The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-04-05

fer the stranded disnitaries from the
Moore to the Somerville. This was done
in two trips of the Gresham cutter.
"Savedl Saved'' shouted Carl Lentz
| excitedly when two declShands had help
ed him from the small boat to the deck
! cf the Somerville.
The party sailed away on its tour of in
| spection cheering for Captain Walker and
the gallant crew OF the Gresham.
When the excitement caused by the
| narrow escape from water grave had
subsided in a measure and the prospect
of getting something to eat before night
had restored somewhat the equanimity of
the party, maps We're spread out in the
pilot house of the Somerville and the
Board got down to business. Counsel for
the Central Railroad Company said all
the property on the shore front from the
present terminal of the Central Company
to Bayonne was owned by a few individ-
uals. Beginning at the north first comes
the property of the Central Railroad Com
pany, which is entirely unimproved and
under water. The company is now at work
redeeming this land and filling it in. A
crib-work has been built along its entire
length at the line for solid filling and soil
IL.
has been assessed by the city at s4O51 per
acre. Immediately adjoining it comes the
property of the National Storage Com
pany, commonly spoken of as Black Tom.
This is in an advanced state of improve
ment. Vast warehouses have been erect
ed. channel and basin dredged out so
that sea-going vessels can come up to
the wharves and discharge their cargoes
into freight cars, which take them to all
parts of the country. This property, the
railroad lawyers pointed out, with all it's
improvements, costing from $4,000 to $780,
600 per acre, was assessed at $6,774 Next
came another section owned by the Cen
trail Railroad and unimproved which was
assessed at So. 100 per acre, while the next
property, another unimproved plot,
owned by Livermore & Blair, was as
sessed at $1,499 per acre. The next plot,
belonging to Norris & Cummings, which
is partially improved, is assessed at 81 $50
an acre, while the adjoining plot partial
iy improved, which belongs to the Penn
sylvania Railroad Company, is assessed at
1922 per acre, The last tract belonging
to the Point Breeze Ferry Company, and
partially improved, the lawyers said was
| assessed at 81 200 an acre.
From these figures the company's law
| yers contended that unjust discrimination
| had been made against the Central Com
pany. They pointed out to the Board as
well as they could, the various tracts, and
claimed that there was not enough diff
| ference in the values of the respective
| tracts to warrant such a difference in the
valuations.
Their argument seemed to make an i'm
preston upon the Commissioners and
| they asked on what grounds the valua-
| tions were made. Edlow Harrison and
Corporation Attorney Queen declared that
| the CentraPs tracts were more valuable,
and that if they were put up for sale
they would bring a great price. This, of
course, was disputed by the railroad S
| lawyers.
As a trip for the purpose of viewing the
property in dispute the excursion was a
| failure. The water was too low to allow
| the Somerville to approach near enough
to the property to get satisfactory view
OF it. The canal which has been dredged
| from the National Storage tract to deep
water enabled the tug to get up to a
wharf and the property with all it's i'm
provements was examined.
|. The Somerville discharged her passen-
gers at the Adams Express wharf of the
Pennsylvania Railroad. Major Lentz
caught a train to Newark and the others
made bee line fer the restaurant.