The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-02-20
Railroads and Canals Com
mittee Cruise Around
the City in a Tug.
LEGISLATORS ARE AsToNlsHED
The Vast Amount of Land Owned
by Railroads Opens Their Eyes
Equal Taxation Helped.

City. mayor Nv anSer, MS secretary, JOnn
Nevin, and Corporation Attorney Spencer
T. Weart met the out-of-town statesmen
upon their arrival in Jersey City and es-
corted them to the Adams Express wharf
where the Pennsylvania Railroad tug
Belvidere was in waiting for them.
When the tug left the pier shortly after
one o'clock there were on board:-Chair-
man J. Martin Roll of Union, Louis T.
Derousse of Camden, Charles Hopkins OF
Morris, Peter B. Fairchild of Essex and
William H. bod of Hudson, the members
Of the COMMITTEES; Speaker George Mac
pherson, Senators Foster NJ Voorhees, of
Union, Edward c. Stokes of Cumberland
and Charles B. Herbert of Ariddlesex,
Assemblymen William ,Klink and John
E. Macarthur of Hudson, James j. Hogan
and George B. Harrison of Essex; Mayor
Wanser, John Neyin,, Judge John A Blair,
Spencer Weart, William d. Edwards, Ed
low W. Harrison, City Treasurer Samuel
D. Dickinson, Superintendent E. F. Brooks
of the Pennsylvania Railroad James S.
Allen, counsel for the Erie Railroad Com
pany; G. Frank Sutherland, Judge Joseph
d. Bedle and City Hall Commissioner
Emil Datz.
Speaker Derousse and Mr.. Roll ex-
pressed a desire to see the Palisades. Mr..
Roll frankly admitted he had never seen
them, while the ex-Speaker said he saw
them once several years ago and had
almost forgotten all about them. The
tug was therefore headed for those his
torical rocks and the opportunity the run
to Fort Lee afforded was utilized in forti-
flying the inner man against the perils
and dangers of the voyage. Mr.. Derousse
spent most of the time on the upper deck
admiring the scenery. He was much i'm
pressed with what he saw and greatly
admired the beauties of Pleasant Valley
and Fort Lee. Mr.. Roll and most of the
party crowded into the pilot house and
listened to the description of the country
given by Mr.. Edwards. When the be-
ginning of the great rocks, just north of
Fort Lee came into sight Mr.. Roll was
impressed with their greatness.
Talking about removing the Pali-
-sades," he said, lin his shrill voice which
could be heard above the whistle of the
tug, why they could never take those
rocks away
The tug was turned about and the se-
rious work of the party began.
The tug cruised close into shore SO that
the members of the COMMITTEES could get
a good view of the property owned by
the railroads Mr.. Edwards, armed with
a complete map of the water front, ex-
Plafned the situation as they went along
The first railroad property reached was
that OF the Erie Railroad at Weehawken
with Its broad piers extending far out
into the stream, covered with tall, white
warehouses. Mr.. James Allen the Erie's
counsel, answered the questions of the
members of the committee in regard to
at flln lara l,
the piers and warehouses. The next
property which camesinto view was that
OF the West Shore Railroad. From there
the tug ran slowly along Hoboken, and
one of the members commented on the
absence of railroads along that water
front. Mr.. Edwards Explained that Ho-
boken collected taxes upon about S., ,000,-
600 worth or one-fifth of its water front.
The Delaware Laokawanna and West
ern railroad holdings came next. They
begin on the line between Hoboken and
Jersey City and the great part of them
in the latter city. 4Wharyes. with vast
superstructures upon them, coal trestles
and appliances for loading coal into yes
sells from the cars extended for some dis
tance south. Mr.. Edwards called par.
ticQlar attention to the depth Of these
docks, and the tug was turned into one
OF them so that the committee
could see how far they ran inland
and how valuable they are. Where the
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western
property ended begins more of the Erie.
comprising the freight wharves, DEPOT
ferries and huge grain elevators
Then without break came the vast
property of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company. When the Harsimus Cove
grant was reached Mr.. Edwards gave the
committee a brief history of that famous
property. One of the party asked what
the property was used for before the rail-
road company obtained possession of It.
He was told that 1t was an inlet of the
river in which logs and RATS were stored,
from which the small boys of the neigh
borhood caught fish and dived into the
mud at high tide. Suddenly Mr.. Edwards
pointed out the Morgan street pier.
That, gentlemen" he said, lis the only
wharf Jersey City owns of all this entire
front The out-of-town members were
surprised and more so when told that they
had hardly seen one-third Of Jersey City's s
water front.
After passing the vast possessions of
the Pennsylvania Railroad the tug pro-
ceeded to "Broadway. She Slowly
steamed up that waterway while Mr..
Edwards called attention to the property
OF the American Sugar Refining Company
on one side and the vast wharves and
piers of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Com
pany. The committee was much i'm
pressed with the activity about the sugar
mouse. British and Swedish steam
ship lay alongside of each other discharg-
ing and the other taking on a cargo,
while sailing craft were discharging their
cargoes of raw sugar.
1ntIl putting OUT 1QI0- the stream again
tho Belvidere slowly eruised around the
whafves and docks of the New Jersey
Central Company. BY this time the com
mittee's eyes were wide open with aston
ishmbnt and on the way to the CentraPs
property the members said that they had
no idea of the values of the railroads
holdings on the Jersey City water front
and said they would never have obtained
such an idea of It's greatness from any
map, however accurately drawn.
Yes. but you haven't seen 1t all yet'
replied Mr.. Edwards.
After sailing around the CentraPs hold
irgs the. tug was run over to Liberty Is
the Statue of Liberty. Thence the Bel
videre went over to stBIaek Tom" and
took a look at the Wharves and ware
houses of the National Docks and Stor-
age Company
Superintendent Brooks was In the pilot
house with the party and greatly aided
In giving the committee clear and COM
prehensve knowledge of the water front
After leaving Black Tom the Belvidere
ran rapidly up to the place of starting
When the party landed at the wharf
upon their return, Mayor Wanser said
Jersey City had something to be proud
of, and invited the visitors to go with
him to the New City Hall and Inspect
that structure The invitation was ac-
eepted with alacrity especially upon the
part of the Newark mem who thought
they would; have another opportunity to
70 much Of the indictments and alleged