New-York tribune., 1886-11-08

| Harlem Railroad Bridge cause little obstruction ia
tides aud currents, but their height above the
water is not sufficient to permit tugs to psss with
ont opening tho draw This, says Engineer New
ION, 10 so serious oversight as to render it
certain that their removal will be fixed ai no dis s.
tant day. High Bridge not only encroaches with
its piers unnecessarily upon the waterway, but
also its approaches have contracted the width Of
she river. High Bridge, however. IS safe from tho
engineers. and 40 attempt Is to be made to disturb
It, The two bridges next In order Fordham
Bridge and Kiugs Bridge They obstruct ths
| waterway. bat before they are reached the line OF
the proposed improv ovements strikes across tho
northern part of Manhattan Isani by a canal so
| that these two bridges need not be disturbed.
| Finally. ths railroad bridge at the mouth o Spuy-
| ton Duyvl Crock mast cDms down. and its place
| be supplied, IL possible. by tunnel
| General Newton includes ia his report tho fol-
lowing statement OF tho traffic between the North
River and eastern ports:
Cenent 5000
Coal lO5J3o9
Rrhis is said to incinde aiiI the::coa Lumber Is
not .iucluded ncither are cereals The proposed
improvements will render the distance TO be trav-
elied by this large boly of trade over twenty miles
shorter than at present
PLAN or THE woRK-COMMIssIoSER PEEe.
tho mainland leaves the Hudson River at about
r~o-hundreI-an i-twentisth--st IL is here called
Spuyton Dhyvil Creek aud has wide mouth.
across which passes the low pie-sapportei bridge
of tho Spnyien Duyvil branch Of tho Hudson
River Railroad The width OF the creek. however,
rapidly decreases and the stream sweeping
to the south and then returning to the
north. forms two peninsulas. one projecting from
tho mainland into the boundary of the island and
the other aud larger cutting a big slice Of
territory out of the Aduexel District Hence the
stream, which Iii guided by tue name of the
Harlem RIVER, runs south and southeast, emDtying
into the Sound abont ii ge miles south Of the mouth
Of Spuyteu Duvvil Greek. The chief part of the
work of Improvement will consist in rpLdering
SDuyten DuyvIl Creek navig lble. IL was at first
intenl led that the ship channel should follow all
the sinuosties OF the stream but it was afterward
decided to cut a canal through the bases of tho
two peninsulas. Que the mainland and the
otner on Manhattan Island, aud thus join t1e
Harlem River directly with the mouth of Spuyten
DuyyIl Creek throughout the Harlem River
channel will be marked out anu drrd.rd where
necessary. / he width of the channel Will be 400
feet, except in one spot near High Bridge ant tue
lepth at mean Low water Will be twenty feet.
General Newton in his report submitted 40 est-
mates OF cost One was tor a channel $50 feet
IN width and dfteen feet in dePth. which he calcu
lated would cost $2,777.57l A. The other,
800 feet IN width and twelve feet IN depth. was to
cost 2.27OS2j lj The present project however
which contemplates a channel wider ami deeper
than either OF these, will not, it is believed, in
voive an outlay of much over two and a bali
millions.
Upon the surveyors report Congress made an
appropriation of 100000 tor tue work in Jnne
1878. and an additional appropriation OF 100000
IN March, 1879. L. Was, however stipulated IN
these acts tnat the appropriations shOnld not be-
available until the right of way should be
secured to the United States free Of cost. The
land through which the canal was to be cut, short
rning the line of Spuyien Dnyvil Creek belonged
principally TO the Dyckman es1ate. Letters were
addressed to tho landowners, Offering them ths
opportunity OF ceding their lands to the Uulted
States. Strange to say, few of them took advant-
age OF this magnificent proposal. When 1t became
evident that the landOyners were not imbued
with 1Igh pubic spirit. the State OF New-fOrk
undertook to secure tue right OF way tor Tho
Federal Cove ernment. Supreme Court commis-
sion was accordingly appointed To appralse and
condemn the lands through which the canal must
pass. Inree, conmissioners were appointed,
General William /. Smith. better known as
Baldv" James d. Fish. now in Auburn Prison.
and William r. Grace. During Me- Grace's first
term Mavor. beginning on January l. 1881, the
commission at work. Each OF the conmis-
soners sent in "A bill OF $4,000 for his services.
Mr. Grace was at the same tm1 draw ng sl2,0oo a
year from the city as Mayor. The Supreme Court
refused to allow these large fees. AMI cut them
down to $4,000 for each commissioned The awards
for the lands condemned amounted to about
100000 The report Of the commissioners was
approved by the Supreme Court last spring and
the Secretary vi War approved the plans of the
engineers.
1t seemed as If everything was ready for the
work to be begun. when complication arose.
On the east bank of the Harlem. just above Uigh
Bridge, strip of land had been taken from the
Ogden estate represented bv Andrew II. Green.
Just at this point there is only narrow line of
level ground between the river aud the hills which
rise precipitOusly on the east an large part of
this Is taken up by the tracks OF the Hudson yer
and New York City and Northern Railroads The
Ogden estate, complained that the line of the canal
marked out by the engineers left them such
narrow strip between the river and the railroad
tracks that what remained was practically worth
less When the improvements should be completed,
the estate would not have enough land to build
road. giving approach to the piers The estate
threatened to appeal from the award of the COM
mission of appraisal TO the Court of Appeals. Tins
would have involved long ana costly litigation,
which would have set tue " Urk back indennitey
1t was at this juncturs that General Eg5ert l..
Vlee. who from the first had been of the most
enthusiastic supporters of the scheme. offered his
services a1d brought about an a.nicable settlement
of the difficulty. lie represented to tue engineers
that at this point the hills rise directly from the
river on the west bank. that vesse will not be
able to load and unload on that side ihe line of
the canal will there be encumbered by vessels
moored only on the east side, and therefore nerd
not be wide at tins point as elsew here. These
arguments seemed to the engineers sound that
they agreed TO give the Ogden estate nifty feet
more of land-enough to be of some practical use
and 10 narrow the channel at this place $50 in
stead of 400 feet. The engineers report in which
this change was sanctioned was made in August.
Nothing remained but to obtain secretary Endi-
colts approval of this last report aud OF the pro-
posed restriction of the channel. The Secretary's
action seemed TO hang tire General Vele went TO
Washington TO work for his pet scheme. On
October he had the satisfaction of obtaining
Secretary Endicoits approval of the report Tie
last obstacle TO the Immediate beginning of opera
tions is removed and the first blast may be
fired IN less than a month.
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SURTEYOR BEITTTE PASSES OrTFT DAY