New-York tribune., 1897-08-04
NEWS OF BROOKLYN.
EMPLOYMENT NOW IN SIGHT
SURVEYORS LAYING OUT WORK ON THE
EAST SIDE LANDS.

SURVEYORS LAYING OUT WORK ON THE
EAST SIDE LANDS.
,,,,, MEN WILL. REolN OPERATIONS THERE IN
TWO OR THREE DAYs-PLENry FOR
THEM TO DO.
Park Commissioner Dettmer yesterday took up
the question Of employing convicts on park I'M
provements for which there is no appropriation
in a most spirited manner. He sent william D.
hartmann. his chief engineer. to survey the East
Side Lands. and to plan the work which VIII De
given to the prisoners within two or three days
Charities Commissioner Burtis and Francis f.
Devl,n. who oversees the work in the peniten-
tiary. accompanied Mr.. hartmann.
The prisoners will begin by removing the stones
from the surface OF the East Side Lanos' ana
the number of stones on this piece OF lana Is
something surprising. A road will be ouilt diae-
onally across the lands from Eastern PARKWAY
and Washington-ave to the Willnck entrance
Of Prospect Park. This road VIII be Tor the use
of wheelmen, and will make delightfui snort
cut to the Eastern District. road was also
laid out parallel with Eastern Parkway 10 De
us.s for the convenience Of the Brooklyn Insti-
tute. .
washington Place. a uch-needed connection
between Westinghouse and the "iiiihch ell,
,r.ncs 70 Prospect Park. will be graded and
paved at the southern end OF the Eas. o'ue
Ianas There is much digging and grading to
he done before the lands are ready for the more
skilled work of grass growing and tree-planting'
Mr. Dettmer. who in conversation with his
friends has heartily indorsed the attitude OF Inc
Tribune from the start, yesterday expiaheo Ills
position as follows:
.I could not do anything about putting these
rr,soners to work until the Charities Commis-
.,oners came TO me. / am not memper VI 'h"'
commission, and the penitentiary Is not uhuei
NV charge. nor am l responsible for the cohui-
,,on of the prisoners. But now that Coiiiliis.
s,oners Henry and Burtis have come ana as"eu
for work I will give them plenty OF H. anu sau-
w. There is a vast amount OF WORK W oe o0ne
on our park lands, and we have no money ~ Wv
I, with. We asked the Board OF Lsti"ia'e ioi o.,
.,nronr,at,on OF about S65O.0O0 this year. ana
we could have used every penny oi IL io ms an ~
.oa.ous,v But we received only S4oooVo'
.a ,nucb NJ the necessary work must remain
untouched. o o,,.r
.rhe East Side Lands will soon be gone over
and nut in a fine condition. The farK Dep"i.
mont will furnish all the tools and implements
Gov tho work: our engineers will lay out ana su-
nerv,se its advance, and the Warden OF 'he penn
tentiary will be in direct cnarge VI ''o i
zone thing l am desirous OF having oo"e 10 Wv
having of Washington Place snort stiee. 'o"-
nactins Washington-ave. with the "i
trance so that bicycle riders may ihaAe ~
ard n,easant cut. Although TINS street 10 eea,'
onened we have not been apie 10 paw d"
.a..or that we had no money for this work ana
the two private property-owhers T..
re,used to ask the city to lay the pavement III
having this street we shall use ''e "a
now in the penitentiary yard .,
.xybat should like most at once Is 'i'' ~
,,,o,ion NJ the plans for Dyker Meadow ram
p,e'o y. ,.,a,s coli for a large lagoon. and to dig
,h,s ont and fill in at other places woulu 80
, 'hIo 20 a large force of men for lohe 'ii'io'
put nresume 1t will be better TO pesll tne ,ber
neriment as near home as possible anu
branch out later. a,,,,o IN Forest Park
,h.n I could tell of offhand-road puilol's na NJ
;ng naths. levellng and other common iaN0 no G
a like character. Inc 10 OCEAN boulevard,
Thich could easily be turned INTO u1ad , a,,n
resting place by the sea. we nave Tl pa nonart
=, Canarsie that needs filling In. L ne Depaih pm.h
AT nas nlentv OF work outside OF that wnich
No have the money to pay for. III ,his ,n u,pI ,,,,
mont of prisoners proves success IL ~. WI, u,ho
a. GOOD 10 the prisoners and TO the peopiie, M,sS
M III oo,oe nearer to realizing the attracu'eheS'
~ the mark system Of Brooklyn ,,. o,h.r,
rha fearless and sensible stand wnlch 1hall
xtae Commissioner
hoth prominent Democrats, nave tahen n,aa of of
Coumissoner Burtis on the humane siuc s - %
this question has taken all tne poiI.ofS lac 90
The Democratic organ wnicn noisct to give pris-
ras violently opposing the proJec' 10 CIV ,r p,,r
onar. work outside of the prison waiis !'''''
day made the following suggesuon. -, Jamaica
"A lot Of meadow land porueIins S' son,a he
p., heionss TO New-York State ana some pe
pay oeio"n nT,vate owners 1t Is thought that
Jamaica Bay will at some time IN .ne NO ~ ne t
Sistant future be the backdoor en~'rance ~ ~ rhat
81
, br0okSn Snssitate miles of bulkheading, dredging
the channels deeper and filing IN the mId Give
This would be a colossal WORK ,nvment anu for
rn,ir,ited numbers Of convicts empioyhieh' io
q long time" , .ho. seeno to be
The only dissenting voices tnat ein, seeii ~ IN IN
raised at present are from small potieIaso lrno -, -
tha Renubcan ranks who do not seem 10 eiaet
~ noirt that the Park Commissioner Is ho'
giving Jobs to the convicts that woulu Sar oer' q
S,;sa 90 TO other laborers Edwin b. Spoonr., 5 T,,,
Seventh Ward Republican. called al ne ~. IT,,
sso. 10 nrotest against letting the conVlcts
nav Brooklyn for their support py anS .anrm;sa he
lie improvements that could not othel ~ NJ
aone That was hardly the way tnat M, MI
Sononor mt II however. He talked apout ,c
men with hungry children who were appiS pn .iIs
an vain for work at the parks. ii 'li p,o ~ ne
had taken the trouble TO ring up ,ne is al E
ar,,oent he would have learned that Coii'il,ia
s,oner Dettmer has strained every pom. 10 ese a
emnlovment to needy men, ana tna' as 20
.nit this wears appropriations Will idi iseiy o.
80 ,ha nockets of the eight hundred eiilpioyeS
~ the Department. But there Is muci l,io. =. =
work on thirty-fvc parks ana squares, nVt o
SNEAK of boulevards. than the appropI u, a',u, ~, :.
viii nav for. and this is some OF the work 'ha'
the convicts are to do. , :. aos,roh,e N
Mr. Spooner does not thinK IL u ,ouid ha We
n.ve the prisoners go insane. so ne WouIu ma na N =
.%n,, Nav ba seball and quoits The taxpayers
who are paying to support sness Sf pas pay
ciei r. s,ch sim, 10 develop baseball twlrlers
wSen under the other system. they can get fu'l
value for their money.
1-rn rDTAT ORDERED.