The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-04
THE sun. SATURDAY. APRIL 4. ioos.
AWAY WITH THE GAS WORKS.
ALL TO MOVE 70 LAWRENCE
POINT WITHIN TWO YEARS.

Great smokeless, Seetlees, Odorless
Plant to Ne Put Up IN Sections to
hid Manhattan Of Thar Presenoe
Then Wen Get our Gas By Tunnel.
Harrison z. Gswtry. president Of the Con-
solidated Gas Company, announced yester-
day that arrangements had been completed
by which all the gas plants ON Manhattan
Island, scattered along the East River
waterfront from Fourteenth street to Hath
street. and along the North River. from
Eighteenth street TO Forty fourth street.
would be removed within tho next two
years to Lawrence Point on the Long Island
shore Of He'll Gate, about opposite 10th
street. For something more than I'VE years
the company has bean buying land at
Lawrence Point for this purpose. Its last
purchases make. all told, = tract Of 500
acres.
The site selected, which u just at the
turn where He'll Gate meets the East River,
was chosen with special view Of not inter-
fering with the future dock development Of
the city; Except for the small part Of the
company. the shore at that place IL prac-
tically useless for wharves because OF the
swift running tide.
1t is proposed TO erect Q gas works having
q capacity Of 200, 900 900 cubic feet q day.
The plants which are to b removed from
Manhattan Island have combined capacity
OF 5000 900 cubic feet day.
The new plant, on which work viii be
begun at once, will be installed In what the
gas company calls units Of 2o00000o cubic
haitian plant Is developed at Lawrence
Point one will be put out Of commission
The new works viii be free from any of
the features that have made the Manhattan
gas works unpleasant neighbors. The
latest oontriyances for the making Of gas
will be installed and the works, which will
be built Of brick and steel, will be operated
without the triple n,lisances- smoke
and soot--which make old-time gas plants
The gas made at the new works win be
piped TO the tunnel now operated by the
East River Gas Company one Of the sub
Company. and through that to the mains
In Manhattan. The tunnel leaves the Long
Island shore not far from Ravenswood,
where the New Amsterdam plant II located.
That plant will DO operated even After the
Tho Manhattan plants which are to be
abandoned are located along the East
River at the foot Of Fourteenth, Twenty
first, Fortleth. Ninety ninth and Hath
streets and along the Hudson at the foot Of
1kuttcutLy -beCOuQ
streets. They cover about one hundred
acres. or 1 200 city lots. II Il pointed out
that the abandonment of the Manhattan
plants will result in an immediate increase
In the taxable value Of the real estate in the
neighborhood.
Considered as a real estate operation, the
time is we'll chosen for throwing the property
occupied by the various gas-house plants
upon the market. The company win have
no difficulty In disposing OF It's 1900 lots
TO tenement house builders and building
loan operators at prices considerably In
advance Of those which prevailed year
ago.
The enactment Of the present stringent
Tenement House law practically put a
stop to building in the tenement districts
for while Meantime, the foreign immi-
grafton rose to unusual proportions, and
by last fall scarcity Of houses was found
TO exist Since then construction work has
been pushed forward on q large scale In all
the tenement districts In the past three
months plans have been fled with the
Building Department for $50 new tenements.
as against forty In the first quarter Of last
year.
Most Of the land 10 be vacated by the
Consolidated Gas Company IL on the East
River and Is directly In the line OF the present
building movement.