New Commute Courtesy Sandy

Lots of buses at Ab-Mat station this morning. Long ride in rush hour to Liberty State Park, so 6 am is likely better than 7l5 am. Incoming took 3 hrs after short subway ride. Connections are easy.

History: Horse Car Railway Bill in New Jersey (1887)

Robert S Green, Governor of New Jersey (Wikimedia)

According to the 7 May 1887 edition of The Matawan Journal, New Jersey Governor Robert Stockton Green signed a horsecar railway bill on 30 Apr 1887. The article was mostly an opinion piece by the editor, who made vague complaints of unfair competition by Keyport against Matawan's potential interests in the development of a horse-drawn tramway in the Bayshore.

The 9 Apr 1887 edition had reported that the bill passed the Senate 14-0 and the Assembly 35-6. This second page item contained the full text of the bill.

The Horse-Car Railway Bill

     An act relating to the turnpike roads within incorporated towns and boroughs in this state.

    1. Be it enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey, That any street railway company duly organized pursuant to the law may construct and with horses may operate street railways for the transporting of passengers and chattels for hire upon and along such portion of any turnpike road as enters and is located within the limits of any incorporated town or borough in this state, and upon and along such portion of such turnpike as extends outside such limits for the distance of thirteen hundred yards in either direction, after having obtained the consent of the owners of such turnpike so to do; provided that an ordinance or resolution authorizing the construction of such railway shall have been first passed or adopted by the commissioners of any such town or borough, and that the written consents of not less than two-thirds of all the persons owning lands abutting on such portion of such turnpike in each and every incorporated town or borough shall have been first obtained and filed in the office of the clerk of the county wherein such turnpike is situate.

Manchester, New Hampshire added horse car in 1877. (Wikimedia)

     2. And be it enacted, That any turnpike or plank road company may sell, convey, assign and by written instrument of conveyance transfer and set over to any such street railway company any such portion of any such turnpike or plank road, together with all rights, title and interest to and in such turnpike or plank road, together with all franchises and appurtenances thereto pertaining, including the right to impose and collect tolls thereon, whereof such turnpike or plank road company shall be seized, enfranchised or invested, and any such street railway company may purchase, acquire title to and hold and enjoy the same, and may become invested and enfranchised with, and may exercise all such franchises and rights to the same extent and fully and in similar manner as therefore held, enjoyed and exercised by such turnpike or plank road company and subject to the same penalties and liabilities thereto attached for failure to maintain such road in good condition and repair, provided that the provisions of this section shall not take effect until the provisions of the first section shall have been fully complied with.

     3. And be it enacted, That the track and road bed of any such street railway upon such turnpike road shall be constructed in such manner as shall offer no unnecessary obstruction to travel upon such turnpike, and where any repairs thereunto may afterwards become necessary, it shall be the duty of such street railway company to make the same without delay, and if not so made, and after five days' notice shall have been given to such company the commissioners of the town or borough which such repairs may be necessary may cause the same to be made at the expense and charge of such street railway company, and the property of such street railway company shall be liable to distraint therefor; nothing in this act contained shall apply to any street railway within any city of this state.

     4. And be it enacted, That all laws and parts of laws conflicting herewith, in so far as they conflict herewith, are hereby repealed, and that this act shall take effect immediately.

Free Shuttle Service Between Aberdeen-Matawan Station and Battery Park via Liberty State Park

New Jersey Transit is offering free bus service between Aberdeen-Matawan Station and Liberty State Park and a free ferry service between the park and Battery Park in downtown Manhattaan. From the Battery you can catch a number of subways, which seem to be running now.

Good resources for details include:

• The NJ Transit Customer Notice as of Nov 9th, which includes a map that shows service from Aberdeen-Matawan train station;
• The Battery Conservancy's Visiting The Battery page, which describes the various subway lines and buses available and provides related links.
• The New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) provides the latest Service Status of its subways, buses, and rails in the top left corner of its home page.

 I am unable to identify the ferry service involved or provide any schedule details based on available news releases and no one seems curious enough to find out. If you've ridden this new shuttle or otherwise know something about the ferry service aspect of this commute, kindly add a comment below.

Hurricane Sandy Update - Election Day 2012

Jersey Central Power and Light (JCP&L) has been restoring power in Hazlet and Keyport, both east of Aberdeen and Matawan, but so far we're still waiting. Rumor is that power is due in the next day or two, but there's no firm information yet. Matawan residents held a big meeting at St Clement's to discuss the power situation, but JCP&L didn't attend so I doubt anything was resolved except to be upset and frustrated. Cliffwood and Cliffwood Beach residents are just hunkered down, hoping that rumors of month-long delays in power aren't true.

When you cross Matawan Creek on Route 35 at night heading north, the place is totally dark. Major intersections are uncontrolled. Cliffwood and Cliffwood Beach residents not only have no heat or lights, there are no traffic signals. Cliffwood Avenue has cones and signs forcing you to head north several miles to the Morgan drawbridge at Cheesequake Creek, where you can finally make a U-turn. When there was a long line to get gas at the Wawa station at Cliffwood Avenue, I had to exit onto Route 35 North and make a six mile detour to get home. Amboy Avenue intersection is a bit more serious, with two school buses blocking vehicles from crossing Route 35. I guess some folks misbehaved. Suffice it to say that it's super dangerous to cross the highway at an uncontrolled intersection on Route 35. I encourage you not to try it.

We went out to Holmdel on Route 35 South and had dinner at Chili's last night. We waited 40 minutes for a table and the place was beyond jammed. People were there with their kids dressed in Halloween costumes -- Monday was the official holiday this year. Route 35 is alive and well from Home Depot in Keyport to Holmdel. A guy in line at Wawa told me on Monday that the lights are on to Middletown on Route 35 and to Atlantic Highlands on Route 36, but his statements are of unknown reliability.

We found Optimum Online hotspots near the Staples and McDonald's in Hazlet and in downtown Keyport on West Front Street. We've been visiting Espresso Joe's for internet and power, but we've been buying stuff to support the shop for its kindness. McDonald's in Hazlet has its own internet service but no outlets. We found the Optimum service stronger when we sat in our car with our laptops.

We've been blessed with friends who've helped us with our electric line that came down, a bow saw to deal with a down tree, and a generator to help with the dark and cold nights. The Southern Baptist Convention has sent its Yard By Yard teams into Cliffwood Beach to help with downed trees, another blessing. They're based out of the New Monmouth Baptist Church in Middletown. Give them a call at 732-671-5998 and they'll fill out a work order and see if they can help you with downed trees or removing mud and debris from your basement and yard. The lady I spoke with today said there are a hundred Baptists here from Oklahoma helping the Bayshore. Her team would be here until Nov 16th but more teams would be coming.

We voted this morning at One Aberdeen Square. Parking is a bit of an issue but the cops are there to direct the festivities. With seven districts voting there, it should get interesting as the day goes along. Best advice is to get in and get out quick so others can vote. Remember in Aberdeen to vote for Art Perri as a write in candidate for the Aberdeen slot on the school board. And remember the two referendum items. I'm recommending No votes on each, but do what you feel is best.

Be kind to your neighbors in this time of struggle. And be patient as you can.

2012 Elections - Voting in Aberdeen Township

Most of the usual polling locations in Aberdeen Township are being moved due to damage or outages resulting from Hurricane Sandy. Voting will take place on Tuesday, November 6th as follows:

• District 1 and District 2 will move from Cliffwood Firehouse to the town hall at One Aberdeen Square.
• District 3 and District 4 will move from the VFW to One Aberdeen Square.
• District 5 and District 12 will move from Cross of Glory Lutheran to One Aberdeen Square.
• District 6 and District 13 will move from the High School to One Aberdeen Square.
• District 7 and District 9 will move from the EMS building to the Aberdeen Firehouse on Lloyd Road.
•  District 8, Distrct 10 and District 11 will stay the same as usual.

Filling Gas Cans at Wawa in Cliffwood

Wawa at Cliffwood has a line of folks with gas cans as well as even-number tagged cars on Cliffwood Avenue. They parked in the Goodwill lot and walked over with gas cans or waited in their cars as attendants checked their tags at the driveway.

Matawan Presbyterian Worships Post Sandy

Life goes on at First Presbyterian Church, which is holding service without electricity. Power is another matter.

Sandy's Wrath at Cliffwood Beach - Photos

Cliffwood Beach took a big hit along the shore road and seawall. Mayor Fred Tagliarini and Councilman Greg Cannon visited my home and made sure our power outage and downed power line were reported to JCP&L. We're expecting power maybe next Thursday.

Macadam broken near Treasure Lake at seawall.

New sidewalk and rail looks fine at Cliffwood Beach. This view is east from Treasure Lake towards Keyport, which suffered greatly.

This view of the seawall is towards Cliffwood Beach. (west from Treasure Lake)

Macadam near seawall undercut by waves that crossed the seawall.

The new stone placed with the seawall sidewalk project was tossed twenty feet into the grass, a sign that the Raritan Bay created waves of 30 feet or more to cross the seawall.

The west end of the Cliffwood Beach seawall is stripped of its sand covering. Looks like it was sandblasted. Debris from the bay covers the sidewalk but isn't an obstruction to walking.

The west end of the seawall at Cliffwood Beach.

Cliffwood Beach from the west end of the seawall, looking west towards Laurence Harbor.

West end of the seawall has no more sand covering. The nearby beach is also stripped bare.

The west end of the seawall from the shore road.

The shore road at Cliffwood Beach is covered in sand. The guard rails were torn apart. All phone poles were either topped off or totally destroyed. Wires and transformers are mixed in sand and seawater..

Lakeshore Drive in Cliffwood Beach is buried in sand. Whale Creek bridge to Middlesex County in distance.

Lakeshore Drive toewards Midnight Point neighborhood of Cliffwood Beach.

The Raritan Bay formed a streambed towards Lakeshore Drive.

Pumping station near Greenwood Avenue in Cliffwood Beach.

Utility road off Greenwood Avenue is blocked by a tree.

The house closest to the water, at the corner of Greenwood Avenue and West Concourse, was flooded. Note the metal fence is grossly shredded by wave action. A number of houses on that end of West Concourse took in water in basements.

Sandy Aftermath - 1

Tree down in my backyard in Cliffwood Beach.