The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-11-09

Meeting Of the Cisixens' Association Yester.
day 10 Take Measures for = Proper systcD
Of Piers and Wharves In New York.
large meeting Of the members Of the Citizens'
Association Of New York held YESTERDAY a No. 10
Pine street. at which also the shipping Interest OF the
city was fully represented. Among the gsnthmsn seen
the platform were the well known faces Of James
Brown, Peter Cooper, William Wood Robsr Dillon,
Nathaniel Sands, jeremiah p Robinson JchD ). Will
llama, William K Dodge, Jr, John ArmitrOps and
Henry E. Pisrreponl
The meeting was called to order few minutes past
three O'Clock by Mr. PETER CooPsR, who, after few
words, introduced Mr. A. A. Low chairman.
hr TRACY then made the following address, In which
he sketched the motives Of the citizens assembled for
calling the present meeting He said Tho defective.
OF the wharvss and piers OF this city does not need
10 BIO made known. The traveller who into our
port wonders at the spectacle Of inferior AID decayng
wooden piers and bukheads and OF foul slrs and the
practical men who manage vessels and take IN and dis
charge cargo find out TO their that time. conven
fence and economy grossly wasted by Of the
want OF ADEQUATE and suitable docks dock arrange
ments At this chief commercial point, to which by
endless interior canals rivers and lakes, and by railroads
which cover the continent as with net the products
Of the forest the farm, the furnace the mill and the
workshops come down to the sea- and where IN return
arrive the vessels not only from own extensive
coast but from every ocean and port in the world, all
calling for the most abundant and most perfect dock
accommodations Tor sale aud speedy adlng ana
unloading. as essential to great port the actual state
OF such matters confessedly shabby and mean, not
only unworthy Of the city but injurious 10 Its trade
The American marine which carries our noble nag
through all the seas showing everywhere the
Of naval architecture. the skill OF shpmasters.
the bravery OF our sailors and the enterprise OF our
merchants surveys noble oiorern countries,
but TO meet the cold welcome OF wooden piers
of inferior Sort and TO the annoyances Of
crowded quays aud cramped passages full OF impede
ments, where everything should be convenient This,
the third city OF the world in the Importance OF its
30 tn Ia Z. hah{n md nf
rivals But pass from the present state of things
and contemplate the future OF the port Of New York
Of prairie and forest Of North America steadily falling
back agriculture presses upon H. and the heightened
ART OF cultivation everywhere augnentng the products
OF the soil, tho railway across the continent growing
three miles day towards the Rocky Mountains.
and the trade Of Asia preparing TO turn Its vast current
upon western coast for the quick passage by loco.
motive doors. This island, in the midst Of
deep rivers, with spacsous and secure harbors, with
OF river canal and lake navigation Of uneoualled ex-
and value In the temperate zone and at the latitude
Of the mean temperature OF the inhabited world has
commercial destiny far SURPRISING the present and fu
ture OF any other point on earth, unless 1t shall be
marred by Encouragement and neglect But the great
est national advantages cannot prevail unless wisdom
and energy be used and other cities which literally
provide for the convenences OF commerce and watch
over them assduously may take away from New YORK
IL we wait for The government 70 take up
the matter OF wharves and docks we must
wait among the hrong which beset the government an
take poor chance of being remembered when the
controversies about currency protection, free trade,
taxation reconstruction, suffrage and every other ma
tonal subject Of that sort shall have ended and
when the millennium shall have cleared the capital OF
punderers whose business is 10 make themselves annual
dividends Of corrupt legislation There is but
way control this affair and put 1t forward II Is by
the united action Of the merchants and capitalists OF this
city. They are here together They can confer and
plan and act. Mr.. Tracy. then went to trace the
present system of dock and pier accommodation, and
compared II with that OF Liverpool London and other
large cities, much the depreciation OF the Empire
City, which, with all its wealth, ought certainly to have
better state OF things existing.
Dir DODGE then proposed, and Mr.. Everett seconded,
the following
Whereas the wharves and piers OF the city OF New
York condition disgraceful to our city and in
furious to commerce; and whereas the wharf aud
pier system Of this port Is inadequate to meet the public
wants. and is far behind the system that in the
great cities OF Europe and the city Of New
York s rapidly absorbing the foreign trade Of our coun
New York had S429 0s0, 1928; and whereas New York,
by Of it's position destined to become the COM
and pier system that would be an honor to city
and provo commensurate with the public wants; and
modaons for the trade Of this pors IS Of not
only to the city OF New York, but Is which the
Interest. and whereas radical changes arc demanded in
whole system Of wharves and piers; and whereas,
TO properly deal with subject OF such vas. importance
and TO develop plan or system that will met with
united support necessary that the shipping bank.
ing al, manufacturing and other great interests
to DO affected should confer in reference thereo thero-
fore, be it
Resolved. That A. A. Low. James Brown, William H.
Fogg, Peter Cooper PAUL Sponord John s. Williams,
John Taylor Johnston. August Belmont William NJ
yermiIye, jeremiah Robinson, David Dows, William
Astor, John J. Phelps Joseph " Asop Stewart
OConor, Hugh Allen, Theodore H. Riley, Richard W.
Weston, Charles Tracy, Murray Holman, Nathaniel
William D. Morgan, Charles H. Marshall Isaac n
Phelps, Paul N sporord, Allan McLane, Aaron Arnold,
Bellows, William B. Dinsmore, Edwin Hoys, Howard
Potter William T. Dodge, John s Eldridge, Francis w.
J. Hurst Charles Luling, Cornelius X Garrison, =. p
Fabbri, Jonathan sturges Joseph J. Constock, William
~ Evarts Benjamin Trask Robert Mack,e, William
Nelson, Adam Norrie, James Boorman Johnston,
Tnorne, samuel Sloan, J. +. D. Lanier, John
Jacob Astor, Jr., Cornelius Vanderbilt, Stephen
n Booth so James H. froSnSham seorSo crswoId
james K. Place, John A. Weeks, Richard H. Henry,
George 8 Coe lie Grand lockwood, samuel wie,s.
cey, Benjamin b. Sherman Henry G. Deforcst, Jesse
Hoyt. Edward Hincken, Lewis Roberts James r. Tap
Duer, James Punnett, William b. Duncan, Thomas J..
Owen, George NJ. Chairman. BENJAMIN d. sllman,
see smsn EdMsra oosman
Pyne, Robert l. Taylor Nathaniel 1. McCready, Lewis
b. Woodruff, Alexander Hamilton, Jr, William Cary,
Jr., h. T. Livingston. Henry f. Nesmitb, William Il.
worthen, Edward Cromwell and Erastus s Brown, re-
presentne such interests, be appointed committee TO
examine the whole subject and report a. to the best
means OF inauguratng wharf and er system in this
port with the present and future wants Of
commerce.
G. f. Noyes was invited TO the desk, and made brief
address in advocacy OF the reforms proposed. Mr..
Noyes OF the opinion tina, there could be contro-
vsrsy In relation to the subject There
cial In the great metropolis who did feel and
comprehend the existing evils embodied In q rotten
wharf system and hundred OF rotten and decay
ing wharves In the Of 1860 81 the subject
agitated. and bill was presented which covered the
necessary reforms There was some prospect that the
bill would be passed; but fifty thousand dollars went
Albany before the vote taken and the advocates
OF its passage were scattered TO the winds Tho only
way, therefore, was TO create public sentiment which
could not aud would not permit New York be embar
rassed In her commerce by wharf system which
was . disgrace to the most promising bust
meas city the world. There was no question that
New York was to be the commercial centre OF the
world. There was no necessity to compare statistics
The geographical position of the city, and the vast entcr
, settle that point Her shipping interest was nearly
equal 70 that OF Lendon and ought be far superior
Mr.. Noyes concluded with spirited exhortatiop TO the
business men OF New York to advocate with arguments
of logic grecnbacks At tho coming sesson Of the