New-York tribune., 1902-10-08
SHAW LAYS CORNERSTONE
HE AND tx SECRETARY GAGE SPEAK
AT NEW CTSTOM HOUSE.
sEw-YoRKs COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE

tcrdsy ny Secretary shaw ~ tho Treasury Mr..
shaw made an address. as did eX-secretary
Gage. Tho impressive ceremonies were seen by
large crowds.
Preparations began early. Tho copper casket
10 be rut Ga tbc ,nrnorstoue contained the fol-
lowing eontcnis.
Treasury Depsrtmcnt Register 1929. tarir
laws. 1872. FEltnns Guide 90 the Port and Dis
fri~t ~ Ncv-York" % programme of the days
CNerclses- with conlmlttes members. cngrOSsed
documents containing the names Of the Presi-
dent oi tho United States. bls Cabinet and the
local customs officers, and a history Of the new
custom house set of Emitted States coins
newspapers of Yesterday morning and photo
Elaphs ~ the plans of thC new and old custom
houses.
Eailv iD the afternoon this box was let into
a hollow iu fIc centre ~ the stone which Is at
Bowling Grrou and Whitehall The stone it
self was poised over The position 10 which II
40 he lowered later. Back Of 81 a pavilion
had been erected. covered with bunting and
nsgs. About noon five hundred policemen were
placed along thc route Of the parade and about
one hundred iu tho new custom House inclos-
Ure. shortly after thus troops TO take part in
7hc parade began 10 arrive. These were the
ssth 5lst 12Sd and sith companies 81 Coast
Artillery, the 9TH Band of the Artillery Corps,
and two companies Of infantry Of the LIST Bat
Taiion OF Naval Reserves Of this State. and TWO
Eun crews Of the "a Battalion.
Al the Custom House Collector Stranahan
received invited guests At las o'clock
they filed down the steps and except the OH
rers, entered carriages The police had stopped
sTafic in wal-st. some minutes before, and that
Broadway stopped as she parade
rurned into that thoroughfare. The route of the
parade was an wel-st. 10 Trinity Church. 10
the new Custom House
The troNel which Nj Shaw used made
ny TIFFANY. II is or silver. With an ivory handle.
~ was presented 10y Nevada X. Stranahan COL
aector of the Port. and his associates
Mayor Low arrived before the troops did. and
sook his seat the speakers stand shortly
before O'Clock. He was unaccompanied.
The troops stood al order arms throughout
ahe exercises. As they were forming salute
of seventeen suns fred in honor Of the
Secretary OF the Treasury. after which the band
played Hail. Columbia"
Bishop Burgess. Of tho Diocese Of Long Isl
and offered the opening prayer. using the form
prescribed by the Episcopal Church for such /
occasions. Collector strsnshsn introduced the 4
speakers.
Al 21S O'Clock the cornerstone was slowly
lowered 10 its place Secretary Shaw having his
hands the great block of granite. holding I'm
his rgh; hand the silver trowel When It was
sorrectly placed he said.
I pronounce the cornerstone of the Custom /
QiOuse Of the state ~ New York In place ap-
rropriate.
Another salute was fred. and the hand played
~Rsny Round the Flag. Boys"
Secretary shaw was then introduced He
said
u IS eminently proper thar the cornerstone n
1he luited States Custom House about 10 be
erected in The most important commercial city
- the hemisphere should DE laid with fitting
ceremonies. The national as well the inter
nsunnal irnportance 81 the port 81 New York
or, ] might better say the port ~ the United
States located 81 NeW-Nork--is not likely 10 10
overestimated Write its history and You have
Written the history Of tho commerce Or The
To This port eighty million people bring $3.50
tNWWp ~ the surplus product ~ their farms /
sehh"pu or rho surplus from their forestries !
$50 000.050 OF the surplus from their mines and
more than S20e 06o.oj0 Of the surplus Of their
carry inland $500 600 60S ipoTs ana p e9P,e ISe
collector of this port is paid Sl65000000 g. per
'eht ~ The customs duties Of . nation To The 4
NHaNes surrounding this city four thousand 1
vessels engaged i'm foreign commerce annually
re , ueai from Their decks descend more than
,.nL thiioh people. and out from their spacious
Hoias afe unioaded nine million tons Of freight.
Mr.. shaw then spoke oC the national com
meroe. The public revenues" ne declared. are
dependent IN great measure upon our pros
perity." Concluding. he said.
Give us a currency as secure a banking pol
ecy elastic. a system Of weights and meas /
Nues as convenient as cur rivals, give us nom
pafusan supnoft 80 su y measures VIII estab- |
lish lines Of steamship communication with |
countries IN South America, South Africa and
the Islands adjacent give us the isthmian canal, |
snc we ought 10 he hle 10 maintain such rela-
lions 10 the commerce OF the world as Will con-
serve the peace and goodwill of an nations
while we carry beneath every skv a language |
inst ereathes liberty and Patriotism. and the
object lesson OF rag that stands for equal
rights ano Justice according 10 Law.
After tho band had PLAYED The Red White
end Blue" eN-Seoretsrc ~ the Treasury Gage
was introduced. NJ. Gage said in psrt.
peculiar interest ALWAYS attaches TO the Law |
ing ~ "a cornerstone ~ great public edifoe /
p ne cornerstone with this attending ceremonial
particular case n h. something more II Is the |
fnal record of history. IN the historian de- !
l.rVed of all other records. could be told the
Story ~ fhF nli-d states Custom House lis
small beginnings, lts frequent nigratioDs from /
smaller 10 larger quarters. and ats growing ac-
'h1ues. he could cut ~ such material alone |
construct fairly faithful sketch Of our Arneri /
can growth, in population. in commerce and in |
indUstrg. LEI glance al the history
In tho year llsS the customs business Was |
transacted " small ONCE AZ No. 2l5 Water !
81 Prom l7ss 10 1915 The 'tsovernment House"
ar portion of ~. occupied for customs |
purposes. That building stood the site Of
Fort Amsterdam and, strangely enough, after |
the lapse Of nearly hundred years the CTts- !
ION House is coming hack 10 ats own again foy / ,
This building viii occupy the very ground where !
once $1,000 me Government House erected / ,
for but never occupied hy, President Washing / ,
Ton. That building was destroyed b. fire in 1915 /
~. Case then told Of the successive removals
~ the Custom House. 20 no. 20 wall-st 10 M !
snd u wsl-st.. 10 Wall and Nassau SITS ~ |
Nee ~ snd - Cedar-st. supplemented by Nos |
70 and = Pine-st- and back TO Wall and Mas |
Ear SITS the present Sub-Treasury: - the prAs
ent building, bounded by wsil-st. wmiam-st
Hanover-st. ana Exchange Place re con-
unued:
by an act 81 Congress passed in 1891 The Sec
le.ssg ~ oi me treasury was required 10 sell az