Year: 1867

s~~~~~sr>~>~~~~~~~~~<s~


Movements for she Drainage Of the swamp


Between the Passaic and HackensacA


Rivcrs-The Tidewater Company versus


the Iron Dyke Company-The Modas Ope.


randi of tho Rival Companies, go.


The rapid growth Of the cities and towns OF ne" 'o
sey forming an outlet from the metropolis mas "
length raised the question OF utilizing every svaAois
inch Of ground for building purposes, ana WIN 'ns
view various plans have been from ams 70 nme suS-
gested for draining and filling up the marshes ana low
grounds which present barrier TO the onward marcn OF
Improvement The meadowa so-caled, Of Hoboken have
been transformed gradually into streets and ios,
the Improvement keeping pace with the rather
limited resources OF the city. Passing over the long
ridge on which Hudson City, Bergen, West Hoboksn,
with other villages and townships stand. come to
swamp which challenges enterprise and opens field for
capitalists Thousands OF acres annually lost for
want Of reclamation, and o. to anyone save
In the miserable crop Of salt hay which must often be
gathered in before dried and seasoned TO from
the rain foods and spring tides


THE nDEwArER COMPANY


was created by act Of the Legislature passed April
1885, the purpose Of draining the tdewaer marshes
adjoining Newark Bay and its tributary streams to
reclaim and bring into . tract Of land cover
ing about one fourth OF tho county Of Hudson and
that portion OF Union county lying north Of





county comprising several thousand acres This COM
pany consisted Of D. Gregory J Of Jersey City, and
several other gentlemen Of tried ability the capital
stock being ST. 000 The ac authorized the appoint
ment OF three commissioners by q Justice Of the
Supreme Court TO enter into contract with the company
for performance Of the work For the payment OF
this the commissioners after making the con-
tract and after the retaining Of the lands specified or
any part thereof should have been competed an assess
should be made upon the lands 80 reclaimed The
operation Of power Unlimited as this evidently was
gave rise alarm among the property owners who
accordingly repaired Chancellor Zabrke and caused
an Injunction to be ssaed restraining the company from
further proceedings. motion TO discba barge the IN
junction afterwards having failed, II was made per-
petual and tho company brought the case into the
Court cf Errors where the decision OF the Chancellor
was affirmed These decisions, together with the veto
Of Governor Ward when the bill was referred 70 MN
Though 1t was passed over his veto), were such
stumbling block that the bill was amended but before
it could be put through the act was repealed In the
Senate and afterwards In the House during the past
week. This ends the Tidewater Company Their plan
embraced the construction of canal and bank skiring
the river to the width Of hundred and fifty feet


with sluce at certain distances so conrvcd that
low tide the gate would allow the water in the canal
TO flow into the river tn the level obtaneds
| when the rise OF the tide would keep the gates


fast and prevent the return Of water to the canal This
| scheme world cover frontage OF from sixteen 70 o
eighteen miles, aud Is termed " catchwater drain y
The original bill comprised portions OF Essex and Ber
gen Counties but these were abandoned by compro-





THE IRON DYKE COMPANY.


| In the meantime another company had been formed


mode OF procedure and less Objectionable in oil fea
| lures This was the Iron Dyke and Land Improve
ment Company, whose agent y L B Dnggs ms
| carry out their design not only with the con-
sent but the concurrence Of the landholders
The first step is to buy out the land TO be reclaimed and


tho OF in their operations the Increased
value Of the land will be an ample indemnity for the ex.


from Mr. John Board Of Hoboken agent for the heirs
of John @ Costar; from 500 to 1000 acres from Mr.
Iathrop $50 acres from Mr. anderson and other por;
the meadow land in Kearny township. On the land


thus acquired the company will proseed to experiment
money instead Of forcing assessment that might
prove unjust we'll as disagrceable.


NEW sYsTEM DyKA


The proposed plan, though at sight costly, pos
many features which ents 1t to superior con-
sheraton and should succeed tns result WIN PROVE sc
works Large iron plates are sunk into tho earth until


Ss 1 bed Of 'sS
each side slidc with facility. BY continuing thus
| to any desired length an iron wall 10 formed,
| the escape OF water through the grooves at high
water bong Insignificant for all purposes, while at low
Is obvialed by the deposit Of mud coating the
dyke deep vein, and which, from the Of the
SOIL w after short time form an impenetrabe lining
similar to the slimy deposit known 10 England as blne
clay The promoters OF this scheme confident Of its
and presage its adoption at large both for cheap
and durability The cost, II s estimated, will
reservations that the Legislature interfred between the
RIVAL CoNPANEA


Governor Ward. his veto OF the rdewater bill
pressed his entire dsapprova OF the principle tina any
body OF the State dictate TO any pos
SCISSOR Of properly what particular mode Of culture,
subversve Of thai freedom Of action which our
ment guarantees. The bill empowered tho company
further TO compel payment and indemnify themselves
for such operations as they, not the proprietor, may
deem IT. and thus arose the possibility that possessors
foreseeing exorbtant assessments would part
their land at Its present reduced value TO
the company who would thus become pre-
pretos be able to dispose hereafter Of the lands
at high figure when thoroughly drained. Both COM
panies favor pumps but for cheapness the wind


mill Is likely TO be adopted In several places the water
must be pumped out into the river 90 that in this par
ticular the plans similar IL Is entirely at the
option Of property owners whether the dyke system
will be employed on their lands or not


SANITARY RESULT.


Fortunately the number OF inhabitants In this marsh
few and is to be attributed to the
stroyng angel fever and ague. The immediate cause
of this pcstience is still within the realm
Of inquiry, and there are some, even denizens
| OF this ill.favored locality, WHO question the
possesofs Of the maady The sum total Of the expert.
encc of who have devoted time and attention


to the subject Is that the miasa asng from decayed
vegetable matter while in process OF decomposition is
ON hill, Is cited as case 10 point 0-e man. living
the Passac river East Newark, poohed the
tion that there Is any such disease in the marshes
/ on the left bank Of the nver But Of the entire
| number of families who reside between the Pas
saic and Hackensack rivers, in the vicinity OF the
swampy tract, hardly will be found that has mot
been visited almost annually by the pestencc On


whole then, setting aside the question of land improve


ment the experiment cannot fail TO the comfort
and well being of whole families In the district and Of
generations unborn. In Humanitarian point Of view,
the Legislature deemed II wise TO all obstacles
to the working Of the schome and temporary
will meet with generous legislation the next
sion as the OF this will necesate measures for
the extension Of a similar system in the vast swamps
through the other portions OF the State.


ATONg THR uUnSON