The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-01-20

LOT use potn at THIS station and at Belize.
viously used, Tor, while 1t possesses fair
stearning qualities, the percentage or!
ciinkerss Is rather greater than II should
be, while Its tendency to spontaneous
combustion has produced several fires in
the buiikers which, aside from the loss
oecasiolaed, y q source OF anxiety and
danger.
In another place the new permanent
water supply is discussed, with the pre-
liminary, statement that the treatment
of this subject Is. for obvious reasons,
subscribed to only by the majority mem
bers Of the Board. This Is what is Said:
On August "a last we received proposals
Tor g permanent water supply. The COM
ditions OF our specifications and OF the
propositions submitted to us, have been
50 thoroughly ventilated. that the neces-
sity for a rehearsal of their terms does
not exist. From the date of the reception
OF bids until award of contract was made
by US "a period OF more han three
months1r. a quiescent public evidenced its
satisfaction and approval of our course.
Since the making of award the customary
retrospective criticism has developed
Itself, put we have SO far failed TO OBJ
serve that an appreciabIe percentage of
our citizens has jointed in ii. With a full
knowledge OF all the facts n with a.
firm belief that practically all of the
people of this city are in accord with as
- ~ Sttt W. ibt We C0llI III
belief IN the wisdom OF our course and
respectfully, but without perturbation,
court the most compiet inquiry.
The following is another interesting
feature of the report:-
SOUTH COVE PROPERTY.
During the year past the ~controversy
Wnlcn mas been pending for upwards of
twenty years, between the city and the
central Railroad Company and its sub
sldlary corporation, the American Dock
and Improvement Company, has been
flaally settled, and the city has been put
IN possession of the so-caIled additional
grant upon the South Cove.
2 property, consisting OF about
twenty acres lying on either side of Hem
dersen street, extended south to the
Morris Canal, was granted to Jersey City
py the state IN 1917 upon a consideration
70 be fESed by the State Board of Riparian
commissioners; that Board promptly
hxed t9ae price to be paid by Jersey City
at one thousand dollars; the city at that
Ine failed to avail themselves of the
oTer end a the money, for reasons
Ihat are We'll known in the community.
FINALLY, in 1886, the money was paid and
a suit commenced for the possession of
the property, which in the meantime had
sioners to the Central Railroad OF New
Jersey. This suit was fought by the
city through the various courts of New
Jersey, with uniform success.
A~ - P1I " JdIiG1fy, 1910, when
our COURT Of Errors ana Appeals had
confirmed title of the city it was supposed
tthat all litigation was at an end, but the
to the United States Supreme Court.
where It took its place regularly upon the
calendar. The case was reached in April.
1880, ana was on motion Of the city'S law
yers dismissed by the court for want of
federal jurisdiction. A mandate was is
sued N due course, and finally, in July,
q writ for possession was issued TO file
/ SHGIlIl.-R1nh Sh1TIff mt 4 tNt HifNE i'm 1AnSl
session of the premises, and the city has
since that time removed practically all
OF lne persons occupying the property,
whether as tenants or squatters.
Considerable difficulty has been en-
countered IN SO doing, but it is believed
tnat these matters are now of the past.
With this grant: When the Legislature in
1917 made the grant Of this property to
Jersey City, it also fixed and established
z tidelwatsr basin adjacent thereto five
hundred (59O feet in width. This tide
water 2asin is popularity known as Broad
way; the width of five hundred feet ex-
tended from the gap at Warren street
westerly to about Jersey avenue.
IN 1874 the Board of Riparian Commits
sIoners, at the instance. of the Central
Railroad Company OF New Jersey, and
ed the northerly 800 feet of this grant. It
IS Claimed by the special counsel repre-
sentinfs Jersey City throughout this con-
troversiy, that such vacation was Illegal.
Steps have beenstakeu through the Atfor-
n~ey4GeneraI to set aside the vacation Of
this portion OF tide-water basin and to
restore. the nde-water basin to its orig
inal width OF five hundred feet. This is
very important, because without such va
eatlon he large tract gained by. the city
through litigation would still be three
hundred feet away from tide water.
Upon this three hundred feet to be
vacated, considerable improvements hs ave
already been made, and it is now in the
/ occupancy of certain parties. In addition
L TO widening tine ebQSin In frocf Of ,Sdra ,rn.
perty owned by Jersey City, it will follow
| as a necessary result that it should be
widened in front of the property ON north
and south.
During the past few years the Lehigh
Valley Railway Terminal Company has
erected, on the south side of this cove,
very extensive docks, and that company
and all others having occasion to use the
gap are very much embarrassed by reason
of its present narrow condition.
The exigsncies of commerce as we'll as
widening of the gap. The question still
remains as to what use should be made
by the city of the property secured by it
as the result of this litigation.
Under the act we are advised that the
city cannot dispose of the same, las it was
granted to the city for public use by the
Legislature. a large sum of money would
be required to improve ut. Suggestions
have beer made to the Board by respon-
sible parties looking to the Improvement
of this property at private expense in such
manner that a great measure of the adj
vantage to accrue would be for the benefit
of the public.
These negotiations. however, nave not
reached any state of certainty, and are
simply referred to to show that this Beard
has the whole matter carefully under con-
/ siderarion. Surveys have recently been
made Showing that a canal can be built,
/ although at considerable expense from the
tide water basin north, nearly to Grand
street. That a uniform depth Of over 80
tfeef can be obtained without requiring n
blasting of rock or other hard substance
throughout the whole course.
An arrangement by which such an inn
provenlenl could be made through a leas-
ing of a part Of the property to the party
making the Improvement in return for
large facilities on behalf of the city, the
building Of the same and the keeping
| of the same in order, would, III the judg-
ment Of this Board. be entitled to earnest
I and perhaps favorable consideration. Fer
some years to come the city would not
REQUIRE the use of the whole of this
property for public purposes, and a very
handsome income could be obtained by
and the use by the public of say one side
of the same.
The city should. in our opinion, use
this property for the benefit of the whole
city, to the end that facilities for ship
unent by way of transferring cars. and
roads and steamship companies could be
erected, 1t can be made of vast benefit
to all our commercial interests and it is
1 our purpose to work the matter out to
| such 1conclusion that, if possible, the
greatest measure of benefit may be ac-
compIshed.
TRACK ELEVATION.