The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-07-13

i QlSfanr, to actually return the money lalQ
out on 1t. The ship canal would be much
more profitable If It ran through a dis
trict OF wharves and manufactures than
through q waste and ~uninhabited marsh.
The entire waterway from Nordhof to
Elizabethport. including the west shore
of Newark Bay, would bring In a certain
and rapidly increasing income, either as
interest IN the sailing price of land sold
along its ranks for wharves or as rem
for wharf and dock facilities. These are
the developments Of the territory that APP
pear most obvious and likely to be profita-
Bile. The centres of tillage and manufac-
ture on the marsh which would bring with
them railway stations and consequent
| population are almost as probable, but
| would follow later.
If this scheme is to be carried out with
entire success and profit 1t must be under
taken as a whole. It should be decided on
from north to south and from beginning
to end before a cubic foot Of the marsh is
moved. If necessary, it may be carried
out gradually, though SO long as any part
of the marsh remains the whole n~eighbor-
1000 will suffer; but the entire plan
should be under the organization and con-
troll of one power. free from the Earring
views and interests of a number Of own
ers. This power ought tos be the State.
A work like this, of such Importance to
the people, is more appropriately carried
out by the peoples representatives. No
one could afford to do such a work so
thoroughly or to wait so long for the re-
turns; and as no one could afford to wait
- long, to no one would the ultimate re-
turns be so profitable as to the State.
1t is not Possible within the limits of
this article to go far into the details of
this scheme. I should suggest. however.
that a good deal of the tongue of land
projecting into Newark Bay between the
mouths of the Passaic and Hackensack
rivers be removed and put on the Kearny
marshes. That a wide channel be cut for
tho Hackensack through the cape, round
which the river bends opposite Marion.
leaving the cape as an island. This would
be done to leave as free ingress and
egress for the tide as possible. That from
this point the river be widened by an
irregular outline at different places from
half a mile to a mile.
That the Penhor and Cromakill creeks
be made into a wide waterway, from
which material could be obtained to fill
uD the lIdtt lHIDQ6li WHICH 1tCt
thus leaving the heights of Seeaucus and
Snake Hill as a large island. This would
be more easily done because the blue mud
which would be easiest to move and most
valuable when moved. lies in greatest
quantities along the banks of the river
and creeks. The marsh along the west
shore Of Newark Bay ought to be filled
partly from the ship canal, but mainly
with material dredged from the bay itself,
of which the bottom is. for the greater
part, less than three feet below mean low
tide. These arrangements are suggested
to economic labor. to make the most of
the opportunities for developing pie
turesque scenery and to provide as direct
and convenient a waterway as possible
for commerce. If 5000 acres were given
up to the waterway, 5000 would be none
too much to set aside for the several
parks and parkways. leaving 1900 acres
to population and tilIage and the things
they would bring with them. To make
the idea clearer to those who read as they
run a map is appended, not accurate, but
sufficiently SO to show the general
scheme. An outline is suggested for the
lake and a curse for a parkway giving
access to the whole area, and passing
through parks in various locations into
this parkway all cross roads and roads
from the surrounding districts would run.
This is the rough draft of a plan that
will commend or condemn itself to most
people at first sight. The writer is some
what ~anguine in his hopes of common
dation. The undertaking would be a great
one in itself. costing some 100000. with
nt,4 fl,o ot,f1or r. Cor h1fxfpor FIJI land. h+1f If /
half of 1t We're done, the rise in the value
Of 1t as real estate would go far to paying
for the rest. And what, after all, are the
millions to the vast and growing COM
munity around the meadows? Is such a
work equal to the building of a railroad
of no great length? What did it cost to
build any of the six trunk lines that cross
the marshes? Is ii not better to spend
seven millions and acquire thirty square
miles and more valuable territory and a
beautiful and profitable expanse Of water
to purge the district of mosquitoes, to
improve its scenery. than to keep the
millions, and keep as well the nuisance
of the marshes? What has Central Park
cost. and what is 1t worth, and who
counts the cost now? Yet here Is a great
err work to be done than Central Park
less costly, and even more valuable. And
where else and how could be bought
such a thing as this might become and
at a cost so trifiing.
It IS at once plain that by this SCHEME
less land would be gained than by dyking
and draining. But the dry land would be
higher and dryer and wholesomer. and
useful for more and better purposes. and
the area given up to water would be far
more beautiful and probably quite as use
full as so much land. We could well at
ford to make this sacrifice of 5000 acres
or so to the beautiful and gain immensely
by the sacrifice; and perhaps it is due
to the multitudes who live in sordid and
m~onotoncus districts around the marshes
that the sacrifice should be made, to put
within their sight and reach such a scene
and such opportunities as are possible
here, to cheer by their contemplation and
elevate by their use.