The New York herald., 1877-02-07

ali round the island and for long line OF splendid
nifcons cannot well be conceived IL was an Ioesl
OF beauty and symmetry that would dazzle the eyes OF
strangers. as must have dazzled those Of Mr. Bernard
Reilly and has brother Aldermen DO long ago shat
Mr. Harnett torsets the year when hc suggested to
the ausus. body Of which Mr. Reilly was then
bcr Could 1t be realized II would bo q splendid setting
to the splendid of cities and our commerce it
would be bulwark oot less impregnable than Aga
Babylon only BY diverting the Euphrates from lis
course, but she magnificent quays warehouses.
make the commerce OF tho metropolis secure against
anything except the drying up OF tie waters OF the
Hudson and the bay
And may we not ask ourselves whether these |
dreams need be all a drcams The Department Of
Docks Is pretending al least to carry General AcCle
ans plans into execution and the commercial bodies
talking ofyore. Iftho merchants aud business
viii cease TO resolve and talk, and forgetting
their rival interests. learn act very years will
show not only real progress but finished and COM
pcte The Dock Depart ment is not 90 good DO
and the epresentayes OF ,he Chamber OF Com
aud tho Cheap Transportation Association not
do better than TO organize themselves into watching
committee. To begin with, let them dyaw from Mr.
Wales just such an answer as the Cizens Association
from Mr. Mclean in 1865 and then, instead OF
they Tho people ought 10 know the Of every
article that enters into the Of the work and
that the work is pushed forward with all possible
DESPATCH and 10 effect this they must say TO the Dock
honestly. but you mus. do III IT," Tho commercial
community have right 10 press ard 10
guard this work as II IL was tho personal
undertaking ol any one of them, aud when
they It the dock system will be completed
In s1ch course stsrn unyeiding scrutinzng, urgent
is the only answer 10 the question: What OF the iuiurea
Tho whole thing is easily MANAGED would be the
erection OF new builalng, and Whenever the
chants 20 practically TO work TO that West street
is widencd that the new docks and pors are built and
that New York has all the terminal facilities the
tropois requires the problem will be soived-a long
delayed task accomplished.
QUESTIONS FOR THE DOCK coMMIssIoNERs-
SHORT HISTORY OF THE NEW YORK WATER
FRONT IMPRovEMENT-wHEnE FIVE AND A
HALF MILLIONS OF DoLLAss HAVE GONE
New York, Feb 9, 1877.
To THE EDITOR OF TIM HERALD:-
In your articles published last Sunday on the subject
of the New York docks and facilities for commerce,
you touch delicate ground that avoided
by all the committees OF investigation. l refer to
your positive demand for tho figures, tho accounts
that should stand between the official reputation OF
the Commissioners OF the Department OF Docks and
the suspicious OF the public AS has become an i'm
portant question for the taxpayers of New York
whether the Immense sum OF nearly S. 500, 900 has
been-well-judlclousy expended by The department
since Its organization, any information that be
given on the subject will help clear up the
regarding it. Having taken the deepest interest In tho
Improvement Of the water front since that under.
taking was first mooted have followed every move
ment connected with it ana noted tho results be.
lcve can give you at least clew to the mystery OF
this enormous expenditure and the Insignificant out
thercfrom, that you with your ed
keenness follow the intricate twstlngs OF official man.
ipulatons Of public money.
Commencing with tho organization OF the depart
ment, tho selection Of Commissioners was very fair
considering that the Tweed dynasty reignod over
New York at the time. 1t would that even the
d;
ono department OF the city government thoroughly re.
spectacle, aIkind of tribute TO honesty which even
thieves capable Of paying. But tho Commission.
crs, although eminenty respectable, high priced
and represented with their chief engineer General
Mcclellan, cost TO the city of So 900 per annum
As such hightoned commission was selected the
'eernal ntncss OF things demanded that everything
connected with lis administration should be high
toned and high priced WE'LL Therefore, glancing
the list ofexpeuditures, do not hnd trace OF
mcanncss, or. in other words, base economy
staining their record. Everything done IN
first cuss ana costly manner from the
fitting up OF the departmental 0lncos 10 tho
minute detail of the preparations get ready do
something. Judging IRON the dcIbcration that char.
ucterized every move it became very probable that
tho second centenary OF our national Independence
would be celebrated the completion 0 tho first picr
ol The new dock system. Things grew too slow for
the politicians aud AN agitation was set on loot to re-
move the highly respectable but very expensive Com
missloners, and with the usual result, the Commis-
sioners disappeared giving place to u cheaper but
Now commenced tho period when th ngs began to
look lively along the docks. Tho despising
Inc caution ana nac,vIy Q, :ne,r n,gny respectable
money ny IN earnest. General Mcclellan having
found that could not moderate the zeal Of his
ploycrs, GRACEFUL, vacated his position, which was
ut once flied by another general This gentleman
soou discovered that everything proposed ey
his predecessor a mistake, and 10 work
at reforming the plans basis corresponding
with his experience IN hydraulic engineering.
The result is generally have unequal 10
A
OF money. or rather its equivalent In material,
converted into mi xure OF mud and broken stone and
dumped INTO the river in tho hope that, somehow
other 1t would settle at the bottom and harden there
INTO wall But 1t did not. and unfortunately for the
designer OF the new pan investigation proved that
itrcmaincd in its original form OF mud ana broken
stone.
troubled with the suspicion that all not right and
commenced u delicate ''bul-dozing' OF their engineer
which forced that gentleman to follow In the footsteps
OF General Mcclellan. In the course OF Their duties
however, tho Commissioners took occasion TO
develop a very splendid system Of purchasing mate
rails which must have gwen the fullest satisfaction TO
the contractors. II not 10 the Commissioners and the
engineer corps generally. without entering into uc
necessary details II is sufficient that 100 per
deemed too great margin Of profit The
prices and what would be consid-
cred fair paying price by an ordinary contractor-I
mean m,n who was willing TO accept the ordinary
profits OF his business for his trouble In addition
this outflow Of the city grccnbacks another current
Inspected each other so thoroughly that the bukhead
wall scarcely dared show itself above water Tor fear
OF uelg seen ana Inspected niso dreut ureugcrS
splashed about in the muddy water, dong work,
but making prodieious deal OF noise. Dcrricks
hoisted and lowered blocks OF from morning I'll
night, but could the bulkh head wall coming
up. True, the pile drivers worked hard building
wooden piers for the steamship companies but then
II was whispered that therc were reasons why
this should be apart from any anxiety on the part o;
the Commissioners 10 improve the water front Ex
pensve and extensive depos Tor stone formed
tho East River, where the s,onecuttcrs work ng
ured out to nine places OF declnaIs by competent
young mathematcians especially employed for the
purpose Out OF all this furry there section Of
bulkhcad wall But alas what wall Like baby
prematurely born, 1t was weak aud exhibited decided
tendency to return to the unknown conditLn whence
II came. Poultices OF rD.rap and bundages OF wood
however, kept IL up; and u st stands IA monument to
modern engineering possibilities
All these things naturally had their effect on the out
flowing currents OF pubic money wh ch could be traced
Just tar but farther Like the rivers OF tho des.
ert they disappeared IN tho sands aud were seen no
more. new engineer came into position with tho
awful examples of his predecessors TO keep him the