The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-04-25
The BENSON PARK
The Street and Water Board
Is Ready for the Wo-
mans Clubs Trees.
THAT TROLLEY SHELTER
Mrs. Benson Is Ready to
Give Up But Mr. Young
Says He'll Help Her.


Very little has been heard lately from
the Woman's Club about the Mary Ben
son Park, and now that the park has
become an active reality, now that the
city officials have done their duty in the
matter it is up to the Woman's Club to
produce those trees. Thus far all credit
for his park is due Mrs. Mary Hudspeth-
Benson, and whether or not the park Is
named after her 1t will be a living monu-
ment to her unceasing energy. OF course,
as Mrs. Benson herself says, she could
not have accomplished this without the
club in back of her; but. after ALL the
Captain has had the fight pretty much
to herself. with the name of the army to
back her. 1t was she alone who first pro-
cured the option on the land and not
the Womans Club, and it is she who has
gone straight ahead ever since, undaunted
by Tagging interest from time to time.
But now the Womans Club has kept
quiet long enough. and even the city
officials are beginning to ask about those
trees. 1t was promised, as will be remem-
bered, that each member of the Woman's
Club should give a tree. Then there were
about three hundred members in the club,
while today there are about four hun
dred. Mrs. Benson, however, when seen
in the matter, did not seem to think that
every woman would come forward with
her tree, and that they were likely to
get more trees than they could use. She
viii make plea for trees at the next
club meeting, the first Thursday in May,
and if possible ascertain at that time
just how many trees the club will give.
My idea," said she, 'is not to have
a pool, but to ask each member so in
clined to give a tree. to be named for
her. think it would give her more in
those trees in the ground this spring if
possible; if not, by fall at the latest.''
When asked what her plans were re-
garding the laying out of the park, Mrs.
Benson said she did not know as yet.
but added she, I'VE are to have a
ball ground You remember, spoke of
ball ground some time ago, and the city
has promised to fence off a portion for
that purpose. I'm going down town today
to find out just how many trees they
want
Mrs. Benson further explained that
from a financial standpoint there was not
much for the club to do, as there were
seven thousand dollars on hand of the
original appropriation, and it would take
about six thousand to do the grading,
put on top dressing and lay the park out
generally, the ladies have only to furnish
trees and flowers. Mrs. Benson enter
tains sanguine hopes of getting the park
ha cir is
ing no effort to that end. There was one
little delay, she explained, which would
be obviated as soon as Mr. Bouton re-
turned. 1t seems the Pennsylvania Rail
road Company owns a strip of ground
which runs into the park property in such
a. way as to make it irregular, and this.
the Street and Water Board thinks, might
be exchanged for other land of equal
value to the Pennsylvania Railroad which
would not interfere with the uniformity
of the park
'sThe P. r. R. people are very kind"
said Mrs. Benson: $50 is Mayor Hoos.
See that" and she drew forth two notes,
one from the Mayor calling the atten-
ton of the P. R. r. people to a very
dirty triangle of land owned by them at
the junction of Henderson street and
Newark avenue. The other was from the
P. R. r. people replying that an order
had already gone forth to have this little
plot cleaned and then made a hard bed
of cinders. 1t is impossible to make any
thing grow there as it is under the
trestle, where the sun never shines
You see," said Mrs. Benson, that is
one of the little things l attend to my
self. Miss Bradford called my attention
TO that week or Two ago and | went at
once to see Mayor Hoos' Mrs. Benson
receptacles placed at prominent street
corners by the Street and Water Board
Your know yourself" said she, I'VE
have been working whole year for that.
l don't know how many times l went
down to City Hall just to ask for those
ash cans, and not a word about the clubs
doing it was mentioned
Mrs. Benson is working hand in hand
with Mrs. Whitney, the new Town Inn
proyement Chairman, and together they
are accomplishing a great DEAL The
latest movement is the procuring of. a
shelter for transfer passengers at the
Junction. But things do not always run
smoothly, and in this work, too, Mrs. Ben
son has run up. against snag. AS told
KAISER who leases the saloon around
which the shelter is to be built, insists
that as by such construction his place
will be rendered dark, the Traction Com
light. This the Traction Company seems
to be unwilling to do. Mrs. Benson went
to see Mr.. Young in the matter the other
day. She has done everything to bring
the matter about, alternately calling upon
Mr.. Young and Mr.. Kaiser as this or that
obstacle needed explaining away, and
now after all has been arranged after
the shelter has been planned and every
thing is in readiness to go ahead, to
have a split on the lights is too much
Mr.. Young" said Mrs. Benson. "I
throw up my hands. For the first time
in my life I'm going to give up my OBJ
ject unaccomplished."
aOh, don't do that" interrupted Mr..
Young.
II think Mr.. Kaiser is right" continued
Mrs. Benson, you take his light from
him and you take away his trade. Why.
there are hundreds of men who go in
there for drinks just to get out Of the
rain, and when there is another shelter
the chances are they'll stay outside
Mr.. Young promised to see what he
could do ct the next meeting of the
Traction Company. which occurs next
week. Probably Mrs. Benson Will come.
out triumphant in this, too.
HAcKENSAck WATER FRONT