New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-12-04
Jersey PIERHEAD
DISPUTE SETTLED
Secretary Garrison Permits Build
ing of Temporary Wharves
Along Hudson.

Washington, Dec. 3-After hearing
lasting all day and during which many
men presented their views, the secretary
of War to-day reached decision con
corning the long dispute about the pier
head lines on the Jersey side of the North
| River. His decision was a memorandum
| decision but IL stands as Whole' huOJ'S'
| only to redraftIng as to details.
II comprises a concession 10 the inter
ests controlling the waterfront between
| Weehawken and a point opposite "tS'
seth street. Manhattan. which. uhder '"e
decision. will be permitted to build tenn
porary piers out OF the present plofh'ad
| line. The permits TO d. this ".H De SUI
| feet TO the revocation Of the Secretary OF
| war
The permanent picrhead line VIII be
that fixed By the army Engineer Board
which investigated the matter. 'olohe'
william n. Black. United States EhEl-
neers. head OF the New York harbor me
| board. advocated to-day moving the pier
head line landward 50 as 10 widen tht
| fairway OF the river BY distance OF ~
/ 10 100 feet from Weehawken 20 soth street
From the northern end Of this section
to Fort Lee the army engineers proposed
| an outward movement Of the line To
! maximum Of 900 feet This latter sugses-
,ion was opposed to-day by only one IN
tcrest. but the other part OF the proposal
| concerning the line between N"eha"k'h
and West ssth street. was opposed Win
yigor by New Jersey state. county ana
municipal representatives. and by private
interests.
| Secretary Garrison's memorandum de-
| cision. which seemed To- please all sides
was AZ follows:
| Prom weehawken to Gutenberg ! am
willing 10 approve a project by which
the picrhcad line proposed by the Ne"
| York Harbor Line Board on September
30. 1913. shall be- the permanent line. so TO
speak. and grant q blanket permit or per-
mIts 10 individuals, with the understand i
ing that all OF them come In under the
same blanket privilege. out 20 the 1897
pierhead line. that permit To be revocaole
| AT the will OF the Secretary Of war and
the obstruction 10 be removed after a duc
| amount OF notice. to be put in the permit
with the ordinary precautions that the
government insists on being put In such
a permit
From Gutenberg I am willing To 10
the same thing wherever the New JcrscY
Harbor Commission line is 10 the cast u
the line proposed b. the New York H"r-
Dor Line Board on September 70. 1913. MY
| mind is not clear and ! have not made II
up as to the situation where the parties
desire less land than given them by the
! New Jersey Harbor Commissions pro-
| posed line or by the New York Harbor
Inc Boards proposed line. | shall have
TO consider that question before reaching
any conclusion
81 think that the New Jersey Haroor
Line Commission can get together with
| the army engineers on this latter suggrS-
! lion OF mine because their line might as
| we'll be made coincidcntal up here by
Edgewater. and II it is then will adopt
tho line made by the Harbor Board
Those who opposed any change wanted
the present line. established I'm 1887, to re-
main. Colonel Black said that Tor the
safety OF river traffic the fairway must
he preserved. He said army engineers
thought that the time to preserve 1t was
the present; a 3,OcO-foot fairway Is neces-
sarv TO the passage Of the great body Of
water through the channel farther down
without danger TO river traffic. Narrow
ing the fairway would tend TO give the
water greater velocity and consequently
ondanper traffic. lie considered that
nrompt action was necessary to save the
Now York harbor from impairment.
The New Jersey Ilarbor Line Commits
sion and the New Jersey Riparian Com
mission opposed the proposal as being
detrimental TO the commercial develop
ment of the Jersey water front The
point was made that In Jersey the water
front is owned by private interests and
not by municipalities, and therefore de-
velopment was left TO those interests.
which would be driven away II The pier
head line were moved shoreward 70 feet.
President Smith and Commissioners
Saunders and jenkins of the Harbor Line
Commission. and John c. +. Payne, OF
the Riparian Commission, spoke of this
angle Of the situation.