The Penn's Grove record., 1923-12-28
Early Action To
Abandon Canal
Found To Be Useless For Trans
pOrtatiOn And Obstruction to
Water Supply Dept.


other reasons is one of nine speclnc
recommendations contained in a re-
port of the canal abandonment COM
mittee which was considered by GOV
ernor Silzer at joint conference with
the State Board of Conservation and
Development. the State Highway
Commission and the committee.
The committee found that the canal
has lost its usefulness for transporta'
ton purposes, that it is an obstruction
to the development of potable water
supplies and should no longer be con-
tfnued as a canal Immediate action
In this direction was urged on the
ground that the annual cost OF ade-
ouate maintenance amounts to about
S195.OOO a year, in addition to whlch
approximately S1,5S4,000 would have
to be spent within the next five years
in the reconstruction of bridges. aque-
ducts and other appurtenances OF the
canal. Even if matters are allowed
to drift for one or two years under
present conditions, there will be a
useless expenditure. tie committee
found. of from SJ79,000 to more than
S1.O0O,OOO.
The committee recommended that
the Little Basin in Jersey City shall
be offered first to Jersey City at a
fair price. and if the city does not de
eide to take it over within reason
able time. then it should be sold or
leased to the highest bidder.
Offer to Kearny Also
If Kearny township does not desire
to acquire the right of way of the ca
nal within its limits and adjacent to
the Lincoln highway, the report said,
it is desirable that this section should
be taken over and improved by ada
cent property owners or other private
persons, thereby abating a nuisance
and increasing the assessable property
of the township.
Finding an expressed desire on the
part of several municipalities to take
over and use the right of way from
the Passaic river to the south line Of
Paterson for electric railway purposes.
the committee recommended that this
part of the property should first be Of
fered to such municipalities, several
ly or collectively, to be declared pub
lie highway.
If the municipalities do not elect TO
take over the right Of way for fair
consideration, the committee regarded
it desirable that it be promptly taken
over by private owners and improved
thereby increasing the ratables. The
portion of the canal lying within the
limits Of Paterson, the report said
should be treated similarly. If these
sections are neglected, it was held,
they will greatly retard the develop
ment Of adjacent private property.
Find No Need for Highway
The committee gave careful consid-
Grafton to a suggestion that the por-
tion of the canal west of Paterson be
retained for use as a state highway,
but found no necessity for such use,
since it is paralleled by an existing
improved highway and there are a
number of other highways across the
state, all Of which are from thirteen
to twenty-five miles shorter than the
canal route. Furthermore, the COM
mittee held that the cost of filling up,
regarding and Strengthening the canal
would be much greater than the cost
of acquiring a more suitable right of
way if an additional highway should
be found necessary in the future.
The committee was of the opinion
that it is not desirable for the state
to withhold this right of way from i'm
provement by local municipalities or
property owners over a long period of
time because of a remote possibility
that some future use may be found
for it.
Conflicts With Conservation r. r. Plan
Proposed use of the canal for an
acquatic parkway was considered bv
the committee, but rejected as uDde-
sirable. 1t was found that the part
Of the canal most suitable for such a
purpose is that extending from Branch
Brook Park to Pompton. Such a plan
ould conflict with the use Of the ca
ri for an electric railway. in addi-
N to which 31,000,0OO gallons of wa
: would be required daily to make
up for losses by evaporation and seep-
age, to maintain even the portion of
the canal from the Pompton feeder to
Bloomfield. In view of the large and
increasing demand for potable water
supplies the commission felt such a
large consumption of water is not per
missible.
If the canal is dismantled, the re-
port shows, there are 14O bridges
which must be removed the ap-
proaches graded down, the canal filled
up at the road intersections and in
some instances the road straightened
and resurfaced; guard rails must be
erected and highway crossings made
safe for traffic; many planes, locks,
acqueducts, bridges, culverts, spill
ways and dams which must be dis
mantled, filed up or rebuilt. It is es-