Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1915-03-13
Great Scheme For Palisade
And All Of Hilltop Section In
Tale OF Arabian Nights To-day.
EdlUard ChambIess, Californian Who Wants To Tru
Out All Under Surface Electric Suburban Rail
Uay System Called "RoadtoWn'' Dream.
MAY BE BIG CHANCE FOR THIS SECTION YET.

I The New York Globe of Friday
published a dream story" about
project to begin the construction of
an interurban system that heads off
all other things of the kind ever un-
dertaken. 1t makes Palisade til,
starting point of the work, which. il
carried through to successful CON
clusion will enrich all of the Hilltop
section beyond anybody's dream.
The article follows:
RoadtoWn," that dream of emanci-
patton from city crowds and slums,
and smells and costs, which has come
out OF the west and to-day is attract
ing the attention of engineers, arch
tects scientists and fnanciers, was
given lengthy hearing yesterday
afternoon at the Inter- Urban confer
ence IN the Newark City Hall. Rep
reSentatIves of sixteen towns in what
IS called the metropolitan district of
Northern New Jersey-cities like
Newark, Jersey City, Hoboken, Passaic
and Paterson, which have their being
largely because of their proximity to
New Iork-met to discuss plan for
the consolidation OF these communities
INTO one great city.
Ii the plan of consolidation goes
thfough-or rather-the project, for
no plan yet is ready-it will make
new city in the United States larger
than st. Louis in population These
cities are almost one now. Some of
the boundaries join. The spaces be-
tween certain OF them are being rap
idly built up, and soon all will be all
one town in fact if not in law.
10 this conference went Edward
Ch@mbioss, the young Californian, who
! for fifteen years has been dreaming
and working on his "Roadtown" idea.
Many years ago Mr.. Chambless be-
came convinced that the present
method of happy-g o-lucky city build
ing was all wrong. To put handful
OF people down IN a particular spot.
as the first settlers of Manhattan
were dumped from their Dutch sail
ing vessels, and then to go away and
leave them to develop a city without
any direction or skilled mind to make
suggestions he felt sure was wrong.
50 he went to work to figure out a
better plan. The result was Road
town"
The city of to-day, Mr.. Chambless
saw, shuts its jewellers away from
the country. He proposes to put
them right out in it. His plan pro
vldes for transportation by electric
rapid transit in the basement. Tubes
and wires and pipes will carry every
thing from line of conversation to
a hamper of groceries-even a we'll
cooked meal. His houses will be built
along this rapid transit line, and i'm
medlately back of them will stretch
the great open country. Every Win
dow will open on light and air instead
Of on narrow light we'll. Farmers
will come from their farmhouses
right up to the back door and de-
liver the products of the farm fresh
from the gardens that flourish under
the "Roadtown" dweller's window.
Mr.. Chambless put his plan before
the InterUrban conference, and those
present liked it. He said that Pail
SADIE, n. j., presents an admirable
spot at which to begin a tryout of
mis- plan, He proposed that his un-
der-surface electric line be built to
connect Palisade with all the other
towns in the metropolitan district.
Along this electric subway he would
have his model apartments construct
ed. With the proposed bridge at
tlfty-ninth street over the Hudson
River finished, he urged, it would
put Palisade within three or four
minutes ride of Columbus Circle,
which he predicts will be the heart
of New York within ten years.
Those at the conference looked at
the drawings of "Roadtown" and
asked all sorts of questions for al
most an hour. The young Californian
is satisfied that he has set them
thinking over his plan of building a
city distinct from anything which has
been proposed since the second cave
dWeIler established himself in his
cave, which fronted that of the first
one, and thus laid out the first street.