New-York tribune., 1907-06-26
HIDDEN STREAM FOUND.
HAD SW4MPED FORTUNES.
Noe T7oo-Foot Pipe Makes Safe Old
Epiphany Church Site.

Eegi=r.rg ct about soth street and Fifth avenue
AMI flowing southeast. Is a suhterranean stream
which has caused many real estate operators and
Investors 10 lose large sums, and in some cases
teir entire fortune. in trying divert it from it
course or to stem It's onward march to The Eas5
River.
IL its way 10 the river this stream runs through
the Cd size Of tho Bapis; Church II the Epiphany
at 6i;n street and Madison avenue About SIX
yer. ago Moritz Bauer hought the church prop
cry IIe lost his entire fortune IN that property
because inability get financial assistance
T. carry out his project improve the premises
Tolings made by various prospective buyers OF the
,,ron,rt, rad touched "A mysterious stream of
lsaer and about this wonderful stream
were told and retol9 in realty circles until 1t was
ssid that the stream was almost rs deep ana as
broad IS a river. and that il would cost nanE th"u
sands 10 bridge it over with steel oF concrete 5" as
70 improve the site
10 one seemed To doubt these assertions. Which
,.s,o far fetched Yes. there one person VINO
xl,olgnt the stories exaggerated He was i'onl" NJ
Jones Ito knew the course of many supteIl;iil@eal @
channels Of this city. their depth and width ana
tbe,I cause lie was positive that the stream
which flowed many feet below the street lever 81
Sc old Eniphanv t'prcn site far from being
s. brook rushing madly TO the sea So he honght
th- site. and later transferred me tue 10 ',ie "
sixtv-fourtl Street Company. Wiflch Is E"liE -
erect n ten story elevator apartment house on me
sire 10 cost SS00Go0 T :. Barnes. J.. II. N@hueI
and J. p BHkcrton, jr~ are directors OF tAa' com
pany. --,., ,o.,s,,,. laid for
nil tinle this really buEaboo The stream Is ho' 4"
roaring torrent Nor Is if even a pFooh. II I'm. nm
through the property at a depth ol ip 'ip'ut -.
Teet and is small that two-toot di''ih PIPe va
need in inclosnE il. II took less tllh an i,ou'
Yesterday after the stream when liiu Cauu :,
.ns,,. ..realty wrecks was reached to lnc'oSe II
permanently ,.; .bo o,,artr,cnt
r. ,,se had net the stream al oith Slfc'' a.
-rb.rd avenue While laying There the fouidalion
OF q store building. and the size OF the stream n -
that point led company officials to llihi; Ina @
-bo +ales ahout the bottomlesS stream that HoN'u
through the old Epiphany Church site were uhlIue "
They were of the opinion that me t"o e,.[
were the same and that il was no larger al of',
street and Madison avenue than at 5ith street aIG
Third -,
II Noritz Bauer had known these things he prob
ab,, would be living to-day and would stun be q
prominent figure in the realty market Eut ms
reaIt,- career was wrecked on this riverlet. with,
no greater flow Of water than an ordinary spring
About fifty years ago Bauer amassed fortune
from a series Of realty deals. He then declded TO
retire private life. ,,
the big purchasing movement which spread over
Harlem. He well on in life then. lie Sa"
his realty investments rapidly increase in value.
lie first traded in hathouses. then he planned |"
become a builder Of big apartment houses ne
folrht the old Epiphany Church site and he did
70 With the expectation that the money lenders
would readily help him 10 perfect his plans tAeIe.
Trey had heard The remarkable tall of me
large stream which flowed through the property;
be had yet to hear them. He was unable TO fulhI
his contract and the property was sold
Every cent he had he spent in trying to keep ms
word The loss OF his fortune shattered hlS heaith
End a few years later he died. It said that
lis death was duc To starvation. In few years
fc had lost over $4,000 in realty projects
few years before Bauer was ruin"d by the
Madison avenue riverlet the Lyon brothers lost
many hundred thousands in their efforts 70 stem
the subterranean river that flows through the plot
at the southeast corner OF 59th street ard Sixth
svenue on ehich a big apartment house stands
They tha- apartment house in foreclosure pro-
ccedinEs all because of the Sixth avenue stream.
When he 10 liking for a site in Fifth avenue on
which to buili The late Coils F Huntington looked
Ii; the cid mans Of New York showing all the
surface and supposed underground streams. That
Is why he bought the plot at the southeast corner
Of 57th street and Fifth avenue. II is one Of the
rlotS' in this city.