealed with their corpor-
| ate seal, and likewise on the part OF the county
as was required and done heretofore in the cases
| of the Lehign Valley Railroad Company and
Central Railroad Of New Jersey.
thrust you will carefully consider this COM
munication before proceeding any further with
the business TO which the resolution refers.
The veto was laid over under the rules, and
will be acted on at the next meeting.
DOUBLE TRACK OF BRIDGE.
The question of permitting the Jersey City
and Harrison Railroad Company to lay a
| double track instead of a single one over the
new iron bridge at the foot of Newark ave-
nue. came up for discussion. Permission
| was given several months g to the COM
| pany to lay a single track. 1t was decided
to permit the compan to place two tracks
on the bridge.
Director Bruggemann, at this point, said
he desired to cali the attention of the free
holders to the discharge OF prisoners by the
Grand Jury.
.'The Grand Jury have liberated prison
ers,n he said, s'and / believe it to be the duty
! of the Committee on Court House n Jail
to send to this board a report of these
proceedings. The board is responsible
for the safe keeping of prisoners, and
to permit the release of any without the or
der of the court is an indictable offense.
The jailer is simply the custodian of our
property and our agent. hope the commit
tee will take cognizance of this matter and
make a full report"
Engineer Harrison was directed to pre-
pare a list of all the expenditures for the
county Boulevard from its inception to date,
SO that the board might publish the same as
an advertisement for the benefit of taxpay-
ers who desire to know what the freeholders
AVE been doing with their money.
A resolution offered by Freebooter Ellis
was adopted. 1t provided that the clerk
shall advertise for sale 100000 of AZ per
cent. thirty years Boulevard bonds, in lots
of $40, 900 or more. The money, Mr.. Ellis
explained, will be necessary when the work
of paving and macadamizing the Boulevard
begins in the spring. Tn bonds will be sold
February 1.
The board decided to purchase a team of