New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-06-07
OARSMEN UP IN ARMS.
ASKED TO PAY RENT FOR WATER FRONT
WHAT is THE MEANING OF THE DOCK DEPART
MsST's UNEXPECTED DEMAND


MENT's UNEXPECTED DEMANDf
Oarsmcn are indignant some quite so. others
vccferousy so over the notice served on the d'her
ent boat clubs by the Department Of Docks tha' ney
must hereafter pay 10 cents square foot annually
for the space occupied BY their lighthouses on the
river front The amount named seems small at hrst
sight but a prominent oarsmnn said yesterday tnat
il would drive many clubs away Inc ,oune 'o'
Christian Association occupies 1851 square feet at
one hundred nd twenty =sevcDtlist on inc he'h
RIvcr and 14s7 SQUARE feet on the North River at
One-hund red Fifty rst-s The Nassau BOAT CiuD
In Onehundrc red and twenty y-slXth-st, occnpes about
GOO square feet on the Harlem, the Atlanta Boat
Club o 75d square feet the Union Boat CluD, al ono
hundred and forty fth-st 06T5 square foet. OF wmch
sos arc public domain; the Xavier boat Oino
900 SQUARE feet Of which go feet are public land
the Lone star Boat Club 2,l2i square feet the Mh@
tan Athletic Club 21e5 square feet Of which 2o'2 arc
nm nryotc nIopcrty but this club now has gre1i1
aoa ready which will increase It's area largely Inc
Now YORK Rowing Club has 4,o75 square feet, of
which S75 arc public property
Tho clu,,s on the North River will also suffer
severely Tho Columbia Yacht Club has 11,43o square
feet. the Indson River Yacht Club 3,232 square i'et'
the Boomingdac Boat club 1874 square feet and mo
Washington IIghts Aquatic Club has ESQ square fect'
An Investigation Of the way tho clubs PAID Tor heir
water front heretofore gives glimpse OF the sysi"na nc
methods of the Dock Department. According 70 the
records the Columbia and Hudson River iacht ciuos'
The Washington Heights Aquatic Club. the Boom'ng-
dale. Atalnnta Union. Young Mems Christian Asso-
citation and Lone star and Nassau boat clubs ana
New York Rowing Club paid nothing; the Manhattan
Athletic Climb paid II a month and tho Xavier b"at
Club and the bohemian Boat Club each paid $lo
month.
prominent oarsman said yesterday that the CLUBS
would probably show fight: that not only dd other
cities help boating and aquatic sports by furnishing
frse shore fsdliiios. but many cities gave financial
helm Do rcsattas and races. Newiork City had not
even given adequate police protection at times when
races were being rowed the river, and the lana
which WIS occupied by the climbs they have PAID for
many times over by brin gng visitors and by spending
money freely In that section OF tho town. which would
be a tnrr,c1 wilderness OF mud and weeds other"is'
for tho water Is too shallow 20 make tho land available
for commercial purposes. lie said that the oarsnon
felt that there was political JOB behind tho
sch,une for they had been left IN unquesiloned pos
session FOR twenty aud the Dock Commissioners
woud hardly have felt safe In drawing on themselves
the ,amity ~ the Osrsmen Just before election uiSs
some job lurking bbhind the movement -.
John II. Abel. jr.. Of the firm OF iron mcTrhfints
of Abcol Bros N SO. 100 SOuhst.. and president of
The Nassan Boat Club sah that without doubt the
enforcement Of the Orler would mean that many 0f
tn. clubs would move away II they could. or dissolve
No said that the average dues nj club on inc iT't
R'vcr wole about flj, while few Of them had n''fe
ihnn ATTY 10 sXty-nvc members. Each club hae to
pay = man 90 watch the clubhouse They gr r'ary
81 NJ least $50 a moth. II the clubs have N pay
tho rent demanded b-idrS there would not be much
LEFT 10 Jay runing expenses. racing expenses ctc.