The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-11-08
FAMOUS MILL CREEK.
Once a Source Of Pleasure and
a Terror to the Small
Boy-How 1t Got
It's Name.

AS one stands on the Grand street
bridge over Mill Creek and gets a Whit
OF the foul smelling waters as they
sluggishly crawl in or out. it is hard for
him to realize that it was once a sweet
smelling stream fed at one end by the
tides of the New York Bay and at the
other by the pure waters of a mountain
stream. which tumbled into it over the
rocks of a deep ravine in it's haste to
get from the wooded retreats of what
is now Jersey City Heights, to the open
waters of the Atlantic.
When Henry Hudson stood Upon the
deck OF his good vessel, Tde Halve
MAN." and gazed in delight upon the
beautiful prospect which the west
bank of the great river which now bears
his name presented. nothing was more
delightful than d broad creek which lost
itself in graceful curves somewhere in
the tall green rushes before him. What
is now Mill Greek then left the bay at a
point near where it now enters into
Broadway. From there it went sweeping
and bending around through the nlea-
part of what is now Grand street,
Montgomery street, the Pennsylvania
Railroad round house, Newark avenue.
by the Erie Railroad foundry near the
unnel until in that immediate neighbour
hood it met a stream which, starting
from a spring in West Hoboken. ran
south until it came in were New York
avenue now crosses Palisade avenue.
where it tok an abrupt turn, and leaping
over the rocks and boulders which stood
in its way, flung itself into the arms of
the creek.
On May 9, 1861, Egbert Sanderson and
Ton ~ n lrnieco,E rIal;&op - % Mil
won't and Amersfoort, Long Island, pc
titioned the powers that ruled the set
Element of Bergen for permission to erect
a mill on a stream at "Gemoenpae,"
which was the way the Dutch in those
days got at Communipaw, and move their
families there and be given q lot OF
land for each, which petition was grant
ed.
WHERE THE MILL STOOD.
Prosecutor Charles H. Winfield, the
historian of Hudson county, is of the
opinion that the two enterprising Long
Islanders erected their mill on the site
where Prior's Mill subsequently stood,
which was located between Newark
avenue, the old Point of Rocks, now
wiped out to make way for the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad Company's mammoth
round house. 1t was from this mill that
the stream took its name of Mill Creek.
1t was also called Greek of the Woods"
and Greek of the Highwood Lands"
because it wound around the foot of
the hill which was then crowned with
trees.
HI creek was navigable for sloops
and schooners as far as Prior's Mill,
and grain was brought by that means TO
Goodman Prlor's hoppers, and taken
away again when it had been turned into
flour II meal.
AS the county rapidly grew and the
roads were extended across the meadows,
the creek gradually began to recede.
Jersey City was laid out, as the original
plan for sewering the city provided for
main sewers running from Mill Creek.
on the west. to the Hudson River. on
the east. and it was intended by this
method to provide a system for perfect
" flushing the sewers at each tide. But
AS late as 1885 there was a saw on the
stream at the foot of the hill, but Is
was DESTROYED by fire in December of
that ear. The wreck gradually filled
up in spots, until now it stops on the
meadows, near Minis Oakum Works, on
the meadows, between Montgomery and
Mercer Streets. 1t is not so many years
ago when there was a narrow stretch
between Railroad and Newar avenues
and another between Newark avenue
and Ninth street. As recent as the early
seventies the ado between Newark
avenue, Ninth street. the Hill and Mon
mouth street were covered with water,
which in winter made a glorious skat-
ing pond for the boys and girls and young
men and women of old Jersey City. They
clear winters might, and it was on that
pond that Johnny Engler, so long Jersey
City's skatorial, pride, learned "to cut
the other fancy figures which made him
FEARFUL MONSTER.
was a section of Min Creek, a narrow,
sluggish, muddy ditch. In summer it
was skirted by tall rushes and a wealth
of m vegetation which almost hid it
from view. The stream was full of ter
rors for the small boy. 1t was said
that those who fell in never got out.
sand which quickly engulfed all who
touched it, so that every one who
once disappeared beneath its waters,
seen again.. It was also whispered in
awe-strieken tones among the younger
boys that a certain hideous and deadly
like a buzz saw, arranged round the
jaws of q mouth which breathed forth
fire and birthstone, whose especial de-
licacies were young Pavonia place boys
of the tender years, between five and
ten, lurked in its muddy water. Any
youth who wished to attain to any
gathered cat-tails on its banks in summer
and skated in winter over the frozen
waters OF that section OF NlMl NfeeA.
and the greatest hero, who even eclipsed
the nautical heroes of Captain Marrryal
or the Boy Hunters of Captain Mayne
Reid, in the estimation of those young
sters was the boy who broke through
the ice one day and got out again with
out falling a victim to the deadly quick
sand or the fiery-mouthed monster. But
that part of Mill Creek disappeared years
ago. The mark of progress wiped it out.
For the destruction of that part, from
Railroad avenue VI to Ninth street, the
Pennsylvania and Junction Railroads are
of the ancient stream is about to dis
appear.
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