Greater New York With Maps Issued fcy Wat jbjmxng f o§l Price 35 Cents iEx SItbrts SEYMOUR DURST ~t ' 'Tort nlvutv ts4rn/te.rd&m, ojj> Je lAanhatanj 'When you leave, please leave this book Because it has been said " Ever'thinQ comes t' him who waits Except a loaned book." Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library Gift of Seymour B. Durst Old York Library Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/greaternewyorkitOOdurs f betting fogs! Map of the Borough of Manhattan. Greater New York Its Government, Financial Institutions, Transportation Facilities And Chronology INCLUDING MAPS OF Greater New York AND THE Borough of Manhattan Copyrighted 1898, by THE EVENING POST PUBLISHING CO. NEW YORK 123. Mi GREATER NEW YORK The following articles are selected from a large num- ber of similar compilations which were published in a "Greater New York Supplement" by the Evening Post at the end of the year. They were designed to accompany the maps which were presented to the readers of the paper on the occasion of the new city's birth, and are now reproduced in pamphlet form because the original edition is out of print. GOVERNMENT OF THE CITY. Mayor Van Wyck will hold office for four years, and his salary will be $15,000. He will have, during the first six months of his term, power to remove all heads of departments, except members of the Board of Education, and to appoint men of his own choice in their places. He will have between forty and fifty salaried offices to fill, the aggregate salaries of which will amount to about half a million dollars. Following is a list of the ap- pointments which he has thus far made to the chief of- fices: CORPORATION COUNSEL. Term years. Salary. John Whulen 4 $15,0.0 CITY CHAMBERLAIN. Patrick Keenan 4 12,000 BOARD OF PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS. President, Maurice F. Holahan 6 8,000 Commissioner of Water Supply, William Dalton. 6 7,500 Commissioner of Highways, James P. Keating.. 6 7,500 Commissioner of Street-Cleaning, James Mc- Cartney 6 7,500 Commissioner of Sewers, James Kane 6 7,500 Commissioner of Public Buildings, Lighting, and Supplies, Henry S. Kearny 6 7,500 Commissioner of Bridges, John L. Shea 6 7,500 4 GREATER NEW;YORK POLICE COMMISSIONERS. Term Years Salary President. Bernard J. York 4 5,000 Treasurer, Tho?uas L. Hamilton, 3 5,000 John B. Sexton 2 5,000 William E. Phillips 1 5,000 DOCK COMMISSIONERS. President, J. Sergeant Cram 4 0,000 Peter F. Meyer 6 5,000 Charles F. Murphy 2 5,000 DEPARTMENT OF PARKS. President and Commissioner in Manhattan and Richmond, George C. Clausen 4 5,000 Commissioner in Brooklyn and Queens, George V. Brower 6 5,000 Commissioner in the Bronx, August Moebus. . 2 5,000 DEPARTMENT OF CHARITIES. President and Commissioner in Manhattan and the Bronx, John W. Kellar 6 7,500 Commissioner in Brooklyn and Queens, Adolph S mis, jr 4 7,500 Commissioner in Richmond, John Feeny 2 2,500 COMMISSIONER OF CORRECTION. Francis J. Lantry 6 7,500 DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. President, Nathan Straus 2 7,500 Dr. William T. Jenkins 6 6,000 Dr. John B. Ccsby 4 6,000 DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS. President and Commissioner in Manhattan and the Bronx, Thomas J. Brady 6 7,000 Commissioner in Brooklyn, Daniel Ryan 4 7,000 Commissioner in Richmond and Queens, Daniel Campbell 2 3,500 FIRE COMMISSIONER. John J. Scannell 6 7,500 BOARD OF TAXES AND ASSESSMENT. President, Thomas L. Feitner 6 8,000 Commissioner, Edward C. Sheehy 4 7,000 Commissioner, Arthur C. Salmon 1 7,000 Commissioner, Thomas J. Patterson 3 7,000 Commissioner, William Grell 2 7,000 BOARD OF ASSESSORS. Edward Cahill Indef. 3,000 Thomas A. Wilson Indef. 3,000 John Delmar Indef. 3,000 Edward McCue Indef. 3,000 Patrick M. Haverty Indef. 3,000 GREATER NEW YORK 5 COMMISSIONERS OF ACCOUNTS. Term Years Salary John C. Hertle Indef. 5,000 Edward Owen Indef. 5,000 COMMISSIONER OF JURORS FOR MANHATTAN AND BRONX. John Purcell Indef. 5,000 BUREAU OF MUNICIPAL STATISTICS. Chief, Dr. John T. Nagle 4 3.500 Commissioner Thornton N. Motley Indef. No salary Frederick A. Grube Indef. No salary Jules C. Kugelmau Indef. No salary Richard T. Wilson, jr Indef. No salary Henry Payne Whitney Indef. No salary CIVIL-SERVICE COMMISSIONERS. Charles H. Knox Indef. No salary Robert E. Deyo Indef. No salary William N. Dykman Indef. No salary AQUEDUCT COMMISSIONERS. P. J. Dooley Till 1901 5,000 Maurice J. Power Till 1901 5,000 Charles H. Murray Till 1901 5,000 William H. Ten Eyck Till 1901 5,000 These Commissioners were appointed by the Mayor, on an opinion by the Corporation Counsel that he had the power to remove four others who were in office in order to create vacancies. This question is to be contested in the courts by the removed Commissioners. MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY. The Municipal Assembly is composed of two houses — the Council and the Board of Aldermen. The Council contains twenty-nine members, term four years, one of whom (its President) is chosen on a general ticket by the whole city, salary $5,000; twenty-eight by districts, salary $1,500. The Board of Aldermen contains sixty members, elected for two years, salary $1,000. The Al- dermen have elected P. J. Scully City Clerk, term six years, salary $6,000 a year. The President of the Coun- cil acts as Mayor during absence of the latter, or in case of a vacancy; but he cannot appoint or remove any one unless the Mayor shall be absent ten days, nor sign any ordinance or resolution until he has been absent nine days. Any ex- Mayor of the new city may sit in the Coun- cil, so long as he resides in the city, but he cannot vote 6 GREATER NEW YORK Any head of an administrative department may sit in ihe Board of Aldermen, and may take pait in debate, but cannot vote. The following is a full list of the members of the new Municipal Assembly, with the politics of each: Council. President, Randolph Guggenheimer, Tarn. BOROUGHS OF MANHATTAN AND THE BRONX. Dist. 1. Thomas F. Foley, Tarn. John T. Oakley, Tarn. Martin Engel, Tarn. 2. Frank J. Goodwin, Tarn. Charles F. Allen, Tarn. Patrick J. Ryder, Tarn. 3. Harry C. Hart, Tarn. George B. Christman, Tarn. Dist. John J. Murphy, Tarn. 4. Eugene A. Wise, Tarn. Stewart M. Brice, Tarn. Herman Sulzer, Tarn. 5. Wm. J. Hyland, Tarn. A. C. Hottenroth, Tarn. Bernard C. Murray, Tarn. BOROUGH OF BROOKLYN. Dist. C. H. Ebbets, Dem. 8. J. J. McGarry, Dem. W. A. Doyle, Dem. M. F. Conley, Dem. Dist. 6. F. F. Williams, R. & C. U. C. H. Francisco, R. & 0. U. C. H. Hester, D. 7. A. H. Leich, R. & C. U. H. French, Dem. BOROUGH OF QUEENS. Dist. I Dist. 9. D. L. Van Nostrand, Dera. I 9. J. Cassidy, Dem. BOROUGH OF RICHMOND. Dist. I Dist. 10. J. F. O'Grady, Dem. | 10. B. J. Bodine, Dem. Tammany 16 Democrats 10 Republicans and Citizens' Union 3 Total 29 Board of Aldermen. President, Thomas BOROUGHS OF MANH Dist. 1. Jere. Kennefick, Tarn. 2. Jeremiah Cronin, Tarn. 3. Joseph E. Welling, Tarn 4. Bernard Glick, Tarn. 5. J. A. Flinn, Tam. 6. F. F. Fleck, Tam. 7. P. H. Keahon, Tam. 8. Louis Minsky, Tam. 9. Henry Siefke, Tam. 10. J. P. Kock, Tam. F. Wood, Tam. ATTAN AND BRONX. Dist. 11. W. H. Gledhill, Tam. 12. J. J. Smith, Tam. 13. Charles Metzger, Tam. 14. J. P. Hart, Tam. 15. Robert Muh, Tam. 16. Emil Neufeld, Tam. 17. D. J. Harrington, Tam. 18. J. E. Gaffney, Tam. 19. J. J. Geagan, Tam. 20. T. F. Woods, Tam. GREATER NEW YORK 7 21. J. S. Roddy, Tam. 22. Michael Ledwith, T, 23. Collin H. Wood ward, R.&C. 24. Frank Dunn. Tam. 25. P. T. Sherman, C. U. 26. E. F. MeEneany, Tam. 27. Jos. Oatman, C. U. 28. J. T. McCall, Tam. BOROUGH Dist. 1. John L. Burleigh, Rep. 2. James P. Bridges, Dem. 3. Moses J. Wafer, Dem. 4. D. S. Stewart, Rep. 5. J. F. Elliott, Dem. 6. John Diemer, Rep. 7. Willbim Keegan, Dem. 8. F. P. Kenny, Dem. 9. Frank Flenne^sy, Dem. 10. Francis J. Bryne, Dem. 11. S. W. McKeever, Dem. 29. Homer Folks, C. U. & N. D. 30. G. A. Burrell, Tam. U. 31. Elias Goodman, Rep. 32. W. F. Schneider, Tam. 33. T. F. McCaul, Tam. 34. L. W. McGrath, Tam. 35. Henry Geiger, Tam. Annexed District, Frank Gass,T. OF BROOKLYN. Dist. 12. M. E. Dooley, Dem. 13. Hector McNeile, Rep. 14. E. ' S. Scott, Dem. 15. J. V. Velton, Dem. 16. William Wentz. Rep. 17. J. D. Ackerman, Rep. 18. J. H. Mclnnes, Rep. 19. Bernard Schmitt, Dem. 20. John T. Lang, Dem. 21. Elias Helgans, Dem. BOROUGH OF QUEENS. Joseph Geiser, Dem. William T. James, Rep. BOROUGH OF RICHMOND. John J. Vaughan, jr., Dem. Tammany 31 Democrats 16 Republicans 9 Citizens' Union 2 Citizens* Union and Republican 1 Citizens' Union and Democrat 1 Total 60 The Boroughs, The new city will he divided into five horoughs, de- signated as Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Richmond. The Borough of Manhattan comprises that portion of the present city of New York known as Manhat- tan Island, Governor's Island, Bed'ow's Island, Ellis Island, the Oyster Islands, together with Blackwell's Island, Ran- dall's Island, and Ward's Island in the East and Harlem Rivers. The Borough of Bronx comprises all that portion of the city of New York lying northerly and easterly of the Borough of Manhattan, between the Hudson and East Rivers and Long Island Sound, and including the several islands belonging to the municipal corporation of New York not included in the Borough of Manhattan. The 8 GREATER NEW YORK Borough> of Brooklyn comprises that portion now known as the city of Brooklyn. The Borough of Queens com- prises that portion of Queens County included in the city of New York— that is, Flushing, part of Hempstead, Jamaica, Jamaica Bay, Long Island City, and Newtown. The Borough of Richmond comprises the territory known as Richmond County, or Staten Island. Each borough has a President, chosen for four years, at the last election, as follows: Salary. Manhattan, Augugstus W. Peters, Tarn $5,000 Bronx, Louis F. Haffen, Tam 5.000 Brooklyn, Edward M. Grout, Dem 5,000 Queens, Frederick Bowley, Dem 3,000 Ricbmond, George Cromwell, Rep 3.000 The chief function of the Borough Presidents is to preside over the meetings of the various local boards of the borough. There will be a local Board of Public Im- provements in each of the twenty-two Senate districts or parts thereof comprised io the city. Each local board will consist of the President of the borough wherein the dis- trict is situated, by virtue of his office, and of each mem- ber of the .Municipal Assembly who is a resident of such local-improvement district, by virtue of his office, and during his term of office. The jurisdiction of each local board is confined to the district for which it is constituted, and to those subjects or matters the costs and expenses whereof are in whole or in part a charge upon the people oi property of the district or a part thereof, except where jurisdiction over such matters is given to some other branch of the local administration. Subject to this exception, and any other restrictions provided by the charter, a local board is to have power in all cases where the cost of an improvement is to be met in whole or in part by assess- ments upon the property benefited, to recommend that proceedings be initiated to open, close, extend, widen, grade, pave, regrade, repave, and repair the streets, ave- nues, and public places, and to construct lateral sewers within the district; to flag or reflag, curb or re- curb the sidewalks, and to relay cross-walks on such streets and avenues; to set or reset street lamps, and to provide signs designating the names of the streets. A local board is, further, to have power to hear complaints of greater;kew york 9 nuisances in streets or avenues, or against disorderly houses, drinking-saloons, gambling-houses, or other mat- ters or things concerning the peace, comfort, order, and good government respecting any neighborhood within the district, or concerning the condition of the poor within the district, and to pass such resolutions concerning the same as may not be inconsistent with the powers of the Municipal Assembly or of the administrative departments of the city. Every resolution of the local boards must be submitted to the Mayor for his approval. Board of Public Improvements, A novel and important feature of the new charter is the Board of Public Improvements, which is composed of a President, appointed by the Mayor, salary $8,000; the Commissioner of Water Supply, the Commissioner of High- ways, the Commissioner of Street Cleaning, the Commis- sioner of Sewers, the Commissioner of Public Buildings, Lighting and Supplies, the Commissioner of Bridges, the Mayor, the Corporation Counsel, and the five Borough Presidents. This body will have power to authorize and execute all public improvements, subject to the concur- rent approval of the Municipal Assembly and the local boards. It will have power also to veto any improvement schemes approved by either the local boards or the Mu- nicipal Assembly. It must meet at least once a week, In such place as the Municipal Assembly shall provide. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. The oldest commercial institution in this city is the New York Chamber of Commerce, which resulted from a meeting of twenty merchants in Faunce's tavern on April 5, 17G8. A charter was obtained from King George through Gov. Colden, dated March 13, 1770, the Chamber, therefore, really antedating the establishment of the repub- lic. The first President was John Cruger, a prominent shipowner, a trusted representative of the Crown, and Mayor of the city for ten years. The Chamber's meetings were suspended during the Revolutionary war, but if was reincorporated by a special act of the New York Le- gislature April 13, 1784, and was reorganized April 20, 1784, 10 GREATER NEW YORK by the forty corporators mentioned therein, with John Al- sop as its President. To the Chamber of Commerce be- longs the credit of first suggesting the construction of the Erie Canal, and in all matters pertaining to the com- mercial prosperity and welfare of this city and country it is always found in the lead. It has collected and dis- tributed more than $2,000,000 for charity, and, as was said at one of its recent annual meetings by its then President, Charles Stewart Smith, it matters not what political party holds the reins of government, the Chamber is bound by tradition and precedent, in all matters of state and na- tional legislative relations to commerce and industry, to promote good laws, to amend imperfect laws, and to defeat bad ones. From twenty members at the time of its or- gan i r /ation, the Chamber's membership roll has grown to 1,250 at the present time. Alexander E. Orr is the present President of the Chamber, and George Wilson is serving his fortieth year as Secretary. The Chamber's well-known portrait gallery contains portraits of all the early Presi- dents of the Chamber except three, besides the portraits of 153 of former well-known members, the leading mer- chants of this city in their day. MOVEMENT OP POPULATION. From before the time when the City Fathers turned the cheaper brown-stone side of the city's hall towards the field ?nd pastures above Chambers Street, thinking that no bovine dweller therein would ever feel the slight which has become a byword for short-sightedness, when a Luthe- ran church, though in deep straits, rejected a gift of six acres in the vicinity of Canal Street and Broadway, because the land was not worth fencing, and capitalists condemned as visionary a plan to preserve the Collect Pond and sur- round it with a park, the march of population, like that of business, has been northward, veering first east and then west; not of the diurnal throng which pours over the rivers from Brooklyn and Hoboken and Hackensack to vend its wares or its wits in Manhattan markets, content that the market is there and satisfied to live elsewhere, but of those to whom belonged the honor of forming part of that last GREATER NEW YORK 11 member of the ancient city corporation, the "commonalty" of the city of New York. The movement may be traced curiously in the history of the ward lines, the location of which was the result of the shifting and growth of the city's population. The Mont- gomery charter in 1730 divided Manhattan Island into seven wards. Six of these lay below what is now Canal Street, and the other, the Out Ward, took in the rest of the island. The boundaries of the first five wards, the city of colony times, were laid down in 1791, and remain the same to this day. The growing ward was then the Sixth, which included the region between Broadway, Park Row, and the Bowery, as far north as Houston Street. In ten years the principle of equal representation in Aldermen required the creation of two new wards. The city was filling up between Canal and Houston Streets, the Bowery, and the North River, and the Eighth Ward was formed. For Greenwich village and the growing country northward the Ninth Ward was laid out. This was in 1801. From the First, or Dock Ward, the population had spread on the east side as far as the "Swamp," then a'ong the North River as far as the Lispenard Meadows. Then the current set easterly toward Corlears Hook after the filling of the Collect Pond, and westerly again when the old canal which ran across the city was filled up. By 1808 the tide of settlement along the East River bank had been such that the territory between Catharine and Division and Grand Streets and the river was erected into a new ward, the Seventh, which stands to this day. To such small limits had the original Out Ward been reduced. By 182b the march northward had been such that the "Out Ward," the Twelfth it was then, began at Fourteenth Street. The Tenth Ward of that time, which lay between the Bowery and the East River and Division, Grand, and Rivington Streets, was about as thickly settled as the Eighth, which lay on the opposite side of the island, and more thickly than tte Ninth, which expended between Houston and Four- teenth Streets, from the North River to the Bowery and Fourth Avenue, and the Eleventh, which lay between the tame streets and extended from the Bowery to the East River. By 1837 the Thirteenth Ward had been cut from the Tenth, and the Fourteenth from the Eighth in 1827, the 12 GREATER NEW YORK Fifteenth from the Ninth in 1832, and the Seventeenth from the Eleventh in 1837. After that year no changes in ward lines were made below Fourteenth Street. The partitioning of the Out Ward still went on, however. The Sixteenth Ward, on the west side, was formed from the Twelfth in 1835, and the Eighteenth, on the east, ten years later. These two, which now include the part of the island be- tween Fourteenth and Twenty-sixth Streets, at fi st extend- ed to Fortieth Street from Fourteenth, on the east and west sides. The region between Fortieth and Eighty-sixth Streets was next made the Nineteenth Ward; in 1850 the Twentieth Ward was made by cutting the Sixteenth at Twenty-sixth Street, and in 1853 the Eighteenth was cut at Twenty-sixth Street to form the Twenty-first, and the Nineteenth was split from north to south to form the Twen- ty-second on the west side. After the southerly line of the "Out Waid" had thus been pushed north to Eighty-sixth Street, the political functions of the ward lines by degrees grew obsolete, and no more divisions were made. In 1860 the centre of gravity of the population of Man- hattan Island was on Eighteenth Street, half way between Broadway and Fifth Avenue. Between 1860 and 1870 it moved five blocks north to the corner of Twenty-third Street and Fourth Avenue. By 18b0 it was seven blocks further up town, on Thirtieth Street, east of Madison Ave- nue. During the next ten years it jumped a mile to the north, to Madison Avenue half way between Fiftieth and and Fifty-seventh Streets. In 1860 the island above EigLty- sixth Street contained five inhabitants to the acre, and be- tween Fortieth and Eighty-sixth Streets about thirty inha- bitants to the acre. The west half Gf this section was twice as thickly settled as the east. Between Fourteenth and Fortieth Streets the west side was the more populous. The Twentieth Ward (between Twenty-sixth and Fortieth Streets on the west) had 152 inhabitants to t he acre, and the Twenty-first, lying on the east side, between the same streets, had 119. The Mulberry Bend and Five Points Ward (the Sixth) was the most densely populated, with 310 people to the acre, although the Eleventh and Thirteenth (between Grand and Fourteenth Streets, the Bowery, and the East River) had each over 300. Next came the Tenth, with 272, the Fourth, with 264, and the Seventeenth, with GREATER NEW YORK 13 220. The depopulation of the dry-goods district was well under way, for the Second and Third Wards contained about thirty-five inhabitants to the acre, although the First, or all the island below Liberty Street and Maiden Lane., had 117. The fluctuation of population in the First Ward is curi- ous. By 1870 it fell to 03, went back to 110 in 1380, and in 1890 fell to 72. On the other h?nd the density of the Twelfth Ward went to 8 dwellers per acre in 1870, to 14 in 1880, and 44 in 1890. In the region between Fortieth and Eighty-sixth Streets the east side has grown faster than the west. The density of the Twenty-second Ward was 46 in 1870, 73 in 1880, and 100 in 1890; while its neighbor on the east, the Nineteenth, went to 58 in 1870, to 106 in 1880, and 152 in 1890. Between Fourteenth and Fortieth Streets, however, the west side has filled up more rapidly. The Hell's Kitchen Ward, the Twentieth, went to 169 per acre in 1870, to 193 in 1880, and fell to 189 in 1890. The Eigh- teenth Ward, on the east side, between Fourteenth and Twenty-sixth, went by decades to 132, to 148, to 140. Prosperity among the Irish and migration up town caused a falling off in the Sixth Ward to 246 in 1870 and 233 in 1880, but the coming of the Italians brought it back to 268 in 1890. In 1870 the population had gathered most densely in the Tenth, Eleventh, and Thirteenth Wards, with an average of 350 to the acre, in that part of the city bounded by the East River, Fourteenth Street, Avenue B, Rivington Street, the Bowery, and Division and Grand Streets. About this was a region of sub-density, composed of the Fourth. Sixth, Seventh, Fourteenth, and Seventeenth Wards, where the population varied from 226 to 288 per acre. By 1880 the Polack arrived and pushed the Tenth Ward to a bad eminence of over 400 to the acre, which increased to 532 in 1890. In 1880 the overflow from the Tenth had spread east into the Thirteenth, and on the north in the Ele- venth and Seventeenth to Fourteenth Street, the first hav- ing 352 and the second 350 to the acre. By 1890 the over- flow to the Thirteenth had raised its density to 430, while the Eleventh, Fourteenth, and Seventeenth Wards lost in density. Between 1870 and 1890 the region of sub-density in the Fourth, Sixth, and Seventh Wards about held its own. 1 1 GREATER NEW YORK According to the census of 1890 the most thinly settled part of the inland was the Second Ward, lying between Broadway, Maiden Lane, the East River, and Peck Slip. It had eleven inhabitants to the acre. Across the Harlem the immense Twenty-third Ward had 12 to the acre, although the Twenty-fourth had only two. THE BANKS OF NKW YORK. At the adoption of the federal constitution New York was a city of 24,000 inhabitants, which did not have within its limits a single banking institution. In the colonial days, indeed, the term "bank" was commonly used to designate the financial department of a colony's government in its capacity as issuer of paper money. Robert Morris's Bank of North America, founded at Philadelphia at the close of 17S1, was the first distinctive banking institution char- tered on this continent, and the Bank of New York, which broke ground in New York city, was chartered only after a ten-year interval. Hamilton, still a young man of thirty-four, but under- taking even then the reconstruction of American national finance, was the founder of this institution. In the decade after 1791 only two banks had been added in New York, and one of these was established as a political manoeuvre. To offset Hamilton's Bank of New Yoik,his bitter enemy, Aaron Burr, undertook to establish a rival institution. He lobbied through the Legislature a charter originally as unlimited as that of the British East India Company, and this was the origin of the Bank of the Manhattan Company. Even th's institution began as a company to supply water to the city; its active work in banking was chiefly an afterthought. At the outbreak of the war of 1812, eight banks were in operation in New York; of the banks now in existence, the Bank of America, the Mechanics' Bank, the City Bank, and the Phenix Bank were chartered during or immediate- ly before that year. Despite the severe financial depres- sion during the ten or twelve years after that war, the organization of New York banks continued, the Chemical and Tradesmen's Banks being among the number added to the list at that period, with the Dry Dock Bank, which en- GREATER NEW YORK 15 joyed a short but prosperous existence, until it led the way for the general banking collapse in the crash of 1837. It is worth noticing, as an index to the life of American bank- ing institutions, that of the sixteen banks doing business in New York in 1830, only nine survive to-day; one of the nine, the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company, having virtually withdrawn from the field of banking. The panic of 1837 was really started among the New York banks, which had been liberally favored with gov- ernment deposits after Jackson's violent withdrawal of such accounts from the Bank of the United States. The New York banks had not led in the wild speculation of the period in Western lands and prcduce, but they had backed up many of the mushroom interior institutions, and there- fore had to face the music on their own account when the government suddenly called for return of its deposits for transfer, under the act of 1836, to the treasuries of the states. In the next serious panic — that of 1857 — the greatly in- creased strength of the New York institutions was plainly manifested. The storm centre of that year was not in New York, but in Ohio. In 1857, indeed, the New York city banks first played the part which since then has been regularly expected from them: to sustain by use of their joint resources the tottering structure of American credit. The famous system of clearing-house loan certificates, a New York invention, and a purely American institution, was virtually introduced in 1857, when the clearing-house issued through the Metropolitan Bank certificates of credit to other state banks which could not redeem their notes. The action of the New York banks at the outbreak of the civil war was less creditable. If a thoroughly expe- rienced financier had been at the head of the national Treasury, and if the New York banks had been under the influence of the men who controlled their united policy in 1873 and 1893, it is possible that suspension of specie pay- ments might have been warded off. But, as it happened, the New York banks were the first to surrender, and their joint resolution of December 30, 1861, suspending specie payments on their own account, really forced the hand of the government. When, however, the question of resumption of specie 16 GREATER NEW YORK payments arose, fifteen years later, the New York banks were the most efficient agents of the government. Under the national banking system, and with the rapid increase of capital and population after the civil war, the number of New York banks had been greatly enlarged; without their aid, it is doubtful if resumption in 1879 could have been achieved. It certainly could not have been otherwise achieved on Secretary Sherman's plan, which was assured of success only when, after all other preliminaries were completed, the United States Sub-Treasury was admitted to the privileges of the New York clearing-house. This ar- rangement, with the voluntary abolition of special gold accounts by the banks in December, 1878, made possible the free exchange of gold and United States notes at par between the Treasury and the business community. The services rendered by the New York banks to the country at large in the panics of 1884, of 1890, and of 1893, are matters of recent history. The management of the joint resources of the clearing-house' banks, four years ago,bythe specially appointed loan committee — F. D. Tar pen, J. Edward Simmons, William A. Nash, Henry W. Gannon, Edward H. Perkins, jr., and Geo. G. Williams — deserves a place in the literature of scientific banking. Their ready return of deposited reserves to embarrassed interior insti- tutions and their liberal rediscounting of interior paper, undoubtedly saved the West and South from complete wreck of credit. Their prompt use of the loan-certificate device, with rates on loans to outsiders properly fixed at a high figure, sustained the local business com- munity. When, in the worst of the panic months, some of the city banks lost heart and suspended cash payments to depositors, the immediate use of the loan certificates by three strong institutions to furnish sterling credits broke the deadlock in foreign exchange and filled the empty channels of domestic trade with foreign gold. With equal- ly competent management, and with the experience of 1893 to guide them, the New York banks will possibly, in the next emergency, be able, like the Bank of England in 1890, not only to allay panic, but tc prevent it. That the inhabitants of the enlarged city, the Greater New York, will not lack banking facilities can be very easily demonstrated. Proportionately they will be better GREATER NEW YORK 17 off in that respect possibly than the people of the old New York were in the closing days of the last century, when the Bank of New York and the Manhattan Bank were the only institutions of the sort in existence. In those days, and for some time afterwards, the banks were not "rushed" as they are now. They used to close up for an hour in the middle of the day for dinner, and do other things which would seem very strange to the people of the present day. During the cholera scare in this city early in the present century, the banks moved up to what was then called Greenwich village, and did business there until the disease was stamped out. It was in that way that Bank Street got its name. To illustrate what the banking facilities of the Greater New York will be at its inauguration, it may be stated that on January 1, 1898, according to the latest reports available at the Clearing-house, there will be sixty-four associated banks in this city, having a combined capital and surplus amounting to $133,200,000, with deposits aggregating $669,- 000,000, leans of $610,000,000, and they will have in their vaults a cash reserve of more than $100,000,000 of gold and $75,000,000 of United States currency. These banks, how- ever, will only represent a part of the banking facilities of the new city. Besides the associated or Clearing-house banks, there are some fifty other banks in this city, Brook- lyn, and Long Island City, whose combined capital and sur- plus is $14,000,000, and which have deposits aggregating more than $55,000,000, and whose loans exceed $50,000,000. But that is not all. In addition to the banks there are in this city eighteen trust coirpsnies that also do a banking business, whose capital and surplus amount to more than $60,000,000, and which have deposits aggregating more than $250,000,000. It can readily be seen, therefore, that the residents of the Greater New York will not lack banking facilities, and that compared to their predecessors of a century ago, or even of half a century ago, they will be quite well off in that respect. Fifty years ago there was no clearing-house in this city, and a few words about that institution will not be inappropriate. Although a purely voluntary association, that is, an institution without a charter of any sort, and unincorpo- rated, the Clearing-house Association is said to be inhe- is GREATER NEW YORK rently the strongest financial institution in the world. In it are combined all the resources of the New York banks, united in times of panic as one bank, and practically, as was seen as recently as in the panic of 1893, the represen- tative and corner-stone of all the banks of the United States. The New York Clearing-house was established October 11, 1853. Twenty years before that Albert Gallatin, the founder and President of the Gallatin National Bank, had, with the foresight for which he was famous, pointed out the necessity for such an institution, and had outlined the plan for thus easily effecting exchanges between the banks. The business of the first Clearing-house was car- ried on at No. 14 Wall Street. Afterwards the association moved to No. 82 Broadway, about the site of the present Union Trust building, then occupied by the American Ex- press Company. From there the association migrated to the corner of Wall and William Streets, where it transact- ed business on the upper floor of the building of the Bank of America. In 1875 the association moved to its own building at Pine and Nassau Streets, now occupied by the new building of the Western National Bank. It remained there until it moved (January, 1896) to its present mag- nificent building in Cedar Street, which is conceded to be by far the handsomest clearing-house building in the world. In all those forty-four years of its existence there have been, including the present one, but three managers of the Clearing-house — George D. Lyman, William A. Camp, and William Sherer. There is now also an assistant ma- nager, William J. Gilpin. When the Clearing-house Association was organized it consisted of fifty-two banks, that had a combined capital and surplus of $49,000,000, and deposits aggregating $39,- 000,000. Their loans were $97,000,000, and their cash on hand (gold) amounted to $9,700,000. There were no gov- ernment notes then. The banks had outstanding, however, their own notes, amounting to $9,500,000. Compared with the present day, when one bank in the association (Na- tional City Bank) has alone, according to its last sworn re- port, deposits exceeding $100,000,000, those figures seem small; but they were then considered enormous, and, com- pared with the figures of fifty years prior thereto, when the Bank of New York kept its accounts in pounds, shil- GREATER NEW YORK 19 lings, and pence, and a day's deposits sometimes amounted only to a few pounds sterling, they undoubtedly were very large. During the first year of its existence the total clear- ings for the year were $5,750,455,987.06, and the average daily clearings $19,140,504.94. Now the daily clearings some- times approach very closely to the $200,000,000 mark; and prior to the establishment of the Stock Exchange clearing- house they often exceeded that sum, one day reaching as high as $288,555,981.58. The average daily clearings for the forty-four years of the association's existence have been $84,127,115.69. Besides the forty-five national banks and nineteen state banks composing the association, and which make their exchanges at the clearing-house, there are seventy-seven banks and trust companies, not mem- bers, which make their exchanges through the associated banks. The Assistant United States Treasurer at New York also makes exchange at the clearing-house with the banks, having all the privileges of membership without re- sponsibility as such. Thomas Tileston, then President of the Phenix Bank, was the first chairman of the Clearing- house. The title of the chief executive officer has since been changed to President, and the present occupant of the office is J. Edward Simmons, President of the Fourth Na- tional Bank. The present Clearing-house executive com- mittee consists of Frederick D. Tappen, President of the Gallatin National Bank, chairman; R. M. Galloway, Presi- dent of the Merchants' National Bank; William A. Nash, President of the Corn Exchange Bank; George G. Williams, President of the Chemical National Bank, and James Still- man, President of the National City Bank. What the banks of this city have done for the country in times of panic and other emergencies, notably during the war of the Rebellion, has already been pointed out. Naturally, by reason of their enforced relations with the United States Treasury, the banks are always in close touch with the financial interests of the government; but in addition to that, they may be said to have had a close personal connection with the government from the time of Alexander Hamilton to the present. Albert Gallatin was Secretary of the Treasury under Presidents Jefferson and Madison; a Chicago bank president is now Secretary of the Treasury (New York bankers were largely instrumental in 20 GREATER NEW YORK his being selected for the office), and a New York bank director, Cornelius N. Bliss, is Secretary of the Interior. Other instances might be cited. In addition to these con- nections with the government, it is also notable that many- former Treasury officials are now at the head of large financial institutions in this city. Henry W. Cannon, ex- Comptroller of the Currency, is President of the Chase Na- tional Bank. A. B. Hepburn, another ex-Comptroller of the Currency, is Vice-President of the National City Bank. William L. Trenholm, still another ex-Comptroller of the Currency, is President of the American Surety Company. John Jay Knox, for twelve years Comptroller of the Cur- rency, was President of the Bank of the Republic. E. O. Leech, formerly Director of the Mint, is cashier of the Na- tional Union Bank. Thomas "L. James, formerly Postmas- ter-General, is President of the Lincoln National Bank. Oliver Wolcott, an ex-Secretary of the Treasury, was the first President of the Bank of America, and also of the Merchants' Bank. William Sherer, manager of the Clear- ing-house, was for many years cashier of the United States Sub-Treasury in this city. On the other hand, Conrad N. Jordan, the Assistant United States Treasurer, and former- ly Treasurer of the United States, was formerly President of the Western National Bank, and that naturally leads one to remark that the founder of that bank, and its first President, Daniel Manning, was President Cleveland's first Secretary of the Treasury. The present Treasurer of the United States, Ellis H. Roberts, was the first President of the Franklin National Bank of this city. Thus it is easy to see that there is continually a close personal association of interests in banking and government circles, so far as the financial relations of the latter are concerned, and particularly so in this city, as the chief financial centre of the country. The history of many of the older banks of this city is extremely interesting, but in a brief article of this charac- ter it is impossible to do more than allude to some of the principal facts in connection therewith. To a great extent, however, it may be said that the history of the banks is the history of their founders or managers, the financial magnates of the time, who have left their mark on the history of this city, and whose portraits now adorn the GREATER NEW YORK 21 walls of the Chamber of Commerce or the hall of the Clear- ing-house. The Bank of New York, founded by Alexan- der Hamilton in 1784, is the second oldest bank in the country. The Bank of North America at Philadelphia was organized in 1781. The Massachusetts Bank of Boston was organized the same year as the Bank of New York, and these three banks have acted as each other's correspond- ents for more than half a century. The Bank of New York has occupied its present site at Wall and William Streets for more than a century. Gen. Alexander McDougall was its first President. The bank prides itself on never having passed a dividend except once, and that was in 1837, when it was compelled by law to do so. The next year, however, it paid a double one, and so maintained its record. When the banks were admitted into the Clearing-house Associa- tion upon its organization they were placed according to iheir age, and numbered accordingly. Thus the Bank of New York stands first on the list. The history of the Bank of the Manhattan Company is well known. It supplied water to the city for years as well as doing a banking business under the charter procured for it by Aaron Burr. It still maintains under the provision of its charter a huge water-tank near Centre Street, and its old wooden mains are still occasionally unearthed. With the exception of these two banks — the Bank of New York and the Bank of the Manhattan Company — and a branch of the United States Bank, all the other banks that followed them were organized after the beginning of the present century. The Merchants' Bank was organized in 1805, the Mechanics' in 1810, the Bank of America, the Phenix Bank, and the City Bank in 1812, the Tradesmen's in 1823, the Chemical in 1824, the Merchants' Exchange Bank in 1828, the Gallatin (then known as the National) in 1829, the Butchers' and Drovers', the Mechanics' and Traders', and the Greenwich in 1830, the Leather Manufacturers' in 1832, the Seventh Ward (now Seventh National) in 1833, and the Bank of the State in 1836. The American Exchange National Bank was organized in 1838, the Bank of Commerce in 1839, and the Broadway and the Mercantile Bank in 1849, and the Pacific Bank in 1850. The remainder were organized subsequent to 1850, and many of those also have interesting histories. The oldest three bank presidents in active service to- GREATER NEW YORK day are Francis A. Palmer of the Broadway Bank, the old- est in point of age; George G. Williams of the Chemical Bank, and Frederick D. Tappen of the Gallatin Bank. The last named is the oldest bank president in point of ser- vice. He entered the Gallatin Bank a junior clerk in 1850 (he was born the year the bank was organized), and rose through every grade to that of President, to which office he was appointed in 1868. The bank has only had two other presidents during the whole of its existence — Albert Gal- latin, 1829-1838, and James Gallatin, his son, 1838-1868. Mr. Tappen was appointed cashier on the night of the suspen- sion of specie payments in 1857. An interesting story is told of the Gallatin Bank's first President. It was after the panic of 1836. The banks held a meeting to discuss when they should resume specie payments. A motion was offered to resume after certain notice had been given. Al- bert Gallatin moved as an amendment that the banks should "resume to-morrow." The amendment was carried, and the banks resumed specie payment on the morrow without trouble. George G. Williams, President of the Chemical Bank, has had a banking experience of more than fifty years. He entered the service of the bank as junior clerk in 1841 and lias been its President since 1878. He is regarded as the Nestor of the New York bank presidents, although Mr. Tappen is his senior in point of service as President. The Chemical Bank was started as a chemical manufacturing company, but in many respects it is regarded as the most famous bank in the country. It has a capital of only $300,- 000, but its surplus is more than $7,000,000, and its $100 shares sell for nearly $5,000 each. Its first office was on the present site of the National Park Bank, opposite St. Paul's Chapel, but in 1850 it moved to its present building. Naturally, many of the banks of the city have had more or less connection, direct or indirect, with municipal mat- ters through their officers or in some other way. Thus the first President of the Fourth National Bank was George Opdyke, who was the first Republican Mayor of this city. A son of his, William S. Opdyke, a well-known lawyer, is a director of the same bank. The only other Republican Mayor this city has ever had, and the last Mayor the pre- sent New York city will have, is the present occupant of GREATER NEW YORK 2?> the office,- William L. Strong, and he was President of the Central National Bank until he entered on his duties as Mayor. The Seventh National Bank (formerly Seventh Ward Bank), organized in 1833, has had three directors who were Mayors of this city, as well as some who were on the bench. This bank has two depositors who have kept accounts with it continuously since 1845, and framed in the President's office is the first pass-book belonging to one of them, as well as the first check drawn by him. One of the interesting facts in connection with the his- tory of New York banks and the Clearing-house was the refusal of the latter to admit national banks to membership in the Clearing-House Association when they were first or- ganized, under the national banking law in 1853, because they were regarded as dangerous institutions. The First National Bank was refused admission at first, but the Clearing-house Association subsequently rescinded its ac- tion, and nearly all the other banks then took out charters under the national banking act, many of them being al- lowed to retain their old names, instead of losing their identity by being designated by number. The opposition, however, at first to the national banking law and the banks organized thereunder was very fierce. One of the most cherished documents in the archives of the Chase National Bank, preserved by President Henry W. Cannon, is a copy of a long printed circular, urging the associated banks to stand together for their own protection and the protection of the property confided to their care, "in many cases the all of women, children, the infirm, and those who look to us as their only means of support, . . . and sound the alarm ere it is too late. Let the associated banks in the three great cities of New York, Philadelphia, and Boston decline all recognition of these institutions, directly or indi- cretly, in their exchanges, and let them at once, at what- ever expense, return the notes that they are compelled to receive from the government to their respective points of issue for redemption. In so doing, you will keep the heart of the currency at the great city centres unscathed and whole." Endorsed on this circular in the handwriting of John Thompson, the founder of the Chase National Bank and its second President, is this memorandum: "This paper, sent out by the then President of the Mer- 21 GREATER NEW YORK chants' Bank, was followed by a resolution of the Clearing- house binding its members to treat as uncurrent money all national-bank notes and to refuse to exchange with national banks. Thompson's bank was the only one open at that time." The Thompson's Bank referred to in the memorandum was the First National Bank, which was organized by John Thompson. He subsequently sold out his interest in that bank, and later, in 1877, organized the Chase National Bank. His son, Samuel Thompson, was its first President. When he died his father took the presidency for a year, and was then succeeded, in 1886, by Henry W. Cannon, ex-Comp- troller of the Currency, the present President of the bank. That history repeats itself in banking as well as in other affairs of life is a matter of course. An illustration of the truth of this is seen in the fact, that as far back as 1858 the associated banks made efforts to prevent the payment of in- terest on deposits. An adjourned meeting of bank officers was held at the Clearing-house, March 15 in that year, for that purpose, when Mr. Gallatin presented a report from a committee, in which they pointed out the many evils pro- duced by the baneful practice of allowing interest on cur- rent deposits, and which "were made manifest during the late monetary and commercial pressure." As a result of the movement, forty of the forty-six banks in the associa- tion, it seems, had agreed not to allow any interest on such deposits directly or indirectly, but the Bank of Commerce, the Bank of the State, and the Mercantile Bank declined to unite in any such agreement, and the Nassau and St. Nicholas Banks would only do so provided all would sign the proposed agreement. Notwithstanding the failure of the six banks to unite on the agreement, the other forty banks agreed to carry out the arrangement not to allow any interest on any current deposits, as though all the banks had agreed to do so, and a committee of five was appointed to observe the practical operation and effects of the action taken, and report as occasion required. The committee appointed comprised William A. Bcoth, William F. Havemeyer, J. L. Everitt, J. T. Soutter, and William S. Hooker. In connection with this subject, it is interesting to note that two of the banks represented at that meeting, the Chemical National Bank and the American Exchange GREATER NEW YORK 25 National Bank, of which Mr. Booth was then President, have never paid interest on current deposits, and one or two other banks have only done so recently. SUB-TREASURY AND ASSAY OFFICE. An article on the banking facilities of this city would scarcely be complete without some mention of the two gov- ernment institutions with which they have very intimate relations, namely, the United States Sub-Treasury and the United States Assay Office. The Sub-Treasury was opened here in 1846. It handles fully two-thirds of all the business done by the Treasury and the nine sub-treasuries, amount- ing to nearly four thousand million dollars per anaum. The cash balance at the New York Sub-Treasury now fre- quently exceeds $200,000,000. The cash balance in the fifties was about $3,500,000 only! The first entry on the books of the Sub-Trer.sury was a credit to Lieut. W. S. Rosacrans as a government disbursing officar. The Su D-Tre:sury fi st did business in the building formerly occupied by the branch of the United States National Bank, now the site of the Assay Office. The first Assistant Treasurer was W. C. Bouck, formerly Governor of the state. In 1863 the office was removed to the present building, the site of old Fedaral Hall, in which the first Congress of the United States met, and in which Washington was inaugurated as the first Pre- sident of the United States. The present building was first erected for a custom-house. The successors of Mr. Bouck as Assistant United States Treasurer were John Young, Luther Bradish, John A. Dix, John J. Cisco, John A. Stew- art (now President of the United States Trust Company), Henry H. Van Dyke, Daniel Butterfield, Charles J. Folger, Thomas Hillhouse, Thomas C. Acton, Charles J. Canda, Alexander McCue, Ellis H. Roberts, and Conrad N. Jordan. The Cashiers and Deputy Assistant Treasurers have been Jacob Russell, William H. Ferris, William G. White. Walter J. Brittin, Joseph M. Floyd, W T illiam Sherer, and the pre- sent incumbent, Maurice L. Muhleman. The United States Assay Office, a branch of the United States Mint, adjoining the Sub-Treasury, was established in 1853. To the Assay Office the banks and bankers take their gold bullion to be coined, receiving pay for it at the Sub-Treasury. There the exporters of gold also buy gold 26 GREATER NEW YORK bullion for shipment when it is not convenient to export coin. There also the jewellers buy such gold as they re- quire for use in the arts. The first assayer was Dr. John Torrey, the famous botanist and chemist. Andrew Mason, the present Superintendent of the Assay Office, has filled that place since 1883, and has been connected with the office ever since its establishment. The total deposits of gold in the Assay Office since its establishment exceed one thousand million dollars. TRUST COMPANIES. The trust companies of New York constitute one of the most important financial features of the Greater New Yo:k. Most of them do a banking business, and they are inti- mately connected with the banks and insurance compa- nies. It is sometimes said that the trust companies con- trol virtually many of the banks. It is certain that some of the newer ones are owned and controlled by the larger insurance companies. All of them work in unison with the banks, even though competing for the same business. Like the banks, the older ones were organized under spe- cial charters until 1877. Since then the new ones have been organized under the general state banking law. They enjoy many privileges over the banks. Probably the old- est trust company is the New York Life Insurance and Trust Company. Next in point of age is the United States Trust Company, which was organized in 1853, with Joseph Lawrence as its first President and John A. Stewart as its first Secretary. Mr. Stewart has been its President since 1866, having been continuously in the employ of the company 'since its organization, except for a brief period, when he was Assistant United States Treasurer in this city. The Union Trust Company was organized in 1864. It was the failure of a trust company, the Ohio Life and Trust Company, which precipitated the panic of 1857. With that exception, the New York trust companies have been uniformly among the most successful of New York's financial institutions. SAVINGS BANKS. The banks of the poor people are said to be the savings banks, but their depositors are by no means confined to the poor people, as the magnitude of their deposits clearly GREATER NEW YORK 27 shows. The savings banks of the state of New York are conceded to be the safest in the country. Savings banks in this country date from 1816, and the oldest of them was organized in Philadelphia in that year. Massachusetts came next with one in 1816, and Maryland followed suit in 1818. The oldest one in this city is the Bank for Savings, 1819. Its oldest trustee in point of service is Frederick D. Tap- pen, President of the Gallatin National Bank. The Sea- men's Bank for Savings was founded in 1829, the Bowery Savings Bank in 1834, the Institutions for the Savings of Merchants' Clerks in 1848, the Dry Dock Savings Institu- tion in 1848, and the Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank in 1850. There are nearly 900,000 depositors in the New York savings banks, and their deposits aggregate nearly $10 000 - 000, with resources of about $50,000,000 in excess of that amount, to say nothing of the savings banks of Brooklyn and other parts of the Greater New York, as aa illustra- tion of the primitive methods prevailing during the early days of the oldest savings banks in this city, Mr. Tappen said recently that on the nights the Bank for Savings was open for business the Treasurer used to carry the deposits home in a little hair-covered trunk, the bank then not owning a safe. That trunk is now one of the bank's most prized possessions. The Greenwich Savings Bank, of which John Harsen Rhoades is President, had its first home at No. 10 Carmine Street, in Greenwich village, whence it moved to Sixth Avenue and Fourth Street; thence to Sixth Avenue and "Waverly Place, and finally to the handsome substantial granite structure built for it at Sixth Avenue and Sixteenth Street. The trustees of the bank comprise several of the best-known men in this city. The Bowery Savings Bank has more than 118,000 depositors, and the largest amount of assets of any savings bank in the country. Its surplus exceeds $6,000,000. John P. Townsend, for many years Vice-President of the bank, is the President, and the board of trustees comprises a large number of thoroughly repre- sentative men. FOREIGN BANKERS. All the banking facilities of this city are not confined by any means to the national and state banks. A very im- portant part is taken in the financial business, not alone 28 GREATER NEW YORK of this city, but of the country at large, by the so-called foreign bankers. These are for the most part European bankers with American agencies in this city, or American bankers with European branches and connection. There are also the branches of the Canadian banks, which, like the other foreign bankers, do a regular foreign exchange busi- ness. Some national banks, such as the City Bank, the Hanover, the Park, and Produce Exchange Bank, also do a large foreign exchange business; but, as a rule, that class of business is largely monopolized by the so-called foreign bankers. But it is not so much in the conduct of a mere exchange business that the foreign bankers have taken a notable part of late. That, to a certain extent, may be said to regulate itself undsr normal conditions, but it has been in the control and manipulation of the foreign exchange market in times of panic, as in 1895, when, under the contract with the United States Treasurer, a syndicate of them undertook to protect the Treasury reserve by pre- venting gold exports, that the foreign bankers have per- formed the most conspicuous service in the pursuit of their calling. Another important part, too, played by them, has been the financing of big railroad reorganization plans, involving the use of much foreign capital, the latest in- stance of which is the Union Pacific reorganization, involv- ing the transfer of $100,000,000 of securities and the pay- ment to the government of nearly $60,000,000 in cash, all of which, it may well be said, has been successfully carried out without the slightest disturbance of the world's money markets. In fact, it may be accepted as a fact that no big financial plan is now ever undertaken or carried out with- out the aid of the foreign bankers. CHRONOLOGY OF NEW YOKE. 1609. September 3 — Capt. Henry Hudson arrived at Sandy Hook, sending a boat to Coney Island, discovered the Narrows, and landed on Manhattan Island later. Oct. 4 — Put to sea again, driven away by the Indians. 1610. Dutch West India Co. sent a ship to Hudson River for trading; built forts. 1612. There existed in this year a town and fort on York Island. GREATER NEW YORK 29 1614. Expedition from South Virginia, under Capt. Argal, took possession of New Amsterdam, consisting of four houses, outside the fort. Arrangements made with Eng- lish government whereby the Dutch remained in pos- session. 1620. June — West India Company of Holland was estab- lished, with exclusive privilege to trade to the western coast of Africa and eastern shores of America from Newfoundland to the Straits of Magellan. Applied for permission of King James I. to build cottages on the Hudson. 1621. The States General made a grant of the New Nether- lands to the West India Company, who paid for the pro- viace of New Netherlands 412,800 guilders 11 stivers. 1623. Dutch obtained leave of natives to build a better fort on Manhattan Island. Around this fort houses sprang up, making the first street, now called Pearl Street. 1629. Wouter Van Twiller appointed Governor; arrived in June, and began to grant lands in the subsequent year. 1630 Michael Paw, a Dutch subject, on August 10, bought Staten Island from the Indians. 1632. Western end of Long Island began to be settled by the Dutch. 1634. West India Company failed. 1635. Fort Amsterdam erected by Gov. Twiller. 1636. Land about Harlaem purchased of the Indians. 1638. William Kieft appointed Governor, and arrived March 28. Interest on money 16 per cent. 1639. The English settled at Oyster Bay. Kieft attacked them and drove them off. The hire of a servant was £8 a year. 1640. April 30 — A tidal wave, twelve feet above the ordi- nary tides, inundated New Amsterdam, and the people had to camp in the woods for three days. 1642. First church erected within the fort at Bowling Green. Great battle between Dutch and Indians. First city hall erected, corner Pearl Street and Coenties Slip. 1647. May 11 — Gov. Stuyvesant, the last Governor under Dutch rule, arrived. no GREATER NEW YORK 1051. The Bowery purchased for 6,400 guilders. 1G52. First public school established in city hall. 1653. The village became the city of Amsterdam. Public weigh-house erected, and also the great wall along what is now Wall Street. June 6 — West India Company at Amsterdam granted liberty to merchants to bring slaves from Africa to this country. 1654. Westchester County purchased of the Indians by Thomas Pell; the Dutch protested against this, and drove the settlers from the land. 1656. Market-house built, corner Pearl and Broad Streets. In this year the city had 112 houses and 1,000 souls. 1657. The whole of Staten Island (the former purchase price not having been paid) was sold to the Dutch by the Indians for 10 shirts, 30 stockings, 10 guns, 30 bars lead, 30 pounds powder, 12 coats, 2 pieces of duffil, 30 kettles, 50 hatchets, 25 hoes, and a number of knives. In 1670 the Indians demanded and received additional payment in wampum, guns, and axes. 1C58. First public wharf built near Whitehall. 1C60. First map of city sent to Holland by Gov. Stuyvesant. 1664. August 27 — Col. Nichols, Governor of New York and New Jersey, arrived with four frigates and 300 soldiers from England and captured the city. 1665. Thomas Willett, first Mayor. January 15 — Nichols confiscated all the property of West India Comapny. June 12 — Proclamation changing government from Sellout, Burgomaster, and Schepen to Mayor, Alderman, and Sheriff (Sheriff, Allard Anthony). October 12 — John Shute licensed schoolmaster to teach English to the Dutch. 1.666. Thomas Delavall, Mayor. 1667. Thomas Willett, Mayor; second term. 1668. Cornelius Steenwyck, Mayor. In September a fast day was appointed on account of great sickness and mortality. The construction of a wagon road to Har- laem was ordered. 1669. Races instituted at Hempstead. Catharine Harrison tried for witchcraft. 1671. Thomas Delavall, Mayor; second term. GREATER NEW YORK 31 1672. Matthias Nicolls, Mayor. 1673. John Lawrence, Mayor. Post to Boston established once every three weeks. June 24 — Council ordered that six white and three black wampums (sea-shells) should pass for a penny, and three times as much should stand for the value of the smallest silver coin. In July the Dutch retook the city and Antonio Colve was appointed Governor. 1674. New York restored to the English. November 9 — Edicts confirming all grants heretofore made by the Dutch. 1675. William Dervall, Mayor. Streets ordered cleaned every Saturday. 1676. Nicholas De Meyer, Mayor. Law passed to pave streets. 1677. Stephanus Van Courtlandt, Mayor. In Council, que- ried: Whether attorneys are thought useful to plead as courts or not? Answer: It is thought not. 1678. Thomas Delavall, Mayor; third term. 1679. Francois Rombouts, Mayor. A full-grown negro valued at £42 10s. 1680. William Dyre, Mayor. 1682. Cornelius Steenwyck, Mayor; second term, 1683. First House of Representatives convened. January 15 — First Recorder appointed. October 14 — Annual election day. 1684. Gabriel Minvielle, Mayor. First Latin school opened. 1685. Nicholas Bayard, Mayor. Assessed valuation £75,- 694. Jews petition to exercise their religion. 1686. Stephanus Van Courtlandt, Mayor; second term. James II. abolished representative system, and forbade use of printing-presses. The city paid the Governor £300 for the charter, and borrowed the money therefor at 10 per cent, interest. September 13 — Public wells ordered built. December 23 — Chimney-sweepers appointed. February 24— 1686-S7, city debt £565 10s. 2y 2 d. 1688. November 2— Assessed valuation £78,231. 1689. Pieter Delanoy, Mayor. 1690. Meeting of commissioners from several colonies ot New York. 32 GREATER NEW YORK 1C91. John Lawrence, Mayor; second term. Provincial laws begun. April 9 — First General Assembly convened at New York. Water lots sold at one shilling a foot. 1692. Abraham De Peyster, Mayor. 1C93. Spuyten Duyvil Creek bridge built. First pavement laid in Wall Street. 1694. Charles Lodewick, Mayor. 1095. William Merritt, Mayor. Swine running at large ordered shot. 1696. Trinity Church built. 1C97. Ordered that a new city hall be built, to cost £3,000. 1698. Johannes De Peyster, Mayor. 1699. Old city hall sold at public outcry for 920 shillings; David Provost, Mayor. New city hall to be built. 1700. Isaac De Riemer, Mayor. 1701. Thomas Noell, Mayor. 1702. Philip French, Mayor. Charter printed. 1703. William Peartree, Mayor. 1707. Broadway paved. Ebenezer Wilson, Mayor. 1710. Jacobus Van Cortlandt, Mayor. 1711. Caleb Heathcote, Mayor. 1712. Insurrection of negroes, who set fire to the city and killed several inhabitants; 19 negroes executed. 1714. John Johnston, Mayor. 1719. Jacobus Van Cortlandt, Mayor; second term. 1720. A tax of 2 per cent, raised on all goods coming from Europe. Robert Walters, Mayor. Ferry to Long Island established. 1722. All slaves to be buried by daylight. 1725. Johannes Jansen, Mayor. New York Gazette estab- lished. 1726. Robert Lurting, Mayor. 1729. The Society in London for the Propagation of the Gospel presented a library (1,642 volumes) to the city, which was kept in city hall. 1730. Jewish synagogue built in Mill Street. John Cru- ger, Deputy Mayor. 1731. A very disastrous epidemic of smallpox prevailed. 1,400 houses in the city. Slave market in Wall Street established. GREATER NEW YORK 83 1732. First monthly stage between New York and Boston; duration of journey, fourteen days. 1733. Law passed to preserve the fish in the fresh-water pond, now Canal Street. 1734. House of Correction instituted. 1735. Paul Richards, Mayor. 1739. John Cruger, Mayor. 1,416 houses, 16 having been built in seven years. 1741. Yellow fever prevailed. Bedlow's Island established as a smallpox hospital. The Negro Plot, to burn and ransack the city; thirteen negroes burned at the stake; twenty hanged, and seventy transported. 1744. Stephen Bayard, Mayor. 1746. 1,834 houses, an increase of 418 in eleven years. 1747. Edward Holland, Mayor. 1752. Exchange built at lower Broad Street. 1754. King's (now Columbia) College founded. First re- gular theatre established. 1755. Ferry to Staten Island established. 1757. John Cruger, jr., Mayor. 1761. Lamps and lamp-posts purchased. 1762. Sixty-six firemen in the city. 1765. St. Paul's Church built. 1766. Whitehead Hicks, Mayor. 1768. Chamber of Commerce established. 1775. Battle in the city between the Whigs and Tories, the latter being defeated. August 22 — The Asia, British man-of-war, fired upon the city in the night, causing the inhabitants the utmost alarm. 1776. January — A detachment of American militia march- ed into the city, and in the spring the whole army fol- lowed. July 18 — Independence proclaimed. August 26 — New York captured by the English. September 21 — The great fire, 492 houses, one-eighth of the city, being destroyed. David Matthews, Tory, Mayor. 1780. May 19 — A "celebrated and fearful darkness" com- menced at ten A. M. and lasted for several hours. A very severe winter, the harbor being entirely frozen over. Great suffering in the city. 34 GREATER NEW YORK 1783. November 25 — British army evacuated New York. Washington's army reentered the city. 1784. James Duane, Mayor; first after Revolution. September 11 — Freedom of city voted to Lafayette. December 2 — Freedom of city voted to Washington. Streets cleaned for £150 ($750) a year. Waterworks proposed. 1785. Congress of the United States met in the city hall. Bank of New York in operation. 1787. Up to this year there is no record of any divorce in the state of New York. 1788. Doctors' Mob, occasioned by the indiscreet exposure of dead bodies at the hospital. The doctors found refuge in jail and were guarded by the militia. 1789. April CO — Washington inaugurated President in front of city hall. Mayor, Richard Varick. 1789. City issued £1,000 in paper money, for public ac- commodation, in 1, 2, and 3 penny bills (a further issue made in 1791). Money raised by lottery. Tammany Society organized. 1795. Yellow fever visitation, which resulted in 732 deaths. 1796. Potter s field purchased for burial-ground. 1798. City fdrtified at an expense of $50,000. Yellow fever deaths this year 2,086. 1799. Yellow fever raged again. December 16, a day of thanksgiving. 1800. Capt. Randall's legacy of "Sailors' Snug Harbor." 1801. U. S. Navy-yard established at Brooklyn. Vote of thanks to Col. Yarick for twelve years' services as Mayor. Edward Livingston, Mayor. Yellow fever par- tially prevailed. Assessed valuation, $21,964,037. 1S03. De Witt Clinton, Mayor. 1804. Great fire, forty stores, houses, and buildings being destroyed. 1805. Tammany Society incorporated. Yellow fever, one- third of the citizens fled from the city, 230 deaths. It did not appear again till 1819. 1806. First steamboat navigation on Hudson. August 26 — A British frigate off Sandy Hook fired upon the sloop Richard, causing greatest excitement in city and country. City fortified at an expense of several millions to the United States. GREATER NEW YORK 35 1S07. All of Manhattan Island ordered surveyed. Marinus Willett appointed Mayor in place of Clinton, removed. 1808. De Witt Clinton, Mayor; second term. 1809. Grace Church built. 1810. Jacob Radcliff, Mayor. March 23 — Mechanics' Bank incorporated. 1811. De Witt Clinton, Mayor; third term. May 19 — Great fire in Chatham Street, by which about 100 houses were destroyed. Third Avenue ordered open- ed. Tammany Hall built. December 2 — P. C. Van Wyck chosen Recorder. 1812. New city hall finished. City debts funded in stock to the amount of $900,000 at 7 per cent. August 10 — Freedom of city voted to Robert Fulton. December 4 — Corporation loan of $100,000 at 6 per cent, subscribed for in five minutes. 1813. $100,000 borrowed for the defence of the city. August — An experiment made with gaslights in the park. 1814. August 31 — Suspension of specie payments, which continued till July, 1817. Corporation paper money in denominations of QV^, \1 x k, 25, and 50 cents was issued. 1315. May — Roman Catholic cathedral consecrated. John Ferguson, Mayor, succeeded by Jacob Radcliff. 1815. Washington Market finished. 181C. New York and Liverpool lino of packets established. May — The American Eible Society founded. Total amount of small change bills issued under authority of the corporation was $245, 3f6. 1817. July 4 — Erie Canal begun. 1818. Cadwallader D. Golden, Mayor. Asylum for the In- sane commenced. Great commercial distress. 1819. First savings bank established. September 13 — Reappearance of yellow fever; twenty- three deaths. 1820. First balloon ascension in America from Vauxhall; the aeronaut descended in a parachute at Newtown, L. I. 1821. January — Hudson River and harbor entirely closed by ice, and people walked to Staten Island. For three days temperature —14 deg. F. Stephen Allen, Mayor. 36 GREATER NEW YORK September 5 — Great hurricane from southeast; much damage done. 1522. Yellow fever; infected district was fenced in; general panic prevailed; business totally interrupted, and 388 persons died of the fever. Early in November citizens returned to their homes. 1523. New York Gas Company granted exclusive pri- vilege for thirty years to lay pipes south of Grand Street. 1824. William Paulding, Mayor. House of Refuge for Ju- venile Delinquents established. 1825. Great fire in Sullivan, Spring, and Thompson Streets, which burned seventy houses. October 26 — Completion of Erie Canal. November 4 — First canal-boat arrived from Buffalo. Italian opera first given. Public schools established; cost of tuition between 25 cents and $1 per quarter. 1S26. Philip Hone, Mayor. Great commercial embarrass- ment and distress, caused by failure of spurious banks in New Jersey, which had circulated their paper princi- pally in New York. 1827. William Paulding, Mayor. Merchants' Exchange in Wall Street completed. 1829. Walter Bowne, Mayor. 1832. Asiatic cholera raged to a fearful extent, almost de- populating the city. It returned two years later, modi- fied in violence, and again in 1849, 1855, and 1866. 1833. Establishment of the penny press. Newsboys, before unknown, were engaged as vendors. Gideon Lee, Mayor 1834. Cornelius W r . Lawrence, Mayor. 1835. December 16 — Great conflagration, in which 648 houses and $18,000,000 property were destroyed. 1837. Commercial distress, caused by suspension of the United States Bank, followed by that of the state banks. IS37. Aaron Clark, Mayor. 1839. Isaac L. Varian, Mayor. j841. Robert H. Morris, Mayor. 1842. July 4 — Water was let into the reservoir at Fifth Avenue and Forty-second Street, and the city had good water for the first time. 1844. James Harper, Mayor. 1845. First telegraph line opened to Philadelphia and Washington. GREATER NEW YORK 37 July 19 — Another great fire, which laid waste the entire district between Broadway and the eastern side of Broad Street. Loss several millions. 1845. William F. Havemeyer, Mayor. 1846. Andrew H. Mickle, Mayor. 1847. William V. Brady, Mayor. 1848. William F. Havemeyer, Mayor; second term. 1S49. Caleb S. Wcodhull, Mayor. May 10 — Astor Place Opera riot; 150 people wounded, a number killed. 1850. September 7 — Appearance in Castle Garden of Jenny Lind. 1851. Ambrose C. Kingsland, Mayor. December 5 — Arrival of Hungarian patriot, Louis Kos- suth. 1853. Jacob A. Westervelt, Mayor. July 14 — Opening of the World's Fair at the Crystal Pa- lace in Reservoir Square. December 10 — Harper Bro- thers' establishment destroyed by fire, loss over $1,- 000,000. 1855. Fernando Wood. Mayor. January 1 — Brooklyn,Williamsburgh, and Bushwick con- solidated. Castle Garden transformed into an emigrant depot. 185G. Central Park established. 1857. Disastrous year for New York, beginning with mob rule, and ending with great financial loss. 1S58. Daniel F. Tiemann, Mayor. Crystal Palace destroy- ed by fire. Cooper Institute erected at a cost of over $600,000. 1860. Fernando Wood, Mayor; second term. 1861. April 18 — Massachusetts Sixth Regiment marched through New York on way to Washington. April 19 — The Seventh of New York set out for Wash- ington on their famous six days' march. April 22- -Common Council voted $1,000,000 for the de- fence of the Union. A loan of $COO,000 in aid of the families of volunteers was subsequently made. Com- modore Vanderbilt presented a steamer to the govern- ment. 1862. George Opdyke, Mayor. During the first two years of the war the people of New York contributed to its 38 GREATER NEW YORK support in taxes, gratuities, and loans to the government over $300,000,000 and 80,000 volunteers. 1863. July 14-16— Draft riots. Killed and wounded 1,000. Union League Club formed. 1864. C. Godfrey Gunther, Mayor. Fair at New York net- ted $1,100,000 for the relief of the soldiers. October 1 — New York city bcid contributed by this time 126,310 volunteers. November 25 — Southern sympathizers set fire to fifteen large hotels and some shipping and lumber-yards on the North River. 1865. April 15 — The community was paralyzed by the an- nouncement that Lincoln had been assassinated. Busi- ness entirely suspended, all stores closed until after the burial of the President, and the city draped in mourning.* April 19 — Day of public mourning. Paid Fire Department established. Steam fire engines introduced. July 13 — Barnum's Museum, corner of Ann Street and Broadway, burned. 1S66. John T. Hoffman, Mayor. November 15 — Chamber of Commerce gave a public ban- quet to Cyrus W. Field in honor of completion of trans- atlantic cable. April 18 — The Virginia arrived from Liverpool with cho- lera on board. May 1 — The first case of cholera broke out. The epidemic spread slowly and reached its height in August, and disappeared in October; 1,205 deaths, of which 460 were in the city proper. Winter of 1866-'67 was very severe; the East River being frozen over, and pepole crossed from New York to Brooklyn on the ice. 1867. Tweed ring began to come into power. The inven- tion of the elevator made high buildings possible. First elevator put in at Fifth Avenue Hotel. April 16 — Act passed incorporating the New York Bridge Company to build Brooklyn Bridge. July 2 — First elevated road put in operation, run- ning from Battery Place through Greenwich Street and Ninth Avenue to Thirtieth Street, operated by cable. 1869. September 24— Black Friday. A. Oakey Hall, Mayor. GREATER NEW YOUK 39 1870. July 12 — "Orange" disturbance; fifty-four people killed. 1871. October 9 — Grand Central Station opened. July 20-29 — Tweed exposures. December 16 — Tweed arrested. 1872. Great strike; 40,000 men ceased work. Tweed Ring overthrown in the November election. 1873. William F. Havemeyer, Mayor; third term. Great . - business and financial crisis. September 22-30 — Close of Stock Exchange. 1875. William II. Wickham, Mayor. 1876. The Emperor and Empress of Brazil visited New York. September 24— Hallett's Point (Hell Gate) blown up. 1877. Smith Ely, Mayor. July 23-27 — Labor riots and railroad strikes. General post-office building finished. 1878. The Sixth Avenue elevated railroad opened for ser- vice. 1879. Edward Cooper, Mayor. 1881. William R. Grace, Mayor. 1882. Metropolitan Museum opened. 1S83. Franklin Edson, Mayor. May 24 — Brooklyn Bridge opened. 1884. Panic in Wall Streeet. Suspension of Marine Bank. 1885. William R. Grace, Mayor; second term. Greely re- lief steamers leave New York. Flood Rock blown up. August 8 — Grant's funeral. 1886. Statue of Liberty erected. 1887. Abram S. Hewitt, Mavor. 1888. March 13— Great blizzard. 1889. Hugh J. Grant, Mayor. April 29-May 2 — Washington inaugural centennial cele- bration. 1890. February 4 — One hundredth anniversary of United States Supreme Court celebrated in this city. 1892. October 10-12 — Columbus landing celebration. 1893. The Eastern cholera scare. Panic in Wall Street. Thomas F. Gilroy, Mayor. 1894. The Lexow investigation. Tammany overthrown in the November election. 40 GREATER NEW YORK 1895. William L. Strong, Mayor. Public Library consoli- dation effected. January 14 -February 2 — Brooklyn trolley strike. May 4 — Washington Arch dedicated. June 17 — Harlem ship canal opened. 1896. Site selected for New York and New Jersey bridge. November 1 — Sound-money demonstration in support of McKinley'9 candidacy for the presidency. lcS7. April 13 — Final passage of Greater New YovL charter. November 2 — First election under that instrument, re- sulting in the restoration of Tammany. 1898. Robert A. Van Wyck, Mayor. Brooklyn's Mayors. George Hall 1834 Jonathan Trotter 1835-1836 Jeremiah Johnson 1837-1838 Cyrus P. Smith 1839-1841 Henry C. Murphy 1842 Joseph Sprague 1843-1844 Thomas C. Talmage 1845 Francis B. Stryker 1846-1848 Edward Copeland 1849 Samuel Smith 1850 Conklin Brush 1851-1852 Edward A. Lambert 1853-1 S54 George Hall 1855-1856 Samuel S. Powers 1857-1860 Martin Kalbfleisch 1861-1863 Albert M. Wood 1864-1865 Samuel Booth 1866-1867 Martin Kalbfleisch 1868-1871 Samuel S. Powell 1872-1873 John W. Hunter 1874-1875 Frederick A. Schroeder 1876- 1877 James Howell 1878-1881 Seth Low 1882-1885 Daniel D. Whitney 1886-1887 Alfred C. Chapin 1888-1891 David A. Boody 1892-1893 Charles A. Schieren 1894-1895 Frederick W. Wurster 1896-1897 GREATER NEW YORK 41 OLD AND NEW TRANSIT METHODS. Picture two country roads running parallel through a strip of country, rough and unimproved, save for an occa- sional farm-house, or some modest stopping-place where travellers might procure refreshment. Fancy rumbling omnibuses plodding their way along the right-hand road at stated intervals, and street-cars much like omnibuses in appearance jogging along the road to the left, both lines of conveyance leading to the village of Harlem, to be seen in the distance. This was local transportation in that part of Manhattanville above Fourteenth Street during the years between 1834 and 1837. It is recorded that the driv- ers of the rival lines of conveyance, being able to see each other across the open country, occasionally got up a race, and pressed their steeds hard. The street-car driver sat high up on his vehicle, as high up as the omnibus-driver was perched; thus full view of the intervening country and of each other could be obtained. By either of these modes of conveyance the fare from the city to Harlem was, first 25 cents, afterwards 18% cents, and later 12% cents. The first street railroad to be built in the United States, or, indeed, in America, was started on the Bowery, to run from Prince Street to Twenty-third. It was thought that the people below Prince Street could get a^out c-mfortab'y on foot or in their private conveyances; but whenever any- body who did not own a private conveyance wanted to go out of town, up into that little-known and unexplored country above Fourteenth Street, there was difficulty. To accommodate these wayfarers the New York and Harlem Railway Company was organized. The Legislature grant- ed the company a charter on April 25, 1831. The corpo- rators were public-spirited and enterprising citizens of the borough, but they had many difficulties to contend with before their undertaking could be carried into effect. In the first place, the questions of construction of the road- bed, and what material was best to use for stringers, ties, etc., were matters for much discussion, and then the cars themselves, when the road should have been built, would have to be made in England. The first street-cars operated ran from Prince to Four- teenth Street, and they made so much no|se as to be hearcl 42 GREATER NEW YORK two or three blocks from the Bowery. This was owing to the rigid construction of the road and the granite ties and stringers on which the rails were laid. Certain of these granite stringers are being unearthed to-day in Madison Avenue, where the tunnelling for yet further improvement in transportation is going forward. These granite stringers were used for two years, when they were taken up, and stringers of Georgia pine substituted, the discarded granite being sold to the city for gutter stones. Some of these granite boulders are built into the massive stone wall at the entrance of the Fourth Avenue tunnel at Thirty-third Street. In this first experimental road no allowance was made for expansion from the heat in summer weather, and there is an account of a citizen losing his life bscaus3 of this oversight. A loosened rail having been jostled out of place by the action of the heat, it pushed through the bottom of a car with such force as to impale this luckless passen- ger and inflict fatal injury. The knowledge requisite for making each step in road- bed and car construction an improvement was gained bit by bit, only after experience had shown the defects of for- mer methods and much time and money had been expend- ed. The people who rode on these first street-cars, from Prince to Fourteenth Street, rode more for pleasure or from curiosity than for convenience, but old records have it that there was considerable travel to Vauxhall Gardens, now Astor Place, the fare charged being sixpence. The office of the company was at No. 241 Bowery. It was a prim little two-story building, and John S. Whigham, the Superintendent, lived up stairs over the office, so as to be closely in touch with the interests he represented. After- wards, in 1839, the company moved its office to Wall Street, where the Mills building now stands. Laborers at that time were paid at the rate of 50 and 60 cents per day. It appears that the old-time city fathers had an eye to personal interest as well as to the advancement of public weal, for it is related in the Street Railway Journal that a certain Alderman, Henry Erbon of the Sixth Ward, influenced the railway company to go by his factory door instead of the route they had originally selected. It was the intention of the directors of the Prince Street line to reach the city hall by way of Chatham Square, but they GREATER NEW YORK 43 went by Broome and Centre Streets in order to pass the organ factory in question. The first street cars were, in appearance, like coaches, of the pattern used at present on European railroads. Each car had two compartments capable of seating ten passen- gers. There were six doors, three on each side, and the seat for the driver was elevated as upon an omnibus. No springs were used. The cars were suspended over the track by leather links. Where the handsome Broadway retail stores now stand, below Twenty -third Street, there was a big hill, which was cut through when the car-line was extended to Twenty- third Street. The earth removed in this grading was used to fill in the low flats that have since been appropriated to Madison Square. From Twenty-fourth Street to Thirty- second Street was level ground, but when the line was ex- tended, in 1834, to Forty-second Street, there was much work to be done. The solid rock at Murray Hill had to be cut through, and there was a deep ravine running from Fifth Avenue to Third Avenue and the East River, which had to be filled up and made level before work could go on. This ravine carried off the surface and waste water from Peter Cooper's glue factory near where Thirty-third Street now crosses. July 4, 1835, was a grand gala day, for the road was then opened through to Eighty-fouith Street. The wheels used on the new cars employed at that time were made by an El- dridge Street maker, who made boilers and castings of all kinds. In 1840 the original four-wheel cars were aban- doned, and eight wheels put on. Five years later four- wheeled cars, built low, and having a platform at each end, were adopted. It was in 1837 that the company fenced in the block at Twenty-sixth Street, and put up offices and stables. Then there were only a few houses above Fourteenth Street, but soon after the cars began running buildings went up on the avenues, in Irving Place, and sundry cross streets. The Twenty-sixth Street line ran from five o'clock in the morn- ing to half-past six at night. A few cars were put on to run every half hour until twelve o'clock, to accommodate people going to the theatres and lecture halls below Tenth Street. For a long while after the road was opened through •14 GREATER NEW YORK to Harlem passengers from down town had to walk over tunnel hill and make connection with the cars on the other side. The Sixth Avenue Street Railway Company was orga- nized and chartered in September, 1851. The Second Ave- nue Railway was built and put in operation four years later, the charter having been granted in 1853. The Ninth Avenue Railway Company was organized in 1859, and a half-dozen or more cross-town roads, both in the upper and lower sections of the city, were constructed within the next ten or fifteen years, as the city grew in size and population. In 1883 a road was begun on Tenth Avenue, from One Hundred and Twenty-fifth to One Hun- dred and Eighty-sixth Street, to be operated by cable. It was completed in 1886. The company owning this novel property also constructed a street-car line from Park Row through Chatham Street, the Bowery, and Third Avenue to Sixty-first Street. They operated a line of omnibuses along this route. Because of unforeseen obstructions the completion of this latter cable road was much delayed, but it was completed early in 1.893, and was opened to the pub- lic a few months later, when the primitive 'busses were taken off and remanded to seclusion. Omnibuses were the only mode of transportation on Broadway up to the year 1SS5. On June 21 of that year, after much persistent effort, the Broadway and Seventh Avenue Company started their horse cars on the main ar- tery of the town. The proprietors of the handsome retail stores along the route were the most strenuous opposers of the scheme. The introduction of a mode of travel as de- mocratic as the street-car would rob them of their car- riage custom, they said, and they fought the idea with all the influence at their command. Less than ten years afterwards the Broadway cable cars were put on. The first cable cars on this main thorough- fare ran from Houston to Thirty-sixth Street. The first cable cars were put on in June, 1893. The first cable that was in use lasted over a year. Owing to the increase in travel and the increased number of oars now in use, the cables now seldom last longer than from two to six months. The business of the company grows heavier and heavier from month to month and from year to year, both in mile- GREATER NEW YORK 45 age and expenditure, the number of cars in use, and the number of passengers carried. One of the most recent changes was the introduction a few weeks ago of the underground trolley on the Madison and Fourth Avenue street-car line. THE ELEVATED RAILROADS. The elevated railway now in this city, with its 1,117 pas- senger-cars, its 335 engines, its 5,520 employees, and its trains running only fifty seconds apart, had its source in a road operated by the West Side and Yonkers Railway Company just thirty years ago. This road was built on Greenwich Street from Battery Place to Cortlandt Street. It was completed and accepted by the Rapid-Transit Com- mission July 2, 1868. There was one station on the north- east corner of Cortlandt Street. The road was next ex- tended to Thirtieth Street. It was a single-track road, and it took twenty minutes to make the trip. It skirted the east side of Greenwich Street up to Fourteenth Street, and thence into Ninth Avenue. This extension single track was completed in February, 1870, and a second line ot tracks was finished by July, 1870. The cars were operated by an endless chain, without an engine, being driven by stationary engines that were located under ground at Cort- landt, Franklin, Bank, and Twenty-second Streets. This method of operation proved a failure. The grips were in- effective, the chains would sag, and numerous details of the machinery get out of order. The road remained idle from November, 1870, to April, 1871. In April, 1871, dummy en- gines and three cars were put in service between the two stations, and this amendment proved more satisfactory, although the road just about that time went into the hands of a receiver, or of a trustee, as such a referee was called then. Soon afterwards stations were built at Watts Street, Twelfth Street, and Ninth Street, stations since removed. A circular issued to the public by the directors of this road, in October, 1872, is interesting and rather humorous reading at this time. This circular informed New Yorkers that the company had had four unique and elegantly furnished cars made expressly for their road, cars capable of seating for- ty-four passengers. "The road takes no more passengers than can be comfortably seated," is the printed announce- 46 GREATER NEW YORK ment, and it is further made known that the company is frequently compelled to refuse passengers after all the cars are full. "We are building additional rolling stock, four additional new stations, and will guarantee to make trips from the Battery and back in future occupying only thirty minutes each way. We believe that we are developing what will enhance the value of real estate, solve the prob- lem of quick transit, relieve our crowded streets and side- walks, and be of great public service, as well as a success- ful and paying enterprise. We invite your cooperation, support, and influence." The Franklin Street station was opened January 21, 1873, and the Liberty Street station in 1874. Then the Dey Street station was abandoned. The main line to Thirty-fourth Street was completed in July, 1873; extended to Fifty-ninth Street in 1876, and was carried from Battery Place and Greenwich Street across Battery Park to South Ferry by April, 1877, in October of which year the Third Avenue line was started. All this while only single tracks were in use, the necessary shift- ing and changing about being effected by means of turn- outs at various points. A double-track line was begun in 1S78, and from that time on the original tracks and stations were gradually replaced by new structures. In 1880 only dummy engines were in use on the road. The fact that the New York Central Railroad entered the city at Thirtieth Street and Ninth Avenue was the main reason for the ori- ginal elevated line of cars having its terminus at that point. The Third Avenue line was opened from South Ferry on August, 26, 1878. In 1872 there were only three or four cars on the Ninth Avenue road, and one engine. In 1874 there were ten cars and six engines; in 1876 there were twenty-one cars and fifteen engines. In 1875 the ele- vated road was paying its stockholders so well that appli- cations were made to the Legislature for other charters. The Gilbert Elevated Railway was started on Sixth Ave- nue. At first the surface-car lines opposed the movements of this company, and work was obstructed; but all objec- tions were overcome, and this new elevated road was for- mally opened to the public on June 5, two years later. The Second Avenue line was opened in September, 1879. The Gilbert, subsequently the Metropolitan, and the origi- nal West Side and Yonkers Railway were consolidated into GREATER NEW YORK 47 the Manhattan on May 20, 1879. The directors who in 1872 called the attention of the public to their successful enter- prise, and invited their "support, cooperation, and influ- ence," would be astonished at a passenger record of 1,075,- 000 in a single day, or of the movement of 3.000,000 people in the three successive days when visitors crowded New York for the Columbus celebration. The rate of mileage would likewise astonish them, and also the management of perplexing detail in all departments that is now the rou- tine work of the road. BY STEAMSHIP TO EUROPE. It is an extraordinary fact that within the span of a man's life the ocean steamer has passed from the experi- mental stage to what appears now to be nearly its highest development. On July 4, 1815, little more than eighty years ago, surely one of New York's historic days, Fulton's 150-foot Demologos steamed past Sandy Hook, the first of an innumerable host, breasted the waves of the ocean for a few miles, and returned to her moorings on the Hudson with a jubilant party on board. This triumph suggested a transatlantic voyage — a suggestion that was received at first with stolid incredulity and then with derision. "The project of making a voyage (by steamship) directly from New York to Liverpool," declared an eminent Eng- lishman, "is perfectly chimerical. They might as well talk of making a voyage directly from New York or Liverpool to the moon." And though inland and coastwise naviga- tion steadily developed meanwhile, it was not until 1819 that the partially successful voyage of a hybrid craft, half sailer, half steamer, shook the assurance of this and other dogmatists. For seventeen years, however, transatlantic steamers unaccountably languished; then an indubitably successful passage was followed by an immediate revival of interest, large investments, and a growth that has continued to this day. The first vessel to cross the Atlantic with partial use of steam as a propelling power was the Savannah, of 380 tons, launched at Corlears, N. Y., on August 22, 1818. She had been built as a sailing ship, to ply between New York and 48 GREATER NEW YORK Savannah, and served that purpose for almost a year, when she was bought by a syndicate of Savannah merchants and fitted with a steam-engine and paddle-wheels. Her own- ers seem to have had only little faith in paddle-wheels, for they were so constructed that they could be folded and stowed away on deck should that seem advisable. The Savannah left port on May 26, 1819, with a cargo of pitch pine for fuel, and arrived at Liverpool after twenty-five days, the paddle-wheels having been idle for seven days. Evidently the experiment had been discouraging, for the Savannah returned as a sailing vessel, and contentedly re- mained one until, some years later, a great storm put an end to her career on the south coast of Long Island. The voyage of the Savannah had proven steam to be a desirable auxiliary power — nothing more. Could sufficient fuel be carried to make it more desirable? This became the great problem, and the preponderance of opinion was decidedly negative. In 1836 the Great Western Steamship Company was organized in England, and satisfactorily solved the problem. The Great Western, from whose first voyage really dates transatlantic steamship travel, was de- signed on a scale of unprecedented magnitude. She was launched on July 19, 1837, and sailed from Bristol for New York on Sunday, April 3, 1838, with seven intrepid passen- gers on board. In the meantime the Sirus, an avowed competitor, had been fitted up by a hastily organized company to attempt the voyage, and had sailed four days in advance of the Great Western. This, the first ocean race, was won by the Great Western. Both vessels arrived in New York on the same day, Monday, April 23 — the Great Western with 200 tons of coal in her bunkers and the Sirus, her supply ex- hausted, burning spars and resin to enable her to reach port. The day of the arrival was a red-letter one in the history of New York. The people were not blind to the great promise in the event. There was an enthusiastic re- ception; the news was spread abroad, and the whole na- tion was interested. And in proof of the sincerity of their faith, it may be told that when the Great Western left port homeward bound, cheered by a hundred thousand people from Battery Park (according to an exuberant reporter of the time), she carried sixty-six passengers, GREATER NEW YORK 49 After having made sixty-four transatlantic voyages, from 1838 to 1843, with an average time of passage between Li- verpool and New York of fifteen days and twelve hours, and from New York eastward of thirteen days and six hours, and having carried an average of eighty-five passen- gers per trip, the Great Western was sold, in 1847, to the West India Steam Packet Company. Ten years later she was broken up at Vauxhall, and for a season, it is said, her historic hull fed the drawing-room fires of West End, London. A comparison — space limits it to a brief one — be- tween the first ocean steamer and the latest addition to the North German Lloyd fleet, the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, and of the records of their maiden trips, is inte- resting. The Great Western had a length over all of 236 feet, breadth of beam 35 feet 4 inches, depth 33 feet 2 inches, tonnage 1,340; the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse has a length of 649 feet, beam 66 feet, depth 43 feet, and tonnage 14,000. The Great Western's maiden trip consumed something over fifteen days; that of the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse 5 days 22 hours and 35 minutes. The former burned 600 tons of coal during the passage; the latter 500 tons a day. The great- est number of passengers carried by the Great Western on a single trip was 152; the Kaiser Wilhelm has accommoda- tions for 1,440 passengers and a crew of 460 — a total of 1,900. The year 1840 and the immediately succeeding ones were notable in the history of steam navigation. Samuel Cunard of Halifax, N. S., with George Burns of Glasgow and David Mclver of Liverpool, founded the Cunard Line and established steam traffic between the two continents; and the Great Western Steamship Company built the Great Britain, and so revolutionized steamship construction and the application of the propelling power. In 1840 the Eng- lish government entered into a contract with the Cunard Company for carrying the mails — the consideration was $400,000 a year — and the Acadia, Britannia, Columbia, and Caledonia were put afloat. The first, the Britannia, was a paddle-wheel steamer with a wooden hull, but, neverthe- less, a great wonder in her day. She sailed from Liverpool on Friday, July 4, 1840, and arrived in Boston in 14 days and 8 hours. She carried ninety cabin passengers — steamers carried no steerage passengers in the early days — who were 50 GREATER NEW YORK subject to almost all the discomforts of the old ocean clip- pers. The Great Britain, built by the Great Western Steam- ship Company and launched on July 19, 1843, proved to be a great experiment, but a disastrous venture, and eventually the ruin of her owners. She was the first large steamship with a hull of iron and the first screw steamer of any con- siderable size. She had a length of 322 feet over all, a beam of 51 feet, and a tonnage of 3,443; the diameter of her screw was 15 feet and 6 inches. She left Liverpool for New York on August 26, 18-15, and made the passage in fourteen days and twenty-one hours, two days more than the Great Western's best westward record. She was a bit- ter disappointment to her owners, and was altered and fit- ted with a new screw, but never distinguished herself. In 1846 she overran her reckoning, and was stranded on the Irish coast. The disaster completed the ruin of the Great Western Company. The stranded ship was sold, was re- paired by her purchasers, and plied between Liverpool and Australia for many years. Only so short a time ago as 1886 she stranded on the Falkland Islands, and was wrecked be- yond repair. A period of rapid development set in about 1845. In that year R. B. Forbes of Boston built the Massachusetts and Edith for transatlantic trade. In June, 1847, the Paci- fic Mail Company established the pioneer line between New York and Southampton with the Washington. In 1850 the government subsidized the Collins Line, and a number ot vastly improved ocean steamers were built. This line was the first considerable competitor of the Cunard Line, and in 1851 reduced the time of passage to about eleven days. In 1850 the Inman Line, now the American Line, built a number of screw steamers. In 1856 the Anchor Line was established, and the Hamburg- American Company built its first steamship. In 1857 the North German Lloyd entered the field. The Bremen, the first of the company's great fleet to cross the Atlantic, carried only twenty-two cabin passengers. In 1861 the French Compagnie Generale Trans- atlantique was organized, and in 1863 the National Line, The Guion Line became an aggressive competitor for % pa- tronage in 1866. In 1870 the White Star Line launched the first vessel of the new type, extreme length in proportion GREATER NEW YORK §1 to breadth, with twin screws, and luxurious appointments, and gave a decided impetus to the development of every phase of steamship travel. The Thingvalla Line was established a few years later. Other companies organized were the Atlantic Transport Line, the Prince Line, for service between New York and the Mediterranean; the Lamport and Holt Line, the Medi- terranean and New York Steamship Company, Limited, and the Wilson Line. Improvements in construction and equip- ment followed one another in swift succession, until, at the present day, the discomfort, danger, and tedium of the transatlantic voyage have been well-nigh annihilated, and it almost seems that human ingenuity can devise little more so long as steam remains the motive power. NEW YORK PARKS. The peorle who have inhabited the Island of Manhattan from the founding or" New Amsterdam to the present time have always had public park-ground. At the beginning, in the first half of the seventeenth century, when the town was, properly speaking, but a cluster of cottages in a vast natural park, the settlers decreed and jealously preserved the Battery. Doubtless the aboriginal dangers of prome- nading beyond the confines of the settlement had not a little to do with the creation of this pleasure-ground well within its defences; but this does not alter the fact that the Dutch burghers demanded and reserved a beautiful space for lei- sure saunterings while they looked seaward through curling clouds of pipe-smoke. It remained for many a year — in fact thr oughout the Knickerbccker days — "the ele£ant prome- nade." "There late on summer afternoons and evenings," saith the historian, "might always be seen crowds of well- dressed people and flocks of happy children. It was a fashionable resort and general luxury for all." Contempo- raneous with the Battery — virtually a part of it — was Bowl- ing Green, rather a play-ground, or "open-air gymnasium," than a park. Here the muscle of the town congregated, and here in the Revolutionary days the first explosion of patriotism shattered the equestrian statue of his divine- right Majesty George the Third. 52 GREATER NEW YORK City hall park was the next acquisition of the growing town in the way of park space. The United States of Ame- rica was a regnant fact, and the year was 1803. The park, then well up town, was but a barren common when upon it was erected the first city hall, and the name bestowed which it holds to-day. It had two companion buildings — the Bridewell, which lay between it and Broadway, and was used for the imprisonment of felons, and the debtors' prison, which in this year of grace, after countless vicissitudes of occupation (including that of a cholera hospital), is doing duty as the Hall of Records of the metropolis of the new world. One of the most stirring scenes which ever trans- pired within the park's area was the outpouring of citizens to denounce the vote of the Legislature of the state to remove their idol, De Witt Clinton, from the office of Canal Commissioner. Next came what may be described as the era of semi- public, or proprietary, parks. Perhaps the first was St. John's, spread out before the historic chapel of that name — still, happily, standing. It was beautifully laid out; it was delightfully shaded; but around it ran an iron fence, wnose gates swung open only to the key of a "subscriber." Look- ing down into its umbrageous bosom were the houses of the elite of the day — the aforesaid "subscribers." All have vanished — elite and their exclusive park; memorable names in local annals are carved upon the tombstones of the former, and a hideous railway freight station has blotted out the latter. But long before St. John's deletion the perennial course of population northward had rea hed Wash- ington Square. That famous park was not so much created as re-created. It has been conceived in dishonor; it had been the Fotter's Field. It was raised in honor; the un- sightly moulds were levelled, the desert of the dead was made to blossom as the rose, and a tall iron enclosure sanctified it to fashion, which by 1837 had girded it with homes, and to-day maintains a foothold on its north side. But the world of fashion was a growing one, and a new centre was needed. It was found in Union Square, which, by the year 1845, was fairly wrestling the palm from Wash- ington Square as the ultra-fashionable place of abode. It, too, was protected by a fence from the profanation of the vulgar. In his earliest essay on Du Maurier, Henry James GREATER NEW YORK 53 recalls it thus: "Many years ago a small American child [the future English novelist himself] . . . lived in New York and played in Union Square, which was then enclosed by a high railing, and guarded by a solitary policeman — a strange, superannuated, dilapidated functionary, carrying a little cane and wearing, with a very copious and very dirty (Shirt-front, the costume of a man of the world." It was not until 1856 that the Square boasted the equestrian statue of Washington, the only public monument of the kind then existing in the city. At about the same period as the rise of Union Square, four acres of the old farm of Gov. Stuyvesant were dedicat- ed to a proprietary park and christened with the name of that immortal worthy. It likewise rapidly became a do- main of wealth and fashion, and was dominated physically and spiritually by the successive piles of St. George's Church. Not many years subsequently Gramercy Park was called into existence by Samuel B. Ruggles, who conveyed it in trust to the owners of the sixty lots around it. The good fortune of the preceding private parks followed it and made it speedily a coveted residential location; but it alone retains to-day its proprietary and exclusive character. The citizen who traverses its walks or rests beneath the shade of its trees does so with a certain air of importance, for to all the world it is known that he is the possessor of a "key." Meanwhile there was Tompkins Square, in the northeast of the city, which in 1850 had just been planted with trees. Hamilton Square also existed as a sort of rough common, six miles from the city hall, well to the eastern part of the island, and with no pretentions to speak of save the corner- stone of a projected Washington monument. At the close of the fifties, also, Madison Square emerged into existence. Prior to 1839 it had been the site of the House of Refuge, then "out in the country." In that year the structure and outlying buildings were consumed by fire, leaving, with their surrounding grounds, ten devastated and unsightly acres, partly of a swampy nature. The proposi- tion to convert the desolate tract into a park was made and remade a number of times, and some attempt was ven- tured upon to get the ground in shape; but an inveterate stream of water defeated these half -heai ted endeavors, mu h to the delight of the small country boys thereabouts, who 54 GREATER NEW YORK found the overflow capital foi sliding and skating. Hence it was not until the public-spirited mayoralty of James Har- per, of the famous publishing firm, in 1844 to 1847, that ef- fectual steps were taken to bring forth Madison Square. In the years that followed it came to surpass all other squares in the quality of its residential reputation, having been the home — to mention no other — of the celebrated Flora Mc- Flimsy. It was long, and to a measurable extent remains, the centre of the city's life after six o'clock in the evening. The foregoing were substantially all the city's park pos- sessions up to the year 1850. Nearly all these spaces had owed their origin to the private desire to have a pleasant and healthful outlook from a handsome mansion. Yet the conception of a public park of large area for the benefit of the whole people had apparently been once or twice formed. In the beginning of the century a plan was set on foot to sur- round the Fresh Water Pond with ornamental grounds; but the scheme met with no support, and the crystal lake — the Kolck, as the Dutch called it — was gradually filled up, and became the site of the "Five Points" district. Later, when Gouverneur Morris laid out a map of the upper part of the city, he planned a park containing 300 acres, to be bounded by Twenty-third and Thirty-fourth Streets and Third and Eighth Avenues. The idea then seemed to slum- ber until 18o0, when it was revived by Andrew J. Downing, who had spent the summer in Europe. London at that time was giving to every 100,000 of its inhabitants 500 acres of breathing space, while New York, all of whose parks and squares comprised less than 100 acres, gave to every 100,000 people only sixteen acres. On April 5, 1851, Mayor Kings- land, just elected, urged upon the Board of Aldermen the selection of a site for a large public park. The board's commiitee on lands and places recommended the purchase of Jones's Wood, a tract of forest land extending along the East River, and bounded by Third Avenue and Sixty-sixth and Seventy-fifth Streets. The Legislature on July 11 of the same year authorized the purchase, but before any- thing further was done the need of a more central and larger tract was perceived. In the following August a special committee of the Board of Aldermen chose the land bounded by Fifty-ninth and One Hundred and Sixth Streets and Fifth and Eighth Ave- GREATER NEW YORK 55 nues, two and a half miles long by half a mile wide, and comprising 776 71-100 acres — the greater part of the present Central Park. On July 23, 1853, the Legislature passed a bill for its purchase, and on November 17, 1853, five Com- missioners of Estimate and Appraisement were appointed by the Supreme court to acquire the tract. They completed their labors in the summer of 1855, valuing the land at $5,398, G95, and on February 5, 1856, their report was con- firmed by the Common Council, and the purchase consum- mated, $1,658,395 of the amount being levied on the owners of adjacent property. The State Arsenal and grounds were afterwards bought for $275,000. At first sight the spot se- lected seemed an unpromising one. The land was as wild and uncultivated as in the days of the aborigines. Yet is was admirably designed by nature, lacking nothing but trees, a want that could be supplied by time. In area it equalled Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens combined, and was seven times larger than all the existing public parks and squares of New York. It had its enemies from the be- ginning, who so bitterly assailed it, on the score of exorbi- tant cost, that the Common Council — even then peculiarly susceptible to outside influences — actually passed a resolu- tion to petition the Legislature to reduce its size! But the Mayor had enlightenment and a backbone, and vetoed the precious resolution. On the 19th of May, 1856, the Common Council adopted an ordinance creating the Mayor and Street Commissioner Commissioners of the Park. The latter immediately invit- ed a number of private citizens distinguished for their tas.e and knowledge to attend the meetings and form a consult- ing board. The board met for the first time on the 21st of May, 1856, and elected Y\ r ashington Irving President. Under the united superintendence of these bodies, prelimi- nary surveys were made, and a plan, offered by the engi- neer (Lieutenant, since General) Egbert L. Viele, was adopt- ed, but nothing further was done, for want of appropria- tions. To meet this emergency, on the 17th of April, 1857, the control of the park was placed by the Legislature in the hands of a board of Commissioners, not to exceed eleven in number, who were to hold office for five years, and who were empowered to expend the moneys to be raised by the issue of slock by the Common Council. Upon consideration, 56 GREATER NEW YORK The plans already adopted were abandoned by the new Commissioners, who advertised for fresh designs, and In April, 1S58, accepted those of Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. On April 2, 1S59, an act was passed by the Legislature, extending the northern boundary of the park to One Hundred and Tenth Street. In 1864 the park was again enlarged by the annexation of Manhattan Square, a rugged tract covering a space of 19^ acres, and bounded by Seventy-seventh and Eighty-first Streets and Eighth and Ninth Avenues. The whole area of the park was thus in- creased to its present dimensions — 862 3 ,£ acres. It has always been accounted extremely fortunate that the designing of- the park should have fallen into the hands of two such men as Mr. Olmsted and Mr. Vaux. Each was an ardent adherent of the natural treatment of a park, as opposed to the formalism and artificiality of th£ prevailing taste of the time, both abroad and in the United States. They themselves were fortunate in having what no designer of a park had ever, up to that time, enjoyed — a vast expanse of virgin soil as material. All the great parks elsewhere had grown up piecemeal — had happened, as it were. The manner in -which Mr. Vaux and Mr. Olmsted availed them- selves of their opportunity made them authorities through- out the world, and gave them an enduring reputation. From the beginning their plans have been faithfully ad- hered to, in face, however, of perpetual attempts to muti- late and mar them. In the opinion of many competent judges it is the one piece of art in the city which the inha- bitants may with pardonable pride show to foreigners. The work of the planners went on slowly, however, and it was not until about 18S0 that the whole area was got approxi- mately into the condition in which it is seen to-day. The total cost of the park to the city has been $15,000,000, but it is now agreed that such a sum was never more judiciously expended. It contains 400 acres of wooded ground, 500,000 trees having been set out since the acquisition. It has miles of carriage-ways, 5*4 miles of bridle-paths, and 2$y 2 miles of walks — a total of ever 42 miles. It contains 30 buildings, and provides outdoor seats for 10,000 people. Its bridges, tunnels, and archways number 48. Its total water area is 43% acres. It was the forerunner of Prospect Park in Brooklyn, Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, and other GREATER NEW YORK 57 parks in other cities, which but for its example would prob- ably have been postponed for many years. In addition to Central Park, the following small parks were added to the public domain between 1850 and 1881: Abingdon Square, at Hudson Street and Eighth Avenue; Jackson Square, at Hudson and Thirteenth Streets and Greenwich Avenue: Morningside Park, Riverside Park, Mt. Morris Square, and the reservoir or Bryant Park. The total area of the park system in 1881 was 1,194 acres. In 1896 it was nearly five times as much. This great in- crease was due to the acquisition beyond the Harlem River of Van Cortlandt Park, with its 1,132 acres; Bronx Park, with 662 acres; Pelham Bay Park, with 1,756 acres; Crotona Park, with 141^ acres; Claremont Park, with 38 acres, and of the Bronx and Pelham, the Mosholu and the Crotona Parkways, with about 200 acres more. In the improvement of these great trans-Harlem expanses, the ideas which Mr. Olmsted and Mr. Vaux embodied in Central Park have hitherto prevailed, and it is not believed that public opinion will ever suffer them to be departed from. In the upper part of the island were acquired during the same pericd Fort Washington Park, extending from One Hundred and Seventy-first to One Hundred and Eighty- fourth Street, and containing forty acres; St. Nicholas Park, containing thirty acres, and lying between One Hundred and Thirtieth and One Hundred and Forty-first Streets; the Colonial Park, embracing nearly 15 acres, and lying between One Hundred and Forty-fifth and One Hundred and Fifty- fifth Streets, east of Bradburst Avenue. In the lower part of the city have been added Jeannette Park, occupying the site of the old Coenties Slip; Rutgers Park, formerly Rut- gers Slip; Corlears Hook Park, south of Grand Street, near the East River; the Mulberry Bend Park; while small parks are now being constructed, or have been authorized, along the East River, from One Hundred and Eleventh to One Hundred and Fourteenth Street; between Pitt and Sheriff, on Stanton Street; at Hester and Norfolk Streets; and on the west side, between Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth Streets and Ninth and Tenth Avenues. The East River Park at Eighty-fourth Street has also been enlarged. The Harlem River Driveway, begun in 1894, was com- pleted and opened this autumn. In 1895 250 acres in Bronx 5S GREATER NEW YORK Park were set aside for a botanical garden, and a year or two earlier an aquarium, io cost nearly $300,000, was autho- rized to be made out of the old Castle Garden at tbe Battery. The estimated cost of the new park land acquired since 1888 has been $9,969,603. Central Park alone, as mere real estate, is valued at $200,000,(00. HISTORY OF THE KEW YOKK STAGE. The dramatic history of the city of New York is com- prised within a period of something less than 150 years. There is some difference of opinion as to J:he exact time of the first theatrical performance and concerning the name of the fin=t performer, but it is tolerably certain that the first recognized place of entertainment of a dramatic charac- ter was a room in a building in Nassau Street which be- longed to the estate of Rip Van Dam. The name of Thomas Booth is mentioned in connection with this place as early as 1710, but it was in 1754 that the professional actor and manager, Lewis Hallam, gave there the first regular theat- rical performances of which there is any regular record in New York. He was a favorite actor at the Goodman's Fields Theatre, in London, and made his debut here in the cha- racter of Richard III. He followed this up with a variety of performances in the classical drama, the public taste at that time being directed to higher things than the frivolities which are now regarded as the most precious means of en- tertainment. His son, who first appeo.red in New York in 1767, was a famous Lord Ogleby, and played the part for forty years, appearing in the old Park Theatre as late as 1807. It was in 1767 that a theatre was built in John Street. It is described as an unsightly red structure, but it is his- torically interesting from the fact that the first American drama performed on a regulai stage by a company of regu- lar comrdians was presented there. This was Royal Tyler's play "The Contrast." It may be noted also that the first, native-born American actor was a New Yorker named John Martin, who made his first appearance in 1790 as Young Norval. It is also worthy of record that President Wash- ington was a spectator in the John Street theatre on more than one occasion. His first visit was at the time of his GREATER NEW YORK 59 inauguration, and later on he occupied a box with a num- ber of friends, including Mrs. Adams, Mrs. Greene, Gerald Phillip, Mrs. Schuyler. Secretary and Mrs. Hamilton, and Mr. and Mrs. Rufus King. The second theatre in New York was erected on Beekman Street, near Nassau Street, and was destroyed by the Sons of Liberty during the stamp- act excitement. Of these earlier theatres the records are scanty, and not particularly interesting, but with the establishment of the old Park Theatre, which was founded in 1797, theatrical matters in New York began to assume much more impor- tance. Many of the most famous actors in the history of the stage appeared upon its boards. Among them may be mentioned George Frederick Cooke, who played there in Richard and many other of his celebrated characters, under the management of Thomas Apthorpe Cooper, who himself was scarcely less famous as a tragedian. Tt was in the Park Theatre that Junius Brutus Booth first acted in this country in 1821, aud later on the brilliant tragedian Ed- mund Kean, and the no less celebrated comedian, the e'der Mathews, performed there some of their most popular parts. It was in the Park Theatre, too, that the victorious crew of Commodore Decatur were en + ertained public^ after the famous fight between the American frigate United S'ates and the English frigate Macedonian. This house was burn- ed down in May, 1820, and none of the contents were saved. It was rebuilt afterwards, but never again occupied so pro- minent a position in the theatrical world. The old Bowery Theatre, to which the epithet oM had not yet been applied, was then taking a place in the foremost ranks of American theatres. Almost all the great actors of the first half of this century appeared on its boards in the very fulness of their prime. Conw ay, Cooper, the elder and the younger Booth, Ed- win Forrest, J. W. Wallack, and a host of others laid there the foundations of their enduring fame. Another house that was prominent then, but long ago vanished in obscurity, was the old theatre in Greenwich Street, in which Thomas A. Cooper made his first appearance in this country. A still better-known house at that early period was the National Theatre, in Leonard Street, where the comedian Burton made his first appearance in 1837, under the ma- nagement of J. W. Wallack. Burton's advance in public CO GREATER NEW^YORK favor was extremely rapid, and in 1848 he was ready to go into management on his own account. Having secured possession of the house, which, up to that time, had been known as Palmo's Opera-house, he opened it under the name of Burton's Theatre, although it is generally spoken of as ihe Chambers Street Theatre. Perhaps there never was a much finer company of comedians than was assem- bled there at different times under his direction. Among some of the more famous names may be mentioned those of John Brougham, William Blake, Thomas Placide, Lester Wallack, George Jordan, Charles Fisher, Charles Mathews, the younger, and Agnes R.obertson, afterward Mrs. Dion Boucicault. The prosperity of this house was maintained until 1856, by which time it was beginning to be too far down town, and Mr. Burton opened the Metropolitan Thea- tre, which was known later as the Winter Garden, and was destroyed by fire after a checkered existence of a dozen years. Thenceforward theatres began to increase in number very rapidly, the new structures mostly following the line of Broadway, as the population of the city extended further and further to the north. Among the new structures then erected were the Broadway Theatre, at Brcome Street, and Niblo's Garden, which for many years was identified very closely with such spectacular forms of entertainment as "The Black Crook." J. W. Wallack established his Wal- lack's Lyceum in 1852 and his Wallack's Theatre, which was to maintain its reputation as the chief comedy theatre cf the country for so many years, in 1861. Before this time the Astor Place Opera-house had been in existence for a consi- derable period, and had acquired unenviable notoriety as the scene of the bloody riot which was caused by the me- morable quarrel between Forrest and Macready. For a long time after the opening of Wallack's Theatre theatrical interest centred in the neighborhood of Union Square. Some of the most brilliant performances known to the present generation were given in this neighborhood. At Wallack's there was almost always to be found some mas- terpiece of the older comedy, while modern romantic drama received most capable interpretation at the Union Square. Many remarkable representations, too, both musical and dramatic, were given in the Academy of Music in Irving GREATER NEW YORK 61 Place, which for a long time enjoj^ed the reputation of being the largest and handsomest theatre in the city. West of Union Square was the present Fourteenth Street Thea- tre, originally known as the Lyceum, which was built on the site of the old French Theatre, associated with the memory of Bateman, in accordance with the designs of the lamented Charles Fechter, and was in many respects one of the best-appointed playhouses in the city. In the days of its prime it was the scene of every variety of dra- matic entertainment, from tie high tragedy of Edwin Booth to the opera bouffe of Marie AimSe. On the eastern side of the city there had always been good provision for theatre-goers, the Eowery and the Stadt Theatre, afterwards known as the Windsor, furnishirg plen- tiful accommodation. These were supplemented in course of time by the People's Theatre and a number of music halls and museums which need not be specified. On the western side of the city there were fewer provisions for the lovers of the stage until the Grand Opera-house was built by Mr. Pike, at Twenty-third Street and Eighth Avenue. Booth's Theatre, at the corner of Twenty-third Street and Sixth Avenue, was opened in I860, and was one of the handsomest and solidest theatrical structures hitherto erected in the city. It opened with apparently brilliant prospects, but proved to be away from the centre of theatrical attraction, and was never a financial success. Mr. Edwin Booth sank in it one of the several fortunes which he made, and many theatrical speculators invested money in it, with more or less disastrous results. There were some brilliant periods in its career, nevertheless, and it was there that Charlotte Cushman, perhaps the greatest of all American tragic ac- tresses, bade her farewell to the New York public. It was Mr. Augustin Daly who, first of the New York managers, resumed the upward march along Broadway. After he had been driven by fire out of his Twenty-fourth Street Theatre, he settled in the present Fifth Avenue The- atre, at Twenty-eighth Street and Broadway, which, with the present Daly's Theatre, then known as Wood's Museum, represented the limits of the fashionable world of enter- tainment. Many managers had been unwilling to move up town, in the belief that their removal further from the ferries would lose them the support of their Brooklyn 62 GREATER NEW YORK patrons, but this consideration became less and less impor- tant as the means of transit improved, and as new theatres sprang up in Brooklyn. One by one the theatres on Broad- way below Union Square perished for lack of sustenance. The Broadway Theatre was closed nearly thirty years ago; Niblo's, after being burned and restored, was finally pulled down, while the Olympic Theatre, which onca achieved con- siderable reputation urder the management ol Laura Keene, the Varieties Theatre, and the Globe Theatre w r ere aban- doned one after another. When the upward movement was once resumed, it was continued with great rapidity, and at tbe present moment there is an almost unbroken succession of theatres from Union Square to Forty-second Street, to say nothing of the Harlem houses, which are practically suburban. It is not the purpose of this sketch, which is simply in- tended to give seme idea of the development of the theatri- cal business of the city, to furnish any particular account of the individual theatres. Among the latest and finest of the temples of the drama in what is the Greater New York, may be mentioned the new Wallack's, the Knickerbocker, the Empire, the Lyceum, the American, the Broadway, the new Fifth Avenue, the Garrick, the Casino, and the Metro- politan Opera-house, all of which have come into existence within the last few years. Daly's Theatre, of course, takes rank w r ith the best of these, but belongs to an older cate- gory. Of the gigantic music-halls which provide accom- modations for many thousand persons nightly, it is not ne- cessary to make more than this passing mention. Nor does this article pretend to have made separate allusion to every place of theatrical entertainment that now exists, or ever has existed, within the present New York limits. The statement that there are to-day twenty-five theatres at least in nightly operation between Union Square and the Harlem River, to say nothing of the vast array of music- halls, museums, concert-halls, assembly-rooms, and other places of entertainment, will, perhaps, give the clearest possible idea of the development of the theatrical, or, at least, of the entertainment interest, during the hundred and fifty years that have elapsed since Mr. Hallam gave his first performance in Nassau Street. Since the absorption of GREATER NEW YORK 6 Brooklyn into the greater metropolis, the list of theatres has been considerably augmented, there being at least half- a-dozen houses of the first or second class on the other side of the East River. 7