New-York tribune., 1911-11-29
c|TYS FIRST DIRECTORY
Book Published 80 Years Ago
Shows New York'S Growth.

ycrlv city directories oe New York offer
., interesting basis for comparison as TO
,he wonderful growth of the city I'm the
last eighty TO rinety years. These little
hooks with a few thousand names, seem
strange in day when New York has a
roruIation of more than 100000.
The first directory Of the city that seems
10 have met with any success was Long
rorth's. which was first published in 1926.
still Mr.. Bongworth'S lot was not a happy
one. for in an advertisement" in the back
n the second edition. published in 1899. he
tells Of his troubles and complains bitterly
NJ lack Of support from the people OF the
CITY. He speaks of directories published
nv others as far back as 1859. but says thcy
we're failures, all.
The directory Of 1922 Is about seven inches
long. four inches wide and an inch and a
half thick, and contains about twenty-five
thousand names The title page is in
scnbed: "Longworth's Directory for tire
Iifty-fourth Year Of American Independ-
cncc. Published by Thomas Longworth.
No * Pine corner of Nassau street. New
York"
Advertisements werc scarce in those
in the book three on the inside and out
SIDE covers and five distributed over one
~ leaf in front
The first page Of the directory contains
list Of tho Governors. beginning with the
Dutch Governors i'm 162a-Wouter Won
Tvirer William Kieft ard Peter stuy-
vssant-and ending with the state Gov
ernors VI 10 1870 on the next page is the
information that tho President Of the
United states is Andrew Jackson and the
Vice President John g. Calhoun.
The Postoffice was situated In the New
Exchange. IN that part fronting exchange
Place 90 The rates OF postage were quoted
~ the mileage as well as by bulk The
number of sheets" decided whether let
ter. newspaper or periodical. was TO nc
charged for ~ single, double, triple 0,
nuadruple rates II cost six cents to send
single letter Of single sheet Of paper
thirty miles. n cents for eighty miles; lci7
cents for 150 miles. % cents for 900 miles
o. more. Two sheets Of paper doubled
these rates. three sheets tripled them. and
so on. The total number Of city letter car
riers vas eight
The Eastern mail was due and generally
arrived At II T. mn. every day. except sun
day. Mails for Brooklyn, Flstbush. ia
usica and Flushing closed ~ . y. m.
cvery day, except sunday, while the mails
for Hoboken. Ha keusack and other North
ern New Jersey towns closed AZ { u. m
every Monday. Wednesday and Friday.
There were only seventeen banks in the
city. the oldest being the Bank Of New
York. Of No. g. Wall street. which was in
ccrporated in 1871 The only Brooklyn bank
was the Ions Island Bank, INCORPORATED
in 1S9i An told. there were thirty-siN fire.
life and marine insurance companies.
Mayor Walter Bovine was at tho head II
the city government and Richard Riker
was Recorder There were fourteen alder
non. The only mention Of q police depart
reut is the statement that the police
office is I'm tho southwest corner. ground
0oor. OF the city Hall" 40 mention is
made Of a commissioner. chief or other
police head The prisons were the peni-
tertiary. the city prison, at Broadway and
Murray street. and the debtors jail
The directory. proper contains only the
names of individuals and firms. The cor
porstions. institutions. societies or associa-
lions are all in the back Of the volume
Co,tinued on 6ftceptl mage