The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-06-25


committee appointed 10 examine into the con
dition Of the Collect Pond ported that It va
! filled with the bodies OF dead animals, AM
was dangerous to the public health. It ha
| now disappeared from view. but remains NOR
or less present In tho soil. as is proved by tn
minsma which infests tho Tombs.
Tho ncxt stream above tho Collect on tn
| North River side. was called the Mluettt
| Water. originating in the uelghborhood o
University place and Sixteenth street 1t emp
tied into the Hudson, near the foot Of Ham
mersley street. passing through what ia nov
Washington Square, and creating great dea
OF swampy soil in its course. Where the stream
crossed the old road. noac Eighth street. there
was bridge. and it was twelve feet Wide
at this point 1t IL now lost to sight. but. n:
Con. Niele assures us. is very dear to the mem.
ory Of some poo lo: for it has caused n great
many doctors bills, Physicians are able tc
trace the course OF tho etreGm by their prac-
tice in intermittent fever
On the opposite side OF tho city stretch ell tn @
Stuyvesant swamps. constituting on extensive
tract OF low nlluvial land. which received the
waters OF numerous small streams. Tompkius
square lies in this region. We are told. indeed.
that the ensterly side Of the city is swanpy all
the way UP from the lnst-naned locality to
kip's Bay A considerable stream creating a
great deal Of swampy soil received tho drain
age Of Murray Hill and It's vicinity. pasan g
through what Is now Madison square and
Gramercy Park.
1t follows that Eve OF our public Squares are
situated entirely or in part in swamps. this
being true OF st. Johns Park. as we'll as OF tho
four open spaces Just named. Turning once
moro 10 tho west OF the island, We find n stream
cmptying into the Hudson at Thirty second
street and Eleventh avenue. after pursuing q
very tortuous course from the Sixth avenue.
and creating great deal OF swamp. Another
stream at Forty second street was OF noarly
the Same character and extent
In the more elevated portions OF the island
as the topography became more accented.
with higher hills and more spacious valleys.
the water courses increased in magnitude.
The progress Of street grading INSTRUCTED the
streams. forming in all directions large de-
posits OF stngnant water and engendering a
corresponding amount of fever and ague, from
which large portion OF the population OF
that section suffered severely. A stream orig
mating in a pond which formerly lay in the
eighborhood OF Broadway. Eighth avenue.
and Sixty-second street. ran In q northwest
erly direction. then. turning. crossed the
Central Park diaRonally to the corner
OF Fifty-ninth street and Fifth avenue.
where miserably constructed Gull
vert partly obstructed and damned back
the water Crossing Fifty-ninth street, tho
same stream passed under Fifth avenue near
Fifty-eighth street. Then. again crossing
Fifty-ninth street. between Fourth and Fifth
avenues. 1t passed under Fourth avenue. and.
q number Of streets. finally ran
into a sewer at the junction OF Third avenue
and Fifty-iourth street. Another largo stream
rose between Eighth and Ninth avenues. and
mi at ri mi RI af
ty-fourth street, passed under Fifth avenue at
Its junction with tho last named street. and
then, by devious course. pursued It's way to
the East River This stream. 1t seems. was
more than three miles long: the various wind
ings were caused by lodges OF rocks: q large
body Of water passed through It. which. at one
time. turned q mill, and most OF the ground
throughout its course was swampy.
Many other streams. in fact all the original
water courses on the island. are shown on tho
map which accompanies Gen.
Viele's discussion OF the subject.
These streams and ponds furnished tho
,ity with its sole water supply up to the time
when water was introduced from the Croton
River. AS tho town increased In population
he streams wero recklessly filled in. some-
lines with the most offensive refuse. under
he mistaken impression that they would thus
be made to disappear. Unfortunately for this
theory the streams were fed by perennial
'prings issuing from the primitive rock. and.
n accordance with well-known laws. will con-
inue to flow for an indefinite period. The |
,arth thrown into their beds to raise their VAL
eys to the common level Of the street must.
n Gen. Vieles opinion. ultimately become |
and permanently saturated. rem |
lering all dwellings built upon them damp. |
and unfit for occupation.
In another part OF his paper Gen. Viele has |
One interesting remarks on the park system |
Il New York. He points out that the total |
rea OF the city parks. 5. 1877 acres. considerably
exceeds the superfces devoted to the same |
purpose in the French capital. and IL far
anger than the expanse OF land allotted to
ealth and pleasure In the British metropolis.
The total area OF the Paris parks. including
he Bois dc Boulogne and the Bots de Vim
ennes. is 4. 465 acres. and that OF the London
arks Is only LAP What New York needs is
botanical garden. and that 1t seems likely to
ave at no distant day.
In the coins and currency OF Manhattan Island
fr. Berthod Fern w has found material for an
Interesting chapter. Until near the end OF the
eventeenth century wampum was the most
sed circulating medium. not only in trans
ctions between the settlers and the Indians.
ut between the colonists hemselves. AS late
8 Nov. 10. 1892. We find the Governor and
ouncil issuing q proclamation to the effect
that all wampumpeaRe. commonly known
y the name OF black wampum, shall
n fhA ~aNn Af thrnn hlna