The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-26

parts of Brooklyn, notably upon BROOKLYN
Heights, there is a hily territory, and
When streets are laid out it is necessary
to level off these hills. This IeVelling
earth is often an embarrassment to a
contractor who does not know what TO do
with 1t, as he removes it from the build
ing place If he might have a convenient
dump along the river front he would pay
the city a considerable sum for the privi-
lege of carting his dirt there; thus, these
business points considered, the expense Of
filling in might be reduced to 500 900 900
The population of Greater New York at
this time is something like 5000, GOO. 1t in
creases very rapidly per week and it is
difficult TO tell just what it would be at
the end of next year when the work of
filling in could be completed Its present
area is 1853 square miles and it has a warf-
age front of 75 miles. Upon each square
mile OF city there are approXimat ely 5000
people to the mile, and with new square
miles added, New York city would have
capacity for $1,000 new people.
But, in making an estimate of this kind,
1t must be taken into consideration that
New York would be enlarged in its most
thickly populated portion. New York just
here Is filled with office buildings that
tower up from sixteen to thirty stories in
height, and on each floor there are hun
dreds of people busy daily in their differ
ent occupations making population for
each building almost too large to be COM
puted in statistics. just how many
would be added in square miles, right in
this business portion of the city is wholly
out of calculation, but 1t is safe to say
that these new square miles, added to
Greater New York right here, would be the
most valuable piece of property ever
known.
The elevation of the new land would be
like the H}attery, feet above the sea level,
which would be ample to prevent all in
roads of the sea. In fact, New York
where College place now is, and where
West Broadway runs, was formerly a
marsh, and there are people now living
there who can remember when rowboats
were run across these streets upon the
small inlets that then existed. Upon this
land the most prosperous business houses
in the city are located, without fear Of en-
croachment from the outlying waves of the
sea and river. The new land, the con-
tractors say, could be made just as firm
as this, and there are pieces Of made land
in Chicago and Boston to which they point
to back up their assertions
The greatest trouble with this made
land would be experienced in putting up
the sky-scrapers, but the building laws
would govern the depth of the foundation
IN certain portions where no rock bottom
could be found 1t might be necessary to
go down and fill 80 feet of made land for
a firm foundation, but where the bottom
of the river had been a rock bed half the
depth would be enough for the laying Of
the foundation stones, and perhaps even
less.
There is another interesting point to be
raised. and that Is the adjustment Of the
Brooklyn navy yard, which would be done
away with in this case. The Brooklyn
navy yard lies almost on the line with,
though a little north of, Grand street.
New York, and as the filling In would be
carried TO point two miles below and five
miles above navy yard, this would be
completely filed In and it would be neces-