The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1905-11-15

the old difficulties which prevented the
former promoters from completing the
work We're e..count.rad anew.
For instance, il the ao:ton Of lie
Hudson River wsse composed entirely of
rock. it would hsve been ea easy mat
ter to have hastvd 4 tsausl to New
York Had taa bssrom beesf cs-ps.se,i
merely of mrl. or 81 it aoasl lave
| been comparatively easv to nsvs batsss 4
hole through sis mad from New Jveves
to Manhattan, bit carioGsy eno-sai TIE
line of the old ySorsx as~uls % .lavs bean
drawa directly oYs,' che o-s;n.a ~ series
OF Jagged rocks. AS me workmsa ,sso-
ceeded, .he roilss Of these rocks would
be found sticking mp through the flool Of
the tunnel; thus the floor would he com
posed of rock and the roof of silt. 1t was
necessary TO blast away the rock, and
yet there was the constant danger that
the blast, which was only strong enough
| to break the rock into fragments, would
burst through the soft roof and let IN the
river.
shall net enter into any detailed de-
scription of how these difficulties were
overcome. because that is a chapter in
itself. | want merely to say that two Of
the tunnels have finally been driven
through to New York as fir up towards
the centre of the city. / assure you
that two of them are practically COM
pleted, and the other two, extending from
Montgomery street, Jersey City, to Full
ton and Courtland streets, New York,
are well on their way under the river.
Now, it has always been the idea of
the men who were building the tunnels
that when they were completed the dd-
vantages to Jersey City would be at once
| so manifest that the existing transporta-
| ton company on this side of the river
/ would cooperate to the fullest extent, so
that the people of this county would be
| able to use them to the greatest advan-
tage, but it is regrettable to say that Co
operation was not forthcoming. It can
not be said that an active resistance was
encountered, but a lack of cooperation
| often amounts to the same thing.
Perhaps this was just as well, for it
presently became evident to the men who
had built the tunnels that the present
street railway transportation facilities,
as they exist, are inadequate to provide
| for the throngs of people who will use
/ these tunnels.
In fact, it became necessary to devise
a new street railway system for Jersey
/ City; a system that would solve the
| trans sportaItion problem III a scientific
manner. The old system was the result
hof the combination of a number of small
railroads which had been built originally
when the county was little more than an
aggregation of yillages-in other words,
the existing routes were not always the
most economical.
On the other hand, it was apparent
that enough streets empty of car tracks
existed in Jersey City to permit Of a
modern scientific system being planned.
This system is known as the Zone sys-
ten.
For instance, the various thickly pop
ulated parts of the County will be con-
sidered as separate zones, and the inhab-
itants of each section will be taken care
| of by a special trolley system of its own
Taking Bayonne as one zone, the cars
| will start in belt line formation from
the opposite end of that district and skirt
ing the district will meet at point and
| transfer one to the other at the edge ol
the Greenv.lle section. Instead OF send
ing the car through the thickly populated
Greenville district, it will be shuntet
along side streets directly to the tunnels
and other cars starting in Greenyille vii
proceed straight through that more Of
less crowded district to the tunnels
Thus every district will have its direct
line Of communication.
/ Under the old system cars came
through from Bayonne ordinarily filled
1 when they struck Greenyille, and it was
often quite impossible to get aboard
much less get a seat on them. On thu
other hand, it is devised to have cars ruT
from one end of the county to the other
with transfers to be issued for eros:
lines.
Just as the tunnel company found it
self confronted by new conditions wher
the tunnels were finally put through un
der the Hudson River. which compelled
it to plan transportation system of it,
own, so it has in turn been confronted
with the fact that the resultant up-build
ing from these new lines mean tremen
dous influx in population to the outlying
districts. It has, therefore, seemed ad
visable to the Company to provid,
against this expansion, through sub
sidiary company, by the purchase Of ;
great tract of land in the Hackensacl
Meadows. This tract will probably be
come the site of the great electrical pow
! er house of the new system. It will. il
any event. become great manafactur
ing district contiguous to Jersey City.
Again, the Company found itself con
fronted with another problem. It is nat
uray to suppose that the traffic betweeI
Newark and New York City would b
increased by reason of the greater facil
tiles afforded by the tunnel.
Under the old arran cement, ears pro
ceeded from Newark across the Meadows
to Jersey City, and 50 on down to til,
ferries. The cars picked up load o
passengers by the way, and it very fre
quently happens that car on its wa.
from Newark to the ferries through Jef
sey City is SO crowded before it reache
Jersey City that it is impossible for til