New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-07-28

the MANAGEMENT ~ prison aitlES sh'"fl ma
hold by Americans In the Revolutionary days was
s.g r'msin In he celia ~ IA. pressn; structure
Many officials ani prominent citizens Attached 70
,ri.d,.,. haf H., III not .uner tn worst wrongs
inn!c,ci by him The comparatively unknown ana
ir.enl'sS soiI'eiS OF IN, AN, u" gu, ' u,'A,
were neglected and tortured until they were well
Aft,r the Revolutionary War the building again
became "a debtors prison. AMI later was known "a
rrlninai rrisoner4 l. Is lee ,rib.I about the be-
rnnng Of me War Of sie three stories high WIN
am va ~ c,, 49, 1isc,ycral nv any Waterman
TIE ringing os ihis bell was he sienaI which
started The cang ~ church bells throughout the
CITY ana the volunteer hremen ana other citizens
rushed in the direction IN which funor or the sight
- rising smoke directed them lher" were no sig
mas Indicating The part II the city IN which the
Tho ely authorities about the year i~o began to
prepare the jail building FOR other uses. liut iiS
s,r,,riire Vas taken f1f use as a t.splial In an
epidemic OF cholera The r"moicling n the siruct-
a, ~.el ,or ne nr-f ,irn~ FOR the storage - rec
orls relating e. real estate titles The Surrogate.
,ni..lonnr als5 h.l room. In the building 4 the
number of records Increased tho Other officials were
c,r.c .xcu.l,eiy an oi,ice ~ the Register though
,'i ,'i,.nine me mi. ~ m. Hal ~ Records
Tho hcifry VAS taken on and the building vas re-
story Tho Ionic columns which form the portico
Al the rear n the building and Others parity con-
ccaei under the present unsuhstanial front OF the
building date from The time when Was altered to
It's place for storing records.
RECORDS OVER TWO CENTURIES OLD.
Among the records contained in the crowded
building. lnad,quatoly constructed and lily pro-
tecicd against fire. some OF the most agclent
volumes relating real estate In the city. Other
records IN the Dutch language are IN Albany and
TRANSACTIONS OF some 81 the deeds on the
shelves in the Registers ofce The Oldest original
records are contained ~ Fouins OF ,'ansa''ir ri
between June ~. 1853 and December 81, lbi2 Inc
Duich iansuhg. - usod ,l ne ga az ~
records In IN" Voinmrs bu' ait'r 100 some OF the
documents are In Dutch while others are In Eng
lsh Among the volumes labelled "conveyances" IN
the early part or INC ,shlcchth .en,ry are Sopies
OF agreements by which boys bound themselves 10
Industry ana were forbidden to haunt alehouscs,
iaverns or playhouse and In return were 70 be
haps THE art mystery OF barbar or perry
wiegmaker" or some other useful II not delightful
contained on the second door % the present build
ing. and on the lower floor are many Of the books
necessary I'm this system is greater than under tho
old method of recording. and the need OF add
!onal space has been more urgently felt since this
Expressions Of an earnest hope that a new build
Ing may soon be erected for the keeping of public
and those real estate lawyers who were in town
last week freely gave their opinion In support OF the
tcr's once Among those who spoke earnestly
the subject was Mr.. Ward OF Alexander 4 Green.
He said: "Thc present building Is disgrace The
sanitary arrangements simply mdcscrbaby
bad and as the danger from nrc, the result OF
fire II one In any way originated IN the building,
may he imagined by any lawyer. IL might be pos.
sble through the tit,e companies 70 obtain chain OF
title 10 piece OF property hut II would be impos-
sble to learn the conditions and covenants under
which propery was ,ransferrst Tase for , IN
under restrictions II the records were destroy II
by re some nan 70 b put civ wher
other propcrty-owners had bought knowing II To be
nreyent the erection Of "A building which might dam
age the adjoining property. as the covenants and
learned This would lead to endless litigation The
whole building unn for It's present use ,, A. TO
leave go n crcmatory At once as to stay there for
any length OF time.
NETWORK is BEHIND THE TINES.
David Thomson. OF Foster Il Thomson. said; THE
present Registers Office Is entirely inadequate. The
accommodations for those using the books are abo 1t
as bad as be. In other counties. even at some
distance from the cities the arrangements are much
better. The Kings County building Is fire
proof near.y so. and in Westchester County
ments Tor preserving and consulting the records
NewYork l. tar behind any other county OF which
tho REGISTER ne 9ny part Of It O nat can be Sa b
GEAR when that gets to work 1t does heat up 10
some purpose; In fact for my part ! would rather
at 100 degrees outside than TO stay in 1t at zero
weathtr In tho winter. when that heater Is doing
high as that IN winter
Mr Hue hes In charge of the real estate depart-
ment Of Shipman Lirocqnc Choate. said: Every
LAWYER who has been In the old building knows the
need Of A change The NewYork building Is far
hchind that Of other county In this part Of the
state although the records much more mpor
ant II Is as much as mans life IL worth to spend
ave d,ys a week on that third floor OF the building
Win the sun beating down upon the roof,
George u. Brown. OF the German American Real
Ea,atc Title Guarantee Company, said that his
duties had od him to The offices Wed for ?rcserv-
Inc nuhllc records In Kings. Queens. Westchester.
picbmond Rockland and other counties. and there
~ no other Registers office within 100 miles Of
~, York that was In SO wretched condition =
H., In this city The books Kept In high
cases. and II was often DANGEROUS to attempt to
49, ,hom He referred Ia some OF the modern Inn
proyemcnts in the new buildings, which greatly
fs.o,,,,ated the work OF title searching. All the
,'rs we're unanimous In their condemnation OF
The existing building hut most OF them saw no
p'bt,ppc, will be brought 10 the attention Of the
next Legislature. and the Bar Association may be
the passags OF the necessary statute.