The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-08-26
THE NEW PARK.
Plans Of City Dads to Beau
tify the Old Spot.

In the bright sunlight of yesterday the
city's woodmen corps worked away with
their saws and axes. Only the score or
Park. including some saplings recently
planted, and the unscathed fountain in
the midst of the debris gave evidence that
the place had once been a splendid, we'll
kept park. The woodmen had worked
through the dark, wet night. Street and
Water Commissioner Ferdinand Heintze
had put the machinery of the Street and
Water Board in operation at midnight
Contractor Michael McGavin Superin-
tendent of Parks Mccarthy, aided by
Lamp Inspector John Boyd and Sidewalk
Inspector Murphy, soon had a gang of
men at work clearing away the debris.
They worked away all day yesterday in
the presence continually of thousands of
spectators, who focked not only from
every section of the city, but from New
York, Brooklyn and surrounding Jersey
towns.
An object of interest to the afternoon
crowds was an immense piece of tin
with its unpainted side glistenning in the
western sunlight hanging high up upon
the branches of an old warrior that did
not go down. 1t is supposed to have been
apiece of the roof that was blown from
the Union League Clubhouse just across
the way.
Through the debris stalked the tall, par
TALLY bent form of Patrick Seery He
worked around the park forty-six years.
and with his own hands planted some of
the old warriors who fell in Saturdays
storm.
Van Worst Park presented even more
dismal appearance this morning than it
did yesterday. Its sister park, Hamilton,
escaped with only one tree uprooted and
the limbs torn from another But with
the debris torn away from Van Worst Park
the damage could be more easily appre-
ciated. The large trunks of trees that had
been upreoted, sawed off and their
branches carte away looked like nothing
so much in their slanting position as the
muzzles of great guns protruding from
war-like breastworks hastily thrown up
But this scene is not to last long. Some
of the trees of growth that had been up
rotted will be put back into their positions.
roots and all. 1t would have required the
presence and expense of great derricks
to hoist back into their positions some of
the old trees that have nearly outlived
their usefulness and are crippled by the
storm. Thirty Of the big trees were
blown down. Thirty-one of the big trees,
stripped of some of their strongest
branches still remain standing. The big
trees protected the saplings from the
storm. Every one of the fifty-two yet re-
main standing.
Street and Water Commissioner Feroi-
nand Heintz is directing the operations
of clearing away the debris. He said to a
Jersey City News" reporter this morn
ing that the occupants of houses sur
rounding and in the vicinity of the park
need not be alarmed. THAT park" he
said, will be more beautiful within, pos
sibly by next year, than it ever was be
fore. We have practically decided upon
that. Big, shade trees will be planted to
take the place of the old ones that wen.
down. But they will not be planted pro-
miscuously. They will line the edges of
the park walks. Flower beds in the va
cant spaces are already being designed,
and unless I know nothing the people of
Jersey City will within year or two be
prouder of the park than they have ever
been"
Chief Engineer Van Keuren, who
hastened home from his well earned va
cation trip before it was half over, nodded
assent to Commissioner Heintze's re-
marks, and it was plain to be seen that
the Commissioner and the city's chief en-
glneer had been in consultation over the
subject.
Mayor Hoos said the storm did not
touch him at his summer home in Spring
Valley, except for drenching his farm
with rain. But I have learned some
thing about trees since I have been farm
ing at Pleasant Valley" he added. ~
don't see why the dismantled park cam
not provide ample shade by the next year
or so. l strolled up there this morning
and saw quite large number of trees
still standing. - application of plaster
of paris to the broken limbs will yet
render the trees of great use as shade
trees and those utterly gone can be sup
planted by trees already of six inch
trunks.