The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-12-03
VIADUCT BLOCKED.
The Thirteenth Street I'm
provement May Yet Be
Stopped by the juno
ton Railroad.
A TWO YEARS TIME CLAUSE
Expiration Of the Land Concession
Before the Contracts for the
Work We're Signed.
A TWO YEARS TIME CLAUSE

For five years or more the property
owners north of the Erie railroad tracks,
headed by Messrs. A. j. Corcoran and
John Casey, have struggled to have
Thirteenth street, from Coles street, con-
nected with Hoboken avenue by means
of a viaduct. Now. when their efforts
seem crowned with success, an extra
ordinary and unexpected barrier looms
up. Some of the interested property
owners who have been indulging in a pre-
mature gloriication are ~downcast, and
all are wondering if after all their trouble
and liberal expenditure of money, their
hope is to be crushed to earth.
Although the fight was on for five
years for the opening of the street,
really no progress was made until two
years ago, when William D.. Edwards,
then Corporation Counsel, took it up.
With Mr.. Edwards, A. J.. Corcoran at
tended to that part of the work which
had to do with the Street and Water
Board.
Mr.. John Casey also left no stone un-
turned to push the Improvement. Sud-
denly a serious difficulty arose. The New
Jersey Junction Railroad owned about
4,500 feet of I'M on the line of the i'm
provement. The company declared that
the opening of the street would be abso-
lutely no benefit to it. The officials, how
ever, declared they did not wish to inter-
rupt public improvements and suggested
that if any arrangement could be made
whereby they would be relieved from as
sessment they would present no objec-
tons. Mr.. Casey went to New York
and gained audience with Mr.. Vanderbilt.
He informed him that the people inter
estsd were YER al al poor stpr people PIE havyi " paa their
waited to hear no more. He said he
favored the improvement at once. His
next move was to bring the matter
railroad and to the great joy of Mr.
Casey and other property owners, the
company e opnny ga gaY tbe to tint the e. city abs n all the ia ana
provenent. The gift was made with the
understanding that it should be accepted
and work on the Improvement be begun
within two years.
This simpliied matters greatly. w. d.
EDWARDS succeeded in getting. the neces-
was we'll. A new petition for the i'm
provement was circulated and the requf-
site number of signers procured. Plans
finally Advertised 4 fo 18th The lowe lowest K bidder
was the Wrought Iron Bridge Construct
ing Company. A few weeks ago, after
Water and Finance Commissioners and
Mayor Wanser the contract was award
ed. One week ago 1t was c~oncurred in
by the Board of Finance and all that
remained before work should be begun
was the preparation of the contracts to
be- entered into between the city and
Bridge Company.
city Attorney weart lost no time in
preparing the necessary contracts. In
looking over all the papers connected
with the Improvement he stumbled over
the two year agreement between the
Junction Railroad and the city. An in
spection of the paper showed that the
agreement had expired before the con-
tract had. even been awarded by the
Street and Water Commissioners. That
settled the whole thing in a jiffy. The
mpan holds sufficient land on the line
of the Improvement to upset it by re-
monstrating.
AS matters stand, the land once given
the city has returned to the company,
and is subject to assessment. The com
pany will not pay a dollar for the i'm
provement and unless an amicable ad-
justment of the difficulty is made the
proposed new outlet to the Hill will
have to be abandoned.
The property owners interested are in
intends having the company renew its
agreement, if possible. If he succeeds
everything will be O.. K. No work will
be DONE, however, until everything is
ship shape again.