The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-10-08
BROOKLYN RING J0BBERY.
sgoo 900 SLIPPED OUT
or mr. cry TREdSthi'

. v.otu.rr VITO WIS tnahlc 70 krpnr
pu.,sL Ar,r tNiua>ley and hrrncy Hciprh |
Alan by the water Boards Conacnt'
n,c of the swindlcs concoctcd by the
,.,,llyn Ring was the building of the Hudson
~ cover which imperfccty drains the
.,,mp of the city, The job was conceived
'a,af,c, ts, tian7 wcr lGid TO make the sands
q ucn,p4t ID riain turn out from three to hNe
.,,,,,us or dollars. under the pretcncc of new
.,,,,rr reservoir. 1t was successfully carried
,tr,u,i,. and there was profit of nearly SNl.NO.
p,,,r.f.-f tho fifteen hundred acres which
-, NOW ,aNod for the Hudson avenue sewer
w,,e drained by six-foot bnck sewer, when
te,,n I'm /. lytnond street. extended urIer tne
Nv rarl., and under the navy yard wan,
rsvv ,nrd. n had been huil, through
10 nav, yard 10y Mr.. samuel Mcblr'y. WOO
/, thcn chiof engineer IN the toycthh'ns
seuce Va liropNyn; The rlV'r Snd oi ", - nd
va " dropped uuicldy toward thc w.'ei' , .uv
on the account the cay va; 60 sith, vN ,,t,h
Zee from The cvcif ,w made 10y ofn' lhu h ~
tlrs julius ". Adcfrs. chi"i engineer ol w
board OF CITY Works, which wen c"u''r,o1t h L,
yowlcs. LowUcr, aiti Bliss n ms teI"lr To-, V ,nnnd
stioot euw,r was falling that thc 49,, =. p'U i,
ss,id ,ct w rDroir.d and tint II was onl, "a
0upstiuu If time Wht Il tlt sewer " '. ~.
u,v,s. i.'o, Ia, a tlr'n nat Wal take of the
st,rr, Gn,y of a district Tor one year III 90 thc
reasons for new -"vcr.
srccrsrioNs MAT pip NoT PHASE T'r WNo
|. cotnpetent engineers sad the ait II could TIE
t.pair,d IN the lta, moud street seW.i' DytAu g.
the tscwer Was 0nn lout OF H ,N W a nSy,
sewer :, as tn he iMilt tt had better bo done ny
rebuilding tie old one ana We GOV, ~ tbe
inUuth But for Rin. purposes the l9iAeSl way
60 the rivtr was the best Tue Ieel,in,uie;, ~
hpril. ISL, authorized the Constructon ~ Il
sewer IN Navy and John. ON streets anu HUDSON
avenue to tide wlter, viii one or Two orancn.s'
W,rl,l on NAV >, 10, instructed The enetneer
e. proceed 20 cause the sewer TO be con
strucf.d. No advertisements for propoaa
werc serted. As the law required. Commissioner
rnwlcr told Erank swift u contractor VINO ap,
pied Tor tpcc lucal,uts 70 n'o w. H 1r., h@s
would not reeve his no a. u hai aryu ~ oern
arranged that Aoner {. kccneY. kingsitN pnrt
nor should attend TO the work Tor the poatu
Tie Conn. issiuncrs pretend that thcir acuui
W. uOt illegal naSmuCh as the sections ni tht
act of ls,l recognize! their rght 10 proceed
With any public work without advertising IL 81
cpntrfctifg Tor II, and they ch use 10 maxi
keenty their sAgcrinteudcnt.
The sewer was built. and lateral sewers II
streets m reference to which the Legislature hat
not been called On to act mao been lao sn,
q argpd 80 the Hudson avenue sewer account
Ia Nj, on the work, the expenses Of which tn'
Legislature had limited to S2Jo0o9 ia, Maie
Board cXpsndcu an StTa Sutn, u ahiI ,"v ~ 80 ,
Roatd had not built the scwer IN tlvehing ave
nue. from Carlton avenue. which the l.tgi-iatur
had authorized. ny legislative tinkcfihg. th
next wear the board was auth riltd t. spcn'
10000 more to Substitute sewer for the oh
1utA u al NNilttN 10 UutlNs anu " 'fNii" saw
lateral sewers.
Another Hight or fIovnrs.
They o,ereapel the Limit acaIu aud sper
$TBsy.9l, inaking the sewer Mnicn ~ We &C
giuin. was not necessary, cost Rein ~, Whlci
4 when the Interest and collection fees wci
added was swelled to S3eH.N96s, which H.
ace. This sum was ont OF Al proqoruo
TO the Ictual value Of the work. Mell-knuw
T,f,y. last wear estiinmted that the work ooul
nave been done for slsjlbj for tn 9.ssS feet q
completed sewer. 1hts wa S@4i'oy1uo less ma
WAS paid to WIN. C. kingsley ana bin uar
ncr. But estimating the highest sum that con
peung coutractors would nave bid, al 5000
there H. sti Slsp Woe surplus, which mus, nav
The district of assessment for this Ring pre-
ject covered 100 acres Of the city. and take
were levied on letDj lots to pay for IT, II I'll
mo uuder the following direct ions. he will S.
what extent Of tue city was taxed Ter thls M
necessary job: Begin At Fulton 4treet OF 81
west, near Hillary thence IN sontner
thence along Hoe between Hchefne
horn and state streets to fiainush aven",
then west To Fourth avenue men ~ an !
regular line To sixth avenue and Carroll stroe
across Prospect Park TO Warrington and ca
son avenues; then IN parallel Inc 7" ga -
avenue down To Atlantic avenue; then weslel
10 point between Cllss ID and Grand aN thu'
thence irreguiarly To Flushing avenue; then
Navy street, and then to the river. IL was q
serted that all Of this district was hehrLten
the Improvement, although many prop r
owner. argued 20 the board that they could o
DO benefited unless water ran 10 ma. 4
sewer las proved almost failure, and
Board OF City W orks IN excusing il say tina To
never thought tnat h. would W"fh wei WHO
the addition If = storm sewer.
tue RESULT.
The engineer made the bottom ~ the sew
Nat, and omitted u give II quick slant $
neared the river. The consequence j. that 10
rise and fall mile under the city "a much
/. they DO along the river front. ana when there
o storm At high tide tie man hO,os overflow, :
ridewi lks are flooded. and the cellars are oil
with water. After tho hrst storm thr'n-
angry property owners Nisttel the l. RI
cry WORKS 10 express their Indignation.
niture which had been stored IA tie cell
VS. ruined. remedy This evil the Lateral pct
era were shifted back 60 the old navy Ntro tii'
sewer, and this one tod ,y, II slightly reuair
would proVe more effective than tHc eArrn~
tunnel built bJ kingsley. The rian "rlgint
was % build Il storm sewer from tiuthush "a
nue. 20 the river, Gnu another fortune Tor
Ring was 10 he iuHdc; but the exp 'sures OF J.
berry have compelled them 20 shelYc THIS pr"J'
INC COmptIoile = bon is show onlv eros al!
which are charged to tn, Boa,d OF city Nor
and no accurate 81 detailed statements ot
accounts and Expenditures, sh owing the dis
sitiOn 81 $4,000 - have ever been trUn1 o.
vesti.durs. rus was the last lot Of iluu
that "a. ring ralcd IN before the Hempsi'
II. Dc. 4. I... 40