The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-15

the site Of one Of the most magnificent
hotels In this city and In the world In
the short time since the property was
purchased, however, doubts Of the elgl-
bility OF the site for such structure
have arisen, and the property still
remains unimproved, though tho inter
est on It's cost must be eating up very
much money.
The march OF Improvement and trans
formation for business purposes has
now stsrted higher up the avenue, and
II seems probable that IL viii not rest
till II reaches Fifty-ninth street, within
comparatively few years. Meanwhile
the whole Of the Murray Hill region Is
likely to undergo a similar change.
The population Of the city Of New York
as q whole il now more than four mil
lions, and il seems to be increasing at a
more rapid rate than In the past decade
| The volume Of immigration 10 this port
is larger than ever. 1t has been more
than 10000 since January, and the new
| arrivals are Of sort Of which a very
great percentage always remains here.
| or course, this increase of population
distributes itself over the different Dor
oughs Of the town, but large part OF
| IL sticks TO Manhattan Island or remains
| on this side OF che East River, in The
Bronx. Already the boroughs Of Man
haitian and The Bronx contain somewhere
about ?, 500, 900 Of inhabitants. In Brook
! Ign there are about ], SOC, 900. and in the
remaining boroughs about 100000. These
are estimates, but the State census OF
this year will soon give US the actual
| enumeration.
! In Manhattan the great bulk Of the
/ people are on the east and west sides Of
the town. On the West Side there are
estimated to be now about 700 900 in the
Assembly districts running from the
Ninth 10 Twenty-third; on the East Side
! below Fourteenth street are about 600 600,
| and above that street about the same
/ number. In the Fifth avenue district, as
it may be called, including the Assembly
| districts from the Fifth TO the Thirty
1 first, the population is only about a
| quarter Of million. In that last region,
| however, is a growing activity Of trade,
! and in a few years its resident popula-
1 ton will be concentrated almost wholly
in large apartment houses and hotels.
These. together with places for business,
will be substituted for the private dwell
| ings in the Murray Hill region. Every
where on Manhattan Island the number Of
| private dwellings now built is so small as
TO be almost a negligible quantity.
The crowding Of population In the
lower districts Of the town is already so
great that it cannot go much further, and
the coming distribution Of population
will need be 10 the north Of Manhattan,
TO The Bronx, to Brooklyn and the other
| boroughs. Central Park, as we have
pointed out before, is now in the center Of
the populous area Of Manhattan, a region,
too, which is becoming the seat Of great
and varied business activity, and, fortu-
nately, a large and increasing part Of
those inhabitants have both their work
and their residence there. This helps
20 relieve the crowding in the end Of the
island below the City Hall now so great
that II it should become much more
dense the streets would be choked with
people at the times Of their going to or
returning from work or at their lunch
hour. The roadway as well as the pave
ments Of Nassau street, for example, are
now scarcely able to accommodate the
crowds at those hours.
DR.. WALTER LAIDLAw has predicted,
10
1920 will be the largest city in the world.
That means the addition OF millions
more Of inhabitants. Manhattan Island
from end 70 end and The Bronx to the
northward will be densely populated.
It is questionable, however, II eventually
population OF the sort which has occu-
pied and now occupies Murray Hill will
not be driven of the island to find private
residences.
What is the lesson Of all this? II is that
Central Park, described by Mr.. ROBERT
B. ROOSEVELT contemptuously as will
derness slapped down into the middle
Of the city, cutting Of the East Side from
the West Side, will become m ore and more
a necessity TO the crowded inhabitants
Of Manhattan as a breathing place and
as an abode Of natural beauty, enhanced
by the art OF the landscape gardener. For
the very reason that Mr.. ROOSEVELT
condemns the park, because 1t is a will
derness- in the midst Of the most crowded
and the busiest city Of the world, its
steadfast preservation against such as
saults as his will be an obligation Of the
civilization of New York.