USA > New Jersey > Hudson County > Paper read before the historical society of Hudson County. 1908 > Part 21
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160 horses, 1 cart, &c., shops, tools, harness,
40 cars,
4 stages,
6 steam passenger cars, .
11 sleighs,
3 wagons,
shops, stationary en- gine and tools."
The total value of the property, including right of way and franchises, was placed at $544,000 at the date of this report.
The incorporators were Dudley S. Gregory, Jacob M. Mer- seles, Matthew Armstrong, Peter Bentley, John H. Cornelison and such other persons as might thereafter be associated with with them.
Capital stock, $250,000. By certificate filed with the Secre- tary of State, September 28, 1883, dated July 20, 1883, the capital stock under Act of March 23, 1883, concerning horse railways, was increased to a total of $500,000. It was further increased by statement filed September 15, 1887, with the Secre- tary of State, to $1,000,000. Mr. John W. Heck, through whose kindness I was enabled to secure the authentic data concerning this railroad, given herein, informs me that when the railroad was transferred to the Consolidated Traction Company $400 per share was paid for the entire capital stock of the road, making a total of $4,000,000 for the road. That this franchise is easily worth $10,000,000 to-day.
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The company was empowered to" "construct a railroad from some point on the Kill von Kull, at or near Bergen Point, to the Newark Turnpike Road, leading from Jersey City to Newark, with the privilege of constructing one or more branches, extending to the several ferries in the County of Hudson south of the city of Hoboken, said road not exceeding 60 feet in width, except in cases of excavations and embankments, &c."
The motive power to be used was limited to horse power. This limitation was removed by Act of 1863, page 284, in which it is enacted that said company may use and run upon their road steam passenger cars similar to those now owned by them, built by Grice & Long and known as dummy cars, and such steam cars only, but said cars shall not be run on any part of said road at a greater speed than twelve miles an hour, nor in the cities of Jersey City and Hudson at a greater speed than eight miles an hour; further power to regulate and control speed, &c., given to the several cities; the act contains also the following proviso: "That said company shall not construct a road on that part of Avenue D as laid down on the map of Bergen Township, south of the Morris Canal, in the County of Hudson, which lies south of Thirty-seventh street, as laid down on said map, but shall locate and construct the same between Avenue C and D, as near equi-distant from each as practicable, from Thirty- seventh street to Fifth street on said map; and said road shall not cross the Central Railroad of, New Jersey on a level there- with, but shall be so constructed as to pass over or under the same."
A Supplement, Laws 1867, page 1018, allowing them to use upon that part of the road from the Newark Plank Road in the Town of Bergen to the Kill von Kull, their cars and steam dummy engines free from all control or interferences by any of the municipal authorities of any town or township except in the Town of Bergen where the Council might regulate the speed of the cars at not less than six miles per hour, and not faster than ten miles an hour; and prohibit the running of cars on Sunday except for funerals south of the Newark Plank Road, and that whenever the carriage way outside of the rails should be paved on Ocean avenue from the Newark Plank Road to Myrtle ave- nue, then the company to pave their tracks between their rails
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and to use horse instead of steam power thereafter between said Plank Road and Myrtle avenue,
By Act of 1873, page 1458, the company was empowered to lay a railroad to connect with the tracks of the "railroad known as the New Jersey Railroad and Transportation Company, at or near the place known as the Bergen Cut in Jersey City and to be operated in connection therewith and to extend the railroad hereby authorized through the County of Hudson to some point on the Kill von Kull at Bergen Point, to establish a ferry across the Kill von Kull to Staten Island; and there to connect with any other railroad now built or hereafter to be built."
By ordinance of the City of Jersey, approved June 17, 1864, the use of steam or dummy engines on any of the tracks of any horse railroad company in Jersey City laid on any of the streets was prohibited, with penalties, &c.
The early ordinances of the city of Bayonne on the matter are as follows:
(1). Passed Sept. 15, 1885, D. W. Oliver, Mayor, authoriz- ing the laying of tracks on Avenue C from the city line and Morris Canal to Meigs street; to Avenue D; to Linnet street; to Orient street; to Fifth street; to Avenue R; to First street; and a branch on Twenty-seventh street from Avenue C to Avenue J; fare not to exceed five cents for any distance within city or from any point within the city to or from any point in Jersey City on the Greenville route. Cars to run at least once every half hour each way between six in the morning and eight in the evening and hourly between eight in the evening and inidnight.
(2). Ordinance passed Sept 24, 1886, to lay rails in Avenues D and S to Meigs street to Fifth street.
(3). Ordinance passed April 20, 1888, to lay tracks on Fifth street and Avenue R to Avenue A; on Avenue A to First street and on First street to the Old Dummy Road, connecting with the tracks on Avenue R.
The act passed by the Legislature March 28, 1882, regulat- ing fares on horse cars in cities of the first class, introduced by the Hon. James C. Clarke, fixed the fare at five cents for each passenger; prior to that, excess fare was charged to certain por- tions of the city and Bayonne, aggregating eight and ten cents.
"The Junction" at Grand street and Communipaw avenue, derived its name from the fact that it was the junction where the
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dummy road started for Bayonne; some time afterward the use of dummy cars were prohibited in Jersey City in 1864.
The cars used on this, our first railroad, were combination cars, with the steam engine in the front portion and passenger space behind, with only a light wood partition between. The engine was an upright low power affair. The cars had small driving wheels and were a slow, unsatisfactory means of travel. They had a very bad habit of jumping off the track. This con- sisted of a light iron rail, laid on triangular wood sleepers and these resting on ties embedded in the earth, no ballast being used. The result was that the road was never in fit condition to carry the cars with safety for reasonable speed, had the engines been capable of speeding, and the schedule of time could not be main- tained. Besides, after a time, Jersey City would not allow the steam propelled cars on its streets, so that a transfer to horse cars, at first at the Junction, and later at Claremont, was necessitated with its incident delays and inconveniences.
The passengers were often called upon to assist the composite engineer and firemen, and the conductor, comprising the train crew, in "boosting" the car on the track or in assisting it up the steep grades.
At what is now 28th street, a turntable was built in the woods surrounding a hotel and picnic resort, known as "Bayonne Grove." Here many of the cars terminated their trips and were sent back to Jersey City. This grove was a very popular resort for a time, having a large dancing pavilion, swings, &c. It was immediately in the rear of the first school house built in Bayonne, known as the "Little Red School House," fronting on the Plank Road, afterwards Avenue D.
The dummy cars were discontinued shortly after this, al- though the Jersey City and Bergen R. R. Co. kept its franchise alive in a desultory way by running horse cars drawn by mules until the introduction of the "trolley" cars.
The line of this road through Bayonne began at Avenue D and Morris Canal, and ran thence along Avenue D to what is now 32nd street, where the road turned to the northwest to about midway between Avenues D and C, and ran thence over a private right of way direct to West Eighth street, where it passed under the Central Railroad near the Eighth street depot and continued
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on to Kill von Kull or First street, terminating along side of the Latourette House.
Later, the horse car route was abandoned, and through the urgent influence of David W. Oliver, when he was Mayor of Bayonne, the Jersey City and Bergen Railroad Company ob- tained the franchise to build, and built its road in Avenue C and Avenue D over the route now operated by the Public Service Corporation and equipped it with electricity for trolley cars.
This means of transportation afterwards had the competition of the Central Railroad of New Jersey, which company, under an act of the Legislature of 1860, was authorized to bridge Newark Bay between Elizabethport and Bergen Point and extend its road to Jersey City. This extension was completed and opened for travel in 1864.
The building of the Central Railroad of New Jersey fur- nished the first real and satisfactory transportation facilities to and from Bayonne to New York and to Elizabeth and towns to the west. Through the courtesy of Mr. William G. Besler, Vice President and General Manager of this railroad, the following history of the development of the road and its construction through Bayonne and Jersey City has been prepared, and I take the liberty of incorporating this in my paper.
SCRAPS OF HISTORY CONCERNING CENTRAL RAILROAD OF NEW JERSEY.
The Central Railroad of New Jersey was built between Somerville and Elizabethport in the years 1834 to 1842 by John Owen Stearns and Coffin Colkett, and after completion was leased to and operated by them. In 1846, after liquidation of the prop- erty, these two men purchased it and reorganized it. Mr. Stearns was elected Superintendent. Later, the Somerville & Easton Railroad was organized and built to the Delaware. The new and old company were consolidated in 1849 as the Central Railroad of New Jersey, and Mr. Stearns became its Superintend- ent. He continued in this position until his death in Novem- ber 1st, 1862. During the later years of his incumbency the line from Elizabethport to Bergen, now Jersey City, was projected.
The act authorizing the extension was passed in 1860 and the road was opened for travel into Communipaw Ferry on
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August 1st, 1864. The bridge across Newark Bay was not yet completed. At that time the road reached the water front at Jersey City by a trestle one mile in length, extending from just east of the present Communipaw Station to the North River front. The filling of this trestle began immediately and street dirt and rubbish of every description was hauled from New York 011 scows and dumpd in the trestle. Within a few years the en- tire trestle was filled to the bulkhead front along the river.
A very primitive frame structure was erected for a station and occupied the site of the present Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal Building. The ferry between Jersey City and New York, known as Communipaw Ferry, was the first legally established ferry between Manhattan Island and the Jersey shore. It was originally located at the foot of Communipaw avenue and was established there in 1661. William Jansen was in charge of it. Prior to the entry of the Central Railroad into Jersey City, with ferry facilities to the foot of Liberty street, all passen- gers were taken to the Elizabethport water front and transported from there by steamer to New York.
With the establishment of the line of railroad from Eliza- bethport to Jersey City began the development of that section of the country from Bergen Point to Jersey City. In the begin- ning the track was laid upon the natural surface of the ground, up hill and down dale and through meadow. A steam shovel was put to work in the cut just east of Bay Bridge and afterward in the vicinity of what is now 33rd street, and also at Commu- nipaw, to provide a graded surface for a roadbed, and the track was laid upon it as fast as it was completed, a single track upon the graded roadbed being operated first in connection with the track laid upon the natural surface of the ground referred to above. Shortly after, the second track upon the graded roadbed was completed and the temporary track was removed.
Benjamin S. Moore, who, until four years ago, ran a pas- senger engine for the Central Railroad of New Jersey, handled the first passenger train from Bergen Point to Jersey City over this temporary track. The engine was brought from Elizabeth- port on a float to the end of the trestle work that was under course of construction from the Bayonne shore westward, and had reached a short distance out into the bay, and was then drawn up from the float on to the trestle by inclined rails with
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block and tackle under the supervision of Samuel Moore, who was then the General Master Mechanic of the Central Railroad of New Jersey. This engine was called the "Clinton," and was also tised in work train service hauling dirt from the steam shovel while the construction of the roadbed was under way. The car used for transporting the passengers was an ordinary light flat car with temporary seats built upon it.
The bridge across Newark Bay, connecting Elizabethport with Bayonne, was commenced in 1861 and completed in 1865, at a cost of $327,653.49. The draw span was operated by hand power, two men being employed in the day time and two at night. Under the tracks of the Central Railroad of New Jersey, in close vicinity to what is now the subway at West Eighth Street Station, there was a steam dummy line which ran from Bergen Point to Jersey City, through what is now the Bayonne district. The neighborhood of what is now East 49th street was then called Saltersville and was one of the most important points in that locality. It was the headquarters for the contract- ors building the road. Their employes, who lived across the bay, came from Elizabethport to Bergen Point by steamer and there took the dummy line to Saltersville. This dummy line consisted of a small car propelled by steam, the boiler in the engine being located in a small compartment in the forward part of the car, the passengers occupying seats in the second or rear compartment. The car, while simple in construction and plain in appearance, was a dwarfed representation of the gas electric cars now manufactured.
The first station built by the railroad to serve the public was near the location of the present West Eighth Street Station. At that time Bayonne consisted of a number of small communities scattered along at intervals through that district, and were known by the names of Bergen Point, Centerville, Pamrapo, Saltersville and Bayonne, all of which were afterwards consoli- dated into what at this time constitutes the city of Bayonne.
When the railroad ran between Elizabethport and Somerville, only three trains were operated in each direction. After its tracks were extended into Jersey City, and Newark Bay Bridge put in operation, several additional trains were put on the schedule, and as business warranted an increase in the number of trains, others were added until the present train service was reached.
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One of the foremost men in the development of the New Jersey Central Railroad was Mr. John Taylor Johnston, who served as president of the company from 1848 to 1877. It was he who projected the line from Elizabeth to Jersey City through Bayonne. From a railroad publication, to which I have had ac- cess through the kindness of Mr. Besler, I have culled two letters written in 1863 and 1864 by Mr. Johnston to his wife, which throw an interesting side light on the conditions then existing.
"JERSEY CITY, July 25, 1863.
"Yesterday I spent on the extension, taking Messrs. Dodge "(William E. Dodge, Sr.), and Green (John C.) and Chancellor "Williamson, over the route for the first time. The party con- "sisted of six. They were pleased and astonished at the pur- "chases at Bergen Point, etc., that had been made, and the st- "periority of the character of the peninsula through which the `route runs. The work on the road is at last fairly under good 66
"headway, and I begin to think that the time will come, one of "these days, when I can have the first faint glimmer of an idea "of what can be accomplished this season. At Bergen we lunched "under the trees on provender brought with us from Jersey City "and had rather a good time. The bay was crossed in a boat, "stopping to see the work on our great pivot pier. Here, on "the bridge, and on the road west of the bridge, I was quite up- "lifted in spirit by finding everything further advanced than I "had dared to expect. At Elizabethport we found a lot of " 'Secesh' prisoners and wounded, mostly wounded, which had Scome down the road waiting transportation by the United States "to David's Island, East River. I talked with a number of the 'men and found them generally civil, decent fellows, and rather "talkative than otherwise. Some of the wounds were fearful. "There were many whose arms had been amputated at the "socket, and one poor fellow had his lower jaw almost entirely "shot off. The only way that they could give him water or "nourishment of any kind was by pouring or throwing it into "what little mouth he had left. There was another lot on the "road coming down, and they expected to send about 10,000 "down in this way. What is the reason for sending them so far "I cannot say."
The second letter deals with the celebration which took
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place on the occasion of the formal opening of the extension from Elizabeth to Communipaw, and is of absorbing and historic interest. It reads:
"PLAINFIELD, July 30, 1864.
"MY DEAR WIFE:
"I telegraphed you last evening, before leaving the city, "that the excursion had gone off splendidly. There were no "mishaps of any kind to be overlooked or apologized for. The "'day was fine, hot in the afternoon, but a good breeze always. "The train stopped for me on its way to Flemington, and the "excursion proper started from there at 11.30 a. m., stopping at "the different stations for the invited guests. At Elizabeth the ''bulk of the guests joined, and from there we left with two "trains of ten cars, each well crowded. At least 1,000 people "were in the two trains. Now came the new road, but we went "on to Newark Bay Bridge, one and one-half miles long, over "the celebrated draw that is exercising the Newarkers so much, "and then stopped to let the excursionists get out and see the "draw (216 feet long) revolve on its axis to let sundry craft "through. It all worked well. A blunderhead of a schooner `went through with a double wiggle that looked as if she would 'run into the bridge, but she didn't, and several other craft "went through with a rush, all loudly cheered by the crowd. "The train only stopped again at the 'steam paddy,' which "tickled the party so much that I had hard work to start away "again. Arriving safely at Communipaw, there was the 'Cen- "tral,' and on board they went. Two long tables were set "through the carriage ways, from end to end of the boat, and I "had arranged to have a blessing asked at each before they set "to work, but before any such thing was possible, all hands and "mouths were hard at work, and it is very doubtful if twenty on "board knew whether we went down the bay or up the bay, or "both, as we did, They did find abundance of time, however, "'to praise the boat. She is universally admitted to be a beauty, "even by those interested in running her down. The fifty bas- "kets of champagne and forty baskets of claret (don't tell John "Bard or the Doctor) began now to disappear with marvelous "celerity, and though, as a whole, the crowd behaved well, yet "as soon as we saw some beginning to get noisy, we stopped off "the wine and kept the fun within bounds. Before we landed I
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"got on one of the tables and made them a short speech, thank- "ing them for their attendance, making a suitable allusion to "John O. Stearns, and giving the necessary information about "the return trains. Then they began cheering for one another, "and at 4.45 I had the satisfaction of landing them at Pier 2, "North River, without accident or drawback of any sort. It "was a successful opening and it was a DECENT one. So far as "I saw there was not a drunken man or even half seas over in "the lot, and we had plenty who do that same occasionally. "For the day President Johnston was a very popular man, and "was complimented right and left.
"Signed,
"JOHN TAYLOR JOHNSTON."
CHURCHES.
In the colonial days, far more than at present, the life of a community revolved around the church. It was the hub of every activity and this was particularly true of a Dutch commu- nity with its inherited religious proclivity. The settlers of Ber- gen Neck were almost exclusively of Dutch descent.
Prior to 1828, the residents of this locality had been sup- porters of the old Bergen Church.
From Dr. Brett's research, it appears that the Rev. Win. Jackson became the first pastor of the church in 1753, although there had been a church organization there since 1661. Reli- gious services were held in the schoolhouse located at Bergen Square, as early as 1662, and the first church was built there in 1680.
In this church the inhabitants of the hamlets, settlements, or villages, as you choose to style them, of Greenville, Pamre- paw, Centerville and Bergen Point, were constant attendants.
Dominie Jackson also had charge of the Dutch Reformed Church on Staten Island, and each Sunday lie drove down from Bergen to Bergen Point and crossed the Kills to Port Richmond.
After a time some found it more convenient to attend the church at Staten Island than to drive or walk the long distance, often over muddy or almost unpassable roads, to Bergen.
This led to the organization of a congregation and the build- ing of a church known as the Dutch Reformed Church of Ber- gen Neck.
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It was during the summer and fall of 1828 when this church was built. The building cost $1,600. Dr. Brett, in an histori- cal sermon delivered in the First Reformed Church of Bayonne, in commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of that church, says: "Preceding the application (to the Classis of Bergen) for organization, a number of members of the church in full com- munion, and heads of families adhering to the church, entered into an agreement among themselves, dated December 9th, 1828, which read as follows:
"We, the subscribers, inhabitants of Bergen Point and Neck, being desirous of promoting public worship and the means of grace among us, do by this, our voluntary act, associate our- selves into a friendly society and congregation, hereafter to be known and distinguished by the name of the Reformed Protest- ant Dutch Church of Bergen Neck in New Jersey, for which purpose we do most cordially set our signatures to this paper, praying the great head of the church will prosper our undertak- ing."
At this time the church building had been completed and stood on the easterly side of the Plank Road, afterwards Avenue D, now Broadway, at 29th street. The grounds were donated by Richard Cadmus, and a part of the grounds are now owned by the Bayonne Hospital and Dispensary.
The petition to Classis for church organization was signed by Richard Cadmus, Thomas Cubberly, Jacob Cubberly, Mary Cubberly, wife of Jacob, James VanBuskirk, Jacob Van Horn, Catherine Van Horne and Ann Vreeland.
The first pastor of the new church was Rev. Ira C. Boice, who was installed September 15th, 1829, who served as such until 1844, and was succeeded by Rev. James Romeyn, who was in turn succeeded by Rev. J. C. Dutcher in 1850 to 1854; Aaron L. Still- well, 1854 to 1864, and Theodore W. Wells, 1865 to 1873. He, in turn, was succeeded by Rev. Charles H. Stitt, D. D., who was be- loved by all and served until his death. Rev. Dr. W. W. Knox, now of New Brunswick, was his successor.
In 1852, the Reformed Dutch Church of Bergen Point was formed, and a church building erected on lands donated by Albert M. Zabriskie, located on what is now Lord avenue, between Sec- ond and Third streets. This congregation is now known as the Fifth Street Reformed Church, of which the Rev. F. S. Wilson is
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pastor. The first pastor of this church was Dominie Dutcher, who left Bergen Neck Church to take this pastorate. The church building on Lord avenue was destroyed by fire on Sunday, Feb- ruary 24th, 1901.
The congregation of the Bergen Neck Church discontinued the use of its old building in 1867. The new and more commodious building, corner of 33rd street and Avenue C was completed in 1867 and the old builing was afterwards sold to Solon Humphreys, Esquire, who donated the use of it for a time to the Trinity Epis- copal Church for a mission. Later, it was purchased and used by the Bayonne Republican Club for a club house and recently was sold to a German Lutheran Church organization. The old structure was moved to a lot on West Twenty-ninth street, near the Boulevard, and it is now again in use for religious purposes.
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