The evening world., 1894-03-31
FURCUES0N'S
BIG Gas JOB.
Market Price for Street
Lamps ST Less than New
Utrecht Paid.
IT LOOKS LIKE HUGE STEAL.
Two Lights for Each Five 1nhabi-
tants Of the Tax-Ridden
Town by the Sea.
FIGURES FROM CONTRACTORS.
These Are the Men Who Supplied
the 4,0C0 Lamps Now in
Use in Furguesonville.
FIGURES FROM CONTRACTORS.

" Soss Cornelius Furgueson, of New
Utre~, saddled that unfortunate town
with a burden of debt in order that he
and his friends might be enriched through
the gas scheme may never be known,
but enough has come to light to illus
trate what a job it was.
Each of the 1900 gas lamps that illu-
inmate the fields and pastures of New
Utrecht. is a standing evidence of this
robbery of the taxpayers. When Fur
gueson got control of the town the tax
was SIS per thousand. Now 1t is $50.
The town of New Utrecht, which in
cludes the villages of Fort Hamilton.
Blytheburne, ~Bensonhurst, Bay Ridge and
Bath Beach, has a territory of sixteen
square miles and a population of about
10 1000. BY the grace of Furgueson each
Ave inhabitants have two street lamps.
Furgueson's gas scheme first came to
light in 1887. when a bill was introduced
In the Legislature to establish a Board of
improvements for the town of New
Utrecht.
The Kings County Gas and Illuminat-
ing Company was Incorporated Dec. 10,
1859, with a capital stock of 100000, its
charter to run for fifty years. James x:
~. SneTWOOu anu ia ( y. VI
New York, and Alfred NJ. Hehre. of
Hollis, l.. L., were the trustees for the
first year
unknown quantities, but Mr.. Sherwood
has been very much in evidence. His
Office Is in the Corbin Building, 1872 Broad
way, and he is one of Austin Corbin's
right-hand men. Ask any one in New
Utrecht who was the financial hacker Of
the Gas Company and he will tell you
Austin Corbin.
Beach Railroad Boss Furgueson was one
of his commissioners to condemn prop
erty along the line. and ever since that
Messrs. Furgueson and Corbin have been
closely allied.
The New Utrecht Board of Improve
mcnts was organized soon after the for
mation of the Gas Company. with Cor
hoven, W. Bennett Wardell, j. l..
Nostrand and William Keeran as mem
bers. FurGueson was elected President
OF the Board and Justice Cowenhoven
One Of the first acts Of the Board of
improvements was to make a contract
with the Gas Company, in which Fur
? gueson is said to be interested, to furnish
gas to New; Utrecht at the rate of $2S per
has been able to see this contract, for II
is safely locked up in FurGueson's pri-
Vsto safe.
When the town appropriation for 1893
was made 1t included sl2G, 600. for gas for
4;4D lamps. 1t WAS about th!3 time that
ilt l''l'I' 'oNh Nv" y way 'tA-
covered that on March lG, 1891, the Board
OF improvements had secretly extended
the con'r'ct with the Gas Company IF
teen years. The members OF the Board
present when the extension was granted
were FurGuesCn. C~owenhovsn. Keegan
end .Wardell. Nostrand was absent in
Florica.
Meanwhile the Kings COUNTY Gas end
Illuminating Company nourishei. Tn,
capital stock was increased in 1870 to
10000, and in May; 1891. to $4,000. In
port as follows:
Debts not TO exceei...""....."....... 80. coo
Assets equal 5oo,h
There was issued last year a directory
Of gas companies, in which the state.
ment Is made that the Kings County
Gas and Illuminating Company has It's
works works at New Etrecht; SUI suppiieS 500 10
that l,2Co lamps are used.
These statistics are remarkable in view
OF the fact that me-" m1 lamps
gas directory Is used by the officers OF
other gas companies, and If an exper,
should notice that 10000 persons required
1000 gas lamps, it would look queer. Gas
statistics from New Utrecht must, in the
gas business at least, harmonic with
statistics from other towns.
owners of the Gas Company, but there
is a strong suspicion that It belongs &c
the big four" of the Board of Improve
menus. ItSP are uIeItsOi. ll' bpSS
and President Of the Bo3r4; Cornelius
gueson's private secretary, clerk o.
eol,e tfeprlat JShn Ho G]owd aht Io"" se faS
tary of the Board and Justice OF tins
Peace under ~FurGueson, and W Bennett
Wardell, Just nov a c e. ,1ot Tor Justice
The expenditure Of $4,000 per year 4
merely for the supply OF, gas. There /!
another little matter of lamp-posts anC
90. uThiph &c ltnnafhp "a CE1g RI \ @
st2ry: ,,o,o ~. t,o po,rd .
improvements for the purchase of 4,Ao
lamp-post and g%asliGhts. In order to pas
for these supplies Supervisor F~urCucsor
issued bonds for S7i. 0l0 Il cover the cost
This was en- n schedule of $3.50 for eaci
gaslight.
Furgueson, Keegan ct al. ADVERTISED
for bids. and let the contract for the frs
800 lamp posts to NJ. J. prummon1, o
the Corbin Building. 1872 Broadway. a
At upon these posts was given to jacob
c. Miner, of SG3 Eagle avenue, New
York.
Lamps and posts were purchased from
tire to time from Drummoad and Miner
until now there are 1000 standing in New
Utrecht. OF the original fund Of SO,
OC0 derived from the sale of bonds Verl
little remains. The average cost hat
been Sl7.S5.
There was n levcl-headed citizen Of
New Utrecht who last year prepared
trap for Mr.. Furgueson. He had n frienc
in New York who was manager OF tn
Matthew g. Willard Manufacturing Com
pany, and he engaged this friend to writ,
to both Drummond. the gas post con
tractor. and Miner, the gas lamp dealer
His purpose of writing to these person
was to secure a price on gas lamps. s.
he could compare the quoted price wit
the amount paid by New ttrech
through the hands Of Boss FdrEueson.
A letter was first sent to Jacob G
Miner, who had supplied New ttrech
with gas lamps. Miners lamps No. 2
had been used in New Utrecht for stree
corners and his lamp No. 2 for regula
side or gutter lights,
Here Is the letter from the lamp manu-
f4cturer;
Once a.
JACOB c. MINER
APatentee and Manufacturer Of Street, Park. Depo
and Ferry Lamps,
e23 Eagle Avenue.