New-York tribune., 1896-11-02
TO BEGIN WORK TO-DAY.
J. d. LEARY TO COMPLETE THE FIRST
SECTION OF THE DRIVEWAY.
THE FORM OF co, TRACT APPROVED BY THE
CORPORATION COUNsEI-ABOUT ONE
YEAR NECESSARY TO

FINISH IT.
Every lover Of the beautiful in the development
of the features Of New-York will be delighted
to know that this morning the work of COM
peting the first section OF the great Harlem
River Driveway is to be resumed after an IN
terruption since June. 1895. On Saturday James
d. Lcary. for himself and Colonel s. V. K Cruger'
for the Park Department, signed the new con-
tract under which Mr. Leary will take up the
prosecution OF the work on the Driveway.
The contract has been bone OF contention
for months. In August the Board OF Aldermen
authorized the Park Board to make the contract
for the work to be finished without public bid
ding The reason for this that inasmuch
as Mr.. Lcary had been the original contractor.
and az it had been conclusively shown, ac-
cordrg to President Cruger, that the fault OF
the bulging cribwork lay in the plans ana
specifications drawn by the engineer OF the Park
Department and was not at all to be placed at
Mr. Leary's door 1t would therefore be possible
for Mr. Leary. who had the plant ready, 10
complete the work for much less sum than II
could be done by aIy other contractor The
sum appropriated for the completion OF the work
was S2SO,OOO.
On October . Colonel Cruger and Commission
or Samuel Mcmillan. as = special committee or
the Park Board on the matter came to practi-
cal agreement with James ID. Leary regarding
specifications and price. The difficulty had been
one wholly due according to Colonel Cru5er,
to a difference Of opinion as to certain engineer
ing features between Professor william ri.
Burr. of Columbia University. the expert of the
Park Board in the Driveway project. and Mr..
Leary and his so1, Daniel Leary. the engineer
In charge Of the work. The delay since then
has been due partly to the need Of having the
- for nf from COrDDTa
ton Counse' Scott That approval was finally
given on Friday last and on Saturday the con-
tract duly signed.
Daniel Ieary said last evening: Il shall resume
work on the first section tomorrow morning.
| have ali the plant necessary. a dredge VIII
be put to work TO tear away the bulging crlo-
work down to n point some six feet below low
water; piles VIII then be driven through the
cribwork and on these a retaining stone wall
will be built for distance Of some Soo Feet
This plan of obviating the need OF tearing out
all the bulgcd cribworls originated. l believe
with Professor Burr Besides this deviation from
the old plans. there will be ten-foot-wlde strip
Of tree planting along each side OF the Drive
Professor Burr has In mind. believe. some ex-
cellent plans for beautifyng the Driveway III
this manner Instead Of the racecourse finish OF
the roadbed contemplated in the original plan.
"A tclfOrl pavement VII b' uStt III ''N't l"
prevent any sliding Of the surface IN consequence
Of rain.
II shall be able to finish the frs. section of the
Driveway. under decent conditions. by October
| next \ second year. at least. ought to see
the whole Driveway ready for opening to the
publc Mr. Rodgers. understand. expects to
be through with the second section next spring.
II may take him. however. until June"
The bids for the first section OF the Driveway.
which extends from One-hundred-a fifty-fifth-
G, NJ Edaecombe-ave. and St. Nicholas Place
TO High Bridge were opened on January ~. 1871
lanes D. Leary was the lowest bidder. and the
contract was awarded to him at SG293lS. This
section Is about one mile long. Ground on the
work was broken on February .. 1871 owing
IN the discovery that peat bed had Deen mis-
taken bv an engineer OF the Park Department
for solid bottom I'm his borings. TINS being some
ton feet deep, IL became necessary 10 go down
a total additional depth of some sixteen rect Ihe
breadth of bottom for the crlbwork was not
Increased however. by the engineer in the
snec,ecations for the new work. end the bullying
~ the crbwork at this point resulted Work
was stopped In June. 1S9J until the point could
he settled as to who was responsible Tor the
dofective work The Park Board. as Colonel
Crueer has already stated In The Tribune,
found that the fault lIy undoubtedly with the
Depa rtments engineer.
r e Rodgers secured the contract Tor the sec
ord section Of the Driveway, between High
pridee and Dvckman-st.. on the lowest bid. this
bcing S-51 240 this section being somewhat
larger than the first one.