The New York herald., 1868-02-09
1868 TO 1888.


Outline Maps OF the Citv I'm 1SSS-Its
Thoroughfarcs and Haunts of Fashion,
What Had Already Been Done and What
Has Been Deno In 1S61-Governing Prin-
cipIes and Considerati0ns-A Peep Into the
FniryIand Of the Future.
Assuming the population OF this city to be nearly
enc million. which viii not materially vary from
the actual number. and further assuming that its
increase for the next quarter Of century Is 10
tnue In the same proportion as for the last nfty
years, the yesr 1900 VIII open with two millions Of peo.
pie on this isand In less than ten years. calculating
om the rate Of the last ten the whole territory south
q 1SSth street will have been built upon and In less than
ssn years there will be scarcely vacant lot south Of
Kingsbrdge. Portions Of tho marshy ground on the
harlem river viii probably remain unoccupied until
the last, nor is 1t probable that building win limit
itsef TO the successive opening OF streets and
avenues AS rule, avenues tho first built
mp after opening and streets follow at convenient
intervals though radiation from csntres like Harlem
Yorkvlle and Bloomingdas is likely be the principle
which will control tho settlement Of the upper part Of
the island II Is generally conceded that the tract
west Of the Central Park founded the future Fifth
Of tho metropolis whie the eastern tract has
the same likelihood OF becoming the home Of tho
manufacturing interest and OF the aboring masses
Owing to the shape Of the island there Is no doubt but
that the lsnghwiss should be Of greater width
and more commodIous than the Streets the latter
being simply many feeders to the former The exist
ing of the city already Inadequate being
Of insufficient number; and, it il probable that
travel up and down the city, in proportion TO cross.
wise travel will ever be materially lessened the I'M
porancs 70 the upper portion Of OF sufficient
number and width is conclusively demonstrated In the
nature OF tho case every street running north and south
win bs thoroughfsre into which every cross street
ftz ntato nf md
The tendency Of population being the morning h
ward and again evening northward the longitudinal
streets cannot otherwise than become arteries Of
Of which the atitudnal streets win represens the cir
cuAtion. Streets leading to ferries and bridges on
either lateral shore likely take the nature Of
thoroughfaree, and should bo Of more than
rage width but these will be few in comparison with
the aggregate number. The width Of the avenues is
therefore, topic that admits OF little discussion and
10 question for the intelligent determination Of which
considerable knowledge and discrimnatiye ability
needed. With the exception OF Fourth avenue, which
has been widened above Thirty fourth 140 feet
the general width OF the the city to
have been fixed at 100 feet, this width has been
generally adopted sufficient for the purposes OF ord
nary thoroughsare. Pennsylvania avenue, Washington,
b ITO feet in width and other in that city vary
from 100 to 100 feet Market street. Philadelphia is 100
feet and Broad street is 113; while the remaining
streets OF that city vary from fifty to sixty-six
feet. Commonwealth avenue Boston, has lately
been widoned and planted with rows Of trees
and there is general tendency to widen
thoroughfares beyond the New York limit Of one hun
dred feet Brooklyn has its Atlantic avenue Of 100
feet the Neva Perspective of St. Petersburg OF the
handsomes OF European streets, is 13o feet broad Inter
den Linden, in Bcrn is about 800 feet wide and there
- every probability tina. the upper avenues Of New
York viii DO mado materially to exceed the lower ones
in breadth The necessity for this is apparent IL the
system Of grdronng the upper portion Of the netropo-
lis with street railroads to be permitted 1t should bo
remembered, however, that every additional foot in
width addition to the expense of grading. and that
there Is tendency the part Of provincial cities TO
adopt scale OF ornamental widths which It would
hardly be advisable to adopt the eastern tract whore
manufacturing and storehousss likely to demand all
possible space. On tho western tract scale OF orna
mental breadths would the other hand bo quito per-
missble, and will doubt be very generally adopted
Here 10 be located the bouevards of the
metropolis here is to be the centre OF fashion, and here
be laid out tho drives and promensdcs Of future
New York.
The HoRrHKRS TRACT AND raE PROGRESS OF T HE CITY.
Until the beginning OF the present century. he city
rew by Of irregular accreiion process and con-
deraby as convenience fancy happened to dictate
conform the city to general plan. April g. 1907, Gov
srneur orrs Simeon De Witt and John Rutherford.
commission TO lay out the city north OF the Fizroy
road NOW Gansevoort street,, Art street tnow Astor
pisce) and North street (now Houston street, east Of
the Bowery At this time the New York Hospital was
the northery limit OF mproy ement; canal street was
simply q canal running athwart the Lspenard Meadows
the sidewalks OF Broadway had paved far north
Murray street. and the City Hall Park had just been
enclosed with post and rail fence The commissioners
fled their report date Of April l, ISL The actual
laying Of the Streets and places designated
IN this report afterwards committed to John Ran.
del, Jr., who completed the first valuable set OF
maps ever made OF this tract The commission had
authority lay out the whole island, but stopped with
no Of s psn have Sesn passed in
l5l4so that few features OF the orginal nave
been left uDmodncd, with the exception, perhaps OF
the rectangular system Of lines upon which u was based
ovas and stars very wisely rejected by Inc
conmlssion theory being that building most COM
modous and least expensive could bo erected upon the
rectangular plan Another plan is extant, dated
November, 1903 and drawn from the actual surveys Of
Casmir I. ii. Goerck and Joseph +. Mangin Ths plan
exceedingly defective The second attempt at lay
ing the island mads ia 1851 when the Common
Council directed the Street Commssioner to prese OF
plan for tho laying out OF the north part OF the city,
Tbe comm ission appointed at that time consisted OF
Nessrs Gardner A. sage, Edwin Smith and william h.
Dodge. and effected Lcthlng no aprroprat ON having
beer 10 enable them TO proceed With the work
third attempt made In 1850, when tho Legislature
appointed a committee OF seven Engineers and sur
veyors ~ere employed by the commission and excel
lent set OF maps made, but no questions OF actual
inportanee were decided upon. April "a, 1868, the
vested the Central PARK Commission; and few days
alter Croton Board invested with tue power aud
authority submit plans for the sewerage Of the whole
fslan1 The tract in question is one very difficult 20
lay out for various reasons This part OF
tue island is three and one. third miles IN length
and OF an average width OF three-quarters OF
q mile Its greatest WIDTH one mile, IS al point one
mile south OF spuyten Duyv creek aud its narrowss
point at the oxtreme north, near Kngsbrldse lts
area comprises l. 100 acres bounded by 165tn street
The SOUTH by tho Hudson river on the west BY the
Harlem river the cast and by Spuyten Duyyil creek
the north. The length Of the shore line washed
by uds s nearly nine miles, aud tno distance
ffoIa river the lower boundary 200 feet
The surface Of the the west 10 exceedingly va
rsd aad the east marshy and hat-the whole bong
eIesssiaxy bold and irregular, TO say nothing OF its
plcssrss4esness On the east sde from l56th street
70 Hixn Bridge and thence TO Fort George
dl&tancs OF two and o half miles-the
shores Of craggy rocks not readily acces
sibs from the just north or Fort George the
eastern spur OF high land terminates aud st its foot
cs Of salt meadow about sixty and thence
porhward 70 the Spryten Duyvl creek the land Is rreg
uar ano 70 some extent rocky but by means precpi-
tous the shores being frnged with salt meadow for
nearly the whole extent Above Tubby Hook valley,
~ ~ ,l.r uuAo