Jersey City, Hoboken and Paterson - New Jersey 1890's

Beautifully engraved RARE unissued certificate from the Jersey City, Hoboken and Paterson printed in the 1890's. This historic document was printed by American Bank Note Company and has an ornate border around it with a vignette of an early an electric trolley. This item is over 107 years old. We only know of 4 of these to exist.






Certificate Vignette

JERSEY CITY HOBOKEN & PATERSON RAILWAY (Paterson)

Incorporated 1899 as consolidation of the following companies. Sold 1903 to Public Service Corp. of New Jersey.

Jersey City Hoboken & Rutherford Electric Railway Co. - incorporated 1893, leased 1894-1899 to New Jersey Electric Railway Co.

Paterson Central Electric Railway - incorporated 1892 as consolidation of Paterson Central Railway Co. and Central Electric Railway Co.

Paterson Horse Railroad Co. - incorporated 1863.

Paterson Passaic & Rutherford Electric Railway - incorporated 1893 as consolidation of Paterson & Little Falls Electric Railway Co., Grant Street Electric Railway Co., People's Park Railway Co., Paterson & Passaic Electric Railway Co., Paterson Rutherford & Carlstadt Electric Railway Co. Leased 1894-1899 to New Jersey Electric Railway Co.

Paterson Railway - incorporated 1890 as consolidation of Paterson City Railroad Co., Paterson & Passaic Railroad Co., Paterson Garfield & Clinton Railway Co., others.

North Hudson County Railway - opened 1861, in 1891 acquired Pavonia Horse Railroad Co., in 1893 opened Hudson & Bergen Traction Co., in 1894 opened Palisades Railroad.

Saddle River Traction Co.

White Line Traction Co.

Bergen Turnpike Co. - opened 1902.

Paterson & State Line Traction Co. - opened 1914.

North Hudson County Railway - opened 1861, in 1891 acquired Pavonia Horse Railroad Co., in 1893 opened Hudson & Bergen Traction Co., in 1894 opened Palisades Railroad.

Above lines basically served Paterson and Passaic County, and evolved to Passaic Division of Public Service Coordinated Transport. The North Hudson County Railway served part of Hudson County, and evolved to part of the Hudson Division of Public Service Coordinated Transport.

The Fire of 1902

The Fire was discovered in the trolley car sheds of the Jersey City, Hoboken and Paterson Railway Company, on Broadway, at the head of Mulberry street, a few minutes past midnight, on the night of February 8th, 1902. A high wind was blowing, and the tinder-like building was swept by the flames. All the engines in the fire department were called out.

The fire evaded the heroic efforts of the firemen to stay its progress. Fanned by the gale, it swept away the business center of the city. Its progress was not arrested until it reached Carroll street. Not counting sheds or outbuildings, 459 buildings were destroyed, among them large business houses, banks, City Hall, five churches and the Free Public Library, with its 37,000 volumes. The insurance loss is approximated at $8,800,000, and the property loss at $6,000,000. Five hundred families lost their homes and everything they owned. From the starting point, the fire burned in a southeasterly direction, destroying the blocks on the westerly side of Main street, from a point near Broadway, to within three doors of Market street.

On the easterly side of Main street the flames wiped out the two blocks from Van Houten street to the Paterson Savings Institution, at the corner of Main and Market streets. On Washington street it swept the major part of the block bounded by Van Houten and Ellison streets and the entire block between Ellison and Market streets, with the exception of the Second National Bank Building. The flames also destroyed buildings on the southerly side of Market street from Hamilton street to Clark street, and the westerly half of the block bounded by Market, Church and Ellison street. From this point the flying embers fired the buildings east of the Erie Railroad and destroyed property on the northerly side of Park avenue and between Park avenue to the southerly side of Market street as far as Carroll street. It was the biggest conflagration in the history of the city, and takes rank with the largest in the United States. The fire burned from midnight Saturday until 1 o'clock the following day, at which time the danger of a further spread of the flames was considered over.

History from the City of Paterson.