New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-09-27

OF ell the lots On the htrsek Inese, III tne nAuos
of the then owners cost an average OF not moro
than coo each-depresfed in vs'ue by ana
knowledge that 10 render them available Tor dwell
lipgs or business, sewer musshrst be constructed.
U1der tho decision of the Court above quoted,
the assessment was spread over an area OF soma
500 acres and all the lota on the high gr0unda OF
the Bowery, fir n Bsyard up 70 Hufson 8: made 10
contribute: there wers then wDrt0 ION sWo 70
FIVE Thousand dosrb each, part Of which value
crieinated in the krown fEc. that NJ sewer T5aid
he REQUIRED there for drainage, and consequently
that 10 aIsessment for that object would reach
them Some Of Ihu loEs LII Canal Bt are nov worth
from eiebr to ten thous ed dollars while the own
era oil those in Orange, Mulberry, Mott and Eliza
beth s's y TO were compelled TO contrloate TO tue
sewer have never derived The shghtest sdyantase
from it's construction. nor have their lots advanced
in value single dollar 10 consequence.
In further illustration of the principle 'hen
sdopted ia regard to these assessments, and Tue
consequences resulting from that principle IL Is
proDosed to follow the extension of this Canal ST.
sewer up to The present time, and note lts ehect
upon one lot 10 No l9 Center.at formerly, ana
before the opening Of Centerst known as no. I
Gross at Thia lot was assessed for the Original
sewer in Canal ST. " hen it wsa built upto w alker-
at After the lapse OF some years, This sewer "as
extended through Center up 10 Peatlss aod tne
SEINE lot again asseBsed. Next, a sewer vas
built in Pearl ST from Chatham to Elm ST. and THIS
lot egain assessed This laas SO ger has alhce
been continued up Elm and Reade sts to Broad
way and the same lot once more assessed In
these varioUa operations, change OF street grades
has been fife cted and the surface water from tue
lot Designated, which once discharged through the
Canalst sewer into the North River nov ruos
down Center TO Reade ct through Reade to HIN
at where falling inIo the sewer, il passes through
Elm, Pearl, Chatham and Roosevelt sts. to tne
East River at she termination of the latter street.
mill fror tha nt nj
exit.
After all theEe charges and payments, the lot in
question has sewer in front of it, and when the
period arrives to build one, land it is not doubted
bat it will arriye) il must bear netrly the whole
expense Of ita construction, as there are few lots
s;tneted above it, which, under the rule adopted
os;, he made to contribute, and assessments are
no1ar .At-nted back upon lots situated upon
liver Grade The effect Of this is, that the owners
IF lots nnon Canal st GeeloR Broadway for whose
especial benefit the sewer was originally butt
eecspe with single ass essment, while other lots,
situated upon high ground, and at long distance
from it. with no immediate resulting dement, nave
been charged, and the owners made to pay sue
ce sson of assessments through serles OF years.
" and the ED ia not yet"
The same inequita6e process il aboa! TO Do re
pested in assessments to be levied for she sewers
now building in Broad say and Crosby ais. All
these lots have been assessed for the CanaIas aeW
er--some Of them more than cnce-yes !hey VIII
now BIO made TO bear their own burtbebs without
any contributions from owners of lots on Oanalst.
This department s quito aware OF the argument
by which the procedure is sought to be laslhed,
namely that sewer built in atreet di&charglng
the surface water from 4 large superficial area, is
required to be of much larger dimensions, than ii 1t
only received the water from the lots fronting on
that street; aud that, therefore, the remote lots
should be made to contribute.
A little reflection and inquiry will, it Ia thought,
go far to destroy this assumption.
AS has been before remarked at the time OF
building the sewer in Canalst. lots situated on 1t
vera not worth more than one thousand dollars
EACH owing to its low and marshy state, up by
slugeish creeks and deep atagnant pools, and the
universal knowledge that to render them available
for any useful purpose, sewer must hras be ouiit
to drain them These anticipated expenditures
had kept down the price Of lota-part es had pur-
chased with full knowledge Of these facts, and no
ipiustice would have been perpetrased had the
ownera been assessed for the entire cost OF the
sewer, as the value Of the lots was Immediately
inoreaGed to more than equivalent.
Suppose purchase of lots were now TO emade
on Seventy fifth.at between the laird and Fourth
avenues, where runs natural water course, Of ain"
ing basin of several hundred acres. Such pur-
chase is made with full knowledge that large
sewer must eventually be built IN 'front.' OF these
lo.P and the price is graduated accordingly. 1t
would seem, therefore, uni Ust to compel the own
era of the adjacent high grounds to como in and
contribute to this expense, inasmuch az the owner
on Seventy fifth St haa already rsceived an equlvs
le 1T in the low price at which he has or ought 70
have, acquired his lots.
1t is believed that these statements and lluatra.
sions go fer to prove that the mode Of asseSsmen
at the time the principle WRa adopted, was az iaaS
of doubtful fairness, and that, since sewers have
come TO be considered, not remote contingency
but present necessity and their extension through
out the city almost certain, different simpler and
more equitable method al ould be Introduced
There are ret other reasons for change, and a;
the risk Of being thought unnecessarily pFolx, the
department deems it proper, in reference 20 the
magnitude Of the interests involved, to state them
The surveyor, in preparing map from which to
make an assessment for constructing sewer, In.
cudes, or under the decision referred TO- oughs to
include ell the lots the water from when ruoa INTO
the sewer This generally comp ehends conslde
rable area and devolveg upon him the necessary OF
giving accurately The size Of each lot and 1hename
Of the owner a work frequently of great labor, and
for which be is entitled to liberal compensation
The assesaors, with this map before them, 10 max
ing the appor tionment, graduate the charge upon
each lot in reference to ls remoteneEs 30 sna' io's
on the extreme margin are calico upon lof ,iios'
uncomfortable SUM, ss low as one or t"o ooHafs'
an amount actually less than Will pay sAe survey
or. sssessor5 and collectors fees, tor lnclQdlng
them within the area charged, 30 that, instead OF
mitigating the burthens of those owning lote on .ne
streets in which the sewer has been bailt, 1t adds
to such burtben. =,
To make this branch OF the subject more readily
comprehensible recent assessment for construct
ing a sewer in Park place will be examined; This
sewer is six hundred and sixty feet In lenstn pre-
sen,ipg stre ct front on both Sides OF thirteen nun
dred and twenty feet, and cost as it came from the
contractor, including the inspectOrs wages one
thousand four hundred and thirty slZ dollars and
nnety seven &c nts equal to nearly one dollar and
nine cents per foot for each side Of the street, or
twenty seven dollars and thirty FIVE cents for
front twenty five feet. Yet after passing shrouga
the process Of apportionmens spread over an area,
ipolqdipg parts Of Broadway, above and below
Park place, and also two fronts In Barclay.ss, aud
eoeivipg the additional charges OF surveyors az.
SCISSORS ard collectors fees, lot on Park place OF
twenty four feet six inches font, by seventy. five
deep, Is made to psy fortyaeven do'ars and forty