New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-01-31


briefly few Of the more recent evidences OF their
dsinterested generosity toward him. In 1852,
after much opposition from The people, the Common
Council resolved to enlarge the Battery, BY filing it
In even with the outer wall Of Castle Gardeo, and
awarded the contract TO Henry Copslin, agreeing
to give him S97 500 for the work. be coyensnticg TO
COMPLETE II in two years, and bold an exterior rip
rap wall, surmount it with stone coping, and
railing around il. Two-tbirds OF this contract
Copsn Immediately assigned to Law, and the
other third 10 ope Samuel Roberts. Law and Rob-
erts drew their $27 500, and for six years gener-
ousy allowed the dirt cartmen of the city to dump
their rubbish on the enlargement at shilling a
load. How many hundreds Of Thousands OF 'bil-
lines the contractors got by this means Is known
only to themselves; but it must have been big pile
of money, taken altogether. All that the city has
ever received from the contractor or his asslgnees
for the $27 500 cash. and the valuable dumping
privileges aforesaid, bias been an upsighty ash-heap
surrounded by rough suDken wall over which the
water flows at all stages of the tide, washing tne
loose earth into the harbor choking up the chan-
nels, forming dangerous shoals in the vicinity, and
,piuyiDp the commercial value of the port
Under the pretext of landing stone for the rp-rap
will which he has not built, and, perhaps, negerin-
tends to build Mr.. Law constructed aPer south oil
Pier No. /, East River from which, for the past
seven or eight years be has run ferryto Ne@-Brgh
or and other points along the south shore oil Staten
Island without pay ing penny to the Corporation
for the use of the pier the privilege of the ferry
or. so far as we can learn, having ever been re-
ouired to do so In regard to the Battery enlarge
ment, he kept up the work of filling in, ct shilling
load, until the Common Council stopped fl@, IN
1858, because the EARTH fast as it was deposited,
was washed away by the tide, for want of the wall
which he had engaged to build, but did not. Then
arose the question whether he was not liable to re-
spoud in damages to the Corporation, for non per-
Torrance of his contract when 1t was discovered
that the sureties accepted of Mr. Conkin, by John
#. Dodge. the then Street Commissioner, were men
of straw, while that easy-going official, when tue
contract was assigned, neglected to require ne"
security. Hence, the Corporation not only have
no remedy sQaiust the lucky Law for drawing his
nav. and leaving the essential part of his contract
uDfUlftd; but they profess to be afraid TO take
the work in band themselves to complete lt--ai'
though Prof Bache and the Pilot Commissioners
state that the washog Of the uusuarded mud-heap
is ruil ing the barbeI-"lest Law should have
" claim against them for damages" Add this
was the opinion put forth by the late Corporation
Counsel, as officially communicated to the Common
Coul Gil A feeble attempt was made to compel
- "a in Init
Sire ct. Commissioner Smith reported on Monday
last that the proposition was smotheIed by the
Committee on Wbaryes, Piers and Slips OF the
Board OF Couneilmen.
The neat notable instance of Mr.. Laws fortunate
dealings with the corporation may be found IN the
manner in which he came into possession OF the
Willamsburgh ferries. Two or three years ago,
be- OF bis agents. bought Of the corporation the
right to run ferry from Pike slip, New-York, to
the division line of Brooklyn, which was subse-
aueptly changed to South Tenth street, Brooklyn,
for 5000 year. The privilege was not very
valuable one, and the price was perhaps as much
as il was worth. Subsequently, when the lease OF
the old Peck. sip ferry expired, Msy ], 1859, and
the pew company went into operation, runnid5
from Peck. sbp, New-York, to South Eighth street,
Wnliamsburgb, Law dubbed bis boats with those
of the old company, aid abandoning his South
Tenth street ferry, started new one-cent ferry
from the old terminus at South Seventh street,
WILLIAMSBURG, 10 Pike slip, New-York, without
permission from the Corporation of New-YOrk, and
10 the detrimeLt of the new company, which had
purcha,ed the privilege at very heavy cost. He
alec started and still maintains, ferry from the
foot of Grand street, New.York, to South Seventh
street, Willamsburgb, without shadow of author.
ity from or paying penny of rent to this city.
TIE lessees OF the Peck-sbp ferry applied TO the
Corporation of New-YOrk for redress, and the Con-
troller instructed Mr. Busted, as Corporation
Counsel TO move for an order against Law, to
show cause why an INJUNCTION should not be issued
.tjoniDg him from running the ferry between
South Seventh street and Pike-slip, New-York.
1t is needless to observe that Mr. Busted, for
reasons best known to bipself never brought
the application to an argument and it sleeps
the sleep that knows no waking. The
South Eighth street Company renewed the
application for an injunction by their own
counsel, but before the motion had been heard,
Dir. Law had got through the Common Council
resolution permitting him to run ferry from
Roosevelt street, New-York, to South Seventh
street, WILLIAMSBURG, by and with the consent of
the Union Ferry Company of Brooklyn, who were
running ferry from RoOsevelt-street slips to Bridge
street, Brooklyn. The Brdge-street ferry was
abandoned by the Union Ferry Company, and the
new ferry to WILLIAMSBURG established by Law,
be paying for the Roosevelt-street slips $4,000 n
year, the price paid by the UuioD Ferry Company,
while the ferry from that point to Wlliamsburgh is