New-York tribune., 1921-05-08
Jersey Politics
Helps Il, Tie Up
eE,icle Tunnel
Deadlock Between States
Declared Partly Due 10
Mayor Hague's Desire to
Sliss>s Machines Power
BallSs Work This Summer
eynnissiou Across River
smsists Approach Is Act
ually a Part of Tube

me 0lSagfeemenC peCWeeH the new
Sork and New Jersey vehicular tun-
Tsel commissions and the dismissal by
she New Jersey Commission Of its six
Sonsulting engineers, make it probable
that little progress will be made on
sconstruction work on the Jersey City
end of the proposed $3o,000,000 tunnel
,iaring the coming summer. Contrac-
tors started the shaft for the New
York end of the tunnel last October.
s. The New York Commission, backed
by the Judgment of Clifford Nj. Hol-
land, chief engineer of the New Jersey
Commission, and by State Engineer
Francis NJ. Williams of New York,
sakes the position that it is not au-
the proposed widening Of streets in
dorsey City needed for -he handling
OF traffic after the tunnel is In opera
ton. The New York Commission in
sists that this is purely local Inn
provement and that Jersey City should
undertake it.
T. Albeus Adams, Of Montclair,
chairman of the New Jersey Commits
SEstiis SdfS kne CFu8 OF tle SITUATION AZ
not over street widening, but over q
proper assumption Of responsibility
by the New York Commission for the
eompletion of great tunnel having
two ends, and which must be looked
at as complete operating proposition,
rather than two-party, or two-local-
ity, matter.
Chief Engineer Holland, of the New
Jersey Commission, finds himself in
-
had his consulting staff dismissed
sssgainst his protest. This move clearly
IL one to force his retirement from
the commission.
Politics Big Factor
One phase of the deadlock is the
alleged disposition of the New Jersey
domination of Mayor Hague, the po-
iitical boss of Hudson County, to
dominate the commission politically
and to force recognition, to some ex-
s,fent, of the fact that the Hague ma
Chine controls Northern New Jersey,
aud that any great undertaking like a
tunnel under the North River with an
aud in Jersey City comes within che
political purview OF Mr.. Hague.
Still another phase of the deadlock
sis that Chief Engineer Holland has
4staked his reputation on an outlay of
3O,00o.0o0 and no more for the tunnel.
I'll extra space is needed in Jersey City
@for entrances and the cost goes into
sihe tunnel cost, then Mr.. Hollands
astimate figures will have to be re-
isFised upward. This he objects to, as
sserting that if he is allowed to build
the tunnel, as understood when he
@as appointed, he can keep the cost
down to $30,000,o00. He and the con-
sulting engineers dismissed by the
New Jersey Commission privately ad-
NIT that the tunnel may cost many
millions more if Hudson County
politicians are allowed to interfere.
{. r. Albeus Adams, chairman Of the
New Jersey Commission, told Trib-
!. ufie reporter yesterday that the New
1 Jersey Commission was actuated solely
by a desire to have the tunnel built
without delay.
sThis is not q street widening
proposition" said Chairman Adams.
efforts by the New York Commission
co characterize it as such are apparent
ly for the purpose of camouf1aging an
unexplained opposition to making
progress on the Jersey end of the tun-
mel.
Jersey City. through its Mayor and
other city officials, has publicly repudi-
ated this misleading description of the
matter, and has stated that Jersey
City itself will attend to all the street
Widening the city requires. The facts
are that tunnel has two ends; and
that these ends are where the traffic
using the tunnel can find ready and
convenient access to and from its por-
tails. Such access is snot possible
when the tunnel traffic is squeezed
through eongested local traffic in mar
row city streets.
Railroad Wants Street
nOnce this fact is clearly understood
there can be no question about widen
ing city Streets and no hiding the
fact that the only solution of the prob
lenp presented by the conditions to be
met in Jersey City is the open and hon.
est one made by the Tunnel Commits
sions and the Jersey City officials and
upon which the agreement with the
Erie Railroad, vital to the tunnel, alb
solutely depends. And these facts be-
ing admitted, that the New York Law
creating thesNew York commission pro-
hihits payments from tunnel funds fol-
the cost of this work, for the approach
is just as much part of the tunnel
eA the tubes under the river will be
ssThe Erie Railroad has made it's
agreement giving the tunnel what il
needs on railroad property entirely de-
pendent upon the Tunnel Commission's
abilify to turn over TO it Eleventh
Street, which will improve it's terminal
facilities and benefit its line all the
way to Chicago. The railroad has
stated, through its officers, that it will
fight in the courts any effort by the
tunnel commissions to take what the
tunnel needs on the Erie property in
jersey City unless the Eleventh Street
grant is made. Competent legal advice
~ that this would mean at least two
and a half years of costly court pro.
csedings and that the outcome even
then would be doubtful. So that Elev.
enth Street is the vital factor for the
early completion of the tunnel project
Fortunately Jersey City is in nos.
kession of Eleventh Street, which the
Erie Railroad needs very badly for part
0z its main line and terminal yard. The
city Of Jersey City, in the interest OF
The tunnel project, is willing to turr
this street, Eleventh Street, over fo,
railroad purposes. but asks that the
width Of the streets forming the tun
mel approach and exit be increased te
take care of the tunnel traffic. not fol
fhe benefit of the city The amount Of
the increase asked for in square fee
81 street surface amounts to 1928, 900
Jersey City will close 153,600 square
Eoet OF street surface for the benef;i
NJ the tunnel construction
he dismissed engineers are EoIone
Jam ]. Wilgus, Major John A. Ben
asls Professor William H. Burr, Edward