The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-03-14
PROPOSITION 70 E'1oOEL The CrTY Of nav Y0ak

gne following memorial Was preseu'sa 4" ~
ture on Tuesday
In tue early days II The CITY All me streets ~els %
or south OF Wall street. A. Z prog esse0 ~
made the wants o. the ine2'ttns ~ saI,,ng iher
owners al lar-e tracts Of land iad 'ash Vs 5 n,,,i
-. $3.50 - no neyv streets This PROGRESSED uAtll
the acts OF tie Legislature n isoi " suonston s,raat
New York north o. NORM $3.50 which was COMPLETED
ahom, 800 ~ Mr. john Raudel Or, sutNeyor, put
streets had lad iniousn ,N 49, roa,s Nc
street On aKips Bay property, Nlu otlsI s'tes, s
es.ss, -,s4 now Firth avenue, from Forty hrst
street 70 Nncsih street ana cross streets sii h :.
s,, as long and about two and hall miles vide
~ niuo miles from the Battery and the upper or norh
80 - abopt one aud Il quarter miles wide. Inc whoe
ra,n ABOUT lS 900 acres or about 2ls 400 lots OF Iox
roo ee ana Irregular in shape, as will be seen by re-
ferrng any map showing The whole form oil Inc c'y
The improvements 10 the harbor Of New YORK have
not kept pace with the growth of commerce, tor our
wooden piers and distant storehouses but lily compare
win the docks and warehouses Of other commercial
ComnSn or even with some OF our own inland cites
~ t,ni nj the commercial mastery OF the world
10, oer rivals i'm youthful as she is, not behind
proponents in the naviEa;ia &C OF scen,inc I'M
many very much mistaken tse asu risd
when must show the same skill, II not supefic.s.
in our docks, basins and warehouses. For this
great what has the United states, the State
or city OF New York such, doneY Comparatively
nothing The haTbor cmphatically God has given
man, and tho Improvements he has made or COM
rnenced has been almost exclusively Individual In char
acter, and for single personal ends. The Lispenard
meadows which might have been excavated and made
valuable wet docks have been filled up and with
natural resting place for ships have ceased be objects
for that purpose Tie solid earth has gone the East
river further than should and until II bas made
aship race course OF TINS The progress OF the city
rapid that unless we look well to the end twice
our money spend when once will do. The removal or
rocks in He'll Gate wculd give wider channel but il
furious aud conflicting currents OF the waters not
checked the danger will scarcely be essened The
renls are the real cause of danger. The city of New
York has an entrance beside that at Sandy Hook and
9nS for hi se e9 Sara es with safety far
from New York to the East Bot the mielstrom OF
destruction has always been terror TO its navigator
ana must remain SO, unless the real obstacles re-
moved-and 1t well merits its name.
II Is now generally conceded that the present size OF
the Island OF Manhattan being limited is adequate
so the ultimate wants Of the Empire City and It's nhabit-
ants Experience has demonstrated that tho city OF New
York and its vicinity has doubled its superficial
covered with buildings and It's population every sixteen
years ond s likely to continue TO do for at least the
next thirty ears that after the lapse of sixteen
years from the present time the present surface OF the
Island OF Manhattan VII all be built up. In the same
manner become clearly recognized that the az
communication between Manhattan and Long Islands are
nj the present time inadequate wants OF its nhabi-
tants that the piers whaves and bukheads upon tho
New York. wel as the Brooklyn side in deplora-
bic condition, and afford but very undesirable aocommo-
datiors to commerce generally that the present cond-
ton Of the East RIVER itself is very bad for all kinds of
commerce and travel and that only great changes
and reforms Manhattan Island should be made but
that the time has come TO inauguTate a grand and
comprehensive system of improvements including the
ontire barber of New York, as well as the cities of
OF the Every plan and project SO far discussed
and submitted, proposes to remedy only one or the
other OF the evils and defects complained even
all the plans and projects that have made their APP
pearance so far were adopted and carried together
they would still fall to provide adequate relief for the
future
The undersigned therefore proposes to present plan
the result of many years OF practical UcrG study and
research the adoption and completion OF which neces.
sarilv would have a tendency to make New York the
greatest city in the world. NV proposition is
to change the shape of the boundary on the
caserly side OF the city of New York and the west
eriy side of Long Island opposite thereto by cutting
river OF the dimensions as hereinafter
Island. In Ipn0 Hand
sound TO be completed by sections and not opened until
finished, after which the old channel may be closed and
nlled up, thereby avoiding and doing away with He'll
Gates both large and small and adding TO the city of
New York the width OF TIE channels each side of
Backwels Isldd, the island ITSELF and land on Long
Island, and also Wards and Randall's Islands
The proposed New East river or channel could be com.
pleted before the present channels in the least
changed inerered with, ard would be Ave and quar-
rer miles long, three thousand three hundred feet
may be considered too Eeat hut when compare it
with what has been done and the progress In all things
since 81. Petersburg was built, and Cherbours was
begun. and with the resources Of this country
We End IT rs within the power OF money
and science at the present period to complete
this work in reasonable time, and to be great benefit
IN comparison with its cost, viii appear by careful
examination OF tins proposed change The advantages
OF this plan consist, among others, 10 the foowing
1. That 1t furnishes substantial and permanent
groundwork Tor comprehc nsve system OF river and
harbor improvements which would make the harbor OF
New York the most easily accessible for sailing vessels
rs we'll as steamships All ssels fro Europe and the
North of whatever size or tonnage could enter through
the sound have perfectly safe entrance and
shorter route than through tho Narows thus avoiding
all dangers Of tho channels Jersey shore and Long Island
beaches and saving five or SIX miions OF dollars or prop
erty annually wrecked thereon The danger Of the grad
nal filling up and narrowing OF the harbor approaches
well as the dangers Of the rapid tide Hell Gate,
winch can never be changed as long He'll Gate re-
mains. and against which all blasting al He'll Gate
will not AFFORD any relief worth speaking Of.
The new channel would resent front Of los
miles Tor The build o. splendid ~harves and piers IN
the open cut before the water il let in BY the present
plan OF New York the amount of wharf and pier
eommodaton on the Hudson river is only to about Fifty
seventh street. and the East river only about Eff
teth street. Both shores north of those are
steep aud only afford accommodation for street or
avenue the edse OF the river The number
or miserable wooden piers around New York
are on East river about -, on North river
progress ana wants Of the commercial interest will fully
warrant great change. Tie piers IN the new channel
could be built OF iron or granite, with arches the tide
would circulate below them, ana the adjoining land
accommodated by level streets aud avenues to any
river. The reason Newto@n and Flushing were not
placed nearer to New York that all the land between
was either swamp or small knobs
3 The building Ct this new channel would Furnish
hitting opportunity TO build with very little additional
New York and Long Island that might be deemed
necessary
T. II would add TO the City Of New York about twenty.
nve hundred acrs OF land thus making than twice
good the loss OF thousand sustained By the city
In land taken for the Central Park, evo Of which
was so much land taken away from the aggregate guam
tity Of land left for building purposes
.. While the value OF the low land TO be
taken for the new channel would not exceed
81, 600 600, the value OF the land alone acquired
by the city OF New York in exchange thereof
would DO about S12 900 600 above all assess
mcns % which IL might be subjected FOR portion OF the
cost OF the Improvement
The increase OF value OF all the property affected
by the proposed improvement, and situate upon Man.
haitian Island aud vicinity would he 5000 0O0 OO0
while the cost including the grading aud SEVERN. OF
sire t. the New York aud LonE Island side wonld
not amount TO more than one-sxth Of that sum
There IS abundance ofmatcral upon Msnhaitan Island
with whc on up the old clanHes aud the materials
dug out from the channel could be used IN an
the Gdoinu ing property.
8 IL deemed Advisable the Harlem river could In
The course OF time, either b. filled mp b. made nayi
gable TO the Hudson river connected With the Hud
son river by ship canal through which the traffic be-
tween the Sound and the North river would pass
directly without going around the Battery.
As by this proposed change the principal entrance
70 the city Of New York would DO through Long Island