Perth Amboy evening news., 1913-02-17
"Old Church Tower" Vas
Visible As The Clock Was
Striking the Hour"
BUT TROLLEY PASSENGERS
SAW NO POETRY INIT
Drawbridgs Opened and Re-
fused To Close, Hencs
Much Discomforture
Saturday Night,

About fifty trolley passengers
stood on the bridge at midnight"
waiting for the closing of the draw
of the county bridge Saturday.
From 1925 until 12:45 O'Clock it
remained opened. After a boat had
been given the right of way up the
river Engineer Michael Costello, of
SO Washington street, tried to re-
turn the massive draw, but the gas
olene engine refused to operate.
Repeatedly he tried. but in vain.
Finally tug boat was sent for, and
the craft pulled the disconnected
bridge into position nearly two
hours and half hours after it had
been opened. The Public Service
car from South Amboy due In Perth
Amboy at IL o'clock and the Jersey
Central car due here at II, arrived
at this place together about l 10.
The Jersey Central car due to leave
here at IL O'Clock reached South
Amboy about 1870, and the one due
to leave here at / 2 O'Clock. which IL
the 1880 from South Amboy, reach
ed that place about o'clock a. IN.
When the 1880 Jersey Central
car from South Amboy reached the
curve In Stevens avenue, just before
touching theb ridge 1t WAS halted by
the 1890 Public Service car which
had been stopped because OF the dan
ger signals displayed on the bridge.
An EVENING NEWS representative
swung from the Jersey Central car
TO ascertain the cause Of the stop.
simultaneously superintendent
James II. Duersen stepped from the
Public Service car ahead. whats
the matter?" asked the NEWS man.
THAT draw he replied has been
open for the last hour. Its the lin
it." he added. "A beastly shame"
responded the reporter, but let's
hike 1t down to the draw and then
-rsade across" SO they started for
The drFx The cars did not follow
the,o haca>ee there was the IL
1 O'Clock Jersey CenIfs. " wv ~
other side of the draw. and the cars
| If they had gone on the bridge
| would have had to back off. Finally
the superintendent and the NEWS
man reached the zone of trouble.
why don't the engineer go out on
the draw, launch u boat aud row 1t
over to us. SO that we could return
and help work the draw by hand?"
asked the superintendent OF one OF
the draw attendants. Hes afraid
the thing will sink" the man replied.
well, we don't have to stay here all
night do WEI" said MIR. Van Duersen.
Il dunno" replied the man "encour-
agingly." while the reporter thought
of how there ''is no place like home"
and shuffled his feet disconsolately.
After awhile the car on the
other side of the bridge backed of,
and the Jersey Central and Public
Service cars from South Amboy came
up to thed raw. On the cars were
two young maidens who performed
several classy waltzes on the
smooth" flooring of the bridge and
alleviated the monotony of waiting.
About 1895 a shrili of delight
came from the little. tired, disheart-
ened group careenlng on the moonlit
river span. 1t proved to be Penn
sylvania tow boat from South Am
boy Speedily she connected the
draw with huge cable and gradual
ly it was pulled into position. Then
the dancers stopped dancing. the re-
porter stopped growing and a musi-
cion that had been active with his
violin stopped playing, we Won't
Go Home Until Morning" II did
not take the motorman long to COW
er the distance to Perth Amboy once
they were across the exasperating
draw.
It was said a new cylinder had
been put In the gasolene engine
that works the draw, on Saturday,
and that probably It's adjustment
caused the incorporation of the big
craft for SO long. Yesterday after
noon the day engineer reported he
had not experienced any trouble with
the engine Sunday.