The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-12-26
OUR STATE ARSENALS.
spendthrift Expenditure OF the Public Money
In Military neutrality-suspicious. and Value


dozen years. and expose to the people the large amounts
OF money which have been squandered by epauetted as
prans and political spendthrifts within the above period
Henry Storms, when Commssary General, in the year
1s46, conceived tho idea Of selling to the United States
government piece Of property owned by the State at
the Narrows, in Richmond county. This land was con
veycd to the state portions of 1t in 1884 and other por
tons in 1909 The object Of the purchase by the State
for erecting thereon military deences of the city of
New York. Negotiations were entered INTO between
the Commissioners of the Land Office the part Of the
State and Major Deaheld the part Of tho general gov
erpment, and concluded the 2sth December 1S47,
when the property duly transferred to the United
the Of s35 2s4 ST. being the which
originally cost the State with six per cent interest for
about forty years This amount was deposited in the
Manhattan Bank TO the credit Of the State.
menext step to this money the construction
Of State Arsenal in the city OF New York The lie
gsature passed for that purpose and authorized
the Commissioners Of the Land ONCE, together with the
Commissary General to select the ground upon which the
new structure should be erected. The State the
owner of ten Of ground in the upper part of the
city, located between the Firth and Sixth and
Sixty third and Sixty fifth streets upon which the powder
magazine then stood Upon this plot of ground de
cided 10 erect the arsenal.
This under democratic rule. General Storms
the general superintendent and the of the
arsenal was commenced 1t soon proved that the arch
tects and builders incompetent discharge
the duty properly and economically. la SO portion of
the money appropriated expended in draining the
lands and blasting rocks fer foundation Tue structure
two Stories when politics took II change
General Storms oustcd and Colonel John Stewart
wing, became lis Upon examination of the
accounts. asccrtained that nearly, if quite
the whole received from the general government
and appropriated 10 the construction oil the arsenal
expended Other aichitccts ana different mechanics
employed and We known politician sent down from
Albany as principal superintendent The politicians now
10 charge, doubt for political purposes condemned
work far had progressed and decided acmosh
il and commence from the foundation. But the
funds exhausted and, after consultation where
money could be procured, il finally determined
TO dispose Of the old arsenal property Centre street.
opposite the Tombs The Common Council Of the city of
New York adopted the following resolution
Resolved That consideration of the State releasing to
he .rro9n e hi- city the ground situate IN Centre Elm
poses the Corporation Of this city i pay % The STATE on, q
l'ins -. arssa1 mon oher arnm,d AZ VI & M
q thirty soasana dollars provided the stse Commits
city procure the passage OF an act authorizing such payment
asop'sd Y ,ns Board Board Of Aldermen May
d. 4. VALENTINE, Clerk
Tho Commissioners Of the Land ONCE accepted the pro-
pdston Of The common Council and the old arsenal
grounds transferred the city the 2sh Of June
1913 II i proper to remark that the entire block
under perpetual lease the state from the city for
nominal annual reni so long as used for military pur-
poses, except lot White street. the title which
| held by the State.
Tho managers Of the State arsenal now had thirty
| thousand dollars more TO expcud. The work
commenced, and this new appropriation soon became
pended also but the arsenal sim remained unfinished, al
though the politicians had expended sixty thousand
dollars. The Legislature next appealed TO- and tween
| iy-fcur thousand dollars taken directly from
tie State treasury, making total nearly ninety thou
sand dollars expended upon the arsenal Fifth ave
nue.; and with the absorption Of this immense amount
The a miserable structure unfit for the preser-
walton Of the military property Of the State, and
Die fer a depository Of arms any whatever.
In 1851 portion os the military star or the Comman.
chief Ex-Governor Clark, conceived proposition 81
81. the arsenal and the ten Of ground owned BY
The state This property had then become Of Immense
value consequence OF bong included within the space
designated ior the Central Park Those military gan
temcn nothing danntcd account 81 the large amount
squandeTea By preceding politicians arsenal building
sought possession Of funds also, similar pur
poses. bill introduced in the legislature dsposng
~ the arsenal and the valuable acres AMI spending
the money ~ various other sections ~ the state Tho
Trceet failed that session bat IN 1868, having enlisted
favorable lobby the act was passed Its main provisions
arc that the city of New York should have thc prior
\ right of purchase, 1t stipulated amount, the
money 10 be used IN the erection Of arscnals
IN various PARTS a the state. Three commissioners
named the act 20 hive the control Of the fund thus
rcalizcd and those selected entirely from the
republican party, and without any guarantee whatever for
the faithful application II those funds. The city New
York preferred IN the law, and accordingly entitled
10 ali that property for the OF hundred
and seventy thousand dollars whereas had the ten
ner,s would av" Welded 10 ,he Stat, a. "a, mop 81
dollars. Well the city paid the amount, and provigon
made by the Legislature for Us distribution and
pcnditure, foiows--for the construction or nee
arsenal the city of New York, 500 600; Brooslyn
$4,000; Albany. IS 900; Buffalo, $4,000 Rome, s7 900
Coming tia 600 Roches,r Is 600: Troy. 5000, Utca
a. ooo syracuse 81 600 Auburn, 900. Oswog, 81 Ooo
Bss,on spa, 5000: pgnkrk, 5000 ogdensbure Sooo
Schohahe 50 0eo-the hitter ief the purchase ol dap
| dated old Revout onary stone fort
Now down to the period Of the erection of
some a those works and the expenditure az toe funds
Zach that has been commenced has been under
80 the loves; bdtcrthe modern system % erecting
public buildings In this city formidable arsenal e out
ward appearance near bong finished. Us towers
and walls seemed substantial paratinus hurrcdy
making 70 celebrate ia compcticu, and delivery y the
,ay were eaied with The expectation having an arsenal
which would accommodate both large aud small
aisnS am ,be 0a ,e., Of .,e for ases ~ - come
Bot most unfortunately. lust upon the moment
when those Fopcs about o. be realized the entire
roof gave way AMI crushed The building into fragments
Persons we'll informed estimate this loss a, $50 ooonc
,hrdof the Appropriation for rs construction u i not
Tor us determine ugon whom The blame ~ this acct
dent hes but DO assert that the slight materials
roycd the II the roof and also the quality
o the mortar used ecmensinr the brick walls
o the firm and substantial nature which building Of such
| mammoth dimensions rclgirei. An nvcs CATION viii hc
held will ony succeed heccng the state treasury
out ol the amount necessary repair the and ssos
The Brooklyn arsenal also nearly ready FOR occupation,
and erected under the supervision uf the architect
who planned the New York has been pronounced
dangerous Measures have been taken ~ strengthen the
and walls by &C patchwork aud we carn that
the aforesaid commissioners have consented ~ u. We
doubt whether Major General nuryca viii venture any
rrton Of his command under the present roof which,
constructed under the same supervision and uroa the
dcn cal experimental plan 81 the New York Seventh
nue Arsenal lust able b. crumble into atoms The
roof ut Brooklyn should be on, rely taken o and another
/ substituted. nom which danger need be reasonably
| apscs nlcd.
We learn also that the Albany arsenal 10 in lamenta.
bic condition. The state was M possession cf large,
| Substantial building. located upon valuable lot
i and In eligible position. Instead of rebuilding
upon that syot the commissioners disposed Of that
nE han.