The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-03-10

PROCq6R'S PUBLIC SPIRIT
He Wants the Earth in Re-
turn for a Strip of
Land on Seventeenth
Street.
THAT CREW LEYICK GRADE CROSSING
improvement Association Protests
Against the Resolution Of the
Street and Water Board.
THAT CREW LEYICK GRADE CROSSING

The Executive and Emergency Commit
tees of the North End Improvement As
ISOLATION met jointly at A. j. Corcoran's
windmill factory, at Thirteenth street
and Jersey avenue, last evening. Several
members of the association Were also
present.
Patrick Connolly presided. The asso-
citation is at present exercised over the
granting of a permit to the Crew Levick
Co. to lay tracks across a twelve-foot
strip owned by the city, for %aqueduct
purposes, in line with the proposed OPEN
ing up and grading of Seventeenth street
to Hoboken avenue.
The company has agreed in its contract
with the city to remove its track at any
time the city should decide to open up
n grade the street. The street is al
ready graded to within a short distance
of the Crew Levick Co.'S works. The
company is but the lessee of the prop
erty. The owners are the Proctor Bros.
of New Hampshire. They absolutely re-
fuse to sign the agreement. One of them
was in town yesterday. A conference
took place between him, Mr.. Corcoran,
Patrick Connolly, Mr.. Brown, the man
ager for the Crew Levick Co., and Mayor
Hoos. at the Mayors office. in the City
Hall, late yesterday afternoon.
The Mayor has not yet signed the reso-
luton granting the permit. Judging from
the report of the emergency committee
as to the results of the conference, he is
not likely to do so, and it is not probable
that the Street and Water Board will
pass the resolution over the Mayors
veto.
Mr.. Corcoran spoke for the committee.
He said the Mayor asked Mr.. Proctor
if he had any proposition to make. Mr..
Proctor was in favor of having Seven
tenth street go through, provided the
city would pay him 40 cents per square
foot for land to be condemned fill up his
eight or ten lots to the level of the pro-
posed grade of the street, allow him a
crossing at grade and relieve him of
assessment for the street improvement.
The Mayor told him hat was out of the
question. If his property is condemned
for the opening up of Seventeenth street,
the city will require, in addition to the
twelve foot aqueduct strip which it al
ready owns, a strip 141x30 feet.
"Mr. Hoos,'' said Mr.. Corcoran, told
Mr.. Proctor that the city was not in a
condition financially to entertain such a
proposition, and even if it was, it
wouldn't do it. He asked Mr.. Proctor
what taxes he paid. Mr.. Proctor replied
that he hadn't paid his taxes for this
year yet, but he thought he was assessed
at the rate of about $500 per lot. Mr..
Brown told Mr.. Proctor that he had taken
a lease of the land with the understand
ing that he was guaranteed proper F--s-
road facilities. Mr.. Proctor answered
that that ola.,ca aor1d mt he foa1p1 in
the contract. The Mayor asked Mr..
Proctor if he didn't consider that he was
under some obligations to his tenant. and
Mr. Proctor replied, no. Mr.. Proctor re-
fused to bulge from his original PROPOSE
ton. TIL Mayor told him that he owned
property in Seventeenth street that was
only assessed at II cents per square foot.
He said he would look into the matter
of Mr.. Proctor's assessments and see that
his land was assessed somewhere in the
1eighboFhood of the valuation which Mr..
Proctor placed upon his property, and
rave him to understand that during the
balance of his term of Office he would
use his utmost exertions and would see
to it that Seventeenth strret went through
to the Hill.
THE Mayor said he could not sign the
IcSOiullOu SIdIllllS Lue Ol SOuipdAy Liz
permit to cross the acoueduct strip, as
the citizens opposed it. The Mayor said,
plainly:-.You won't grant us a right of
way for a street TO the Hill. We won't
grant you a grade crossing. That set
ties the question:"
Proctor pleaded that should the land
be condemned and the street graded to
reach Hoboken avenue, it would leave
him in a hole.
That said Mr.. Corcoran, has moth
ing to do with the matter Mr.. Brown,
the representative of the Crew Levick
Co., told Mr.. Proctor at the conference
that he had consulted two lawyers and
both gave him opinions to the effect that
he could not cross the ~aqueduct strip if
the city wanted to stop him. All the
city had to do was fence it in. Mr.. Proc
tor has been a trespasser for years. He
wants favors of the city, yet the mo-
ment the city asks him a favor he wants
four prices for it.
Chairman Connolly said that ex-Fi-
nance Commissioner Jones, who owns
property on Seventeenth street, had also
asked the Mayor not to sign the permit.
MIR. JONES' he said, examined the
agreement and pointed out the clause in
which the company agrees to take up
the tracks at any time it is proposed by
the city to raise the grade, on ten days
notice from the Street and Water Board.
Mr.. Jones asked who could tell what
Commissioners may be in that Board
when the city desires to change the
grade
Mr.. Connolly said relative to Mr.. Proc
tors proposition: .sThe city in order to
open Seventeenth street through to Ho-
boken avenue, would requires about 1920
square feet of Mr. Proctor's land This
at the rate he. asks, 40 cents per square
foot. would be. 81, se2. To fill in his lots,
which are 25x s., would cost, about $SA6 a
lot. He wan is to be relieved of an as
sessment for the proposed Improvement.
His assesmer It would amount to $3.50. He
don't want anything much, does he?"
Legal opir dons from the associations
counsel wer' , read, one stating that the
contract be tween the city and the Crew
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