The Jersey City news., 1898-07-14
L[H|GH VALLEY PETITIONS
Grade Crossing Of Communi-
paw = Tunnel Under
Chapel Avenue.
ABSOLUTE ENGINEERING NEED
Only Way by Which a Great
Trunk Line Can Reach
Tidewater--An Old Story

The Greenvllle ana IduuSOu fNdliio'ot
branch OF the Lehigh Valley Railroad
yesterday made application to the stree
and Water Board for permission to eros:
Communipaw avenue at grade and te
pass underneath Chapel avenue. Green
Vile. The company's petition for tht
Communipaw avenue crossing is as fol
lows
The Greenville and Hudson Railway
Company respectfully petition your
Honorable Board to pass an oTalnaiite l.a te
granting to your petitioners leave y
cross Communipaw avenue az slaut s.ut
with four railroad tracks, at the point
where the located route of your peti-
TONERS crosses said avenue. , 1ouL
petitiOnerS own all the land on polH
sides of Communipaw avenue Where
their right of way crosses said avenue,
having acquired a frontage of abouI
23S feet on the east side and out 14V
feet on the west side OF SAID avenue
Your petitioners railroad is one OF
the links for the completion Of the
eastern terminal of the Lehfgh valiey
Railroad system. running from ne
shore of Lake Erie at Buffalo 10 the
shore of the Hudson at jersey city.
Your Board is aware that the. Le-
high Valley terminal yard east OF the
National Docks road, has been very
largely constructed; also that your
petitioners nave puISildS6us tdI Z Z u avs
Of land for the construction of a
storage yard south of Communipaw
avenue This storage yard is necessary,
and will be constructed Immediately.
IL the crossing of Communipaw avenue
Is granted 1t will Immediately involve
the expenditure in Jersey City for
labor and materials of large sums OF
money and after its completion will
give employment to great number OF
men.
the Newark and New York Railroad
overhead, and at a short distance east
Z thereof must cross the National Docks
underneath, it is impossible to avoid
a grade crossing at Commundpaw ave-
nue.. between these two railroads.
This question has been considered by
an experienced civil engineer. selected
by the City. and his opinion given. adj
vising that the grade crossing petit
tfoned for offers the only solution
and this opinion was concurred in by
their chief engineer of Jersey City
Your petitioner and its associate COM
panies have already expended large
sums of money in Jersey City, in the
construction of their terminals. and
now employ in the operation thereof
a great number of residents of Jersey
City. The construction and mainten-
ance of the additional terminal yard
will require the employment of large
additional number of men. most OF
whom will of necessity be residents
of Jersey City. Your petitioner has
filed simultaneously herewith petit
ton to change the grade of Chapel
avenue, so as to allow your peutloner
to construct its tracks under said ave
nue.. said proposed change being with
view to the making of the improve
ments above mentioned.
Your petitioner believes it will be to
the benefit and interest of Jersey City
to grant the requests hereby made, and
prays your Honorable Board will pass
the ordinances requisite to carry into
effect and completion the contem-
plated work of your petitioner
]. +. SCHAPBRKOTTER,
General Agent.
The second petition reads thus:-
The petition of the Greenville and
Hudson Railway Co. respectfully rep
resents that they are the lawful own
ers of all the land on both sides of
Chapel avenue. from the Central Rail-
road to the Morris Canal; that the
grade of said avenue within the limits
hereinafter mentioned has been hereto
fore established by the city. but has
not been graded. and no buildings have
been erected or commenced thereon
since the establishment of its former
Your petitioner desires to construct
its tracks across said avenue, and to
avoid grade crossing thereon, and
respectfully request your honorable
Board to cause the grade of Chapel
avenue. from the northwesterly line OF
the right of way of the Central Rail
road to the northwesterly line of the
property of the Morris Canal and
Banking Co., to be changed by esevat-
ing the same so that the tracks
of your petitioner can be constructed
underneath the avenue with perpen-
67icular clearance of IS feet.
Your petitioner suggests the. follow
+ ing grade as proper grade for said
avenue 10 wit
Starting at the northwesterly line of
4 the right of way of the Central Rail-
road of New Jersey at the present
elevation, 406. of the ton of floor at
the northwesterly end of the present
Chapel avenue bridge over said rail-
road; thence rising for a distance of
102 feet to elevation AZ at the south
easterly right of way line of said rail-
road; thence falling for a distance of
170 feet TO elevation 41.34: thence fall
ing for distance of 113 feet to ele-
walton 35.125; thence falling for dis
tance of 125 feet to elevation % at the
top of floor at the southeasterly end
of the present bridge over the Nor
ris Canal; all of the elevations refer
ring to the Jersey City system of
levels.
And your petitioner further prays
that your honorable board will pass
a resolution permitting your petitioner
to construct said avenue on the new
grade which shall be established by
z bridge over the tracks. at your pc
titioner's own expense, for the erec-
tion and maintenance thereof of the
width of the existing bridge over the
tracks of the Central Railroad of New
Jersey, on the line of Chapel avenue,
so that all your petitioners tracks
may pass under said avenue.
And your petitioner will ever pray,
etc.
GREENvILLB & HUDSON RAIL
WAY CO..
]. q. SCHAPERKoTTER,
General Agent.
The entire line of the company from