New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-11-28
TALKS WITH PROPERTY OWNERS.

department, nave tAprthocu ppluiuus ihVhas ~ NOi
nell Of Yonker no has taken part In previous attempts
TO improve Kingsbridge. and is familiar with the
stiles OF the district, makes the following statement
The Park Commissioners are endeavorin2 to lay out
this district in the best possible manner and in the end
think that they Will succeed but their great danger
lies In their desire to please everybody The work Is
put into their hands for the very reason that good sys
TEN roads will not please everybody and must be put
through with high hand know something about this
district and this kind Of work came here in lSl7
assistant engineer in the original construction OF the
Hudson River Railroad, and have been civil engineer
ever since. have laid out good many roads, usually
with the hope of pleasing everybody while In nine
out Of ten they dspeased. Very few men take
large view OF a system Of roads. They would rather
spoil great avenue than endanger shade tree or move
fence. Hence country roads arc usually lad out on
system OF compromise. Brown has crook made around
his barn. and overlOOks the sharp ptch made around
Joness grass plat and RobnsOn's big oak tree and the
result road that everybody TO tolerate and
nobody likes after 1t is made. Probably the very man
whose influence locates the road in opposition TO tue ad
vice OF the engineer Will be the first 10 blame the eng
neer for giving way TO him. But how am responsive
Thaye bad occasion TO saw sometimes Your influence
put the road there in spite OF me-" Yes is the reply
but you ought not to have let Us d. IL. You knew bet
ter, aud you should have made harder fight for It,"
Now it Is because have seen how these things work
that tell the Park Commissioners that the agreement
OF property owners plan ~ 10 evidence that the
plan IL good III fact VIII 80 further, and say
that where considerable number OF property owners
agree upon plan nine out Of II Will not be
proper one Tor 1t will DO the result 0I logfong and
Tho Commissioners are charged to lay these roads
as to benefit the property Affected AMI the public IN
the roads should be the best possible Property is yau
able In proportion as the road ON which 1t fronts Is
desirable III you take lot from n narrow steep Ill
planned road and place on one broad, OF easy grades,
and well planned You will add greatly 10 tie value OF
that lot We'll. them let put all the land much
Of it as possible good roads, of easy grades aud well
planned. Now what are good roads There are general
laws of rOad-makinG In the first place, good road
must easy grades. When you get to rise of -four
feet ~ one hundred the draft load upon the horses
Is doubled and II the road is not very smooth IL Is
great deal more than doubled. And this is not tenn
porary evil. IL is perpetual, and without remedy
Every load dragged up the activity feel, the sirain
Every hour ia the day every day in the week, every
week the year. every year Ia the century while New
York stands, that everlasting drag VIII be an eyeras
ing reproach upon the Commissioners who laid out the
road.
improved In the future by cutting down the SUBMITS
and filling the hoOws reply: Only to very limited
extent. For of the rules OF good road making aud
one especially applicable the laying out of city, Is
that all roads shall be nearly possible on the
sde Now the elevated table lands q tbs district. to
which Is TO be given, from $50 to go feet above
9f e Would as 100 feet az an nile II a
road runs obquey along the face OF the slope at about
the surface OF the ground It affords easy ana good
frOnlages each side; but II II be ald out on rse Of
100 feet 10 overcome the ascent IN 1850 feet
and if ii be desired subsequently, 10 reduce the grade to
ain 100 feet BY cutting al The top filing the bottom
IL would make cutting filling OF rs feet, or II partly
cut and partly filed each would be so feet, making
enormous expense rs wei is running the lots hurled up
The questions OF grade are well established in the
books. Gillespie makes three In 100 feet proper maxi
mum, and five 10 l0j az extreme. Even sucn popu-
lar work as Appletons' CyclopBdia. in the article
Roads," gives tue rule that the maximum should be
IN 80 or about three in 100 Aud yet Influence las
ne gpaSe of leading avenues not less than 30 or 10
even IA or 10 in 100 feet aud ms was only for the
temporary convenience OF some OF the present Owncr
while would necessarily work permanent injury "
the entire district. Roads should conform TO tae
cnngeabc shape OF the ground and not to the accident
Of ownersh
To the question whether many roads IN other cities
were not OF much higher grade than III 100 feet re-
ply Yes and commerce and public convenience suffer
from 1t every day. Uncertainty or the possibility Of
change is great intolerance 10 improvement. The
need OF district pier lInes and Wcl!es
taOished grades But now all Improvement is blocked
no sales can safely be made nothing can be zone til
these maps are made and lied The Park Commissioner
must make plan that VIII be satisfactory to them
selves III the end to the owners of property affected
and 10 do this they must instruct their engineers 10 lay
out the district on sound general principles regardless
grade at from to in 100 feet Let the roads follow the
shape OF the ground 10 De nearly the surface
cross railroad except by bridge either over
or under IT, and that provision shall be made for drain
the engineers OF the Board and the Commissioners
should sustain them. The Board might require that
certain specified accommodations be provided at the
railroad stations Ample space should be apart for
carriages stand also for their approach aud
departure possible by roads II the Commission
ero adopt such general rules they will have something
by which to test the plans submitted to them. plan
IA to 100 leet should just certainly promptly be
condemned as new work on arithmeIic which should
attempt 10 prove that two and two make six.
WHERE BOULEvARDs ARE NEEDED
William Henry Baldwin OF Yonkers. civil engineer
who Is associated with Mr.. Cornell, said:
''"N'~
There has been much delay in carrying ont the pro
posed improvements and property-owners do not per
the Department would be quite satisfactory The oppo
stion the part OF TWO has resulted in modca
tons which Will entail much expense aud future incon
venence Wltn an eye only 10 the present they wish
such subdivision Of the land as Will suit their interests
wholly disregardng future demands The original
plans made by OF skin who entirely die
Interested, and who abored for the public. Under the
modified plan, street which al to the
hudson River viii DO almost impossible from the steep
of It's grade People who did not care TO into
conflict with the Department have been led TO for
changes from the that Others have achieved
one OF the most important roads which should be
nected with the New-York side by suspension bridge
and extending along in the crest Of the ridge the
WScS is the FirtSays Of YcDEer, Beside being
beautiful drive 1t would open immense tracts OF proper
ward along the river extending through Yonkers Hast
ings. aud Dobbs Ferry, aud thence crossing to Central
the proposed improvements upon real estate will be very
g MTS o s4S e S pg S
building sites upon the Hudson
TIE APPROACHES TO sEw-YoRK
Lewis A. Delafield Of No. 40 Exchange-place whose
father has large interests in the district uuder consider
alton, said;
This section Of the country, from spqyten .Duyvi!
aa1 W se9Dn s91a near sssl city Of New
up within the last twenty five years with the nush.
room growth OF Western city. The general CHAR
tages and ii Ia difficult TO why has hung hack 40
long. The only drawback the want OF rapid transit
For years the only approach 20 the estates upon
the river was by long Lanes mile or more Yin length
from the old Albany road. Ii msio communication very
difficult and the population naturally very small
All the houses between epuyten Duyvn and YonEers
with .the exception OF half dozen, have been con.
structed within twenty-five years Tbs opening OF Rly
erdaeave ten or fifteen years ago, was work OF much
and followed by increase of popua-
ton But even this district Is principally laid out
and occupied farming land and It only bs re.
garded part of city by hction OF Law. Tho work
OF the Department OF Parks in this haA been
very sknu and prOperty-holders would be greatly in
iured N anything were now 20 occur by which they
would be prevented from reappg the benett VI IT. ana
rho great already Incurred for surveys were
10 be lost Streets arst laid out ia accord.
ance with the interests Of the whole. Tho
Department then invited the criticisms OF citizens