The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-01-29
LEHICH'S RUSE.
Does the Railroad Com
pany Block Washington
Street Purposely !?
COMPLAINTS OF COMMUTERS
Central Railroad Passengers
Say They Are Needlessly
Delayed.

There is much complaint among the
throngs which cross the Lehigh Valley
Railroad tracks across Washington street,
just south of the Gap" Between three
and five hundred persons are obliged to
cross and recross the Lehighs tracks at
that point daily. The majority of them
are employees of the Central Railroad
Company; many Of them are commuters
of that road, and others having occa-
sional business at the Central depot.
Among the commuters are a number Of
Jersey City's best known down town busi-
ness and professional men, who live out
in the suburbs or distant towns and who
find it necessary to utilize the Gap"
ferry, consisting of row boats, in order
to save twenty minutes or half an hour
that they would lose by going to New
York and returning via the Pennsylvania
ferry. This saving of time amounts gem
orally to great deal to such men, other
wise they would not undergo the discom-
forts and annoyances of such route.
In cold or stormy weather these annoy
ances are extremely irritating.
The crossing of the Cap is annoying
enough. But none of those using it un-
derstand why, before reaching the Gap"
they should either be incessantly stalled
themselves or be obliged to mount thirty
five steps of narrow bridge, cross over
nearly a dozen tracks, and descend an
other thirty-five steps, while freight
trains~are stalled across the crossing of
legitimate thoroughfare. Such is the
general burden of complaint of those who
are obliged to utilize the thoroughfare.
It is charged by some that the Lehigh
Company actually blocks the crossing
with freight trains in order to force pc
destrians to utilize the bridge. This, they
believe, is because the company wishes to
avoid all risk for damage suits, as far as
possible in case of accident at the cross
ing.
Agents of the company in the vicinity of
the crossing deny that there is any effort
whatever to make pedestrians take to the
bridge They call attention to the fact
THAT about one thousand cars are obliged
to be shifted across that portion of Wash
ington street daily. Orders are issued not
to block the crossing oftener than Is pos
sible by stalled cars. They say they put
down expensive foot crossing for the
convenience of pedestrians and erected a
stand still while trains are passing, as a
matter of safety.
One of the men who were observed
crossing the tracks was Counselor James
H Vredenburgh, counsel for the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad. The counselor said he Of
ten took to the bridge as matter Of pre-
caution.
S. R. Krom, of the Krom Machine
Works in Plymouth street, lives In Plain
field. For eight years he has been obliged
to utilize the Washington street crossing
in order to reach his place of business
without going to New York. He is one Of
the commuters who arrive on the 1855
train at the Central depot every morning
except Sundays.
Mr. Krom said:-I usually find the Wash
ington street crossing of the Lehigh VAL
ley Railroad blocked and am obliged to
wait some minutes or else climb the
bridge. AS to whether or not there is
anything in the complaint that the trains
are halted purposely there in order to
force pedestrians to use the bridge am
not sure But it has struck me at times
that the trains could have moved just q
little further so as not to block the cross
ing.
st think a sort of tunnel under the
tracks would have been much better than
bridge. For my part I consider that
the gap should be tunneled. think that's
where they will have to eventually cut the
knot Another thing, I consider that the
Central Railroad should supply its Jersey
City patrons with facilities for reaching
Jersey City proper without taking them
into another State and obliging them to
pay another fare in order OF get back into
their State and to their places of business
1t is not the amount of the extra fare
involved. All of us would willingly pay
a five cent fare extra If they would run
a trolley even to the gap" AS it is now
a business man hears the station Jersey
City called, but unless he crosses several
railroad yards in order to reach even the
gap ferry he mustego to New York State
and then come back by another route. I
have honestly thought of removing my
works to some other locality on this ac-
count One thing I have been hoping for,
and that is the elimination of the idea
proposed some years ago by the Lehigh
Valley Company of running branch line
to Plainfield. That would bring all the
passengers bound for Jersey City at least
direct to the gap. This would include
passengers from Bound Brook and other
stations"