New-York tribune., 1898-01-01

| tended northward from its present terminus at
! One-huudred- nd-twenty hfth-st Beyond II IL the
ane Boulevard Lafayette and there should be men
toned also the Cathedral Parkway connecting Cen
tral Park with Riverside and running to One-hun-
dred- and where the new Harlem River
| Speedway begins and where connection Is had with
the system OF parks and parkways beyond tho
Harlem The Borough of Tho Bronx. as already
| sald contains several fine parks. Van Cortlandt'
| large diversified in character. with a parade
| ground of 80 acres skating grounds, golf links
! and other features Bronx Park which Is 10 be the
site OF the Botanical Garden and the Hooloscai
| Garden Pelham Bay Park over near the SOUND
! historic Fort Washington, Crotona PARK Clare-
| mont Park ST. Mary's Park and Cedar PARK.
The Grand Boulevard and Concourse Will. when
completed. extend from Harlem River past Clare
mont Park to Van Cortlandt Park joining there
| the Moshou Parkway GOO feet wide, whlch con-
meets the latter park with Bronx Park; ana the
other drivcways finished and projected. including
tho Spuyten Duyvil Parkway. will afford ample
means Of communication between the several parks
PLEAsURE-GRoUNDs IN BROOKLYN.
| Brooklyn. like New-York. has long had one great
| park and n few smaller ones. and has only re
| Gently entered upon what may be called an era of
| park extension. Prospect Park needs no comment.
nor does Fort Greene. for while known as Wash
| ington Park but again invested with It's
ancient titc-the park in whose northern hillside
lie the bones of tho prison ship martyrs; nor Tomp-
|
park area--its doubling, in fact-has been effected
| since Frank Squler became Park Commissioner
! in 1894 His most important purchase was OF
| Forest Park O wooded ridge extending from Cy-
| press Hills 10 Richmond Hill and lying partly In
| Queens County. Dyker Beach Park. fronting on
| Gravesend Bay was also acquired by Commissioner
| Squier and Is one Of the finest seaside parks In
| the world. il has a salt water lagoon chidrens
| Fairgrounds and drives. Besides these two the
| new parks Of Brooklyn include Bensonhurst PARK.
| Canarsie Beach Park Saratoga Square. irving
| Square. Cooper Park. New Lots Playground and
| Lincoln Terrace all OF which are OF small size.
A LINE OF NINETY-ONE MAYORS
The first Mayor OF the city, established on Man.
haitian Island was Thomas Wlllet. who took Office
In 1865 Nlnety-hrst and last Of the line was Will
lam l.. Strong a line including since the beginning
OF the present century such familiar names as
those OF De witt Clinton, Cadwallader d. Golden
Philip Hone william f. Havemeyer. Daniel r. Tie
mann, John T. Hoffman. Fernando Wood, A. Oakey
| Hall Edward Cooper, Abram S. Hewitt Frank
lin Edison and William r. Grace. or the mon who
preceded Mayor Strong In the City Hal there are
still living Messrs. Tlemann now nnety-three
years OF ago. but still comparatively hale ana
hearty; Hall. Ely. Cooper. Grace. Edison. Hewitt
Grant and Gllroy. The ex-Mayors Of Brooklyn
who are living John W. Hunter. F. A. schroe-
der Seth Low Daniel u. Whitney, Alfred C.
Chaplin David A. Body Charles a. Scheren and
Frederick W. Wurster, whose term expires to-day
Long Island Cltys living ex-Mayors are Patrick
J. Gleason and HoratIo S Sanford
THE HISTORIC CITY HALL.
Robert a. Van Wyck, who to-day will enter
upon the responsibilities of the office OF Mayor OF
the greater city Will direct the affairs Of that
municipality from a building which has many
historic associations and which stands upon HIS
toric ground. The present New-York city Hail Is
the third used Manhattan Island. 1t was erect
ed elghty-fvo years ago. John McComb being its
architect. In the ncighborhood are now standing
only two buildings which stood there then-St
Paurs Church and the Hall Of Records. The City
Hall was completed In July, 1912. and contained
Offices for the OF the Mayor. the Council and
the Council committees; for the Street Comm's-
soner the Inspector the police force, the Record
er the Courts OF Oyer and Terminer and Sessions.
the Supreme Court, the Marine Court. tho Chan
cellor's Court and the Mayors Court
Work on It was stopped in 1911, when Alexander
Hamilton was buried When Lafayette visited
America he held In the Council Chamber series
Andrew Jackson while President. held a great
reception there; and Henry Clay, in 1885, also mad
Fenimore Cooper died. in 1851 memorial service
was held in the City Hall, great throng attend
The most exciting scenes in the history 9f o. the the
building were when Fernando Wood was wa M mayVr y,
and refused to surrender the althor.ly OF tne
police force at the demand q the sta Sta'e cs pGhya
and during the draft riots when me mop ,i rian-
sacked the building In search or Mayor OpdEEhs,
Il
mour addressed them as my friends In a con-
chtofy The City OS a has also been the OF many
notable funeral pageants among the DISTINGUISHED /
dead who have lain In state within its walls haVlng
been LnGon Grant rant d6esr GrSe9y 'Onn Howard Y'
In what is city Hall Park Jacob Leiser was ,as
hanged, and there. too eighteen slaves conVIcted
q p the n cy ns2 a R0F Park Ret the
%'e Poe @Ss erected in sS to be cut down
it raying point for the pariotis pdotiog In IN M iba
dafT was SIrb Aexamder Hamilton then seven
teen years old. made his first speech IN behat OF
land The Declaration OF Independence was there |
read to Washingtons army; ana mere S 9 Of the
the statue which commentaries the rate oi 'ne
patriot Nathan Hale.
THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE.
Those who have their homes within the limits OF
Greater New-York have by this time become so
familiar with the Brooklyn Bridge that II mas long
since ceased TO be object OF any great interest
Nevertheless Il remains OF the principal sights
for visitors and has a great many interesting facts
connected with it. At tho time Of its construction ]
every detail connected with II. no matter how !
meagre was published and read with interest
The calsson on the Brooklyn side measures 1863
feet by I09 feet; the NewYork caisson measures
172 by 1o2 feet. The Brooklyn tower contains S'2i
cubic feet OF masonry, while that OF the New-York |
side contains ,95 The height OF these two towers
Is 27S feet The one on the Brooklyn side goes down
below highwa;er mark a distance OF 40 feet. the |
New-York tower rs feet. The highest point OF the /
span OF the Bridge is 1856 feet. The diameter OF
each OF the four cables IS l54 inches. and each
tains 5,2s5 galvanized steel, oil-coated wires 1913
feet long and each cable capable Of carrying 1920 |
tons. The permanent Keight OF me bridge ITSELF
amounts to 1850 tons, The span OF the river meas
ures sos feet while that Of the and IS $50 feet
The number of passengers carried since the time |
the Bridge was opened reaches 40, 1889 The two
terminals have undergone extensive alterations IN !
order that tho vast thronss which make use or
the Bridge may have better service. and the use |
OF electricity has been introduced In the place or
the dummy engines which formerly did the switch |
ing OF the cars "A either end. During the busy |
hours OF the day the service is inadequate.
BROOKLYN'S VAST INTERESTS.
Despite the fact that large numbers Of Brooklyn |
men do business in New-York, the industries and /
commercial interests OF the city OF Churches arc |