Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-04-05
Ne WARk LEADS
OPPOSITION To
CENTRAL BRIDGES
Local Delegation Against Rail-
roads Plan for Embank.
ments in Bay.
CLAIM 1T WOULD BE
BLOCK TO TIDE FLOW
George F. Reeve Invites Engi-
neers to Make Trip Up
Passaic.

Vigorous opposition. led by the mem
: bers OF the Newark delegation of pro-
] test, developed 10 the pet scheme Of
! bridge reconstruction advanced by the
/ Central Railroad of New Jersey at the
public hearing on the subject before
( the United States Corps of Engineers
I in the Army Building. Manhattan. to-
/ day.
1t was pointed out that the railroad
proposition to raise the Central bridges
over the Passaic and Hackensack
would be ruinous to the commercial
value of the two streams and particu
larry of the Passsic through disturbing
!, its tides. The plan to fill in 400 feet
in the Passaic and 1900 feet i'll the
Hackensack was attacked as the most
Objectionable feature of the entire
scheme.
Invites Engineers to Take Trip.
In concluding his argument against
the railroads proposed Improvement
George F. Reeve, spokesman of the
Newark delegation, invited the engi-
the railroad engineers to take a trip
ark Board of Trade.
You could learn more in an hour on
such a trip" he explained. than is
possible in day of this sort of thing"
The Newark delegation was COM
posed of Curtis r. Burnett, president of
the Board of Trade; George F. Reeve,
n
secretary of the Board of Trade; John
F. Kehoe, Harry Kingsley, as the repre-
sentative of Ballantine & &C.; James s.
Higbee, j. C. HallocS, acting city en-
gineer, as the representative of the
Board Of Works, and j. H. Abercrom-
bic. from the Clark Thread Company.
J. o. Osgood, chief engineer of the
Central, submitted to the engineers
the plans Of the road. He said they
proposed to spend s., 900, 600 in the work
of reconstructing the bridges, which
would each be raised twenty-five feet.
They were to be given draws Of leo
feet he said.
Railroad Has No Legal Right.
Mr.. Reeve, the. first of the members
of the delegations of protest TO speak,
declared that the railroad had no legal
right to make the proposed changes, or
they would not have asked for hear
ing. He said the proposition to fill in
400 feet of the Passaic and 1900 feet
of the Hackensack would have a bad
effect on the tidal flow of the rivers.
Newark and vicinity, he said, had a
population of $4,000, and the present
prosperity of its people, he declared,
was largely due to the commercial
value of the Passaic.
He pointed out that there are in
Newark $500 factories and commercial
buildings representing a capital Of
5000, 900, and added that tine Newark
Board of Trade representing these vast
interests wished to go on record as OPP
posed to the bridge plans of the Central
railroad.
Mr.. Reeve said the United States
government was expected to protect
the waterways and to deny any appli-
cations to fill them in. He said rail
roads should not be permitted to build
railroads nowadays, but should be
forced to tunnel under rivers. He said
the 150-foot draw was not large enough
anyway, and that it should be at least
200 feet In concluding, Mr.. Reeve ex-
tended the invitation for the Passaic
river trip.
" Filling in Harmful to River.
William Sherman Rauch, representing
the Waterway League of New Jersey
declared that the filling in of 1900 feet
in the Hackensack river, as proposed
by the company, would prove a very
great detriment to the river. He added
that the commercial value of the Hack
ensack would increase 100 per cent. dur
ing the next few years.
Mr. Rauch declared that instead OF
placing a draw of 100 feet span across
the Hackensack river there should be
an opening of 200 feet. James NJ. Reilly
of Newark, also was of the opinion that
there should be two draws of 100 feet
each on the Hackensacll. Captain E. p
Parker and j. c. Hallock spoke for a
short time, commencing the course
taken by the Newark representatives
Before the meeting adjourned Colone
w. T. Rossell, of the government corps
of engineers, announced that it was
necessary for him to go to Mississippi
and when he returns will accept the
-