The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-10-07

A WIERD SPECTACLE
People Stop to see the Work
men Lay Asphalt in
the Dark.
YORK STREET IMPROVEMENT
The Smooth Roadway from the
Ferry to the Hill Will
Soon be Completed.
YORK STREET IMPROVEMENT

There was weird and fascinating sigh4
on York street between Henderson and
Van Worst streets last evening. and al
most everyone who passed that way
stopped ana looked at the novel spectacle.
The workmen who are laying the asphalt
on that thoronghfare continued working
after dark. They kept the heavy steam
roller going ard in The nurky atmosphere
these machines looked ike So many ua-
canny monsters Crawling about the
streets, breathing forth FIRE and smoke
AS the workmen fitted about in the nn-
certain light they appeared like spectfss
lowering around the fiery monstes.
The asphalting of York strea4, from
Henderson street to Hudson greet, is
rapidly progressing, and today she work.
men are on the block between tyvashfng-
ton and Green street This work is part
Of the great system Of smooth drfveways
for the city which Mayor wAnser pro-
posed in his letter of May, 1894, To- the
Street and Water Beard, In that cen-
munication the Mayor called the attention
Of the Board to the effect that continu-
Gus smooth roadways ought TO be pro-
vided throughout the city for whselmen,
carriages and general traffic under cerz
tain restrictions. At that time the Mavor
laid out a driveway from the Pennsyi-
vanfa Railroad ferries through York
street to Henderson to Mercer by the
new City Hail to the hill This plan
contemplated viaduct over the meadows,
which is now complete, and carries the
road to Church street.
When the work now being done on York
street is completed, the roadway viii he
ftfflfHtAfHn cafs
street. with the exception of a block at
Aierseles street. The work on that IS
being. rapidly pushed, and VIII soon be
completed The residents of Church
street have already petitfqaed for the as
pfait1ng of that thorOughfare, and it Is
proposed to do the same. with eslenwood
avenue, and when that Is Completed the
smooth road from Hudson Street 10 tala
Boulevard will be a fact
The Mayors plan eontemplates a sim
ilar, road from the Psyonia ferry by
asphalting portion of Pavonia avenue,
so as 10 form a smooth driveway to the
asphalt already laid in Eighth street, and
now runs around Hamilton Park, through
Eisntn street to Coles street and thence
to Mercer street
Before the Boulevard was constructed
the great drive in this city was through
Arlington and Garfield avenues and Ave-
nue. ID to Bergen Point. In his letter
referred to above the Mayor suggested
that If the property owners on those.
avenues would petition the Board Of
coed with the Improvement of those
streets continuous drfveways could be es-
tahhshed on the east side Of the Hill.
which could be locped at the extreme
southern end of the city by means of
Pamrapo avenue to the Boulevard The
property owners followed the Mayor S
suggestion and the work is now COM
pleted. making a magnificent drive of six
and one-half miles.
Several of the streets between Arlington
avenue and the Boulevard have been
asphalted wherever the grade made such
pavement feasible, otherwise with Belgian
blocks, so that a wheelman or gentleman
out in carriage can go from the Boule-
the Arlington avenue and Garfeld avenue
route is designated.
The Mayors scheme for continuous
smooth driveway also contempiates the
opening Of Baldwin avenue, where It is
now only laid out on the map between
Summit and Bonner avenues. Petitions
are already in circulation for the i'm
provement and are being extensively
signed by property owners, When that
Improvement has been made there will
be constructed another continuous road
way to the northern line of the city at
West Hoboken. 1t will begin at the p0izi-
where Baldwin avenue crosses the Mercer
street viaduct, through Baldwin avenue
TO Bonner avenue, to Prospect street, 10
Webster avenue. TO the city line. Neso-
tiations are now going on between the
city authorities and the West Shore Rail-
road officials for the widening OF Pali-
sade avenue between Hoboken and New
ark avenues. sixteen feet. 1t viii theH
be paved and improved.