New-York tribune., 1886-07-29
SHEDS ALONG TIE wHARVEs
NR LAcoMnE ADVISING THE DOCK BOARD.
MILLIONS TO Bu PAID nv THE CITY ~ THE BxTEN-
eIoN OF THE WATERFRONT.

MILLIONS 10 b PAID NJ Ihf OlEH ~ -
sIoN OF rHE WATERFRONT.
CORPORATION Counsel Lacombe has written q
ienx ana mportaut letter 10 The Dock Commissioners
sdvisns them that they v make . Freat mistahs II
they xran, the privilege Of srsotnR shsda slons Che
bukheads points WHARF they will be obliged to con-
Asmu private Wharfage rights In orsr to extend the
wAtsr-fronI Thls letter deas with most eonpestsd
question ~ taxpsysrs affected 70 no less an eA-
thar Under recsnt decisions OF krfsree
Hamilton Cole and Augustus @. Brown the taxpayers
viii soon b obliged pay out neary NOS qnt" 'nas
am Of money In carrying the plans already adopted
Of extending the present waterfront OF New fark
century axo Manhattan island was much narrower thHo
u 10 now. On the Hudson River side the hlEh-va'er
mark rame inward about ths line marked ey oiseh-
which on the River side 10 eame 20 PesrisI mp
TO Franklin squsrr, and thence along CherTA1 Ine
MONTGOMERY rrant Of 1880 IN tho city strip OF
land under vster Of 400 The city authores at the
hesnupR Of tho present oenturf laid out streets unoer
water II proposed th & the extension 70 tn"so
limits should be pllshed by private entsrpr's'a
the owners OF the the then waterfront hinR
tn the land out to the proposed lne AsM induoemen'
the lana 10 be nlled granted 70 them W,h tue
exception the ntersecnR atrees, and tney Were $50
10 have what and 10 known "a WhafAGe rienta
The bulkhesd ne forever TO remain public prop
,rty. No one could own the wbarfs. Bot they were
granted privilege of collecting wharfage aueo rom
vrssels using the wbsrfs.
Under these y from 1900 1880 tho water
'front.' was carried t now IA But for nfty
years treat deal trouble account OF the In
possibility of keeping the wharfs public properly
Railroad corporattons ferry companies steamship lines
and other for travel and public aooommooa
ton hsd to spot wnsre their vessels could always
land and from they might exclude all other YES
sel The custody OF the hukheAds and piera was given
over TO the harbor mAstrs II q company sezed
upon any one spot, &c could only be
held by tho grace OF the harbor MASTERS.
NhA La In
1878 passed what 10 known the "shed act' Il gave
the DocE Commissioner powsF TO grant corporation
or person engaged in basness Of steam transports
ton The privilege rcvocabe at the Boards pleasure OF
building shed over por and OF uAnR its watsrfront
ami shed exclusively.
Eve years Orforo the passage Of the Shed act the
We 10 the atm further extension Of OF the waterfront
is Was empowered 70 consider and decide upos new
border Tas5 plan va. % s Be ;uS%,;s 70 ID:
70 I've the pa that work The only thing that then
stood the way Of the OF this plan was
ten The DooE Board sought the advice Of Charles
OConor y no cOunselled them that these rgnts only
sI,so h:Ss t va. l"or when they we're granted 40
cordiney the cOnnIsso onsrs i.id out the s!trnsiSn
brought swarm Of legal actions against the CITY an
nors; and n 1888 aSy 10 M oSSo TsH
The question then became one OF damaReh 30! 10 me
The holders Of WHARFAGE rGhts svaled themseves
OF its provisions The old wharfaxe rsnt wa % wc,an
hat csns b.: SSnu:i rental 1s per cent oft: value
the sum OF 500 900 would be generous pr1oe IoI tno
wharfage rights. But tho holders OF tno IlkDu oiam
tnat under The provisions OF the Shea ACT ney CAP n
ten times that The question OF DAMAGES mas oeon
sent IN two refer-eA Hanikon Soe served 80
refsree in one action and AuRnstas q Brown In me
cthcr nd both rrfereos decided against the city and
hsId that the value OF the privilege 10 what the
city must pay when u oondemnat their reports sre
snirmed 81 toe Supreme Court aud the Court
OF Appeala tho proposed extension OF The
water.ront viii cost about $5,00o,o0o milo for
about ten miles. -, o,.,.-. -.
vises not 70 Mt any more shed prlVlleeos ne
clOses his letter by saying:
wharfage rights wiz not only be great and I'M
upon public but win great practical bar
rsr 70 The carrying out Of The Improvement ~ an
ton alone without estimating e cost OF the work and MINK
YOU will agree with that The money viii be pnctoaiy
sunk or at least that will be very uncertain Whohor he
bo made % pay more than very small
iS imperative that We all do what we can 70 lesscn
thaae expenses by keeping The awaIdL 70 whanags
owners both on OF the past and prospective u
Of your department within Just aud reasonable m ana
eFsa Cnds dirvcty 10 ncrrase the popular idea OF he
value uf hukhnAf nRhtA mako tho suggestion that your
lizard gan she'd priv rFos npon piers OF hukheas
quire coudrunod purchased IN connection with The
new Improvement Whether morn stringent predAn
lonAry hUtOn may not bo Vunh IN matter Tor serious con
alteration Al all events te etgenoy IL snoh ~ now Calls
tor conservative action on your part
That such motive the action Ia outlined BY me
Legitimate have no doubt and only hops hat you
ARrue out s enect will be TO place tne
before the courts IN such way as VIII enable US 70
clearly showing Its NATURE more clearly than we can shoW
the class Of ltgatons that we now have ON hand.