The New York herald., 1870-06-17
THE WHARVEs AND PIERS AND CITY TRANSIT

NEW YORK, June IA. 1870.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD
], in common with all property holders In the city,
am much pleased with the favor that has been ac-
corded In the money market to the first issue OF
"dock bonds" Had the Department OF Docks been
authorized TO issue duadruple the sum the whole
amount would have been taken at the same premium.
/ an concerned, however, as to the disposition
which is to be made OF the funds now at the depart
meats disposal. l learn that they have appointed
certain members OF their body 'dstrct inspectors,
front and the estimate Of "fepairs" required, as
preliminary to further action.
AS q member Of the body polite and taxpayer l
protest against the word 'repairs.n What this
great City requires s an entire system OF dock
age and this obnoxious word seems to imply that the
old nuisances are to be continued, with merely the
patching up actually necessary. 1t Is to be hoped
sincerely that this implication Is an error and that
the Department of Docksv is not to be 'jOb sinl-
lar to those with which our city has been cursed for
SO long time.
trouble you with these remarks as preliminary
to the statement OF crude idea entertain as to the
plan that should be adopted to make our dockage
worthy OF our position as the great commercial CEN
tire OF the New World New York city today is
more wealthy than London, the acknowledged fi,an-
cial centre OF the world; and while it IL able to pay
without grumbling twenty millions q year for city
and county taxes 1t surely will be willing to disburse
double that sum IN ten years secure wharfage for
It's immense shipping trade nat Will not only be
ornament to the city but increase the value OF COM
mercIal properly tenfold.
The plan that, in the rough, 1 am about to propose
for the consideration OF the Department. Of DOCKS,
through your influential columns, Is, In BRIEF fol-
loWS:-
Nearly all the slips between our present wooden
piers, as high up as Tenth street. D0tn rivers are
more or less filled up with sewage and the deposits
OF the current My idea Is that the bulkhead line
should os placed 100 feet further out than i now is
built, entirely surrounding the city high mp az
Thlrtyourtn street on both rivers. inside OF this
should be built discharge sewer, which would re-
ceive the entire sewage or the city and empty 1t
below the Battery, in the same manner that the
fhs wod prevent G the ue ap the
TO be bullt beyond the seawall
uniform system Of piers should then be con-
structed outside OF the wall, extending Into the
rivers as far as practicable These should be built
OF iron or stone on arches so as not to 0bsruct the
current moro than absolutely necessary. At cOnve-
nient places basins, instead Of piers, might be
constructed to receive the canalboat and similar
trade
The new ground gained by the advancement of the
bulkhead line might and shoald be utilized In the
solution OF the great question OF passenger transport
between the extremltic5 OF the city. An elevated
railroad, built on arches (Which arches should COR
respond, especially to the entrances OF the piers,
and be constructed not to interfere with the re-
ception and delivery OF merchandise to the ship
ping, should be established around the entire city.
The cars on this railroad should be run by steam,
ana at every i've blocks in the upper part OF the city
cross-town lines, run by horse power, should con-
meet with It, the tickets purchased the horse
emitting the buyer to through passage by the steam
train.
The details Of this plan form very simple pro-
blem In engineering, and 1t seems to me to a1Ord
easy solution TO the vexed questions OF the day
viz, dockage that shall be an ornament as well
as convenience TO our city. and speedy transport
to and from the upper and lower portions OF the
island.
The total COST including the railroad Of this grand
Improvement, l am oreuIbty informed by practical
engineers, would not exceed fifty millions Of dollars;
and am well satisfied that the merchants VINO now
own dock property would not only oheerfully pay
the assessments that would be laid upon them, but
hail the change as o great blessing. Taxpayers
generally would make no objection; ON the contrary,
they would consider 1t money in their pockets.
People vino Day without growing seven and a-half
millions for o Court House that should have cost
only TWO millions Will never complain or the am0unS
spent in work as absolutely requisite as this. The
Department OF Docks, understand, is authorized
to spend three millions year. Let them apply it
as have suggested; aud, instead Of two or three
years, they viii hold ONCE Tor ten twelve until
the great work completed. The railroad and piers
should always remain city property--a source OF
income the extent Of which can hardly be calculated.
TAXPAYER