New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-01-07
SKETCHES or LECTURES
TIE HISTORY. STATE. AND PROSPECTS OF TUE
HARBOR OF NEW-YORk.

TIE HISTORY. STATE, AND PROSPECTS, OF THE
HARBOR OF NEW-fokh.
ny PROFESSOR RESwtgA
A., Thursday evening Professor Renwic& Nctutou a.
, ou =. ~ Mechanics Institute No Bowery, before
mil audience no received his discourse WIN i,eou' ~
plause He sad that since he underto1N 20 eS,,e, 's
nhisct had crown upon him. Is the pleasure OF age 70
r, The recollectons of youth particularly when they
convey useful lesson. I have DE sad wiueoa .ns
construction OF every existing pVr, anu "a" 7, y
shts float where largo warehouses no" s.nn; "
nearly IS wears since called the attention OF me aa
holies to the condition Of the haoor ponleu ou. Dry
sentative measures and predicted some OF the inconVe
pientes which have since taken place Two 6sVernyrs
Of sovereign States have lately visit the haIoor TO ts
20 b imrorance OF the subject have had reconrsen nov
oiy M nv own rocoocuns and fact. automatically 10
lated TO me bur also o recently published WORK oy .ne
CLERK of The Common Council ana to some new my
ecur,r then gave detailed Wow OF the history ot me
bo,Lar icmmencng In 1851 and the several encroaeh
mepts on the wator, of which tho following ore
few OF me morS pn,ob trs5ina house was built 90
ehil where the Mansion House STOOD FROM .ue. 'ao
merchants retrestod TO the more southern es.em"y
of the island near which stood iort tna' va va
moved In i7s7 There was reef Of rocks on
the Battery at which the water was not deep pu. Ss Va
tide was out lie called attention To TINS Po'nI "a h Ny
10 any future methods Of Improvement ana oeeau'e n
is found tho cause OF the ehspSs u"1 s pr,f@sSor
M re dicressd to show the effects of water IN n@ W
basins channels. Streams carry win tnem i,'so i
ter deTosng Il along their course and at ther mouth
and his oporaon though be controlled cannot y"
nroyepi.d on the other hand very toeOle barriers "m
the which srcnytncns thrul oy
sond For example, ii is a mistake to suppose Holland y
In dancer from the ocean; It l. from the tides which are
the fleets of the swelling Of streams and the hnne use
10 be pumped end The danger from the ocsan
IL lie filling up bays and estuaies The current OF he
Hudson Il at times feeble that Is water salt at the up
rer entrance 10 the Highlands again. as in time OF SHOWS
90 strong hat II fresh athe Battery The East River
pro ey an arm of the has two entrances AZ Montauh
Point and Sandy Hook and the time OF high water AZ
towns on the north side of the sound the time OF hf
waiers nearly the SO weak is the tide through tne
Sound that great part OF the water y eo%p' uS.a
were damned IL would become lake which IN course OF
time would ill up; the other hand II the East hyer
were damned IL would become salt Inarsht and ths
process is going on, though slowly The English en-
eroached on the stream by building the Battery AMI Their
Governor erected himself house which he called wme
hall; docks were here formed. which filled up ibere ~
another circumstance Of great importance me tues IN ne
North and East Rivers do not correspond there an
ference of hour; the results an interchange OF
currents round the Battery, an eddy anu deposits
herefrom which in the East River, are on the upper
eide of the piers-in the North on sno ,",s
Pearl wound according to the sinuosy OF me streams
The lecturer had converScd with person who had re'
ceved his goods through back door in Water at the
house was the fourth fifth below Wall in Pearl next the
water The defense Of NeY York always seemed 10 be
undertaken by defending the harbor in tho war OF 10,
George H. sent a number Of heavy cannon, and then
another battery erected on the reef 100 yards from
the shore and bridge was built which aerward fell n
After The Revolutionary war houses were constructed N
Front ST., which Las It's name shows was meant 70 from
the water and be the FINAL encroachment Buttermik
Channel did not exist at that time, though Governors M
and then Island The being openedcan
flow Of water which has increased the deposits The har
Dor was again injured under the apprehension Of war
with Great Britain by the Federal Goyernm.nt by the
building Of Castle Garden which called Castle Gin
ton but changed its when Clinton became unpopq
lar 1t is monument Of folly because, Mt that point it's
too late TO defend New York. end also because Of ia con
structon it built on foundation which cracked
and heap of stones ncning at 80 deg, was pa!
round it to strengthen it,. A bridge was erected
here too, which also fell in, and the consequences
that the water in Coenties slip fell from
~ to IA feet The average projection OF the piers 10
the East River from the original shore is 100 feet From
Fulton ferry to the nearest point opposite the original dis
lance was 400; II is 200. The dimnutoD Is due
partly to filings in the Brooklyn side When the lee
turer first recOected New York Grcenwichst did not
exist except above Courtlandts in isOl il extended 10
AbaDyst. Ninetyfye acres have been filed 10 from the
East River between Whitehall st. and Corears Hook The
final encroachmeDt the construction OF South IT
About l79f-5 it proposed 10 establish permanent
line, 70 form basins, or slips blocks between which
should be bridges and currents through the blocks but
the prevented by bad construction and the
projection Of Castle Garden. The consequence Is, the
slips filling in, especaly in the lower part OF the City
ships that used enter OF them annot now; com
is pushed further but the Filings Of mud will follow
IT, At the foot Of Wall St. whore there used to be i6 feet
Of water the lecturer beach within the last ten days
In the North River about 1000 been filed IN
and where the river Is narrowes the place where the
greatest encroachmens have been made The dimnutcf
of water at Albany Is due TO the here Tia
lecturer concluded by tracing the worst influence h,
hsrborto the supreme Government whether royal or ns
tiona the latter still plot on which only temp0
rary building Castle Gardenl IL erected but Il may h
changed into permanent one. The Corporation and pr
Vste cupdity were also among the agents Of evil lie
cautioned the mechanics against eountenancing furha
encroachments though their effects might cause food aH
rents TO falthe fall ia the remuneration Of labor wouz
be vastly greater The mechaaics OF New York the bes
paid aud most independent might be So On thes
the matter might rest and whoever throws a stone Of
dumps cart Of wood into either stream Injuries thes
alone but their posterity
C. H. Deiavan, yicePresident and Chairman Of the LIE
ture Committee proposed vote Of thanks to Prof Re
wick for his eoque End instructive dcourss which
passed unanimously