The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-05-24
PALISADE PARK
Interstate Commissioners
Will Soon Have Enough
Money to Save Cliff


Park Commission. appointed for the pur
pose of acquiring and preserving the Pal
isades, will receive from the treasury o.
New York the sum OF $780, 600, for the
furtherance of its work. This sum i
one-half Of a total appropriation of $500
600 that was made by the Legislature ol
this State two years ago. One half OF
the money was available last year, and
has been expended in acquiring land on
the Palisades. The remainder Will pc
come available on July 1, and will be
expended in making other purchases OF
land. When this money has been spent
along with the sums of money gol
through private contributions, it IS ex
pected by the members of the commits
sion that the entire fifteen miles of cliffs
that were intended to be protected viii
have been acquired, and the work of the
commission will then practically be com
pleted. The work of beautifying the
cliffs by means of tress and vines will
then be put in the hands of competent
lanscape gardeners, whose chief object
will be to hide the sears that have been
made in the Palisades by the quarry
companies.
When the next report of the commits
sion is published in a short time, it VIII
include the statement that there is nc
quarry in operation on the Palisades now
and that every quarry is now owned
either outright or held in option by the
commission. This means that the de
strucfion of the cliffs has been perman'
entity ended, and that the chief object
of the commission has been accomplished
1t will probably be a year, however, be
fore the commission viii be able to ac-
ouire the last parcel of land that is need
ed to complete the reservation. At pres
ent the commission is engaged in search
ing the titles of the parcels now held in
option. For this purpose the sum Of
$4,000, which was appropriated by the
Legislature of New Jersey two years
ago. is being used. AS fast as the search
ing of each title deed is finished the par
eel Of land will be purchased. Most OF
it will be bought with the money 'appro-
priated by this State, but liberal private
contributors can be relied upon to aid II
the purchase of lands that cannot be got
with the public money.
The reservation, when acquired, viii
extend for fifteen miles along the cliffs
from Fort Lee to Piermont Greek, N. j
1t will have breadth of from 400 feet
to 45O feet, and will extend from the low
water mark to the top Of the cliffs. Nc
attempt will be made by the commission
to acquire the land on top of the cliffs
since the possession of the properties al
ready mentioned viii secure the Pals
AIDES from destruction.
Meanwhile, the Federation Of Wo
mems Clubs Of New Jersey has beer
working TO acquire as much land as pos
sible on top of the cliffs for purposes t.
supplement the work of the Interstate
Commission. At present they have rails
ed $4,000 that will be spent in purchas
ing land that will be converted into out
look parks as soon as possible. At th'
semi-annual meeting of the Federation
at Montclair, n. j., yesterday it wa:
said that the Federation had been work
ing to secure this land for a year.
The work of the Interstate Commits
sion began two years ago, when the New
Jersey State Legislature appropriated
81. 900 for surveys and searching of ii
ties. The survey of the lands was made
by C. G. Vermeule in 1900 The Legis
lature Of this State appropriated S1O,00'
for the same purpose and the work wa
begun The majority of the, owners o.
the desired property agreed to sell thei
holdings to the commission for $500 al
acre. Blasting was stopped on Christ
mas Eve, 1900, when the commission
agreed to pay s132,500 to the big auarr1
company that was doing most of th'
damage. The $4,000 appropriated b,
the New York Legislature was pais
down to bind this bargain, and the bal
ance of $122. 800 was paid in June. 1901
by voluntary contributions. AT presen
the holdings of the commission compos
nearly all of the land between the Engle
wood cliffs and Huyler's Landing. al
of the rest of the land, except one o
two small parcels, is held in options.
1t is the plan of the commission t
| have boulevard at the foot of the Pail
sades for the entirel ength of the reser
walton, that will cost more than $40, ,000