Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1907-03-14
TAKING KINKS
OUT OF COHANSEY.


nhia Record, on Sunday sent from
Rridgeton the following story which
Is of the greatest interest:
Bridgeton, N. j., March 9.-Uncle
Sam is going to take the kinks out of
Cohansey Greek, or River, and men
who 90 down to the bay in boats will
no longer grow dizzy in making the
turns. A bird's-eye view of the Co
hansey presents the stream in the
form of series of SIS When you
sail down it you double on your TRACK.
Sometimes youscan almost meet your
self coming back or shake hands with
Yourself across the marsh from one
reach to another. Some of the boat
men have often declared that they
had to run slow because of fear of
colliding with themselves. In making
some of the turns in the stream they
have to be careful lest they twist their
craft into corkscrew shape.
Freight and passenger ste amers run
ming between Bridgeton and Phila-
delphia during the summer have
found much inconvenience in thread
, ing these marsh crooks, and the
strengthening of the river has long
been advocated. At last definite steps
have been taken, and an appropriation
has been made to the amount of 500, :
800 for taking out the worst of the
crooks and deepening the channel.
Engineers of the War Department
have been in Bridgeton during Feb
ruary to look over the ground-and
the water-and they are now planning
the improvement of this historic
improvement will be most comprehen-
sive. Plans have been made to dredge
and straighten the channel and thus
to shorten the run to the Delaware
Bay by couple of miles or more.
There has been some anxiety ex-
pressed lest the Improvement should
obliterate some OF the most historic
landing places on the famous old
stream. There are several of these in
the vicinity of Greenwich, and on the
rivers course toward Bridgeton, the
most important being the site of she
old Greenwich ferry, which in the
long ago extended from Sheppard's s
Landing to the opposite side of the
river, at Back Neck; the landing place
of the tea, which has made Greenwich
famous for It's tea-burning. and the
old Church Landing, up near Bowen
town, where the early settlers crossed
the river in boats to attend services
in the old log meeting house erected
by the first Welsh Baptists of this
vicinity.
All of these landing places of his
toric renown are situated on rather
prominent crooks, but it is claimed
that they will not be obliterated in
the improvements.
OF these three historic sites. out
which local historians have been so
much concerned, the most important
is that of the tea landing, which .is
probably too we'll known to REQUIRE
description, for it was a matter of
more than local history when the tea
was burned at Greenwich, for the
same reason that it was dumped into
Boston Harbor. The old ferry landing
IS OF Importance because of it's early
establishments
nected with it. 1t was in 1867 that
the law was passed for the establish
ment OF ferry across the river to
Back Neck, and lay out a road from
the landing place through the marsh
10 the fast land IN Back Neck.'' The
chosen freehoiders of Greenwich and
Fairfield, on January s, 1868, made an
agreement with John Sheppard, who
had bought the wharf property few
years before, wherein they leased the
Terry rights to him for 999 years, he
agreeing to maintain the ferry in good
oroer. Keep good and sufficient boats
ana maintain the roads, and he bound
MS property for the performance of
ehese conditions.
In 1910 and 1920 efforts were made
70 nave drawbridge built, but they
ulu not succeed. For a number OF
years horse boat was used on the
Aerry' but as Bridgeton and other
places grew in Importance Greenwich
became less so, and travel across the
ferry become so infreouent that its
lnrsher keeping was quite burden.
June II, 1888. a new agreement was
made by the freeholders of Greenwich
and Fairfield, whereby they agreed to
release John Sheppard (son of the
John who made the original agree
ment) from his obligation to keep up
the ferry for $500, which Mr. Shop
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