The evening world., 1894-03-31
FURCUESON'S
BIG Gas JOB.
Market Price for Street
Lamps ST Less than New
Utrecht Paid.
IT LOOKS LIKE 4 HUGE STEAL.
Two Lights for Each Five Inhabi-
tants Of the Tax-Ridden
Town by the Sea-
FIGURES FROM CONTRACTORS.
These Are the Men Who Supplied
the 1000 Lamps Now in
Use in FurguesonviIle.
FIGURES FROM CONTRACTORS.

which Boss Cornelius Furgueson, Of New
Utrecht, 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 1t 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
Rueson got control Of the town the tax
was SIS per thousand. Now it 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
IL, 1000. By the grace Of Furgueson each
i've inhabitants have two street lamps.
F%'urgueson'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.
Tit Kings County Gas and Illuminat-
ing Company was incorporated Dec. ID.
1889, with a capital stock of 100000. its
charter to run for fifty years. James X:
o. Sherwood and Charles G. Rurnes, Of
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
once is in the Corbin Building, 1872 Broad
way, and he is one of Austin Cor6in,s
right-hand men. Ask any one in New
Utrecht who was the financial hacker of
the Gas Company and he will tell you
When MIR. Corbin built his Manhattan
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
nation Of the Gas Company. with Cor
h peHss FYWTsueRES enns Sqsti WaS 1Shn c9wen.
Nostrand and William Keegan as men,
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
has been able to see this contract. for It
is safely locked up in Furgueson's pri-
When the town appropriation for 1893
was made 1t included $126, 200 for gas for
4,4OO lamps. 1t was about this time that
the people down New Utrecht way dis
covered that on March 16, 1891, the Board
Of improvements had secretly extended
the contract with the Gas Company If
teen years. The members of the Board
present when the extension was granted
were Furgueson, Cowenhoven, Keegan
and Wardell. Nostrand vas absent in
Meanwhile the Kings County Gas and
Illuminating Company fourished. The
capital stock was increased in 1890 to
10000. n ID, in May, 1881, to S+o9, 600; In
port as follows:
Capital stock. $400. 900
Debts not to exceed $50, 900
Assets equal 800, 900
There was issued last year a directory
OF gas. companies. in which the state
ment Is made that the Kings County
Gss and at nNIS sW Htrssh G0m seppiies has S, t5S
persons with gas at g per light and
that 100 lamps are used.
These statistics are remarkable in view
are supplied for 10000 persons. But the
gas directory is used by the officers OF
S Shoaid e notice eI that t. COO an pers Sc sn re exPesi
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
I, he a . stso9 f6ur s"s 81 aSe board Boat + Of Pf l@pFov to
and President of the Board; Cornelius
FSsscn's private lTi "i seeretar Reese Clerk Fu Of
the Inebriates' Home and Town Tax
Collector. John .Cowenhoven, secre-
Peace under Furgueson, and W. Bennett
wardell. just now a candidate for Justice
on Furgueso1's ring I'll, tIs6 get %
another little matter of lamp-posts and
gas lamps which is altogether a separate
story. .
Contracts were made by the Board Of
Improvements for the purchase OF 400
lamp-posts and gaslights. In order to pay
issued bonds for SIS, 900 to cover the cost.
This was on a schedule of 1870 for each
gaslight.
for bids. and let the contract for the first
300 lamp posts to NJ. j.. Drummond, OF
the Corbin Building, 1872 Broadway. at
Sc per post. The contract for lamps TO
At upon these posts was given to Jacob
c. Miner, of S3 Eagle avenue, New
York.
time to time from Drummond and Miner,
until now there are 1000 standing In New
Utrecht. OF the original fund Of SO
900 derived from the sale of bonds very
little remains. The average cost has
been sl7.S5.
There was a level-headed citizen of
trap for Mr., F~urgueson. He had a friend
In New York who was manager of the
Matthew & Willard Manufacturing Com
pany. and he engaged this friend to write
to both Drummond, the gas post con-
tractor. and Miner, the gas lamp dealer.
His purpose of writing to these persons
was to secure & price on gas lamps, so
he could compare the quoted price with
the amount paid by New Utrecht
through the hands of Boss Furgueson.
A letter was first sent to Jacob c,
Miner, who had supplied New Utrecht
with gas lamps. Miners lamps No. %
had been used in New Utrecht for street
corners and his lamp No. 2 for regular
lBide or gutter lights.
y Here is the letter from the lamp manu-
I facturer:
Once Of
w JACOB q. MINER.
Patentee and Manufacturer OF Street, Park. Depot
and Ferry Lamps,
s23 Eagle Avenue.
NEW YORK. May 81, 1893.