The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-03-08
A VISIT 70 SNAKE HILL.
Surroundings Spring-Like ii
Appearanee-Preparaio ions
For Planting.

The county farm at Snake Hill has already
begun to assume a ~springlike appearance,
and a score of prisoners under the personal
supervision of Warden Grimes ave re-
moved all the garden truck refuse left on
the ground since last fall. Warden Grimes
is noted for his early garden truck, and the
preparations for planting are nearly COM
pleted. The colonel is only waiting for an
assurance that frost will not again pene-
trate the land. In about another month the
warden will probably move into the hand
some brick Gothic cottage that the Free
holders have erected for him, and when he
does he will celebrate the event by a house
warming which will be an occasion that no
one will want to miss. The building is now
finished except the work to be don on the
steam heating apparatus. The warden
complains that there are fewer prisoners in
the Penitentiary than there should be and
he blames committing magistrates for this,
because so many prisoners are sent by them
to the County Jail. So dull is business at
the Penitentiary that one wing of the build
ing has not been used for six months. The
County Jail is crowded continually, and this
extra INT unnecessary expense TO the county
results only in a benefit to Jaller Robert
Davis.
The new Asylum presents a deserted APP
pearance. The two wings to the building
are practically completed, but the main
building has only the walls to the second
story built. It is boarded over to protect it
from bad weather. Work on the Asylum
will probably be resumed in April. The I'M
finished reservoir remains in a condition of
statu QUO, and although two weeks work
would finish this much-desired improvement,
there are no indications that the work will
be resumed at an early date.
STONE CRUSHING.
About the only business activity displayed
at Snake Hill, aside from gardening, is at
the stone crusher, and this is kept in opera
ton every fair day. This crusher is expected
to furnish all the crushed stone required by
the county for roads, and to bring a revenue
to the county, also from sales to private in
dividuals and corporations. Formerly the
county charged but one dollar a cubic yard
for stone, but under a resolution adopted by
the Board of Freeholders, stone may be sold
at the market price. This price has been
raised considerably over one dollar, since the
stone crushing syndicate has been formed by
all private companies that find a market in
this and New York State. Competent ex-
perts claim that the powerful stone crusher
at Snake Hill, which is the largest in the
State, ought to furnish a revenue of many
thousand dollars annually to the county. The
Freeholders themselves, when they pur-
chased the powerful new cruSher and the
greater portion of Snake Hill, boldly de-
clared that this would be the result of the
investment. So far no one has been able to
learn why the county does not receive the
great revenue.
At the Aims House the paupers looked well
and comfortable yesterday and Warden
Ryan said that the health of the inmates was
as a whole very good. The big building is
receiving a new coat of paint, which adds
much to ifs aDDearance.
A Z IMPROVEMENT.
One much needed improvement is being
made by the Freeholders, and it is one that
is highly commended by every person who
has occasion to use the County road. The
Freeholders are widening this much much
used t~horoughfare SO that the road bed will
be thirty feet wide and it will be composed
entirely of stone. The first layer of stone is
composed of heavy boulders and this is Gov
cred with smaller stones until the surface re-
ceives a heavy layer of fine crushed stone.
The work is being done entirely by convicts,
under the supervision of County Superin-
tendent Cannon and the residents at Sc
caucus are delightful with the work. 1t will
be completed by April.
DR.. King said yesterday that the Asylum
is much overcrowGeG and that he will be
greatly pleased when the new Asylum is fin
iShed,