The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-02-01
Street and Water Board Re-
ceives the New Applica-
tion for the Branch
Railway.
uoRcORAN AND CASEY PROTEST
lively Discussion on the Question
Property Owners Petition
in Favor Of the Factory.

1 SOAN GA dtia oAth OoDN$
pective counsel. Messrs. w. H. Speer and
Robert Carey, yesterday afternoon. No
Improvement or public work of any char
acter is contemplated in the Pavonia sec
| ton before these two wideawake gentle
\ men are on hand, either protesting against
| it or urging it.. Ordinarily Messrs. Corcor-
an and Casey are backed by all the prop
erty owners north of the Erie tracks.
This time they are alone, and appear to
be lighting for the supposed protection
of property owners, who, it is maintained,
do not want the protection" that is be-
ing demanded. About three weeks ago
the Pagan Iron Works Company, a con-
Germ now located in Hoboken, and giving
employment to a large number of men,
made application to the Street and Water
Board to lay a short spun for the Wee
hawken branch of the Erie Railroad
across Fourteenth street at grade, in Or
der to reach its works.
Those who know what property is like
north of Thirteenth street, it is argued,
will recognize t hat it largely consists OF
swamp land. That swamp land has,
through the progressiveness of Michael
r.. Connolly and a few other gentlemen,
been drained SO that now it can be used
for factory purposes. To use it now or
in the future for residential purposes is
quite out of the question. Mr.. Connolly
and others worked for years to make the
property available for factory sites, and
having accomplished that now they are
welcoming enterprises of any and all
kinds which will locate there and help de-
velop tina portion of the city.
\ Ill., 49, ~ Tnnn Works 1nnafPd
there property owners were delighted, and
said they would be willing to make almost
any concession. The first favor the com
pany has asked is to be allowed to have a
spur run to its works. A majority OF the
directly interested property owners have
no objections, but Messrs. Corcoran and
Casey have. Their objections have tied
the matter up. When application was
made originally Messrs. Corcoran and
Casey objected, because the plans showed
that cars would be loaded and unloaded
on what will perhaps some day be the
sidewalk of Monmouth street. The gen
tiemen protested so vigorosuly that Mr..
William d. Edwards. who appeared for
the company, declared that he would
withdraw the application and file a new
! one. so arranging it that every objection
raised would be removed. In good faith a
new application was made. Every conces-
sion originally asked had been granted
I and no trouble or opposition was anticl-
pated.
The Street and Water Board was about
to adjourn yesterday afternoon when the
protestants and their counsel ampled up TO
| the Clerk desk. Mr.. William d. EDWARDS
took a stand near them. The subject OF
1 the spur was discussed in low tones for a
while, and then Mr.. Edwards read ms new
| application, also the ordinance accom-
panying and finally showed the plan OF
| the proposed spur, which will be s,shaped.
1t has to be made that shape to DO away
with the original objections ralsed by
Messrs. Corcoran and Casey, and at the
same time to allow cars to be drilled INTO
| the works without expecting them 70
| break in two and come together again Al
ter. a certain point has been reached. MT.
Edwards insisted that as short a curve as
II is practicable to use had been planned.
Mr.. Corcoran insisted the other way. En-
gineer Van Keuren was sent for and he
| pleased Mr.. Corcoran immensely by agree,
1 ing with him that a shorter curve could
Encouraged, Mr.. Corcoran called atten-
ton to the small curve of the Pennsyi-
vania. Railroad in. Hudson street beside
minded that flat cars and freight cars
are not the same length. Mr.. Edwards
remarked that Mr.. Corcoran to all APP
p-earances was opposed to the advance
rnent Of the city by the bringing in OF
new manufacturers The manufacturer
replied o
the increase of business enterprises, but
do not believe one concern should De
specially benefited to the detriment of an
here but object to any further cucumber
ing of our streets with railroad tracks, as
! it is proposed to do with
/ street. when in my opinion a switch can
be constructed which will interfere with
! no one"
MI. Corcoran stopped long enough to al
low Mr.. Edwards to say;a"Ihe san5ect - -
to whether the Pagan Iron works is 70
come to Jersey City or not. II It can
have the switch as It desires, y VII eohie;
where it can get all the railroad facilities
TIL manufactures from the Pavonia
section could scarcely restrain himself I'M
til he had said:-"Oh, that is sugar Rouse
talk"
to have a switch said Mr., John Casey;
ssNe only object to the way it is proposed
to lay it. 1t can be laid so that no one
will be interfered with now or in the fu-
MT. Casey talked a long time and dis
cussed the subject ~inteligently. He only
wants the company to use It's own terri
tory for the tracks. not utilize the CITY $
streets. when there is no occasion. Mi
chael r. Connolly, who owns four-lfths
of the property within a radlus OF a nail
4 mile OF the pfopOSSu SNitSn' thioN q
bombshell into the Corcoran-Casey camp
by declaring
@I want the Pagan people given all they
want. So do all the people owning prop
erty up that way who are interested IN
| the advancement of the section. We who
| own property do not wish to keep the To-
4 cality from becoming an important part
of the city simply because a track IS to
be laid on a mud fiat that will only be a
4 sidewalk or street when some concern fills
it in.s Counsellor Speer told Mr.. con
molly he did not know what ne was taiK-
ing about.
Mr.. Connolly made a very emphatic -
ply, Nj. Speer asked that a day be set
for a public hearing, SO that engineers
could be consulted in the meantime and
plans prepared which would prevent an
| irreparable injury being done the street
THE advocacy of the plan submitted
and the suggestions which have been
made can only be advanced for an Ill
terror purpose. We want this question
settled by competent men. II you were
sick you would not send for a lumpe
hi same rule applies in this case. We
want engineers, not lawyers. 70 settle T..
n am quite familiar with the question
at issue said Mr.. Edwards, calmly, and
know what can and cannot be done. 1t
is probable. however, that | do not know
as much about railroads as does ME-.
| Speer."
Mr.. Edwards filed with the Board four
petitions from property owners in the
really Interested neighborhoedsf asking
that the switch be allowed as petitioned
for.
at is the purpose of this Board to pro-
tect the rights Of every citizen" said
President Boltwood. We want TODD JUS
tice to all. Every facility should be ex-
A--I.l !, q r.,fonft1r ca that nnr ajfX