The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-01-22
ERIE TRACK ELEVATION.
Strong Argument for VIZ. brakes
BiIi-The Railroad Sophfstries.

.t3l lie OCI'LI ts-j-sCue. Fl
TRENTON, Jan. %, 1S95-The Com
mittee on Railroads and Canals gave a
hearing yesterday afternoon on Mr..
brakes bill which gives the authorities
of cities power to compel the elevation
of the tracks of railroads passing
through their limits. Although the bill
is aimed primarily at the tracks of the
Erie Railway in Jersey City, it applies
as we'll to Newark, and the people of
that city are taking a deep interest in
the measure. Owing to the shortness of
the notice there were only a few gentle
men present. Mr.. Drake, the ~introducer
of the bill, opened the proceedings. He
laid the Measure before the committee
and made a few general remarks upon
the necessity of the bill and the benefit
it would be to Jersey City, as it would
save life and increase the value of prop
erty in that section of Jersey City which
lies north of the Erie tracks. 5
James S. Allen, counsel of the Erie
Railroad, followed Mr.. Drake. He sad
that no matter how good the general
subject of the elevation of tracks might
be, the bill was bad for several reasons.
1t authorized a local body to compel a
SiiaAlSC ct q SAP0iC
without giving the railroad companies a
hearing-in other words, it gave them no
day in court.
He claimed that the expense of the
Improvement should be apportioned be-
tween the city and the Railroad Com
pany, for the reason that the expense
of any improvement should be assessed
upon the interest benefited, and it APP
peared from the arguments of the advo-
otaH n fha hill fhof / UOI1ld 0nnft n
property in the vicinity of the road
more han it would the Erie Company.
So the city should pay at least a portion
claimed, with the legislation of other
States.
ONLY A FEW KILLINGS.
Mr.. Allen then turned his attention
to the accident argument, and said that
during the past fifteen months there had
been only six accidents at the crossings
in Jersey City over which 1T was pro-
one of them could be attributed to the
negligence of the Erie road. Mr.. Allen
repeated his argument of last year to
the effect that the company was bank
rupt and could not bear the expense of
the elevation, and added that every dol
lar which the company might pay out
for the elevation would have to be taken
from some other portion of the road, and
all parts of the line had to be consid-
cred.
Mr.. McEWAN'S ARGUMENT.
Congressman-elect McEwan replied to
Mr.. Allen in a vigorous manner. He
said the Erie lawyer had practically adj
mitted the necessity for the bill. Other
States, he said, had found it necessary
to pass such legislation, and New York
was considering such a scheme. He COM
plimented the committee on its business
like attitude toward the bill, and it's evil
dent intention to get dow to serious
business at once, in a manner which
brought the blush Of conscious virtue
to the cheek of Chairman Olcott. He
then said that the lives of Jerseymen
were just as precious to them as the
lives of the residents of those States
which had passed laws requiring the
tracks to be elevated, and he did not
see why the bill should not be passed
in this State. He pointed out how the
Erie was the only road entering Jersey
City which had not elevated its tracks
over dangerous crossings In Jersey City.
Mr.. Aliens argument that the road was
reason why the tracks should not be put
up. The public interests demanded that
the tracks should be elevated, no
argument of that nature should stand in
it's way. The remainder of Mr.. Nc
Evans argument was devoted to a re-
hearsal of the utterances of the platform
of the Republican Convention of Hud-
son County on the subject and the gen.
eral position of the party on the ques-
ton. f2
Jersey City Board of Trade. said that he
had only received notice of the hearing
that morning, too late to get together
a representative delegation from his
give a further hearing, and, after some
consultation, Chairman Olcott an
nounced that the request would be COM
Piled with, and two o'clock next Mon
day was fixed as the time. At the sam
time a hearing will be given on the equal
tayatfou hill. N