The New York herald., 1871-10-20
DEPARTMENT OF DOCKS
Meeting Of the Commissioners Financial Conn.
ton Of the Department-Ths Comma
sioners on 'he iiy Complications.

The Board OF Commissioners OF Public Docks met
yesterday IN stated session. me President John r.
Agnew In the chair. After the ordinary routine
business mad been disposed or q NUMBER or reports
from the Executive Committee were read AMI
adopted. Among these were three from owners OF
docks and slips In answer to communications from
the department ordering the dredging OF Slips Tho
owners, OF course, objected TO certain extent on
the ground that there was quite wafer enough the
slpsfor their respective business. discussion was
raised on one OF the reports, from which appeared
there had been a report adopted previously ordering
the dredging OF the slips between Thirty cond aud
Thirty ninth streets, North River, TO the depth OF
e'ght Feet The amended report OF the committee
offered yesterday recommended that the owners be
required 70 dredge to the depth or i've feet Instead
OF eight feet.
commissioner wooD opposed the adoption Of the
report, saying that with only Ave feet or water at
| low tlde
1T WOULD BE DANGEROUS
for schooners or other small craft and that the
owners who had appeared before the Board in any
matter regarding improvements to their docks or
slips were quite well satisfied with the present con
dltion OF AFFAIRS, ana thar. 1t was which gave the
docks generally such bad appearance
Commissioner HENRY thought 1t would be very
unjust to obllge the owners to dredge eight feet
business and were willing W comply with the
wishes OF this depargent and dredSe iiye feet
commissioner WO0D thought II 1t WAS unJust TO
oblige them 10 dieige eight feet that by enforcing
the resolution offered
-EIGnrHs or THE INJUSTICE
would remain. That superintendent WesterveL
hat recommended That taere should be at least
twelve feet OF water, and ne submitted 70 Mr. Wes-
tervcts practcll knowledge, aud moved, therefore,
as an amendment the original report OF The COM
mittee. The amendment was voted down and the
report Of the committee was adopted.
Messrs {. II. Mallory 4 Co had asked for o lease
OF the west halt OF pier u East River On this the
committee reported tlat they deemed IL inexpedienr
to lease any piers at present. The report OF the
mlttee was adopted alter winch the Auditing Com
TIE rINAscIAL ABILITY OF THE BOARD,
BaIance on hand August 81 .............sl sles,s2s
Received for rents, &c, 10 september 3d.. l4238
From 0ne.naf expenses 10 pier "a East River 4,750
Interest on deposits. .................3 $50
Total receipts. 'o3
Disbursements
Checks drawn 10 september 27.............. $1,l40
Pay r0lls lanorers, rs ~
Salaries OF Commissioners, Gc............ 17,039
Balance due tor SIX mud scows. ll5s
Paid into the sinking fund. A2os
Total disbursements nts............-...... $57,s5!
Balance on hand September 30. ........... S6S, ,33I
Commissioner WoOn, VINO offered the report.
stated that there were bills remaining unpaid to the
amount OF S7l,6T3. These could have been paid or
had the Comptroller or commissioners OF the Sink
ing Fund placed TO the credit Of the department the
money to which 1t was entitled. The committee
thought best to retain the balance on hand to pay
the laborers and mechanics In the employ Of The de.
Commissioner HENRY then asked when the re-
quest Ior the million dollars worth OF bonds had
been made TO tae Siaking Fund G Commissioners;
made on the 4th OF May, and the Commissioners had
ordered the issuance on tho 1871 OF May.
Commissioner HENRY then said ne thought 1t was
A REMARKABLE FACT
that although the department mad received but one
half the amount authorized to be issued, In two
payments 0! $260.000 each. and they had not incur
red an Indebtedness greater than saooo or 81, 900
fhnn ho1 tnnu had ham n1
, could not understand why the Comptroller did not
issue The otner $500 1000 e bonds. all OF which gen
| and would take now II they were ready rhey had
been ordered, and TO All iutents and purposes
the bonds had delayed the matter up TO the time Of
! THE PRESENT DIFFICULTY,
| which stopped the workings Of the city flnances.
| Commissioner WOOD said he felG very much
agerleyed at the action or the Finance Department.
inasmuch as in 1870 the department was entitled TO
have $3,ooo,ooo, but had drawn only one-sixth the
amount for the purpose OF saving the interest to the
CITY, and III 1914 IT was entitled TO the amount,
Ss,O00o00, tut had drawn only one.sixth ol It, and
the result was the members OF the department are
placed IN very Illuminating position.
President AGSEw then explained bv reading from
| the law the authority given the Comptroller issue
bonds for the Dock Department Irrespective oi tile
Commissioner HENRY then addressed the Board,
and SAID It was farce for anybody to attempt 10
ment was ensd to co., "e Yen '%e WITH what
tnsy had received they had placed The docks in re-
compiisned most complete surveys and standings
the entire front, and had maze bOrlnvs
TO ascertain the formation OF the hard pan; had
made critical examination In relation 10 eDects OF
tidal currents have adopted plan for tile prove
ment OI the water frOnL had already
INAUGURATED THE NEW PLAN
BY building wall some two hundred feet up from
the Battery measuring 1fiy Ieet thick at the base,
thrty feet at the top, and having average depth
OF thirty or forty feet and mad In reality commenced
the foundation of the commercial prosperity VI the
city. II seems now
A CRYING SHAME
that department OF 80 great Importance, and
against which man had raised whisper, should
be stopped In It's work, as 1t must he II the money tV
which 1t was entitled was not furnished.
Commissioner WOOD thought that one OF the
MOST PROVOKING or THE CASUALTIES
was mat the department had seven eight thou
sand barrels OF Portland cement with which It was
Intended to make the heavy blocks or artificial
blocks would weigh some OF them, one hundred
tons, aud the work on them should De done before
the frost should set IN. II the money be speedily
obtained the work must TO put or some four
or i've months, and the cement would In
the meantime be subjected to damage by
lying IN the yards where 1t was now
stored. He thought the depar tment had been
particularly Ill used, as might be seen by looking al
what 1t had done, aud then looking at what IL had
not done 10y not asking for the money to which II
was entitled.
Commissioner HUNT SAID that by stopping IN,
work the amount OF damage that would accrue
would be lully as much as the cost.
A large number OF miscellaneous reports from IN,
district superintendents and communications IRON
dock owners ana others were received and orderet
on file or referred 10 the Executive Committee, ate
winch the Board adjourned
THE CR0TOT AAVrDUgr llgOSERs