Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-05-28
DEMAND PATH ON
NEW ERIE BRIDGE
Delegations From Newark and
West Hudson Towns Appear
Before Army Engineers.

IFrom a stan Correspondent.I
| NEW YORK, May 2S.-Delegations
| of New Jersey business men appeared
before the corps of United States
army engineers in the army building.
Sc. whitehall street. today. 10 protest
against the proposal of the Erie rail-
80 omit a footpath from the new
! bridge to be cons ff7fcted across the
Passaic river. at the foot Of Fourth
avenue. Newark
The Newark Board Of Works, the
Newark Board of Trade. Harrison,
Kearny, the Clark Thread Company,
the Mile-End Thread Company. the
Marshall Company and the Nairn
Linoleum Company were represented
at the hearing.
At the present time. it was pointed
out to the army engineers, there is
makeshift footpath over the Erie
railroad bridge. II is used by thou
sands of mill hands.
Adam H. Groel. representing the
Clark Thread Company, said that
from 1000 to $1,000 pedestrians
crossed the bridge every day.
The railroad has threatened sew
eraI times to stop the practise" he
continued. but our threat to take
the matter into the courts has de-
TERED them froc actually doing so.
In the new bridge, however. no pro-
vision is made for any footpath al
all. The Erie. in response to our in
auiries, has agreed to a footpath il
somebody else will pay for il"
Peter Campbell. chairman Of the
river and harbor committee of the
Newark Board of Trade was unable
to be present A letter from Mr..
Campbell was read, however. in which
the latter pointed out that the mat
ter of having a footpath across the
bridge was of prime Importance since
there is no other bridge within two
miles to the north which can be
utilized.
A communication was also received
from the Passaic Board Of Trade rep
resenting manufacturers shippers
and others Interested in navigation
in which that body declared its OPP
position to the building of a bridge
below Passaic with a draw less than
so feet
r A. Howard. the engineer of
bridges and buildings of the Erie rail-
road. explained the proposed bridge
briefly. and in answer TO a question
by Colonel William T. Rossell, who
presided at the hearing. admitted
that il was not the intention of the
company to construct a footpath.
Morris r. Sherrerd. chief engineer
of Newark. pointed out that there
was necessity for a footpath at
{ civ or
later a bridge would have to be built
there if no provision was provided
by the railroad, It was important for
the government engineers to provide
against future unnecessary obstruc-
tions to river traffic
! Councilman James ]. McAteer, of
/ Kearny, who is the secretary of
Speaker Taylor, of the Assembly,
said that he represented a popuia-
ton of about 10000 and that at the
present time the Erie bridge was the
I only means of communication across
1 the river,
"The original Erie charter" he
continued, s'calls for a walk for
pedestrians. but the Legislature later
| did away with that provision.
George F. Reeve. of Newark. sub
mitted a brief in which a lift bridge
was advocated because of the con-
stantly increasing volume of river
traffic.
I'm reality. there should be no
bridge at this point he said. IF
the future is to be considered. il
ought to be a tunnel. not bridge. :
c. H. Hasbrouck. of the. Master
Pilots Association. who said he rep
tcontfnued on Page 5. Column 81