The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-04-27
BRIEF AUTHORITY.
President Madden of the
Street and Water Board
Reelected for a
Little While.
THE TROLLEY AND THE BROOM
Talk About Asphalt, New Streets.
and the Old, Old Water
Problem.
THE TROLLEY AND THE BROOM

The Street and Water Commissioners met
at noon today and organized for the ensuing
year. Commissioner Cook, the retiring
member, was made chairman pro tenn; Sub
sequently Commissioner Madden. was re-
elected President. Upon assuming the chair
he made speech, in the course of which he
said
During the year we were called upon
to play our part in assuring to Jersey City
the long desired system of rapid transit that
is now giving it an unheard of BOOM The
large capital necessary to carry out any such
enterprise successfully has effected a grand
revolution in our city. : Electricity has
within easy reach of the ferries, and
acres of heretofore idle lands are be-
ing populated. We have room for all
comers, and are glad to see Jersey City
climbing into the place to which her geo.
graphical location clearly entitled her, addi-
tional means of communication with our
neighboring cities have also been established
and the patronage accorded to the line car
rying passengers as far as the Oranges has
already far exceeded expectations. Other
lines are being constructed and a system of
transfers that will permit our people to ride
from almost any portion of Hudson county
to the business sections of our city will be ar
ranged for.
ut is true that the overhead trolley wire
system is open to criticism, but it has worked
excellently here 1t will be time enough to
discard it when something better is devised
We are promised that this shall be DONE
There is too much at stake to ignore any i'm
provement that will render surface traction
less dangerous and less expensive.
ASPHALT PAVEMENT.
ssStill another forward stride has been
els.,< -
by the city. Contracts have been awarded
for the asphalting of Barrow street from
Grand street to Newark avenue; Eighth
street, from Grove to Coles street; East and
West Hamilton places and Pavonia avenue
from Erie street to Hamilton square. The
work is to be done under a guarantee that
will keep the new pavements in first class
shape for period of ten years, and the
price per square yard is exceedingly low
when compared with the figures paid by
other cities
'sThe board has not gone about this asphalt
business blindly, but in accordance with a
well-defined plan. Hudson county's mag
nifcent new Boulevard is approaching com
pletion, and It's fourteen miles of driveways
cannot fail to attract men of means. The
board proposes to make the Boulevard rea-
bly, accessible from the New York Fer
ries for light carriages and road wagons.
stIt is also proposed to take up all the anti
Quated cobble stone pavementS that disgrace
our city and to replace them with asphalt as
far as practicable. OF course, stone pave
ments of an improved kind, will be laid
wherever heavy traffic prevails. This work
will call for the removal of no less than
rs, 600 square yards of cobble stones
NEW STREETS TO THE HILL.
"The board carefully considered the pro-
posed opening of Thirteenth and Seventeenth
streets from the lower section of the city to
the Heights. I, for one, am heartily in fa-
vor of both projects and would secure even
more improvements of the same sort if pos
sible to do so.
WATER TALK.
ssThe city's water plant has been well kept
up and the service is being improved by the
construction of an independent 12-inch pipe
line to supply the Woodlawn section The
board has been criticised for not tapping the
main running to Bayonne to relieve the
wants of Greenville, but it was found there
were unsurmountable engineering difficulties
in connection with such q scheme The in
dependent line had to be built,
Fright here would reiterate the pressing
need of an additional conduit of ample size
across the Hackensack Meadows. The pres
ent mains are overtaxed, and any emer-
gency is liable to seriously cripple the water
supply. This was shown by the break in the
submerged line at the Hackensack River
Another conduit cannot be secured too
quickly 1t is also evident that Jersey City
needs additional facilities for the storage or
water"
The old rules of the board were adopted.
The same committees will stand for a few
weeks, until Mr.. Cooks successor is named.