The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-05-28
,un STREET COMMISSIONERS OFFICE.


4u,ersst,ng slsete: Of Its Past and Present
C,,t,,tiou-Accsunt OF the Work now I'm |
rxoeress. and that In State OF Forward |
ness viz, the Improvement ON Diamond |
ret rhe Building or the Neyy TompIins
Market, City Hall, Widening OF Bcekman
street, Building Of . Steam Fire Engine
House In the Pork, &c., sc.
The Street Department has charge Of street improve
pen,s whsrVes and slips, roads and avenues public
rnds end Places lamps and gas construction and repairs
Of public buildings supplies 10 pubic Offices expendi
lures FOR fro apparatus, removal and
obsructors from streets and hsrbor, the collection
f assessments II will be at first glance that the
DEPARTMENT of city government having such multp
rny OF bureaus under one lead city like New York,
rs one Of considerable importance. In the prin-
sipal Office, besides the Street Commissioner
and his deputy, there are ten clerks, five
inspectors and three messengers There are nine Sc
parae bureaus "a the department in each of which there
k superintendent officer in charge, besides neces
say clerks and suo-pspectors The discharge Of the
immense varied bufiaess of the department, nvolv
ing dal expenditure OF about three millions Of dol
las aGt Ting, does, nearly every interest in the
city ana being intimately connected with other depart
menis and largely dependent upon the Common Council,
requi - to be conducted with method and SYSTEM rs well
st Ct adherence TO law. The difficulties IN this de
part eRt the Copover and Devin TO their re
Eps Give title 70 oce which resulted in go much itga
~ courts, still fresh in the memory of our
saders but oil this attended with much smbarrass
men, expense to the taxpayers Of this city On the
a.h Of April 1855 Edward Cooper took charge Of the de
parmes, The business at that time in state Of con
fusion and disorder bordering chaos the result in
point of defective laws, Of ignorance and neglect,
and of designing fraud, and, in fact, owing, no
douH the circumstance thai for six months or more
tber~ had been recognised Street Commissioner, and
NV ma do
Yment during that time. 1t found that the amount
efUffce wholly inadequate for the acoommoda-
'kcn Of the officers and clerks Of the bureaus and
he proper preservation Of the valuable records Of the
department Notwithstanding the fact that there
separate bureaus in this department, hundreds Of
ca,ons reference ts details Of unmportant routine
business properly belonging different bureaus,
brought osiy direct 10 the Street Commissioner Among
other thrgs large number Of bls-some of them
Of doubtful auhentiei,y-for work done supplies fur
shed during the time that the Office contested,
y all Of which were, on examinations irregular-some
charlottesville whole amounting TO more tnan one hun
red fifty thousand dollars Most Of these claimants
well other persons having business with this de-
paIimen insisted upon seeing the Street Commissioner
and discuselng day after day, their especial griev-
Ances. There were something like hundred
and fifty contracts for improvements involving
barge interests 10 property holders, contractors and the
city, lhe Corporation acting trustee, with limited
powers. These contracts with scarcely exception
found to be Irregular very many Of them illegal
and fraudulent The routine business Of the de-
parment had been in part allowed to lie over
crowdipg into the Office II this state Of affairs Street
Commissioner Ar "copper" az recognized the ieces
sty Of radical change in the whole department He
adopted stem Of accounts for the transaction of all
new business Of the office, and at the same time
Henced collect ng Information from every available
source reference 10 the existing condition Of the works
and accounts by other wse which had been
for years in progress, and still lying unsettled.
New ordinances for the and protection OF the
department were prepared, and every effort made
70 establish the whole business upon a proper and
basis Much had been done towards the accom-
pnhment Of this before Mr. Cooper retired tae
Office After a OF difficulties caused by mutatei
records imperfect manner in keeping accounts,
the difficulty has bGen overcome in q measure but it
cannot be entirely until certain important changes are
made 10 the city charter and laws. new system
adopted the transaction of business and keeping of
counts and vouchers, 70 prove safeguard the
city. No payments are made by this department nei-
The Street g mmseiorer the officers of the de-
patnent dsberse any Of the public money, with the
cepuon Of the chief clerk, who has a small OF
postage aud other minor contingencies which cannot by
any means be dispensed with. After the Devlin aud
Colover mbrogno, the newly appointed Street Com
rissoner assumed BIS official functions the contracts
made IN book Of printed forms, the blanks left for
prices beng filled with figures only instead Of being,
formerly, written cut 10 words These figures In the
former books had evidently, in very many cases,
been altered and IN no case, for several
BY the Street Commissioner. The contractors, i.
understood no, furnished with copies OF tneir
contracts and In cases they signed the book
they told TO de- without really knowing wha. Of
Al instrument they were signing Uader the preseat syg
TEN all contracts made in trplcate all pricee and
written out IN full and eacn Of the trp,cates
signed both by the Street Commissioner and
Tor One Of these original contracts is ,hen
the Comptroller 20 form check upon mis- ment
Ned The Street CommssinIers Office, and the third is
given 70 the contractor so That ne may ways have before
him the terms and spec hca,iops for his work. cer-
hed copy is aso filed in the oce Of the bureau having
Immediate supetiuendence OF work Monthly reoorts
required OF all the supenteudents stating the
aud fnd OF work DONE or supplies furnished and the
Thereof TIE amount OF the appropriations IN each case what
has been expended and the paia on hand together
treturn making an exhibit OF al the pubic property in
her POSSESSION besides having the books kept by compe
tent men, to the exact condition Of depart
men; at glance. With asystem properly carried out.
have exhibited IT cannot fail atsfacorily
70 the taxpy ers OF our CITY, and with credit aud honor
70 the institution, and co workers With oem. After Mr.
Cooper retired from Office Gustavus ". Smith his able
and efficient deputy WAS chosen 10 preside a; Of
the department. fnis gentleman nad formerly CON
necieo with the Uuied states Typographical Engineer
Corps and bis fitness aud ABILITY TO III tue Office WAC not
for moment questioned Shortly afer Mr. Smith assum.
ed the control OF the depart ment his health failed
he obliged TO leave the city on tour for benef.
of his health, and has not yet returned During his ab
snce the ehtre managem nj OF the affairs Of the depart
ment has devoved upon his deputy, Capt. sjeld
Lowell, formerly connected the United States Army
AID especially known the Adiutant
General OF General Quitans brigade during the
Mexico. 1t is but act Of justice to state that this
gentleman served long time in the regular army Of
United States and had many accounts with the head of
the War Department, at Washington, and resigned his
commsson to assume the walks Of civil life, having FIRST
discharged his responsibilities to the department with
which he had been connected A few months ago the
business OF the Office transferred from the dngy aud
inadequate apartments in the Hall of Records the more
spacious and freproof quarters in Park row. where
business is conducted Ample accommodations are
now enjoyed by the beads Of the different bureaus and
the old nuisance of allowing log rollers contractors and
hangers on TO lounge around the office has been entirely
dispensed with, and the business is conducted the
same as at any merchants counting In depart
ment OF the magnitude of this will not probably be un
interesting 70 know the work which has progress
or under Amusement, and therefore the follow
ing exhibit ~
IN PRoGRRss-HousE FOR ENGINE COMPANY NO l5
House Tor Engine Company No. is, situated at No 2s4
West Thirty sixth street The building liz TO be of the
best quality OF North river bard brick three stores
n height and to be fitted in the manner AT cost of