New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-08-06
NEW EAST RIVER PlERS.
rpAN,rE RrrI,KHEADS AND A MARGINAL
STREET ALSO TO BE BUILT.

location has probably forgotten anu '"0
-. hos never heard Of IT, complete plan
NJ dock improvements was mapped OUT ioi
York II included wide marginal stIee'' ".
both rivers and a system OF great ne" pei' '
sbould make II possible for the metropo' VI ~
New World TO handle its shipping trace CON 81"
tently for a long period, no matter "na' W 49,
crease might be. on the North hiNei' 'e
e,,,. nos haen actively at work on Improvements
for years there is much projected tha' ""'
even been started. and only a small fractoh oi
The whole has been actually completed Anu "
Is only this summer tnat the 'ae" va
River front has been begun
Thirty wears more, and. In all prooaoliiy'
,onoer time than that will pass before the TWO
r,ver fronts become what they are dcstlhed "
no indeed. It is within the bounds OF possi-
b,Ii,v that the new East River front VIII not
he finished then The work is too vast Is su'
iect TO too many delays and Is too important
niece OF engineering to be hurried WHAT nus
recently been underi aiken is simply TWO POI 'ioii'
of the great line OF shore. not more imam nan
dozen blocks or so in each case, and lnsishin-
cant In comparison with the whoie "orN '"'u
out Yet even this the engineers esuiha'e'
will take year or more to hnish II ''e'e a'o
no delays because of condemnation proCeeuiAe'
or other cause.
Nevertheless this work just started begins an
.noch in the commerce of New-York. Thoush
devoted 10 different kind of shipping, the East
River front is Of almost as great Importance u
the commerce Of the city as the HUDSON Oiie
c- the sections begun includes one or the most
crowded stretches of the shore, running from
Rutgers-st to Catharine Slip. There Is only d
narrow marginal street. with an lnadequa'e
rrmber Of piers. These also too small
OF tic nOint a q
result this part of the city has stood STILL despite
the steady development elsewhere All the CUM
merc,al interests of the East Side are awaiting
the completion OF these improvements anu looN
FORWARD to material benefit from Them
soUTH-sT. TO BE wIDENED.
In general. the old plan of improvement OF 'he
early seventies is being carried OUT allhousH
Il Is here and there modified 10 suit the ne"
conditions which exist to-day. south-st'' His'
NJ all. Is TO be widened along here from seventy
feet its present width. to 10 Feet srai''e
bu,kbead Is 10 be erected which is estimated to
cost $500 running foot. Exclusive or the COST
Of property the work on each of these two I'M
movements will probably amount TO from
Il bO00OO TO 100000. The work between
Catharine Slip and Rutgers-st VIII consist Oh
eight new piers. with slips 1870 feet wide be
vessels and free access TO tugs. lighters ano
graf, elevators. The new piers will average
eighty feet in width against the thirty anc
FORTY feet OF the present piers In fact. an East
River pier even fifty feet in width has been rare
an 70 the present time. Only In one or TWO
cases will the new piers fall below the width o.
ATTY feet and this will be where they have beer
leased already for a term Of years and narrow
pier has been asked for by the lessee Inc ne"
piers will be from 400 to 800 feet In length.
The old screw dock and the two old sectiona
drydocks that used to be such picturesque lea''
ures Of this part OF the East River front haV'
been removed. The screw dock was DUH man.
years ago. and proved failure from 'he nis'.
II never did any Of the work that was expec'e"
of II. and soon all experimenting ended IL SIN
ply lay there for years, taking up room anu
keeping commerce away. Why IL was aio"eU
70 remain no one knows, but the beginning u
,he wharf improvements sounded the death
kner for IT, and its disappearance Followed inc
sectional docks were safely towed down to the
Erie Basin the other day. Placed IN posltioh
there they will be of Just much use while
they occupy water front OF much less value.
Engineer in Chief j. A Bensel. of the Depart
roent ~ Docks SAYS that the bulkhead work Is
now being taken UP, and that one pier at
Ruteers-st is In process of construction, 80 per
cent Of the work having been completed the
Denar.ment is now advertising for bids for
Catharine Slip. and bids will soon be asked aso
for the construction of still another pier
The other section Of work undertaken eklenus
$ro,,, tho north eide OF Twenty fourth-st. TO the
south side OF Seventeenth-st, ana IL VIII pe
pushed along at the same rate OF speed ds tie
rest This Improvement will have tangioie
interest TO NEWCOMERS on account OF the
changes II will make in the Twenty-third-st
and Greenpoint ferries. It will, besides, create
a new marginal street, running from Avenue
at East Seventeenth-St. to Twenty -thlrd-sI
This marginal street will be 115 feet IN width
The C;reenpoint ferry will go out into the stream
until IT is even with the Broadway ferry house.
and there will be only three slips. instead OF
four as at present. Where the Greenpoint FERRY
slip now stands the city Will gain biock oU'S
200 feet and Engineer in CHIEF BenseTs iaea
for this is 10 make il. IL possible, into lltte
park TO be used in conjunction with the TWEEN
" -fourth-st. recreation pier. With the ne"
marginal street Twenty third-st will come
down to the Williamsburg ferry house, ana
passengers will probably not. in future have 20
walk block TO board the boats.
PLACE INTENDED FOR SOUND STEAMERS.
with the recreation pier the river front at
Twenty-fourth-st is improved already Be
tween Seventeenth and Twentythird SITS there
are to be five fine new piers. $50 to 600 feet
long. As in the other sections. the bulkhead will
be OF granite The property at this point IS
easy to secure. Under a law passed in 1896.
now incorporated in the charter. the Depart
ment can seize the necessary water front from
Eighteenth to Twenty-irst- st. and have 1t con-
demned afterward From Twenty-second to
Twenty -fourth-st. the city now owns the bulk
head right. while that between Twenty-irst and
Twenty second SITS must be acquired as soon
as possible by ordinary condemnation proceed
. ings.
1t Is quite within the bounds Of likelihood thar
The Sound steamers eventually will have piers
- 1T this point. The property was designed for
them originally, but II is not known at present
, whether they desire TO change.
One pier in this section has been already
started. II Is at Twenty second-st. Buikhead