New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-11-08

only just begun to grow. True. II can
rot take care of its present trade. but
that is because IL persists IN trying to
take care of it 100 the smallest of ITS
boroughs, on Manhattan Island.
Here are the figures: Manhattan mas
42.2 m les OF waterfront, Richmond 81
miles. The Bronx 1875 miles. Queens
1865 miles and Brooklyn LOl.o miles.
Manhattan 70 per cent OF the greater
city's total waterfront is made 10 ham
die a. best il can 81 per cent OF ITS
total shipping.
Greater New York covers am area OF
10000 acres, but the bulk OF ats manu-
featuring is carried on on Manhattan
Island. no uperannuated buildings, and
OvercroW1ci, M ventilated and ursani-
tary lofts. The workers, whom the
hours OF labor and the long distances
otljce 10 live near their places o. era
ployment are packed together % an
extent found nowhere else iu the world.
thus presenting that great problem OF
decent. healthful living with which our
sociologists are 80 deeply concerned.
On the lowest East Side the workers
are crowded together 1000 on an acre.
IL they were evenly distributed over
the area of the greater city, there
would be only three Of them. Ia Bonn
bay, the poor have ample elbow room,
with only 759 to the acre.
While other cities are preparing 20
capture the ocean trade which Man
haitian cannot handle. though greater
New York can; while other cities are
offering 70 industry the facilities which
Manhattan denies them, though
greater New York has undeyeioped
sites and undeveloped waterfront for
them all, the city is dealing in its
usual Indifferent way, with its usual
lack OF public spirit, with project
that would solve all it's commercial
and Industrial needs, and insure the
verication OF the prophecy that by
1850 greater New York will have
passed London as the worlds greatest
city
This is the plan for the conversion
of Jamaica Bav into an auxiliary
harbor The plan is fully explained
in Harry Chase Brcarley's THE Prob
lem of Greater New York" published
under the auspices of the Committee
on Industrial Advancement of the
Brooklyn League New York: The
Search-Light Book Corporation, 100
Fourth av.).
The plan has the approval of the
United States government, which has
already drcdgcd the main channel of
tho bay as far a. Cornell Greek. It
has the approval of the State of New
York, which has ceded to the city all
its rights TO the lands lying in and
about Jamaica Bay; and the govern
ment of greater New York approprl-
ated three years ago Sl,0OO,OOO to be-
gin its own part of the work. The
plans have been completed by expert
engineers and there the matter has
been resting now since 1911.
Jamaica Bay has superhcles of
thirty-two square miles. The indenta-
tons Of its shore line present water
front of more than twenty-five miles.
which, with piers, would mean loo
miles. The bays length from inlet 10
head EQUALS the distance from the Bat
terry to Grants Tomb. Its entrance
is only four miles distant from Am
brose Channel.
Il is perfectly safe landlocked har-
Dor. and offers all the desired facilities
for the coordination of rail and water
transportation. II is easy 20 develop,
and would from the first pay a profit
because Brooklyn and Queens have al
ready crept close 20 IL IN their devel-
opment, and would draw upon 10 large
~ for their needs. A local trade Of
5000, 900 tons annually awaits it from
the start.
The development Of Jamaica Bay will
automatically make sites Tor manutact-
urers seeking waterfront. and FOR work
ingmen's dwellings at low cost iu the
healthful surroundings. There are
5000 acres of unreclaimed land add
jacent to the bay, and the dredging Of
the main channel and the excavation of
the basin will produce several hun
bred acres of made land" in addition,
direct upon navigable water.
According 10 the engineers plans the