USA > New Jersey > Hudson County > Jersey City > History of Jersey City, N.J. : a record of its early settlement and corporate progress, sketches of the towns and cities that were absorbed in the growth of the present municipality, its business, finance, manufactures and form of government, with some notice of the men who built the city > Part 12
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Real Estate.
Personal.
Total.
First Ward
$3,682,000
$400,500
$4,082,500
Second Ward
. 2,087,150
196,600
2,283,750
Third Ward
2,429,400
254,000
2,683,400
Fourth Ward
2,672,600
159,650
2,832,250
$10,871,150
$1,010,750
$11,881,900
After the people had accepted the consolidation act of 1869 there was a doubt about the legality of any contract for street improvement. Mayor Harrison called attention to this fact in vetoing a resolution to purchase land and erect a new house for Sherwood Hook and Ladder Company on December 16, 1869. There was no doubt of the illegality of all contracts for paving with Belgian blocks, because one-third of the cost was by the charter made a lien on the city. There was no doubt about the illegality of contracts for Nicholson pavements, because this was a patented process, in which one person or firm controlled a city or county right, and there could be no competition. In spite of vetoes and warnings, the board met only to award con- tracts. There was such undue haste that the petitions were put in without regard to the requisite number of signers. The charter provided that the owners of a majority of the lineal feet of frontage should sign the petition. The board was satisfied with a few names without regard to the frontage. This omission invalidated the assessments where made, and the cost became a part of the permanent debt of the consolidated city. Sherwood Hook and Ladder house was ordered and Lafayette Engine house still later. The contract was awarded to B Van Keuren and R. A. Mcknight on January 17, 1870, and the bell tower, on Communipaw Avenne,
78
HISTORY OF JERSEY CITY.
was ordered on March 7, 1870. Mayor Harrison opposed all this jobbery, and on March 26, 1870, in a communication to the common council he spoke of "the incentive of the immense profit in prospect if this Nicholson pavement job is secured." His warnings had no effect.
There was so much doubt in the minds of the officials that many of the records were pur- posely destroyed at the time the consolidation became operative. Thomas K. Halsted, assist- ant city clerk of Jersey City, was sent, without warning, to seize the records of Hudson City and Bergen, and he collected what he could find in the two city halls, but there are many grievous gaps in the records. The Mayors of the town and city of Bergen were: Henry Fitch, 1866; John M. Cornelison, 1867; John Hilton, 1868, until he resigned and was succeeded by William Brinkerhoff, president of the board of aldermen, for the unexpired term ; Stephen D. Harrison, 1869.
There were only two City Clerks, Henry H. Newkirk, in 1866-7, and Samuel McBurney in 1 868-9.
There were two Boards of Aldermen. The first was elected in April. 1868, and consisted of Thomas F. Hay, Jacob J. Van Riper and Abraham Spear, from the First Ward; John S. Sut- phen, William Brinkerhoff and James Soper, from the Second Ward; Appleton A. Woodward, William Van Keuren and Jeremiah B. Cleveland, from the Third Ward, and William H. Bum- sted, Hiram Sigler and Michael D. Vrceland, from the Fourth Ward.
The last Board of Aldermen were : W. H. Bumsted, D. L. Holden, H. H. Newkirk, Isaac Romaine, H. Sigler, J. Soper, James Stevens, M. D. Vreeland, W. V'an Keuren, E. D. B. Wake- man, Marcius H. Washburn and Isaac Freese, Jr.
The members of the Board of Education of Bergen were :
PRESIDENTS. D. W. Culver, 1865. Jas. G. Craighead, 1866-7. Jno. W. Atwood, 1868-9.
SUPERINTENDENTS. B. C. Taylor, 1864-5. L. A. Brigham, 1866-9.
CLERKS.
B. C. Taylor, 1864.
E. P. Buffett, 1866-7.
J. W. Patterson, 1865.
D. Bowly, 1868-9.
MEMBERS.
Atwood, Jno. W., 1867-9.
Haight, P. D., 1865-9.
Brigham, L. A., Supt .. 1866-9.
Harrison, S. D., Mayor, 1869.
Brinkerhoff, Wm., Prest. of Council, 1868.
Klumpp, Jno. F., 1868.
Babcock, Seth, *1865, Prest. Council, 1866.
Linsley, II., 1864.
Buffett, E. P., 1866-9.
McDuff, Arthur, 1864-5.
Miller, C. W., 1866.
Bowly, Dan'1, 1867-9. Buck, E. W., 1868-9.
Mills, 1868-9. Onderdonk, Jno., 1868-9.
Craighead, Jas. G., 1864-8.
Cornelison, Jno. M., Mayor, 1867.
Culver, D. W., 1864-5.
Cleveland, J. B., 1864-5, 67.
Clark, Abram, 1868-9.
Soper, Jas., 1864, *68.
Doolittle, E. A., 1868-9.
Taylor, B. C., Supt., 1864-5.
Finn, Thos., 1865-7.
Tompkins, 1868 Van Riper, Jacob, 1804-5.
Forman, S. R., 1866-9. Fitch, H. E., Prest. Council, 1865-6.
Van Horn, Jno R . 1864-6.
Gilmore, J. W., Prest. of Council, 186 ;.
Van Winkle, Dan I, 1866-S
Hardenbergh, A. . 1., *1864.
Ward, 11. 11., 1866 -;.
Holden, D. L., *1866.
Westervelt. I. C., 1868-6
Hilton, Jno., Mayor, 1868.
Woodward, A. . A. * 1867.
* Ex-officio Chairman of Alderman Committee.
Patterson, Jno., 1864-9.
Perrine, Jacob, 1866.
Romaine, Isaac, Prest. of Council, 1869.
De Witt, C. W., 1866.
Sigler, Hiram, *1869
Freeman, R. W. R., 1865.
Vreeland, Garret, 1805-0
CHAPTER XV.
CONSOLIDATION AND REORGANIZATION-THE PETITION TO THE FREEHOLDERS-AN ELECTION ORDERED AND ITS RESULT-TROUBLE BEGUN FOR JERSEY CITY-FINANCIAL CONDITION OF THE THREE CITIES-A RUSH OF CONTRACTS-" THE BOARD OF 32"-A BANK WAR-ORIGIN OF THE CITY DEBT-A NEW CITY CHARTER-THE RESERVOIR CONTRACT-A NEW GOVERNMENT INAUGURATED ON A NEW PLAN.
OON after the war period the idea of uniting all of the towns of Hudson County in one municipality began to be considered. It was believed that great benefits would accrue to the people by uniformity in taxation, roads and drainage systems. It was thought that it would effect a large saving by doing away with the freeholders and many small sets of municipal officers. The idea was put into a tangible shape by Robert Gilchrist and William Brinkerhoff. A bill providing for submitting the question to the people was prepared and presented to the board of chosen freeholders in 1868. The board directed W. D. McGregor to have 2,000 copies printed for circulation. Copies were sent to each munic- ipal body, and to the heads of departments in each city and town. The bill did not propose to include Harrison and Kearny, but it took in all that lies east of the Hackensack River in Hudson County. Bergen was heartily in favor of the bill, but the meetings held in the other towns showed many objectors.
For instance, a meeting was held in Hoffman's hotel, Hudson City, on Jannary 6, 1869, at which Mayor G. D. Van Reipen presided. The advocates of the bill explained that it would re- duce the number of officials, give access to the ferries and drainage to the river. The op- ponents said the city would be simply swallowed by Jersey City. They said the bill had no friends in Hudson City nor Bergen, and if it passed they would be governed by Jersey City, and Jersey City people would fill all the offices. The people in Jersey City were at first in- clined to oppose the bill because they thought it was drawn in favor of the hill. Jersey City had bought and paid for many things required to make a city and the hill districts were still in a large measure farming land. The Jersey City Common Councilmen were at first inclined to ignore the movement, but on March 20, 1869, at a special meeting, decided to ask the legislature to postpone action on the bill. They were too late. The legislature passed the bill and it was approved on April 2d. It provided that a special clection should be held on October 5th, en- suing, in each municipality to decide on consolidation. The result was as follows :
Charter.
No Charter.
Jersey City .
2,220
911
Hudson City
1,320
220
Bergen
815
108
Hoboken
176
893
Bayonne .
100
250
Greenville .
24
174
Weehawken
00
44
Town of Union
123
105
West Hoboken
95
256
North Bergen
80
225
Union Township
140
65
This showed the desire of the people in Jersey City, Hudson and Bergen to unite their municipal fortunes. The residents of Union Township and the Town of Union also wanted to join the growing city, but the act provided that only contiguous towns could consolidate, and they were barred out.
So
HISTORY OF JERSEY CITY.
This special election to allow the people to express their opinion before the consolidation was effected may have been wise and prudent, but it was the beginning of many troubles for Jersey City, troubles which still weigh heavily after the lapse of a quarter of a century. On March 17, 1870, the legislature passed a charter for the consolidated city. By it the new city was divided into sixteen wards, of which Jersey City had eight and the other two cities four each. Hudson City wards were numbered from eight to twelve, and Bergen's from thirteen to sixteen. The division was hardly fair to Jersey City. It had more assets, ratables and popu- lation than the other two combined, and should have had a larger representation.
Jersey City, in 1870, had a general debt of $2,551,945.40, and an improvement debt of $217,- 412.38. Its property and assets exceeded its debt by $836,042.43. Included in the debt was the water-works, which was then supplying Hudson City and Hoboken, and had a contract with Bergen. The water-works was scheduled at $1,518,000, but was worth as an asset at least $2,- 500,000, as will be seen later. The bulk of the Jersey City debt outside of the water bonds was $834,000 of war bonds. There was nothing to show for them. It had eight fire engines, four hose carriages and three hook and ladders, which cost with the buildings $204.775. It had an effective fire department of 498 men. It had five school-houses, which with grounds and furni- ture cost $289.000. Other realty, including the bell tower, almshouse, charity hospital and street lamps, represented $188,950.
Bergen had a general debt of $497,032.72, an improvement debt of $550,000 in bonds and $602,875.08 in improvement certificates, making a total of $1,649,907.8o.
Hudson City had $420,492.70 in bonds, $20,000 in temporary loans, $519 due on contracts, and an assessment debt of $270,307.55, making a total debt of $711,319.25. The consolidated debt of the new city was $5, 130,584.83.
This debt could have been carried easily if it had been cared for, but the knowledge that the new city would have to provide for the contracts made by the cities that were absorbed, caused the officials to lay the foundation for the city debt which has been a detriment ever since. After it was assured that the legislature would pass the consolidated charter, the officials of Bergen became reckless. Every favored contractor was loaded with work which could not be finished, and for years afterwards the city was paying for work ordered in the month pre- ceding the passage of the charter. There were forty-two street and sewer contracts under way in Bergen when the consolidation act went into effect. In addition to these, there were twenty- seven contracts so recent that no work had been done on them. Not only were these contracts awarded in haste, on a plea that the new city government might not favor Bergen, but the prices allowed to contractors were exorbitant.
Hudson City had ten contracts under way at consolidation, and some of them were quite robust. A few instances will indicate the reckless manner in which the contracts were awarded. One sewer, Section A, came to $366,487.70, and the price was so excessive that in 1873 a com- mission that was appointed to examine these assessments decided that the cost should not have been more than $238,217.01, and placed the remaining $128,270.69 on the city at large as a part of its permanent debt. The improvement of West Grand Street, covered up by a number of contracts, cost $294,251.14. It would be tedious to go over all of these contracts, but they were nearly all alike.
Out of 113 jobs that were examined by the adjustment commissioners in 1873, only about a score were confirmed as laid by the assessors. The burden laid upon the property was re -. duced in each of the other cases. The improvement of Montgomery Street was even worse than these, bad as they were. This job was criminally botched. One contractor was allowed to drive short piles in deep mud, another contractor was allowed to substitute dressed stone re- taining walls for rough masonry, and the roadway a little over a mile long was finished with wooden pavement. It sank in the mud on May 28, 1872, before the assessment was confirmed, because of its faulty construction, and more than $Soo.ooo that was paid on it hecame a part of the permanent debt of the city. Many of the sewers built under these hasty contracts were above the level of the land they were to drain. in some instances supported upon piling ten feet in the air. The population was not large enough in the section where most of these improve- ments were made to bear the expense. The property was unimproved, and the owners could not pay the taxes or assessments. A large arrearage was created which grew rapidly, and bonds were issued to supply the money to carry on the contract work and the city government.
81
HISTORY OF JERSEY CITY.
The first Board of Aldermen under the consolidated charter consisted of : F. S. Fitzpatrick, T. A. Gross, John Whalen, D. W. Garvin, H. N. Ege, W. H. Budlong, Neil Campbell, Charles Birdsall, Jeremiah Sweeney, C. H. Tangeman, H. F. Clark, Patrick Sheeran, John Maloney, Dennis Reardon, John Egan, James Meehan, John Hogan, Anton Schick, John McFadden, Patrick MeNulty, President, Patrick Harrington, George J. Edwards, Cyrus P. Daken, Tobias Martini, W. H. Thomas, Daniel Toffey, E. D. B. Wakeman, Benjamin Van Keuren, Isaac Freese, Jr., Wm. Van Keuren, W. H. Bumsted, Garret Vreeland, Jr.
They organized May 2, 1870, and found more work than they could do. They met at two o'clock Tuesday afternoons, and frequently sat until midnight. They governed the city by committees, except so far as the board of education was concerned. The finance committee were informed by the assessors that the ratables were : Jersey City, $24,850,550 ; Hudson City, $8,915, 130 ; Bergen, $10,874,050 ; total, 844,639.730. Upon this a tax levy of $1,013, 111.49 was laid. The tax levy of 1869 in the three cities aggregated $679,534.41. The people could see no reason for this increase of $333,577.08. Their discontent was shown by a failure in a large proportion of the property-owners to pay their taxes. The board struggled through the year, making a good effort to consolidate the departments of the three cities. It put in a fire alarm telegraph at a cost of $27,000, but added nothing to the permanent improvements. The con- tracts to which it had fallen heir were more than it could manage. The financial strain became greater toward the winter, and the finance committee found difficulty in getting money enough to meet maturing obligations. The Second National Bank was the city depository, and it was charging seven per cent. on loans. The city had borrowed about all the bank cared to loan when the finance committee held a meeting in the absence of Hosea F. Clark, its chairman, and decided to borrow $250,000 from the First National Bank. There was a keen rivalry between the two banks, and this precipitated an open rupture. The finance committee got a resolution through the board authorizing the loan, and Mayor O'Neill vetoed it on December 27th. On January 3d Mr. Clark resigned from the finance committee. At the next meeting President McNulty appointed W. H. Bumsted as chairman of the committee. His sympathy was with the First National Bank, and he transferred the city's account. Then the Second National Bank called $50,000 of its temporary loan. This action on the part of President Blakely Wilson, of the Second National, was strongly condemned at the time, and President J. S. Fox, of the First National, to whom the temporary bond was presented, retused to pay it, alleging that there were no funds to meet it.
After Mr. Bumsted became chairman of the finance committee, he went to President Fox and asked for $305,000 as a temporary loan. Mr. Fox refused to lend it. He was not willing to help the Second National by helping the city. After a consultation, Mr. Bumsted sold $100,000 of seven per cent. bonds, borrowed $110,000 on assessment account, depositing $110,- ooo of five year bonds as collateral, and paid off $150,000 of temporary loans on assessment account. In this way he overcame the evil effect of having the city's paper protested, and tided over the difficulty that came with the heavy demands for January payments. The event passed into history as the bank war. It was continued as a guerilla warfare as long as the two bank presidents lived, and has been to a certain extent a factor in the city financial problem ever since. The war was aggravated by many minor difficulties and by the incessant drain on the city's finances as the contractors called for their payments.
When the Board of Thirty-two went out of office they were charged with extravagance, and they left a bonded debt of $3,261,949.33 and improvement certificates amounting to $1,202,- 387.89, with an unknown quantity of temporary loans and maturing liability which did not ap- pear until later. This interest-bearing debt, on March 1, 1871, was $4,464,337.22.
While the city government was groping its way blindly under an unknown load, the State had elected a republican legislature, and a way was opened for relief. The contracts could not be disposed of, but a more effective plan of government could be obtained.
Many public meetings were held and leading citizens took part in proposing amendment- to the city charter. The plans proposed were not accepted, but a new charter was prepared. It was radically different from any the city had tried. It changed the sixteen wards into six districts, and deprived the aldermen of a large part of their power. It abolished the board of water commissioners. It created separate commissions for the government of the police and fire departments, and made a new department to take charge of public works. It also created
-
82
HISTORY OF JERSEY CITY.
a new board of finance and taxation, which was composed of the presidents of the other com- missions, the president of the board of aldermen, and the mayor ex-officio. The fire board took charge of the fire department with authority to substitute a paid department for the volunteer system. The police board took charge of street lamps, hospitals, the health depart- ment and the police force. The board of public works took charge of the street and sewer im- provement and construction and the water-works, as well as the erection and repair of all public buildings and street cleaning and repairs. The board of finance appointed the assessors and the comptroller, city collector, legal advisers, and the clerical force in these departments. The commissioners were all appointed by the legislature. The board of aldermen was reduced to twelve members, two from each district, and all that was left under the control of the elect- ive legislative branch of the city government was the licensing of saloons, the charge of elec- tions, and the control of public highways. The system was somewhat cumbrous, and removed from the people the power to make effective objection to the acts of the officials.
The bill was before the legislature for some time before it was passed and history repeated itself. While the charter of consolidation was pending the officials of the three cities made . haste to award contracts for local improvements for their own sections while the matter re- mained within their own control. The new city was loaded before it came into existence. While the new charter was pending the water commissioners, who had charge of the sewerage and water-works, seized the opportunity to make contracts to accommodate favored contractors. The most notorious and far-reaching job of the period was the contract for reservoir No. 3. The water commissioners had discussed the plan and site for this reservoir for a number of years. It was first proposed in 1860. In 1863 it was strongly urged by R. C. Bacot in his report dated July Ist. He said land adjoining the reservoir could be obtained at a moderate cost. In 1864 the board urged the purchase of ground for the reservoir. In the board's report for 1866, page 6, it is stated that the ground had been secured for the new reservoir. The plot is de- scribed as twenty acres, 1,200 feet long and 750 feet wide, between Bergenwood and Montgomery avenues. Subsequently, on page 10 of the nineteenth report made by the board, it appears that some of the land was bought and resort was had to condemnation proceedings. There was no secret about the location of the reservoir. The purchase was not completed at that time, but it is worth while to record that it was begun.
The new charter was well on its way when the water commissioners made the contract for the erection of the reservoir. Governor Parker signed the act to reorganize the city gov- ernment on March 31st. The contract was dated March 2d. At that time it was well known that the water commissioners would go out of office in a few days. The contract was made with John Mitchell and David B. Bridgeford as a firm. Thomas Gannon and Hugh W. McKay were the sureties. A short time afterwards the contract was assigned to J. B. Cleveland. The exact amount that was in the job, as originally designed, will never be known. The prices at which the contract was awarded will afford an idea of the bonanza that was intended. The figures were : Embankment, 35 cents a yard ; earth excavation, 7 cents a yard : rock excava- tion, $2 a yard; slope wall, $3.10 a yard : eut stone masonry, $40 a yard; rubble masonry, $12 a yard, and brick masonry. $20 a yard. Mitchell & Bridgeford drew $199,500 on the contract, and Cleveland got $334.000 before the financial strain and other causes put a stop to the work. The unfinished wall still stands as a monument of bad management. Cleveland demanded something like half a million for what he would have made if the work had been finished according to contract. He compromised several years later on about $30,000. This contract did not attract the attention it deserved at the time it was awarded. It was like many of the other contracts which later created what became known as the old debt. It was awarded as a piece of sharp politics, as many other contracts were during these transition periods of the consolidation and reorganization of the city government. This contract is worthy of special notice because of the events that grew out of it, and because it was typical of the eleventh-hour jobs of the retiring ofheials.
While the new charter was pending it was generally denounced by the office-holders who were to be displaced and by the partisans who were ont. Patrick Sheeran made a speech against it at the meeting of the board of aldermen and introduced a resolution directing A. K. Brown, corporation counsel, and Leon Abbett to go to Trenton, and oppose the passage of the bill. The special features he opposed were the change from wards to districts, and the funding
83
HISTORY OF JERSEY CITY.
of the city debt. The district lines had been arranged in order to make most of them show a republican majority. One of the districts then made became known as the Horseshoe district. and was the cause of so much buncombe that it became a synonym for a tough neighborhood or a gerrymander. The opposition to the funding section of the contract was based on the fact that no provision was made for the excess of debt over assets in Hudson City. Under the hafter of consolidation this excess was made a particular debt on Hudson City. The legislative committee was also instructed to have a clause inserted in the charter by which the property of railroad and canal corporations should be taxed on a parity with the property of individuals. This was a cheap piece of buncombe, because it was well known that neither party was able to secure such a law, nor have they been able to do so since, though the corporation property at that time exempt from local taxation was but a trifle over $5,000,000 in Jersey City, and has vince grown to more than $30,000,000, and includes nearly one-third of the area of the city-a section larger than the whole of any other city in the State with two or three exceptions.
There had been some politics in the government of the city before this period, but from that time for over twenty years politics was the bane of the municipality.
The charter was passed after a long struggle. The commissioners were named in the act. The Board of Public Works consisted of Thomas E. Bray, W. H. Bumsted, Earl S. Martin, Win. Startup, August Ingwersen, B. F. Welsh and M. H. Gillett. Henry Newkirk, an ex-city clerk of Bergen, was elected Clerk.
The Police Commissioners were : Thomas A. Gross, I. S. Hutton, E. M. Pritchard, Thomas Edmondson and F. A. Goetze. George Warren, an assemblyman, was elected Clerk.
The Fire Commissioners were : John Boyd. A. B. Dean, John H. Carnes, D. S. Gregory, Jr., and Thomas W. Tilden. John T. Denmead was elected Clerk, and H. E. Farrier, Chief of the department.
The Board of Finance and Taxation was composed of the presidents of the other boards, with Mayor O'Neill ex-officio. The Clerk was Robert Hutton.
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