The sun., 1903-12-27
TO RECLAIM JERSEY MARSHES
GREAT Work TO BE ENTERED
UPON VERY SOON.
Filling In May Progress II Is Said, nj
Rate or Two Acres Day-Purchase OF
Lands was Not for Speculative Pur-
poses--TO Be Site OF Railroad Works.

Rate or Two 4 Crcs Day-PurChase OF
Lands was Not for Speculative Pur.
p0ses--To Be Site OF Railroad Works.
When the work now at last to be actually
entered upon, of reclaiming the great Jersey
meadows, which stretch, like prairies, from
El2abethport up TO Hack ensaok and cover,
all told. 27,ooo acres, shall have been COM
pleted, the new territory is to be the scene
of what is forecast as the most extensive
locomotive and ear building industry in
the world. The meadows are crossed by
all the trunk lines that have terminals at
Jersey City and Hobo ken-the eJerseyCentral,
the Erie, the Pennsylvania and the Lack
awanna-and all have an interest in the
new enterprise
The building of the tunnels which are to
carry trains of probably all the roads into
New York city will make the meadows on
the other side Of Bergen Hill a sort of general
rendezvous for them, and already large
areas of the land TO be reclaimed have been
preempted by companies that are engaged
in the manu- facture of railroad equipments.
There are included in the just disclosed
directory of the Hackensack Improvement
Company several Of the captains Of in
dustry of that class.
The Jersey meadows are divided into
two parts, though they adjoin and run
into each other For the improvement of
the southern expanse, that lying over
toward Elizabeth, a company In which
United States Senator John hean lis the
active factor has been organized. The
meadow section. for the redemption of
which contracts have just been let to the
Federal Construction Company. embraces
the 5000 acres which used to belong to the
Pike estate. This territory OF marshy
waste lies between Newark ard jersey
City and extends. four or five miles wide,
away up to Hackengaok; and for this it Is
that preparations are being made to bring
it into the market at the earliest practicable
moment.
The chief obst ruction to its redemption
from the wat ers lay in the impossibility
Of finding sufficient filing in maj erial. the
Federal Const ruct ion Company is now
dredging Buttermilk Channel ior the Federal
Government. and it proposes 10 use the
stun taken from there to make new land
on the meadows.
The progress of the work is expected
to be marked by demand for the deep
ening of the channel OF the Hackensack
River, and the mud taken from there will
also help in the needed filling.
That the improvement of the channel
is one OF the contemplated things OF the
future is evidenced by the number and
character of the applications that have
been made within the last two or three
years TO the Hudson County Board of Free
holders for docking privileges on the river
front.
To make the territory the more available
for commercial purposes. the old time
project of digging a ship canal across
Newark Board of Trade is pushing that
project with an energy that indicates some
hope OF success. Congressman Wiley.
representing the Eigh til New Jersey district
has presented bill asking the, War De-
partment to have made preliminary sur
available route for tie canal, There has
been marked difference OF opinion among
those who have heretofore advocated the
canal, as to it's course. An official survey
is expected to determine that point.
1t is calculnt ed that the 5000 acres upon
which the Federal Cons, ruct ion Company
IL to begin work at once can be filled in at
the rate OF two acres day. CONTINUOUS
work at that rate would make available
the whole area within about eleven years.
But it will be Ut ilized, of course, as il Is
prepared. The first patel of meadow land
10 be made useful by the Federal company
is that which the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company bought a few weeks ago near
kearny.
The company has for years had large
locomotive shops near there, and the sup
position is that it is preparing TO extend
the plant and possibly 60 into the manu-
facture Of its own railroad equipments
there apart from rails.
Secrecy that was not much needed at the
time, because it was supposed that there
were behind 1t large interests not yet ready
TO reveal themselves, was carefully OBJ
served when the Hackensack Meadow I'M
provement Company was organized.
The decd for the meadows was taken
in the name of Henry l., Sprague, New
York lawyer, but he refused to say for whom
he had purchased or to what purposes the
new ground was TO be devoted: and New
Jersey people had begun to suspect that it
was only a speculative enterprise. based
poss IDLY on options and more .pretentious
on paper than in reality, when the names Of
the real directors we're made known.
They are. besides Mr.. Sprague and Frank
A. Barnaby, Anson NJ Bangs, president of
James Hughes, its treasurer; Frederick l..
Eldridge, vice-president of the knioker-
booker Trust Company; F. y. Underwood,
president of the Erie Railroad Company;
iion. Charles Miller of the Standard Oh
Company; Julius +. French. president of The
Railway Steel Spring Company, and W. H.
Silvert horn, its vice president, and Samuel
X. Galloway. president OF the American
Locomotive Company.
The 5000 acre tract was purchased from
the Pike estate for about 81 o0e,o The
filed in land thus acquired will be worth
81 900 to 5000 an acre, The million dollar
purchase may therefore turn in from
is to max" the lands marketable for COM
mercial purposes The cost Of trans
porting silt from the dredging machine
to the meadows is The only considerable
item to eat into the profits Of the enter
prise.