The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-01-18
BOULEVARD REPORT.
Chief Engineer Harrison Ex-
plains Delays in the
Contracts.

Chief Engineer E. S. Harrison made an
extended report to the Board of Freehold
ers this morning, which they had re-
quested, as to the delays in prosecution
of contracts on the new Boulevard and
also when the work is likely to be re-
sumed.
Mr.. Harrison begins by saying that
there have been no delays in the prose-
cution of the several contracts except
such delays as were unavoidable and
are expressly provided for in the terms
of the contracts. He appends a synopsis
of the progress and status of the diff
ferent contracts for grading and paving
the road as follows:-
Contract 1--Grading Kill Won Kull to
West Twenty-second street. and Con-
tract 2, West Twenty-second street to
Morris Canal.
This work was commenced on Aug
ust 20, many months before the reports
of the Condemnation Commissioners on
the rest of the road was filed, and the
work of grading was nearly completed
before the Commissioners on the sec
ton filed their reports. The financial
situation in the summer of 1893 was such
that bonds could not be disposed of to
advantage and year was lost in paw
ing this first four miles.
SCHLUND CASE DELAY.
Contract LTime 125 working days.
Grading from Morris Canal to Newark
& New York r. r.
Work was commenced on this con-
tract April 15, 1898, and was completed,
as far as right to enter could be obtain
ed, by September l, or within 100 days.
There were eleven cases of appeal on
this section, one of which was the
Schlund case. AS the houses were re-
moved contractor continued his work,
and did all of the work except that por--
tion dependent upon the requirement of
Schlund's land. 1t was not acquired until
October, 1894
Contract 5-Grading from N. N. Y
r. R. to Newark avenue. Time allowed,
| 70 working days.
''This contract was commenced June
! is, 1898 There were thirty-five houses to
be sold and removed and thirteen houses
moved back also the question of bridg-
| ing the P. R. R. lands. The contractor
| completed all except the grading OF
Ringle's land, the only appeal case on
| this section, and across the P. r. R.
! lands by November 1, 1898, or 80 days.
| The Ringle case was not settled until
| November 10; five houses were then re-
moved and the grading completed.
'eThe p r. r. case was not settled until
| November 16, 1894, and the land was
graded in a few days, except as far as
| the prosecution of the contract for Bridge
| A. prevents finishing grading contract
until next spring.
- xxy0,< ING
| days. Grading Newark avenue to Pater-
son Plank Road.
The contract was commenced June 5,
| 1898 There were 85 houses to be re-
moved. nine of which were sold out
| right by the county. At the time the
work was commenced no houses had been
| removed. There were also forty appeals
| in which land only was involved. The
| contractor was practically deprived OF
entry on a large part of his contract for
the whole working season of 1888 Not
withstanding the difficulties caused by
waiting for houses moving and obstruc-
| tons to entry upon lands, the contractor
had completed IS per cent of his con-
| tract by June l, 1884
DELAYS BY APPEALS.
Contract 7-Time allowed, 95 working
davs vs. Grading Paterson Plank Road to
Second street. Town of Union,
| This contract was commenced in June
| 1893, and the force had to be cut down
! and work delayed almost at once until
| the spring of 1894, because nearly the
| whole extent of the section being sub
! jected to appeal. There We're 80 appeal
| cases, II of which involved moving pulia-
| With these conditions. so per cent. of
| the work was done by July l, 1894, when
there. were st.ll five cases, involvlmg lr,so,. a
are still two cases to settle. viz Paul
son heirs and Kuhl-Steinhoff, involving
a distance of 44S feet and the removal
| of buildings and considerable rock.
4 Contract 8IGrading, etc, Second street,
Town of Union, to the County Line.
Time allowed. 100 days.
! This contract was begun in june 1898.
There were IL cases of appeal. The rock
| quantities in this section largely exceed
ed the preliminary estimate, also en-
titling the contractor to tln1s a,lowanes. e
The work of paving was commenced
| June Is, 1894 and only ceased when frost
prevented good work. Forty working days
sTATuS oF PAVING CONTRACTS.
The Engineer gives the status of pay
ing contracts as ollows:-Contracts u,
Bayonnel stll have 60 90 DAYS i, OF aqo to to
run. No reason why they Will Aot pe
| Contract No. 14-Canal to n. N.
Y. r. R., Greenville section, will be COM
Contract No 15-Completed with ex-
| ception of P. R. r. lands.
i Contract No. 16---Newark avenue to
Secaucus Road, will be completed on
i tiTne
/ Contract No. ITO Hackensack Road.
No work done on this contract
Contracts 18, 19-To County Line, prog
ressing satisfactorily
"Work.,, concludes the Engineer, can
not be resumed except on the bridge, un-
til the breaking Of the frost and drying
of the soil in the spring, probably in
March,
A recapitulation shows that in 800 work,
ing days title has been perfected a., and No
lands; l01 cases settled by trial; lao build,
ings removed; 10 miles of road graded and
drained miles curbed, Quilted and COW
i cred with Teiford; three heavy bridges
erected, and the most difficult work with
the last bridge of the p. R. R. completed
IAN average value of contract. work
for every working day since March, 1898
of about $780, do not think this record
has ever been surpassed in any public
work Of similar character.
| rrrTrT ErrmTMN