The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-12-09
WRETCHED STREETS
Some of the Hill Thorough
fares Sadly in Need
of Attention.
OBJECT LESSON IN HARMON STREET
Dumping Ground for Any Kind Of
FILTHY What the Citizens
Say About 1t.

There are number Of streets upon the
Hill the condition of which have proven
eyesores to the public for some time. It
would be matter of difdeulty 10 deter
mine which street Is the worst There
is one street, however, to which belongs
the honor. If it be the honor. of being the
most neglected Of any street on the
Heights That is Harmon street.
Harmon street has its beginning at Cres-
cent avenue. and its finish at Garfield
avenue Its length represents three
blocks, and disgraceful looking blocks they
are.
A citizen of this city who is interested
IN good roads and streets told News re-
porter who was passing Harmon streez
that it would be an object lesson in
wretched streets if he visited that street
this morning.
The reporter alighted from a car at the
corner of Crescent and Comnunipaw ave-
nues and turned through Crescent aveaue
one block 10 Harmon street. Crescent ave-
nue. has lately been asphalted, and its
neat, spick and span condition inpresses
most favorably. It also leaves ones
mind more susceptible to the shock which
follows. Precisely the opposite to Crescent
avenue Is Harmon street; the enc is clean,
the other dirty
The first block off Crescent avenue is
the worst of the three If there be really
any distinction. One side Of the street IS
paved with stone blocks for portion Of
the way where it falls into the prtmeval
broad sidewalk terminating finally in a
path composed of ashes and garbage. The
other side of the street boasts of no stone
but the residents along there have laid
two narrow boards which serve in dry
weather as fairly good walk and in wet
weather as disturbers Of the peace OF
minds of pedes TRANS inasmuch as The
springdness of the boards causes the mud
on each to splash. Between the boards
is space of perhaps six inches and up
through this flies the yellow mud be-
daubing trousers and shoes and causing
no end of discomfort. cussing and an
athemas
On both sides Of the street small
trenches have been dug to serve pre-
sunably, as cutters tc convey the rain
and waste water down to where there
should be sewer If the street was in its
proper condition. But of course the street
IS not Whether the embryo cutters are
OF any service or not could not be seem
Here and there aresr 1it53lSlS2s of
ashes which same s1erg boy.
careless servant, or possibly y neglecf-
ful ashman had thought fit to decorate
the street
AS for the middle of the street that
was, best described by a German citizen.
standing near, in the following manner -
Yah, dot streedt ct IS all over Jumps
and bumps and is ike a street dot is
For about fifty feet there is some sem.
blance of grade, then slope of say ten
feet is met with At the bottom Of this
slope there is another interval of grade
and then begins a gradual descent that
ends at Arlington avenue. This portion
is the best kept of the block and is due
TO the efforts of Mr.. ]. H. Ficken, who
conducts a livery business on that corner
On the south side of the street a number
of large unwieldly looking stones have
been placed in a heap, but for what pur-
pose is unknown. One thing is certain
they are not to pave the street nor the
sidewalk, because they are more adapted
to be used in building stone wall.
Leaving this block the remaining two
do not appear so bad; but still several
improvements could be made, such as a
grading of the curb and sidewalk and
here and there some stones might be laid
and thus redeem the street from its des-
criptiCn, the worst street on the Hill