Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-03-12
REPLIES TO DEFY
ON CRITICISM
Delaney, Middlesex Taxpayer,
Answers Freebooter on Perth
Amboy Bridge Damage.

In a letter today r. ]. Delaney, who
signs himself a Taxpayer Of Middle
sex County" the assertions
made by Freebooter William S. Dey,
South Amboy. who recently attacked
the state highway commission as the
result of the bridge between this city
and South Amboy being damaged by
the ice foes on Saturday night of
last week. Mr.. Delaney's letter fol-
lows:
March II, 1920.
EDITOR PERTH AMBOY NEWS:
I noticed in your issue of the 10th
and also in the New Brunswick Sun
day Times of the 18th a statement con-
corning the bridge at South Amboy by
Director of the Board of Freeholders
William S. Dey.
As a tax payer of MiddleSex county
] feel that it Is an INJUSTICE for Mr..
Dey to criticise the highway commits
sion concerning the accident to the
bridge caused by the severe freshet
last week. As o are aware the bridge
spoken ofwas turned over to h State
Highway Commission only a very short
time 6 Previous to hat time it
was controlled by the Board of Free
holders of Middlesex county, of which
Mr.. Dey has been very prominently
connected for the past years, and If
I am not mistaken he had actual
charge of this particular bridge. There
fore he was acquainted with the a
condition of said bridge, which vas
very oor when turned over to the
highway department.
Mr.. Dey speaks of his suggestion
concerning dynamite not being listened
to. I would hereby state that If Mr..
Dey found occasion to travel over this
bridge for days previous to the acct
dent he would have known that there
was 40 dee in the channel on the upper
side of said bridge for a considerable
distance towards Sayreville, and there
fore 1t is a question of what he would
have dynamited. The ice that caused
the trouble was the accumulation OF
ice that had formed in the vicinity Of
New Brunswick and was released by
the freshet, and being released 1T was
piled to a depth of from six to eight
feet or more. When these icebergs
were released and swept down the
Raritan, 1 am at a loss to understand
how 1t could be dynamited while 1T
was flowing towards the bridge. He
also speaks of the ice being heavier
during the winters of 1917 and 1918.
I believe it is the first time in history
when ice was heavy enough to be
grounded on the mud flats after 1t a
passed through the bridge taking part
OF 1t away; in other words. the Ice
bergs grounded where tow boats float
ed. In the years 1917 and 1918 sec
tons of ice passed out with the various
tides. F'reshets and weather oondi-
tons cannot be controlled, and l would
not compare 1917 and 1918 with coadl-
tons of Friday and Saturday last.
He further states that the bridge
has been kept in operation at all times.
This I feel is not the truth in that the
south side not so very many years
ago was torn away by an ice flow
which was not near as severe as that
of the past week. I believe freehold
ers records will show a large amount
of money paid for repairs. and Middle
sex county people know this is not the
first time the said bridge las been
closed. l feel hat the people of New
brunswick are able to Judge the sever
ity of this years storm with that Of
other years.
After the ice had passed through
the drawbridge and proceeded towards
the bay you will find that it was so
great and its force so terrible and
destructive In its passage to the sea
that 1t tore the thirty or forty boats
from Their moorings at the Pennsyl-
vania stakes. and that the entire tug
boat force Of the said Pennsylvania
Railroad was powerless in the foe. and
hat before the boats were finally
driven aground by the ice they had
reached the vicinity of k~eansburg.
Ne Less than eight or ten tugs were
hSa.-ng this foe to liberate themselves
from its great power.
According to the press the State
Highway Commission has secured the
services of IN expert bridge man to
make repairs to this bridge. I wonder
If you could say the same concerning
the men employed by the Board of
l'reeholders while the bridge was
under their charge. How about the
mechanical ability of the men they m
ployed? Did the various tradesmen
working on his bridge under the Board
OF Freeholders hold a union card or
yere they mechanics? II not me-
chanics. what good qualities secured
them their positions? l believe they
were appointed by the said Mr.. Dey.
In passing a law to compel the
State Highway Commission to take
over this bridge, 7 failed to aver see
the fact published in the papers that
the New Jersey Highway Commission
paid thirty-three and one-third per
cent of the upkeep. inc had no say of
now this money should be spent, or
VIII should do the work.
I am also calling the TAXPAYERS at
tention to the condition of the high
ways that have just been turned over
to the state in Middlesex county. If
o will go over the turned over
roads, /. e. from Perth Arboy to
Railway and from Metuchen to New
Brunswick you will find that they
need to be reconstructed, although
the county of Middlesex spent an
enormous sum of money a short time
ago for the repair of the said roads.
j wonder If the taxpayer is receiving
anywhere near the value for the
money they spent on this patented
pavement? I would also call the tax
payers attention to the deploraoIe
condition now existing by the almost
impossible snow and ice bound roads
that are under the care of the coun-
~. I would especially mention the
South Amboy-New Brunswick road
via. South River. the Metuchen-Perth
Amboy road via. F'ords. and the
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. road through
Port Reading. No doubt bills will
soon be presented to the Board Of
Freeholders for h removal of the