The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1862-03-11
D,hlbulod since Feb. s, 1902. ..... sLt Is
The Battery Es'arEt mont-A Comuasnica-
tlou.


Editor Of The Sun IL have had occasion. of
late ~ visit Battery quite oftan, and ts forloru
and unfinished aspect In ourAging 10 every we'll
vi.her OF the city. New Workers laugh NJ u, but
foreigners sneer Nh What Is ,he history ~ the
affair Whist IL beinE done abnu, ity vii no, our
new Mayor give II his usual energetic push
Crvrs.
In answer 10 our correspondent we viii give him
brief narrative Of the afd-, hoping, az does our
correspondent, for some early steps towards It's
completion -
As early AZ is4s the subject q tie enlargement
o'iht Battery was raised by the Common Council,
md in lsb2 the work was commenced. To those o,
our readers who are no, acquainted with the Ucir.
oumlocutory" style Of doing put lie businsaS, so
much In vogue in New York, II may be interesting
W state briefly what has been done At the work
and why ID is NOT now completed.
On the 95Ih Of November, 1854, In accordance
with resolutions adopted by the Common Council
Ia December, $40, ths contract for enlargng III,
Battery from lts old limits 30 line even with tho
OUT ide OF CAsile Garden, or Castle Clinton, thus
adding about thirteen acres 70 lis extent, was
awarded 10 Henry Conklin. Freeing ths con,rac,
from the inevitable legal verbage, IL anpeArs -
prescribe definitely, that the said ConsAan should
cree, on given line tie limit 81 the extern sion,
riT-rap wall Of mountain stone l2 feet in width at
lis top, which should he one foos below low water
,uart arf uojr,--.i,,i ,.a'I.i aash .ide.
grace within this wall should he filed In, leyellei
'i and laid out in grass pais, and on tho rip-r.p
wal shoud lie built psrapot wall ard coping Of
cut granite wi'h cut granite posts, al equal dis.
tsncts alorg lis entire length. This work yls IN
be psid Tor by the city, the rate o. 20 cents uer
cubic yard Tor rp-rap wall, =, per cubic yard for
parapet wall 81 per Laal TO-, for coling, ard for
the cut granite pests - each. leaa p,lcs WA
also stipulated for, for the removal and use Of tho
old ping aud pests, but IL was undery, I'd with
the contractor that these Should NO, be usei Tina
cost Of the work then, according 70 the clculs-
lions then made o. its txtont would DO IA follows,
Rp-rhp wall, 10 coo cubic yards. $40 900
Granite coping ',l9o lilea feet. .......... G.fGp
VtAiite posts, 2l9 In nun rcr............. 800
Tuh. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. q, .OqG
II il believed tlai there 10 nIuct moro I'm the work
than has been here CONT uIei. From Ills amour,
The contractor Was tound ~ pay 10 the city the sum
Of $1,000 Tor the privilege OF filling n tbs given
space ou1'ide the olJ line. HTfortos sum was to
be paid IN two years from the date pf the contract,
and tic remainder on the work which WAS I, le In
not more than three years. Nothing can seem more
explicit than tho terms OF tlis contract. We, ,apl
ont Board DIAL iermau at tin m ana sd g. yure
ont In come ineSpltcsb'e way, thai Conklin WAS
bouad 10 do the work fCr tP7,l53, and even Mayor
Ticmann, in commut ica,ior ~ the Common luncl
on this SUI ect In ls5S, malo the same statement
Up g. the time u this 'Hmuuc alton the work had
boon slowly progrts huy, but had changed .nls.
On tie 18th OF June, 1875 C)Lklin transferred o.
Geo Law two thirds interest in the 'ights priT-
'icges, benz i1, profits, advantages Sc Of the c,n-
tract and on q G.h Of August 10 Cpnklin m ale
another assignment Of the remaining third to am.
X gers.
The communication o. Mayor Tomann, h. which |
we Lave before alluded, made on tho ll.h Of Jan.
:, lsoS, stated that the work, which originally /
was 10 cost S2I,62, had already cost S5l,'sO, the
time for - completion hal passed more than two
ears, and II was not yet TAR doas.
February %, is6n in compiance with request /
" the Common Council asking Information on she
iu' sct, Street Commissioner @. W smish prep lred
rel orr, from which geln the facts relative 3
he progress ~ tho work aud is preseni condition,
,lr siuos the date Of tkis report nothing has been
lone on IL. Street COmmis.ioner Smith, h rsla-
ZION 10 the legality Of the original contract which
has been 1outGed states that the resolution n.
ling il was assed In dff.rent years, ~ the differ
ant Boards the Common Cpunc al-,, that the |
inAl contract not - he found but the Street.
Department Bureau Is a copy,io which no sureiies
Dr sis utt'irCs are attached
Ia JInuay, 1>52 Ihe Common Council pass,d an
ordinance prohibiting the dan ming " dlling In OF
para 70, tho Battery erlargemtni until Ihe r.p-rap
Nall bad been completed, as the crowding oIi q
Ne tht into the harbor was feared. si1ca that
inc all work on the enlargement has been stop |
',l. Tee r!f-rSp wall has been made t. within
no yards ~ It's terminus a, the E's, River, and |
.bout two'Lrds u the filling has Ibeen done' |
saving the balance ~ the h.liUg, two hundred |
Yards OF the Iip-rop wall, al the parspst wal oopi
NO fixing OF the posts ret 10 he done. As the
ta'ed by Mayor TiemBn, S52 $50 have been paid |
'onttciors by the city, and. enough ,still remains
iue q en- TO cover the remaining 5000 Of their |
ieh or the fling material. Over eleven acres have |
Jten AIDED 20 tho Brtery by the work already |
lone, ala petty cost when compared with the value