Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-01

mateu populat1on OF 1,l52, 19S, only about
$4,000 less than that of the boroughs OF
Manhattan and the Bronx. 1t casts nearly
1000 votes. It has I,5O3 miles of streets
1t sends twenty-one members of assembly
and and seven senator's to the legislature at
Albany and five members of Congress to
Washington. 1t will be represented in the
municipal assembly by nine members of the
council and twenty-one aldermen. The as
sessed value of Its real estate is 1856. $40 g.,T
and or Its personal property. $27, 536, 638
It's debt Is $0l. 1000 and its annual budget
*io.VO.Ooo; These facts give an idea OF its
size and Importance. Its people are more
inclined to be Independent In thought and
action than those Of Manhattan.
In politics they have acquired the habit
or voting as seems to them best without
much regard to party ties or the wishes of
Henry Ward Beecher, T. De Witt Talmage
and Seth Low have each in turn been
Brooklyn ''idols." They are progressive in
matters OF public Improvement. The city
grew rapidly, and, being spread over
large area, a correspondingly large outlay
was necessary to keep pace with the
growth. The citizens did not hesitate to
make this outlay. and even anticipated the
future to such an extent that the debt
limit has been reached, and public work
would be virtually brought to a close were
II not Tor consolidation. The city, prior to
the consolidation. elected twenty-eight
mayors, eight OF whom are living.
The Borough of Queens.
With the acquisition Of the borough OF
Queens the greater city has acquired, above
all else. room In which to grow, to stretch
its arms and breathe uncrowded ozone; for
the area of the borough fraction less
than l24 square miles. is almost equal to
the area of the boroughs of Manhattan
Brooklyn and the Bronx combined. In
Queens thore are 79.347 acres of building
sites that are equal. in natural advantages
at least, to building sites anywhere in the
lIlyo limo fhn o}v,nH 90 oT
home seekers. The number of millions of
persons who are to live in the future In
what will be one of the least in signif-
canoe OF the boroughs at the time of con-
its development. In the densely populated
tenth ward of the present city of New
York there are 644 Inhabitants to the acre.
The borough of Queens, If it should be-
come as densely populated as is the tenth
ward. would have population of 81. COL ,46s.
1t is more reasonable to suppose that its
population may equal in density the aver
age density of the present city of New
York. including the undeveloped sections of
the Bronx, the upper end of Manhattan,
where there are but few houses, and the
lower end. where but few persons live. But
when 1t reaches that density the borough of
en- millions. Its population at present is
about $4,000.
The towns iE the borough of Queens were
settled by English families under the Dutch
government u New 1OTh III tHe Tluuie Oh
the seventeenth century. Flushing alone
was originally a Dutch settlement. New
town, including what Is now Long Island
City, Jamaica and Hampstead, were estab-
lished by English immigrants, who were
permitted to settle upon taking an oath OF
allegiance to the Dutch government, and
Flushing soon became an English settle
ment Long Island City is the largest city
of the borough. 1t has a population OF
about 5000 and a few school houses; that
is all. Its streets are dirty and poorly
paved: its city hall is not worthy of the
rame; its police court would be condemned
by the building department Of any other
city in the country. and it's fire and police
departments are not what they should be.
There is no evidence that public spirit has
sought satisfaction in the building of mon
uments or the founding of libraries. There
is no monument, and in the two libraries
there are but 10000 books. The city's water
supply system is in a chaotic condition be-
cause of the clashing of different interests.
Beyond Long Island City. in the towns OF
Newtown. Flushing, Jamaica and the por-
ton of Hampstead that is a part of the Dor
ough ofQueens, there is territory that will
add to the pride of New York. Old towns
and villages that have not grown rapidly
are now on the march of progress.
Dead Are the Great Majority.
The dead are in the majority in Queens
county, where there are many cemeteries
In Newtown $4,000 interments are made
j
1000 acres. 1t Is estimated that more than
1,5O0.0O0 bodies have been buried in that
town, in which is the only crematory in
this part of the country. The assessed val
uation Of real property in the borough or
Queens, as given by the county clerk Is
$50 205, or. The debt of the various cor
porations that make up the borough could
not be learned. Silas b. butcher of the
Greater New York commission estimated it
a year ago at 81, 033,924.77.
Cba oh of inh
little to the consolidation, except some very
pretty scenery and some very large aspir-
atoms. Its total population Is about 5000.
The little sister" borough enters the
union with a dowry of natural attractions
that warrant a hearty welcome. THE gem
of the bay" as Staten Island has been
called by its local laureate, is rich In rug
ged hills. verdant valleys. fine stretches OF
beach. picturesque woodlands and lakes
that lie in her fertile bosom like diamonds.
Not more than ten years ago the island
was unknown land to a majority of resi-
dents of Manhattan. but this has been
changed by the entrance of the bicycle and
the trolley road. If the cycle path to Coney
Island be excepted there is no section of
the consolidated metropolis that guarantees
such attractions to wheelmen The major
ity of the county roads are macadamiZed,
and these are lined with scenery unsur-
passed.
The little borough. too, is a magnet for
the student of American history. On the
island IS also the old Moravian cemetery
where in magnificent mausoleum lie all
that is mortal of Commodore Jacob Van
derbilt, his son William III. and other men,
bers of the family. The house in which the
old commodore was born still stands in
Port Richmond. and is Mecca for thou
sands of visitors. Then there is the home
of Aaron Burr. 1t stands in fair state
of preservation in West New Brighton.
There are many other historical show
places in the little borough, but those men
toned will do examples of the rest
"The borough of Richmond has been blessed
or cursed. with complicated system of
tax collection, but this will be changed un-
der the new order of things. Formerly the
unlucky property owner paid his county
taxes to the county treasurer, his town
taxes to the town treasurer, his village
lamp and water taxes to the village treas
urer and his school taxes to the school col
lector Under the new order all taxes will
be collected by the controllers deputy, and
the only thing that is troubling the coun-
tvs enterprisng citizens is whether old
New York or the borough will have to
bear the burdens of bonds issued and APP
preparations made for many improvements
in the belief that Father Knckerbocker
must pay the freight" OF the 10000 in
habitants of the borough, fully one-third
of it's adults have their business interests
i'm the borough of Manhattan. There are