The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-03-11
TRAFFIC CLOSED.
Plank Road, One of New
Jerseys Oldest Highways,
Takes It's First Vaca-
ton Since 1865.
BRIDGES ABSOLUTELY UNSAFE
Traction Company to Intro
duce a Bill Definitely Set
tling the Management.
BRIDGES ABSOLUTELY UNSAFE
Traction Company to Intro

When yesterday was only two seconds
old the drawbridges crossing the Hack
ensack and Passaic Rivers by the New
ark Plank Road were closed. The com
pany owning the Plank Road had made
good its word
This action was taken by the North
Jersey Street Railway Company, lessee
of the road from the original owner, the
Newark Plank Road Company. 1t was
the outcome of the decision of the Court
OF Errors and Appeals, handed down
few days ago, declaring that the charter
to operate the Plank Road of the origi-
nal company or its assigns had expired.
BY this closes one of the Oldest roads
in New Jersey, the Plank Road having
been in constant use from 1865 until mid
night Saturday, when the last car on the
New York trolley line passed over the
Passaic River.
Only few people were present when
the levers opening the draw and closing
the road took place. An hour before that
time, however, Superintendent jackson of
the Plank Road with half dozen work
men, armed with hammers and hatchets,
proceeded to the Passaic River bridge.
Near what is known as the Pavilion
crossing number of heavy planks had
been piled up. Ten minutes before mid
night Jackson told the men to place one
of the planks, which were each about
three inches thick and twenty feet long,
across the eastbound trolley tracks close
to the bridge approach. After this was
done the planks were raised several feet
and nailed to a post and guard railing.
ion far
the workmen evidently having been in
structed just what to do.
Almost at midnight car No. 319 from
New York, crossed over the bridge. There
were three passengers aboard and a num-
Der of motormen and conductors, who
were evidently returning from work.
When the car arrived the superinten-
dent ordered the draw swung OPEN 1t
was turned to one side about ten feet,
thus shutting off vehicle traffic, but al
lowing room enough to step on and off
Several of the men then went back on
the road to where the frame part of the
bridge begins and piled about a dozen
planks on top of each other across the
roadway.
They made an effectual barrier The east
bound trolley tracks were then also fenced
off
Jackson and his men afterward marched
to the Hackensack Bridge, where they
again went through the same procedure.
1t was about one o'clock when they fin
ished their labors
The agreement made Friday morning
between Henry Young, counsel for the
committee of manufacturers and David
Young, general manager of the North
Jersey Street Railway Company, that the
drawbridges would be allowed to remain
open a few days longer, but that no toll
would be taken after Friday night was
declared off later in the day, when Mr..
Spencer Weart, counsel for the North
Jersey, telephoned Henry Young that the
bridges would be swung down stream at
midnight. This decision, Mr.. Weart ex-
planned, had been arrived at by President
g. f. G. Young, of the North Jersey, who
declared the bridges absolutely unsafe
and unfit for use.
"It has been decreed that we do not
possess the right to operate the road
said General Manager David Young yes
terday, 'and, although we at first
thought to continue the road open for a
few days longer in the hope that some
we finally decided that, in view of the
dangerous condition of the draws, we had
no right to continue to take the risk of
having a carload of passengers fall into
the river. That calamity might happen
almost any minute
The Freeholders of Essex county do
not seem disposed to take the manage
ment of the road in their hands and the
Hudson County Freeholders have said
positively that they will have nothing to
do with it. They claim that no good
comes to Hudson county from the road,
but that, on the contrary, the passage of
the heavy trucks of the Newark manu-
facturers. the chief beneficiaries, Injuries
the pavements of Jersey City without con-
ferring any benefits.
The lawyers of the Traction Company
have drafted a bill which will probably
be introduced today in the Legislature,
to have the road re-opened and the man
agement definitely settled