The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-10-24
CITY CHECK MATED
Second Move in the Game to
Block the East Jersey
Water Company's
Scheme.
POLICE PROTECT THE CITY'S MEN
One End of the Big Pipe Out
of the Ground When the SUI
preme Court Interferes.
POLICE PROTECT THE CITY'S MEN

vent the East Jersey Water Company
from connecting its water pipes to the
city of Bayonne. About six o'clock last
night in the midst of a driving shower
of rain Counsellor John y. Mulvaney,
representing Collins and Corbin, counsel
for the Lehigh Valley Railroad lessees of
the Morris Canal, drove down to the foot
of Danforth avenue and served on Com
missioner George w. Harding, who was
experimenting the city's men in remov-
ing the pipe laid on the towpath, an order
to show cause why a writ of certiorari
hould not issue to remove the centro-
versy into the Supreme Court for review.
TIL order acted as a stay and work was
Immediately dropped and the men went
gladly home through the slush and mire
of that s~wanp-like part of Greenville.
As every one knows, Jersey City sup
plies Bayonne with water but the East
Jersey Water Company is eager to Sc
cure Bayonne as a customer and for that
purpose has laid a main from the ma.n
pipe at Belleville-south across the mea-
dows along the canal and down as far
as the westerly terminus of Danforth ave-
nue. where the new sewer pours its filth
into the waters Of Newark Bay.
In March last the city condemned the
right of way for a sewer through the
continuation of Danforth avenue to the
Newark Bay but did not acquire title.
Recently it was learned that the water
company proposed to lay it's pipe across
the Danforth avenue strip, and then the
city authorities bestirred themselves. The
checks for the property were delivered on
Tuesday. On Wednesday the Board of
Street and Water Commissioners passed
a resolution dedicating the strip as a
public thoroughfare. The resolution was
rushed down to the City Hall and Mayor
Wanser signed it. An engineer went down
IN the morning to stake out the new
tho~roughfare and was surprised to find
that the water pipe had already been laid
although \ the point to which the main
work had been extended is three quarters
of a mile away. Mayor Wanser COM
munlcated with the Board of Street and
Water Commissioners.
Word was instantly sent down to Cap
tain Nugent of the Fifth precinct. to send
a platoon of police 10 protect the city,s
laborers who would tear up the pipe.
About three o'clock the police headed by
the Captain marched down Danforth ave-
nue. 70 the scene where already Mr.. Reu-
ben Simpson and a few curious citizens
were tnere to see the fun.
IN strip on the tow path had evidently
peen disturbed, but still there We're some
or not. 49,
Guess We had better try the x rays
ana lind out" suggested one.
Not long after the police arrived the
onlciais began to arrive. President Brown
ana Messrs- G.. w. Harding and John c..
haiser OF me Street and Water Board,
came nrsI, followed by Clerk George n,
Bouton. Martin Finck and Private Score.
tary Jona ]. Nevin Engineers Latouretfe
ana Van Keuren and about 20 laborers
w shnea Commissioner Harding hustled
aDont TOT an day and took them from
various public works. A wagon containing
tools brought up the rear.
Then Engineer Latourette measured
mae man ETC nouha 4 gave the fore
owned by the city. He had no sooner
finished than the men began with thar
snoveis to dig out the soft sandy earth
az S,r rau w 5oL turned out more than a load
nrn OF Washington and Beaie. the svn-
1icate which has the water contract With
nagonhe, stepped up to the Commissioners
ana objected to the proceedings. He
showed a copy of a contract with The
MOTIFS Canal and Banking Company The
owhers OF the Morris Canal, permitting
tle pipes 10 be laid under the tow nath
put the Commissioners merely sianced 81
me paper. shook their heads and nodded
10 The foreman to continue.
"The city owns the fee in this str;n ),
said President Brown. p'
nut me towpath has been public pro-
perry Tor one hundred years. urged NJ
Washington. The work went On, and
hnol.ly aIIefwards the officials went away.
le1'tdg commissioner Harding in chares
TEen his trouble began.
~ NAH an nour the top and sides of the
thirty feet of pipe were laid bare ana H.
nhen began TO knock off the heads of the
IlNGIS All the 1n1OrS. Ti,fr
hecauSe the riyets were steel and tha
men mad no tools to cut metal 50 hsrd
Ihat method was abandoned. and II waa
asreea 10 gear the earth from the north
s.h eng OF tne pipe, and by inserting a
its ciayey bed. u
They were about to DO this when thraa
young men stepped up and at once OBJ
3ected; one mad a blue print in his hand
with the canal property marked ont and
ne wanted TO know where the citv,s rneS
began and ended, but Commissioned IT "a :
Ing was as communicative as the sphinx.
Inc otner man wanted to know what the
city meant by trespassing on the pro-
perty of the Newark and New York W.
ter Company, while the third demanded
70 KNOW why the pipe belonging to a GER
tam hydraulic company was being de-
spoiled. To each of the impatient Young
men the Commissioner turned a deaf ear
Go and tell our men to come here with
their shovels and I'll in" shouted fine hig-
u liz lIEE mem
and about fifteen minutes after the order
was given a dozen dirty-faced. UNDER
sized Italians appeared coming along the
towpath from the south.
Close up cried Captain Nugent to his
command, and in a twinkling there was
a wall of policemen stretching across the
path, making a veritable dead line"
The three men changed their tactics
One OF them. a elm young fellow with a
cigarette between his teeth, Jumped in
front Of the end of the pipe sticking above
The ground. which the city's men were
again about to pry up, and refused to get
out of the trench.
Arrest me just for fun" he said: b,,t
his martyrdom was prevented by two tall
policemen unc-sremoniously yanking him
out of the way, and the work proceeded.
rs this liberty? Is our property to be
destroyed Where is your authority. Mr..
Commissioner? You are rendering YOUR
self liable to a heavy suit of damages.
Tell us where your line is?' and other re-
marks were hurled at Commissioners
Harding, who needed them about as much
as the rain which beat in his face. The
COMMISSIONS was there to carry out the
Mayors riders and to defend the eity's
rights, and no threats had any effect on
him.
Nothing but an order from Court.
me- he said to the reporter. CAPTAIN
Nugent, too, was infiex Able. He. too.
was determined to stop any interference
with the city's men and by tact and a
little forbearance managed to keep the
angry trio from doing anything foolish.
Toward six o'clock the water COM
pany'S agents brought from he nnrfb