The Jersey City news., 1899-06-14
SOUTH COVE CASE
Citizens in Petition Ask
Street and Water Board
What They Are
Going To Do.
VALUABLE TRACT OF LAND
Corporation Counsel Reques-
ted to Submit Statement
of Status of Grant

The Sonta Cove case was presented to
tbe Board of Street and Water Commits
sioners at their meeting yesterday after
noon in the form of "a question, What
are vou going to do about it?' 1t came
from number of citizens who think that
it is high time the city did something
with the immensely valuable tract of
land. Hitherto no one has seen fit TO
tackle the problem, and the following pc
tition may possibly have the effect OF
turning the tract to some appreciaple
good
Jersey City, April 26, 1899.
"To the Honorable the Board OF Street
and Water Commissioners, Jersey
City
"Gentlemen-The undersigned residents
of Jersey City respectfully petition your
honorable body, and request you to take
immediate steps toward opening and inn
proving the property known as the South
Cove, so that it may become or some
commercial value to the city.
''In the present condition, studded mere
and there with hulls of rotting canal
boats sticking out of the slime and mud.
it is a disgrace to the city, and menace
to the health of its citizens
'.If the Instructions placed at the mouth
of the cove were removed, and it was i'm
proved. so that vessels of light draft could
enter it, it would become a source of rev.
enue to the city, and would, we believe,
largely increase the business of the mer-
chants in lower Jersey CITY, VINO pay
large rents and taxes, but who find tnelr
business languishing on account OF me
decrease of population and the lack OF
public docks and other improvements.
1--WE trust your honorable body will
take immediate steps to have the SoutG
Cove turned to some public use, instead or
leaving this valuable city property in
its present disgraceful condition"
The petition was signed by the follow
BeSoraem, Robert Philips, Michael B.
Holmes, E. Bonnet, William J. Moran,
Patrick Buckley, E. R: Vessels. James
Blackwood Charles E. Hamblin. Thomas
Hickey, Michael Graney. R. II. McFar-
land. George A. Wood, John s. Menagh,
John Craven, ", j. Kelly G,tl John g. ,ts,aI, VII,
McArdie, John shaughnessy,, J9seph
Patrick Malone John Quirk,. Matthew
Malone Milton 2. Piere; Martin 5alnns.' Mannix'
Charles Fields. r. J. McMullen, d. 6.
Robertson, Richard j; Lee. John Clinton:
Philip McArdle, John L. Compton Terence
ningham, James Corrigan; Owen Gurley,
Philip Kelaher, Patrick Gately, Patrick
Kelly, Michael F. Malone, John pen ion
Charles Marks John C.. .Gopsil. F. 3,
Kopf, William McKean. John J. Hickey,
Thomas Davis, A. P. Burk. M J Fallon,
John J. Hogan, James Entwisle, Peter J.
German, William Bruning Thomas A.
cross Henry WingeuTth A. 9. Papelin,
James Coughlin, Alexander Graham,
Charles A. Pahde, Philip j. Lee. Charles
W. Mccall, William Hyland, h. E. Gill
lick, Robert W. Eardly, Edward Acker--
man, Albert Datz, s. G. Smith, Edward
The committee which presented the pc
Holmes, William j; Moran; Phflip Kelle-
Eardley. After reading the petition and
some Of the names attached thereto, NJ.
B. Holmes spoke as follows:-
Honorable Board this petition, signed by q
few of the many citizens of Jersey. City
in favor of the Improvement of the South
public. agitation nor did we think it
necessary to solicit a large number of
people for their signatures. We merely
got the names of few residents of lower
Jersey City a few business men on New
ark avenue and Montgomery street. some
taxpayers and professional men who are
thoroughly acquainted with the neighbor-
hood. SO that we might be able to show
you the popular demand for this improve
ment meen e,,u oonadanoa,n +bo intay
rity of your Board, and therefore we do
not ATTEMPT to dictate what you should
do in the premises or how. you should
do it. You have been CHOSEN py tne people
their inerests. to make wise and necessary
public Improvements and to guard the
neople's rights We confidently look to
YOU. with the advice of the Corporation
Counsel and the Mayor, to adopt some
feasible plan by which this public inn
provement may be made.
"The patrimony of the people of this
county in its water, front. the most i'm
portaft of any on the Atlantic seaboard,
estretching along our magnificent harbor
from the Palisades to Newark Bay: with
the exception of the dock at Morgan
street and the South Cove, has passed
awav from us into the hands of private
individuals and great corporations. who
usa them entirely for their own agran-
dizement. We ask you to see to. it that
his only remaining piece OF public prop
erty suitable for the building Of public
rive a large revenue does not meet with
After the reading of the petition the
Al, ola and Well Tried Remedy