The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-04-17
OUR WATER FRONT
Riparian Board Inspects the
Hackensack River With
a View to Make
Grants.
APPLICATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT
Governor Impressed With the
Importance of the River
Front to Jersey
City.

10 get at some idea of the value of
land on the west side of the city. and
fronting on the Hackensack River, Cover
nor voorhees, and the State Board Of Ri
parlan Commissioners this morning made
an inspection of the meadow lands living
between the Communipaw avenue bridge
and that of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
This course was deemed necessary in
view OF applications sent to the Board
Tor riparian grants by the First National
bank OF this city and Messrs. John M
Jones and Isaac Romaine, who own
among them about three thousand feet
of water front
IL was at first intended to take tug
and steam up the river but at the last
moment special trolley car was secured
and the trip made in it, With the Gov
ernor were Commissioners Willard c.
FISK OF Jersey City, John l. Holt of Pat
erson, William Cloke, Trenton; John j.
farrell, Newark; Counsel George L. Rec
ORD and Engineer John C. Payne of Jer-
sey CITY; ex-Judge Joseph D. Bedle, rep
resentlng the Bank; Mr. John Wahl
Queen, for Jersey City; Messrs. Jones and
Romaine and the bright little son of
Counsellor Frank C. Bergen. who was
with the Governor and called him
Uncle,
The car ran just to the Communipaw
avenue bridge, where the party alighted
Mr.. Bedle pointed out the Banks tract,
which begins 25 feet from the car tracks
and runs north 900 feet. It is a wide
stretch of meadow lands reaching to the
river. There are no streets through it.
When Mr.. Bedle had finished pointing out
the boundaries City Attorney Queen.
turning to Governor Voorhees,, said
I ask the Board not to give away the
rights of the city in these dedicated
streets running through the tract
Where are they?'' asked Mr.. Bedle to
everybody's amusement, waving his hand
over the stretch of decay swamps, '1et
us walk down some of these streets you
talk about"
Have they been dedicated?' asked
Commissioner Cloke.
THAT is our contention replied the
City Attorney.
Entering the car the visitors were taken
through the Bergen section to the Turn
pike Road bridge at the foot of West
Newark avenue to look at the properties
of Messrs. Jones and Romaine.
Mr.. Jones has four tracts, one north of
the Pennsylvania Railroad bridge and
three south of Duncan avenue, near Gau-
tier avenue, and adjoining the tract of
w. G. Bumsted, which joins the bank
property on the north. The entire length
of Mr.. Jones's land is 1000 feet There
are no streets through the property, al
though Sip avenue is shown on the map
Mr.. Queens contention that the street
was dedicated was denied. 1t was shown
to his satisfaction that when the city
wanted TO build sewer on the line of
Sip avenue it commenced condemnation
proceedings for a strip of twenty to thirty
feet of land for which it had to pay
The city, however, did not condemn the
full width of the street, and if at any
time it wanted to widen the strip another
condemnation would be necessary to bring
1t up to the required width.
The strip of land owned by Mr. Ro-
maine, having the same conditions at
tached to it as the other tracts, the Com
missioners didn't think it necessary to
wade over the ankles in Hack kensack mud
to view it.
The Commissioners said nothing as to
the price to be charged, but in view of
the fact that several grants adjoining the
properties in question have been made for
IS a foot, that sum, it is contended, would
be a fair charge. At the next meeting of
the Board decision i'll be made.
Il am much impressed" said Governor
with the great Importance of the water
front. 1t has great future and means
much to Jersey City If all this land were
improved.