The weekly sun. (New York [N.Y.]) 1851-1869, 1862-03-15
LOCAL NEWS.
sEw YORK AND rHR vIcINrrr.
linn.


Editor Of NE Sun II have had occasion. of
late a. visit Battery a die often, and its f1rorn
and led aspect Is dis,our-ging 70 every we'll
wiHhet OF tie lily New l,rkers laugh at IL, but
foreigners snser nj II. What is the history u the
affair What Ia being done aboutts vii not our
nSw Mayor give 10 lis usual energetic push
CyIs.
In answer to our correspondent we viii give him
hrie' nsrative Of the afIai-, hoping, as does our
correspondent, FOR Suns early steps towards lis
mpl,tion;-
As early a. isis the subject n tie enlargement
@ ihs Battery was raised by the Common Council,
'rd In 1859 the work was commenced. To those OF
ct readers who not SEQ TAINTED wit the 'cir-
cnulo'utory" style Of doing pu'lic businss, so
much in vogue in New York, II may he interesting
/, siste briefly what has been done At the work,
and why II is no, now completed.
On the Gosh Of November, 1872, ia accordance
with resolutions adopted by the Common C1uacil
in December, 1879, the contract for enlarging the
Battery from It's old limits 70 liue even with the
outide Of Castle Garden, or Castle Clinton, thus
adding about thirteen acres 70 It's extent WAS
awarded 10 Henry Conklin. Freeing this contract
from the inevitable legal verb'age, IL appears 70
prescribe definitely, that the said Cora1nr should
erect on given line, the limit OF the extension,
rir-rsp wall o. mountain stone IL fee, in width at
ia top, which should be one TO-, below low water
mark, and uniformly leyelled of - each side-the
space will In this wall should be fsd In, leyelled
81 and laid out in grass plats, and on the rp-rsp
wall should lie built pArupet wall and coping Of
cut granite, wiIh cut granite posts, at equal dis.
tancts along Us en'ire length. This work was 10
be paid FOR hy the city, at the rate Of 20 PER
cubic yard for rip.rHI wal = PER cable yard for
p'rs ret wall 80 Ter lineal 100! for ,o ipg Snd for
TIE cut granite posts = each. less price was
also stipulated for, FOR tire remoy 4 and of the
old pipg and posts, bui 1t was underst ooi With
the oon,I actor that these should not be used The
cost o. the work then, sccol ding to the ca.cula-
tons then msde OF It's extent would be as folio VS.
Kprap wall, 10 coo cubic yArds.....".,. sto.0lo
Granite coping 9,lgO lineal f,e,.......... $500
GIaLite posts, 2l2 IN number. ,.,,,,,,,,,, $40
Iuta' ',s',,,1,,,,,.., tOS,OJb
II is believed that there's much more in the work
than has been here computed From this amount
the contractor was ound to pay " the city the SUM
Of Slo,otO fer the privilege Of filling Ia the given
space outside the old nne Half " this sum was 70
be paid IN two years from the date Of the pntract
and tho rem Ainder on the work which WAS o. lie in
not MOI than three years. Nothing an seem more
eXpHclt ii an the terms Of tits contract YET sapi
ent Board DIAL lermen at one time nan al 20 cure
ont IN ZONE iueSplic abe VSy, thai Conklin was
bound 10 do the work IN ssI,lo1, and even Mayor
TemGup, In commut ica,i, n 10 ihe Common lunc /
on this subject In 1858, made the same statement
Up ~ the time ~ this nmuuic alton the work bad
been slowly progressing, but hsd angel hands
ON the 18th OF june, 1853, C)nklin transferred 70
Geo. Law two thirds interest in the 'Tighis priv
eges, entfts,proh's, advantages, &C. Of the con-
tract and the GGh OF August, io5S, Co1klin made
another assignment Of the remaining third to Sam.
gers.
The communication OF Mayor Tiemann to which
We have before alluded, made on the ilth OF Jam
uSry, 1855 stated that the work, which origi ally
70 COO. s21,l52, had already cost $5l,5SO, the
time FOR ~ completion had passed more than two
!ears, arr II was not yet near DONE
February %, lSGO, in compliance with request
OF the Common Council asking information ON the
sui ect, Street Commissioner @. w Smith prepared
rel ort, from which CLEAN the facts relative TO
the progress Of the work and its present condition.
FOR sir the date OF this report nothing has been
done on IL. Street Commissioner Smith, Ia relA-
zion 10 the legality Of the original CONTRACT which
has been doubted states that the resolution aut
ing II was passed in different years, by the differ.
emit Boards OF the Common Council; als,, that the
original contract is NOT 70 be found,bu In the Sees
Department Bureau Is copy,io which no sure'ies
or zig natures are attached.
IL January, 1So9, the Common Council passed an
ordinance prohibiting ,he dAmmipg or hlling In OIL
part OF the Battery enlargement unth she riP-'~P
wall had been completed, she er0"anS 0u' VI