New-York tribune., 1901-06-02
HACK ENSACK MEADOWS.
FRESH PLAN FOR RECLAIMING A
PART OF THEM
\ COLOSSAL ENGINEERING sCHEME-PREvIous
EFFORTS ON THE SAME SITE

souncs like q miracle, yet it be done by
irrigation. An equal wonder would be the crea-
uon OF big city between the Hackensack and
Passaic rivers where there is naught but
vast stretch of salt marsh. Doetically called
meadow. Yet drainage would so a long way
toward making such an achievement possible
And the recent purchase by a syndicate of a
large tract in that region may be properly re-
tarded as an assurance, not only of preliminary
steps toward reclamng it, but also of further
transformations of Il stupendous character The
lawyers who represent the men who have gone
into TINS enterprise are unwilling to give much
information. but il is not likely that a pur-
chase Of three Thousand four thousand acres
of salt marsh would be effected unless the in
Nestors had been dreaming rather enticng
dreams The exact area sold is put at about
thirty-four hundred acres.
The Newark and Hackensack meadows ex-
tend in Il belt nearly four miles in width from
Elizabethport. on the south. to Hackensack and
EnSlewood, on the north, distance of eighteen
Niles The Hackensack meadows lie between
'he river OF that name and the Passaic and
embrace upward of twenty thousand acres II
Is understood that the syndicate purchase is
situated at the lower end Of this peninsula, and
Is practically, if not precisely Identical with
the tract whose reclamation was undertaken
some years ago by New-Jersey corporation
1t lies east of Harrison Kearny and Arlington
which are on high ground and probably extends
as far north as the dixie that was constructed
across Inc peninsula nearly thirty years ago. I
On the charter of the Geological Survey of New /
Jersey. issued with the report of 1896 the ok /
istins dikes are represented by lines made up of
crosses while dots are used to Indicate pro- /
posed dikes. \ representative Of the b,lvers I
said last week that the tract reached about as /
far north as Snake Hill which is on the Jersey /
HackppSack
to believe that area of at least five square
miles has been secured.
THREE METHODS SUGGESTED
In the geological report just mentioned. g G
Nermeule discussed the project Of redeeninr
the whole region included in the HackcnsacI,
ana Newark meadows And. inasmuch as th.
benefits which would accrue from such a pro-
ceeiing would be felt by ali Of the district
east of Orange Mountains. he thought that
other towns than those in which the marshes
are should bear share Of the expense Thus
the town Of Harrison has only 3i6 acres Of
marsh. while Kearny has or had. i52o The
two towns have about the SAM. population
and would derive equal advantages from the
improvement This particular district is now
gong To be rescued from the sea by private
corporation instead Of by municipalities co..
operating under State commission Eut nor
haps that portion Of the Hackensack meadows
"H'cH Hes 10 the north Of the Syudicaf. r1r- ,
chase may be redeemed in the latter ,n,rr.r ,
day.
Three methods Of procedure were s,rras,,I .
by Mr. Nermeule. one was To dig "A u.f,yorl, ,
OF canals. and use the cxcavated mud for ti,,IJ
ing up the banks. This plan is susceptible. of Z
only limited application. The next method is ,
To III up the meadow with extraneoua material ,
the latter either being city waste from tb. inn, =
mediate vicinity or purchased II it should be r.
necessary 10 buy such material il was ,s,i
mated that a layer three feet drcn would cos, G
ABOUT Sl,Zrp an acre In this manner on. cnul, IL
spend close to S5oopUw on "A four thcusond +
acre tract The third method suggested was >, ! D.
ihclose the whole with dixie and drain Z,
on the water by tide gates. or sluices and by a
pumping. This is the plan which was recon- q
Inended. partly because Of its cheapness and G.
partly because il has already proved successful L
in England, Holland and indeed in other parts f
OF New Jersey. -
The surface Of the soil in some Jersey marshes O.
lies five feet above low tide and an aprreciabla f
distance above hisf tide. But the greater mart {,
OF the syndicate purchase is down at about half Il
tlde level. and were it not pretty well in
closed would be covered with from one to two ! X
feet of water at high tide. Mr.. VermeuIe re- Il
marks, moreover. that where the earth is of a IL
Ieaty character "a shrinkage ensues after drain Il
age, and a slight subsidence results Thus - f,
small tract near Harrison that was reclaimed in fe