The sun., 1897-03-02

At n special meeting OF the East Side Good
Government Club. held IN the rooms OF tho
University Settlement Society at 10 Delaney
street last night. Jacob a. Riis. who Is the gen
ernl agent Of the Good Government cluos IN
this city reported the progress made In secur'
ing the necessary consents. Mr.. Riis SAID t.'at
he felt confident that the movement would DO
succt ssful Most OF the trustees ana All OF
tho officers OF the corporation which owns tho
land. as well as the city OIL 'ials, are In FAVOR
of the transformation OF the cemetery into a
playground. Mr.. Riis said. and tho only thing
to be done was TO secure the consent OF the
vault owners and the descendants Of .hose who
are buried there. Most OF the original vault
owners are dead. but their heirs have the same
property rights as they mad. aud as they mum
ber several thousand. th~re is no telling how
they will stand on the matter. They have
not been approached yet, Mr. Riis said. but no
understood that whilo many OF them thought
the idea OF making the graves OF their fore.
fathers a playground for the rising generation
q beautiful one. there were others. he had
heard nigh, regard Srd !, q. SessesatioT.
estirg one. So completely forgotten has 1t
become that me compilers ~ the city direc.
tory have left IL entirely out OF cir list OF
cemeteries. II was called the New York Mar
BILE C-melsry. and must not lie coniounded
second street. just east OF second avenue. for
til ,re is no connection between the two. The
cemetery which the Good Government Club 10
after is not only buried In the middle OF u
block. hut not anywhere on II Is there sign
OF q headstone or monument.
m. cemsterv IN is the one outlet, and Il is
guarded by rusty Iron gates which are alwnyi
locked. Through them AS much OF the plot
OF ground as is visible looks as though It.
might he the back yard of any one OF the houses
which surround 1t. Besides ITS armor OF build
nf soliI II N
this wall has begun Ia crumbie q bit, nut IA lit
tie attention would make 1t as hrni as II ever
tangled bush and weeds. while here and there
a tree rises out OF the mass. There are three
paths through the esms,.rS' ana Ii banks I be-
dead Inferred there have never set up amy
gravestones, nut here and there are fragments
OF marble urns aud other nrn Iments, which
must have been placed there yeas ago. The
only other things in the cemetery which Mr..
Riis was able to find on recent cxpedil ton
were n broken wheelbaerow, n crippled lawn
roller. q rake, and cock and hen, who seemed
10 have taken up permanent abiding nlace In
On the south wall OF the cemetery tie names
Of tho vault holders have been chiseileh.
Among them are Thomas Ford. nriah 4 scrib.
ner, one OF the founders OF the publishine
house OF scribnar; DaTd Is. Ogden. Judge
Blatchford, and Anson u. PHELPS. On the
records of the Health Department. under the
date OF Nov. 10. 1892. is n record OF the
parsing Of u deed To vault In this cemetery To
Mr.. Phelps. IL is as follows:
Ihave this day received my deed for vault No 1.
and when nnd the original certificate viii surren
der IL TO be cancelled.
Altogether there are 100 vaults In the ceme-
terry and the Health Department records show
that more than 300 persons have b'en bur
led there. There have been several burials In
the cemetery within recent Years, but they
have been few and far between. At tho
southwest corner OF the plot stands an old dead
house made OF rough-hew.. stone. The bodies
OF IA good many prominent men have been
there temporarily, among them tho remains
OF John Ericsson. the swedish inyento,.
Up to within mo. tn the keys to the iron
gate leading to the cemetery were In the pos
session OF n keeper who lived NJ ~ Second ave-
nue.. This man moved uptown and there has
been no one to look "f'er the cemetery skpce.
Daniel Parish OF = East Sixteenth street is the
President OF the cemetery corporation, while
Frederick w. Dnwner, President of the Amer
can Fire Insurance Company, IL tho Treas