Communication TO TMK HOARD OF ALDERMEN CITY OF NEW YORK, PRESIDENT OF THE TRUSTEES J%w York and ^Brooklyn |3ridqe. MADE FEB. 3, 1876. BROOKLYN : RaiJIJC PHINT, 34, 3ft AND 3S Ffl.TON STKKKT. COMMUNICATION TO THh! BOARD OF ALDERMEN OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK, BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE JMew York and |3f[ooklyn ^ridqe, MADE FEB. 3, 1876. UKOOKLYN : L aui t Print, 34 and 36 Pclton Stkke*. 1376. Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library Gift of Seymour B. Durst Old York Library The Tiu'Stees of the New York and Brooklyn Bridge,) Office, No. 21 Water Street, > Brooklyn, Feb. 3, 1876. Hon. Samuel Lewis, President of the Board of Alder- men of the City of New York : Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith a communica- tion, in Compliance with the resolution of the Board of Aldermen of the 20th of January ult. Yonrs respectfully, HEN: C. MURPHY, President. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2014 http://archive.org/details/communicationtobOOdurs COMMUNICATION. To the Honorable the Board of Aldermen of the City of New York : I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your resolution of the 20th of January last, as follows : Resolved, That the President of the New York and Brooklyn Bridge Gompany be and he is hereby requested to report to this Board, at his earliest eonvenienee, a statement showing in detail the names of the stockholders or subscribers to the stock of the New Fork Bridge Company, with the amount subscribed and paid by each, whether individuals or corporations, previous to or at the time of the passage of chapter 900, Laws of 1875 ; the amount paid or refunded to each stockholder, as provided in section 2, of chapter 001, Laws of 1874, re-enacted by chapter .800* of Laws of 187o; the original esti- mated cost of the bridge j the amount already expended by the orig- inal Bridge Company, and as at present constituted, to be given separately: the estimated amount now required to complete the work ; When, if ever, the Common Council of this city accepted the provisions of section 3, of chapter 001, Laws of 1874; the amount, if any. refunded to this city in its capacity as a stockholder, in the original Bridge Company, to the amount of $1,500,000; and such other information in connection with t lie* enterprise as h<- may deem of interest to the public, or of use to this Common Council, which i6 now called upon to authorize the issue of bonds of the city of New York, to the amount of $2,666,666.66, in ad lition to the vast sum6 already contributed to the undertaking, as it is desirable that all the information, possible to obtain, should be furnished to guide this Common Council to an intelligent comprehension of all the 6 facts and figures relating to the measure, and that may seem to justify the issue of the bonds of this city to the amount above- named, in aid of the present Bridge Company, or the completion of the bridge, under its present management. The Company, to whose President this inquiry is ad- dressed, is no longer in existence. It was dissolved by operation of the statutes referred to in the resolution, and consequently there is no such officer. But, as the resolution has been delivered to me, the President of the Board of Trustees, now in charge of the work, I pre- sume it was so intended, and, therefore, give in that capacity, the information desired. As to the Stockholders of the Bridge Company. The schedule hereto annexed, marked A., will, as far as practicable, exhibit the names of the stockholders of the New York Bridge Company, with the amount subscribed and paid by each, whether individuals or corporations, previous to, or at the time of the passage of chapter 300, of the Laws of 1875 ; and, also, the amount refunded to each stockholder as provided in section 2 of chapter 601 of the Laws of 1874. In consequence of the transfers of stock made from time to time, two tables are given for this purpose : one showing the original subscribers with the amount subscribed, and the other, the stockholders at the the time of the passage of the law of 1875, and the amout paid on account of the stock held by them at that time. In this connection it may be stated, as requested, that no amount has been refunded to the City of New York in its capacity as a stockholder in the Company. The Original Estimate of the Cost of the Bridge. The first estimate was made in 1867, by the late John A. Hoebling, Esq., its designer and first engineer, for a structure 80 feet wide, and 130 feet above high water, ex- clusive of the land, as follows: Suspended superstructure .$2,787,072 Anchorage, including excavation, plates and chains 705,424 Foundation of Brooklyn tower 355,400 Foundation of New York tower- Pile foundation $300,087 00 Rock foundation 727,204 32 The latter was adopted 727,204 Two towers 1 ,400.820 Approaches 742,516 Engines and machineiy 40,000 Toll-houses and gateways 20,000 Engineering 150,000 Contingencies .' 200,781 To the foregoing sums, amounting to $7,328,207.32, was ad- ded eight per cent, for additional width to 85 feet, and height to 135 feet, as required for the latter, before com- mencing the bridge, by the Secretary of War, under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1860 586,250 Total for structure $7,014,457 A detailed estimate of the cost of the land was made for the first time under the direction of the Executive Committee of the Company in 1873. For that purpose a map was prepared by the Engineering department <»f all the lands not then taken — not only those necessary for the foundations to be built and the approaches, but, also, those over which the bridge will pass, showing the prop- erty of each owner separately, together with the parts of such lots as extended outside of the lines of the bridge, and it would be for the interest of all parties to take. An abstract was then taken of the valuations of these different pieces of land from the books of. the City Asses- sors of New York and Brooklyn for the year L873, and where only a part of a lot was taken a valuation was placed upon it bearing the same ratio to the a»e>sc<] valuation of the whole lot as the area of the pai r taken bore to the area of the whole. An estimate was then made of the actual value of each parcel by taking twice 8 and a half the assessed valuation of the land required in New York, and twice the assessed valuation of that in Brooklyn. The following was the result : For land in New York then yet to betaken $2,401,978.00 For land in Brooklyn 520,394.00 Making in both cities $2,922,372.00 There had been taken previously land not embraced in the foregoing amount, costing 735,478.83 Making the total estimate of land required for the purpose of the bridge $3,657,850.83 Which sum, added to $7,914,457 for the structure, made the entire cost of the bridge as ftrst esti- mated . $11,572,287.00 The Amount Already Expended. There has been expended up to the 1st of January, 1876, for land $1,056,976.61 For construction 4,897,933.02 In all $5,954,909.63 Of which there was expended by the original Bridge Company up to the 17th of February, 1875, when the Company passed under the exclusive direction of the two cities, by virtue of the act of June 5, 1874 $4,869,153.20 And by the said Company as so constituted until the 9th of June, 1875, when the bridge became the pro- perty of the two cities $519,492.86 Total by the Bridge Company $5,388,646.06 By the Trustees of the two cities from June 9th, 1875, to the 1st of January, 1876, exclusive of the liabili- ties of the Bridge Company, paid by the Trustees and included in the above mentioned expenditures ut the Company . $566,263.57 Total expenditures, January 1, 1876, as before.... $5,954,909.63 9 The Estimated Amount now Reqi tt-fp to Complete THE BbTDG^BT. This will appear by the following estimate just made by Col. W. A. Roebling, who succeeded his father as Chief Engineer, upon the death of the latter, and has now the direction of the work. Estimate Jani aky, 1876. Amount required to complete Brooklyn tower $7,000 00 Masonry required to complete New York tower, 8,800 cubic yards at $36 136,800 00 Cost of completing Brooklyn anchorage 62.482 00 Cost of completing New York anchorage 248,210 00 Ban and castings for anchorages 4,8-56 00 Anchor chains and pins for Brooklyn anchorage 5,568 00 Anchor chains and pins for New York anchorage 32,136 00 Suspended superstructure as per original estimate, in- cluding the 8 per cent, for increased size 3,011,010 00 Approaches 742.516 00 Toll-houses and gateways 20,000 00 Engineering 140,000 00 Contingencies 100.000 00 Total required to complete bridge and approaches in- dependently of the land 4,510,<>17 00 And for the laud yet to be taken, according to the mode of estimating its cost before mentioned 2,706,413 00 .Making in all for land and structure complete .... 7,217,030 00 Whole Cost of the Bridge \> now Estimated. Amount already expended $5,954,910 00 Existing liabilities for materials deliv- ered and charges, as per schedule B. !>2.J)13 00 16, 047, 823 00 Less cash and materials on hand 1 1.5,278 00 Whole amount expended >."..!.()•.'.. "> |'. 00 To be expended as above 7,217,090 00 Total tl8,119JI7fl 00 10 -From this amount a large deduction is to be made on account of the land lying under the bridge. It has been deemed proper to take all such land outright, although it would be only partially damaged by the passage of the bridge over it, and its full value has therefore been included in the foregoing estimate. It lies between the river and the points in either city where the structure leaves a clear space of fifteen feet between its under side and the ground, and is all capable of more or less utilization. The cost of this land in the estimate is §2,- 740,416. Should forty per cent, only of its cost be re- alized on a sale for the limited purposes to which its use should be restricted, there would be a deduction from the total estimated cost of §1,0,96,66, leaving the net cost of the entire work $12,023,409. The act of 1 875 provides, however, that the interest on the bonds for the §8,000,000, to be issued by the two cities, should be paid by the trustees out of the moneys to be received by them. The eifect of this is that no payment of interest on their bonds will be made by the cities for three years ; but the cost of the bridge will be enhanced §1,067,500, being the amount of the interest so to be paid for them by the trustees. The difference between the original estimates and thos now made for the work, complete, and ready for use is §1,441,722, or about 12-^ per cent, on the whole cost, and is entirely due to the actual increased cost of the work already done, or nearly done, owing partly to increased depth and size of the towers and anchorages, and increased price of materials and labor used upon them. This in- crease will have been incurred on those different portions of the work in the following amounts : Tower foundations , $240,005 56 Tower masonry 681,605 30 Anchorages 380,652 98 Total $1,302,263 84 1 ! Brought forward $1,302,263 .94 To which is to be added for increased ex- penses of Engineering and Machinery... £234,870 94 And for office salaries and expenses, super- intendence and general administration of the work for six years, and upwards, not included in the estimate 180,861 22 $424,222 16 Making in all $1,726,486 00 And from this amount is to be deducted a reduction on the other items of estimate of £284,7(54 76 Making the net increase as stated above $1,441,721 24 The increased cost of the foundations of the towers was owing : 1. To the rooky nature of the excavation on the Brooklyn side, by which it was increased from $1 to $6.40 per yard. 2. The necessity of providing against fire in the caissons, the danger of which, from com- pressed air, was previously unknown, and, 3. The high price of labor in the caissons being $2.75 for four hours work, causing an increase on that account alone of over $100,000. The masonry in the towers was actually increased 12,693 yards beyond the original estimate, by reason of greater depth and width of the New York tower, inde- pendently of the allowance of eight per cent, for increased height, making, at $25.88 per yard. $328,488.50. The ac- tual cost of the residue being 72,86:) yards, at the same rate per yard, w as S-L.S8 per yard more than the original estimate, or in the aggregate §353.116.80— the two items amounting to s(>Sl ? 0o5.30. The cost of the anchorages was enhanced by an in- creased size of both, judged pmpur by the present en- gineer, and the greater depth of the New York founda- tion, owing to the marshy (character of the snbstraturJQ which had to be removed, and by a change in the plan of the anchor plates and chains. These explanatory details are given in order to -how that the increase has been owing to increased sol id it;, and 12 strength given to the structure, and the novelty of the foundations, which are twenty times larger than any pneumatic foundations ever put down before, and conse- quently without any experience as to the danger to men working in compressed air to a depth of seventy-eight feet below the surface of the river, or to the greater lia- bility to combustion in the caissons from the same cir- cumstance. Moneys Received up to January 1, 1876. From the City of Brooklyn $3,965,000 From the City of New York 1,500,000 From private stockholders of the Company 349,800 For interest on deposits, rents, wharfage, material sold, etc 146,645 $5,961,445 The Acceptance of the Provisions of the Act of 1874, and the Reorganization of the Bridge Company. By the Law of June 5, 1874, it is enacted that when either of the cities of New York and Brooklyn should, by vote of its Common Council, accept the provisions of the third section of that act authorizing the issue of bonds of the cities to the amount of $3,000,000, and the payment thereof to the Bridge Company, and the owners of two- thirds of the private stock of the Company should accept the provisions of the second section of the act, authorizing the purchase of the rights of any private stock- holder in the Company, by a board of directors, to be ap- pointed on behalf of the two cities, the board of directors of the Company should consist of twenty members, to be composed of the Mayors and Comptrollers of the two cities, by virtue of their offices, and eight persons to be ap- pointed by the L Mayor and' Comptroller of JS T ew York, 13 with a like number to be appointed by the Mayor and Comptroller of Brooklyn. The Common Council of New York never voted to accept those provisions, but the Common Council of Brooklyn did vote to accept them on the 20th of August, 1874, and on the 28th day of September, 1874, the owners of two-thirds of the private stock of the Company accepted the provisions of the second section of the act, by an instrument in wait- ing, duly recorded in the offices of the Registers of the City and County of New York, and of the County of Kings, respectively : by which action the provisions for the appointment of a new board of directors of the Com- pany became operative, and the following persons were appointed such directors by the Mayor and Comptroller of the City of New York, viz. : J as. M. McLean, John Riley, Lloyd A spin w t all, Chas. J. Canda, Francis B. Thurber, J as. M. Motley, Abram S. Hewitt, Lawrence Turnure, And by the Mayor and Comptroller of the City of Brooklyn, viz : Henry C. Murphy, David M. Stone, Thomas Carroll, William C. Kingsley, James S. T. Stranahan, William Marshall, George L. Nichols, Samuel Booth. All of whom entered upon their duties on the seven- teenth of February. 1875. Extinguishment of the Rights of the Private Stouk- holders. Dissolution of the Bridge Company, and the bridge made a public work of THE Two Cities, to be Administered by a Board of Trustees. 1 he new Hoard of Directors, in pursuance of the powers conferred upon them by the act of 1874, pur- 14 chased on the 24th day of May, IS 75. the rights of all the private stockholders on the basis prescribed by the act, and as shown in the accompanying Schedule A, giving them the obligations of the Company, payable on the 24th of November last, which obligations are still outstanding ; whereupon, the private stockholders were entirely retired from the Company. By the act of May li, 1375, chapter 300, of the Laws of that year, upon the retirement of the private stock- holders, the Bridge Company was dissolved, and all its property and effects became vested in the two cities, and the bridge was declared by such dissolution to be a public work, to be constructed by the two cities —two- thirds of the expense thereof and of all the liabilities of the Company to be borne by the City of Brooklyn, and one-third by the City of Xew York. And it was further provided by the act that a Board of Trustees should be appointed, consisting, in connection with the Mayors and Comptrollers of the two cities, by virtue of their offices, of eight persons, to be appointed by the Mayor, Comptroller, and President of the Board of Aldermen of the City of Xew York, and a like number by the Mayor, Comptroller, and City Auditor of the City of Brooklyn, for the purpose of managing and constructing the bridge, with the obligation of paying all the debts and liabilities of the Company. The following persons were accord- ingly appointed trustees by the authorities of New York, viz James M. McLean, John Riley, Lloyd Aspinwall, Chas. J. Caxda, Francis B. Thurber, Jas. M. Motley, Abram S. Hewitt, Lawrence Turn ij re, And the following by the authorities of Brooklyn : Henry C Murphy, William Marshall, Thomas Carroll, t Henry W. Slocum, Jas. S. T. Stranahan, Isaac Yan Anden, William C. Kjlnosley, William B. Leonard. 18 All of whom accepted the appointment, and entered upon its duties on the 9th of June, 1875. Since then Charles J. Cauda, appointed one of the Commissioners of Rapid Tran-it in New York, has resigned, and his place has been tilled by Jenkins Van Schaick, Esq., and the place of Isaac Van Anden, Esq.. from Brooklyn, has become vacant by his death, and is not yet filled. The Proceedings ok the Trustees and their Out- standing Liabilities. The Trustees thus charged as a special public authority with the construction of the Bridge and payment of the debts and liabilities of the Company, were empow- ered by the act of 1875, before mentioned, to call from time to time upon the two cities, by request made to the Mayor and Comptroller thereof, respectively, for such sums as they should deem proper, in the proportion^ above mentioned, " not exceeding in all eight millions of dollars, and not exceeding one million of dollars in any one year from the City of New York, and two millions of dollars in any one year from the City of Brooklyn , until the Bridge should be completed and open for pub- lic travel, and the debts and liabilities incurred therefor should be fully paid ;" to meet which the two cities were respectively authorized and required to issue bonds and pay the proceeds to the Trustees. In accordance with their duties and powers the ti ns tees, on the 9th of June, 1875, called upon the two cities, as required by the act, for an instalment of one million live hundred thousand dollars ; one million thereof from the City of Brooklyn, and five hundred thousand from the Citv of New York, part of their respective quotas of the eight millions authorized by the act ; and they pro- ceeded with every diligence in the construction of the bridge, but although the City of Brooklyn promptly com- plied with the requisition, the City of oSew York as yet 16 has not done so, and in consequence the Trustees have forborne to make any. further call, and have been unable to discharge their obligations. In order to a correct un- derstanding of the nature and extent of the outstanding liabilities of the Trustees, including all those to arise un- der contracts in course of fulfillment, a list is hereunto annexed marked B. In conclusion, I may add that if the means be promptly furnished, the Bridge can be entirely finished and open for public travel, and begin to be remunerative in the summer or fall of 1879. True economy, in the prosecu- cution of the work, is to push it forward, with all the speed that a due regard to its proper construction will permit. Money as well as land and materials are now cheap, and will combine to reduce its cost below the estimate ; while, on the other hand, delay will add to the cost by the accumulation of interest on the amount already expended in proportion to its extent. And I may be allowed further to say that this work is not, as sometimes urged, one of a purely sectional character. It will open a new thoroughfare for half a million of people to the centre of business and intelligence in this great metropolis of the nation — where it is already fixed by the erection of public buildings both national and municipal, and by grand edifices devoted by private en- terprise to financial, telegraphic and journalistic purposes. It will practically unite the two cities, and contribute to the convenience, comfort and safety of that portion of the community, which will use it in their daily avoca- tions, and be a worthy monument of the foresight as well as the greatness of New York. If made perfectly free for travel it will yet be self sustaining, and with- out expense in the future for its maintenance, by re- ceipts of the railway, which will carry over it for a trifling charge, such as may be disposed to avail them- selves oi it; while the "entire cost to the City of New York will not, in any possible contingency, including 17 ail the "vast suni> " already contribute d, amount to five millions of dollars. Respectfully submitted, HEN: 0. MURPHY. 1. List of Original Subscribers to the Capital Stock of the New York Bridge Company. NAMES. SHARKS. Henry C. Murphy 100 Isaac Van Anden 200 William Marshall 50 Seymour L. Hosted 200 Samuel McLean! 50 Arthur W. Benson 20 Martin Kalbfleisch 200 Alexander McCue 100 William M. Tweed 560 Peter B. Sheeny 560 Hugh Smith 560 Henry W. Slocum 500 James S. T. Stranahan 100 Grenville T. Jenks 50 Kingsley& Keeney 1,600 John II . Prentice 50 William Hunter, Jr 50 John W. Lewis 50 The City of New York 15,000 The City of Brooklyn 30,000 Total 50,000* IS % Stockholders of the New York Bridge Company, on the 14th of Mat, 1S75. With the number of shares held by each, and the amount paid there- on, together with the amount refunded to the private stockhold- ers on the 24th of May. 1875, on the purchase of their rights, being principal and interest on the amount paid by them, pursu- ant to the provisions of the second section of chapter 601 of the Laws of 1874. Individuals. No. Of Amount Amount shaves. paid thereon. refunded. Henrv C. Murphy 240 19.200 .-25.065 74* Isaac Van Anden 20.000 25.049 82 William Marshall ~50 ~4.500 ~d] 727 9(1 ou »"» AAA 2. UUI 1 J. i 10 04 Arthur W. Benson 20 . 1.800 2,283 13 Alexander McCue 250 20,000 35,562 72 Peter B. Sweenv 210 8,400 11.306 09 Hugh Smith 315 25.200 30.764 58 Henrv W. Slocum 250 20.000 25.396 75 James S. T. Stranahan 490 39,200 51.241 42t Kimislev & Keenev 1210 88.400 112,799 92 John H. Prentice. 50 4,500 5,687 24 50 4.000 4.962 44 Demas Barnes 100 9.000 11.348 64 William C. Kinsrslev 525 25.200 32.866 98 Seymour L. Hasted 500 40.000 51.217 26 Daniel A. Bostwick 210 8,400 11.306 09 210 8.400 11,306 09 William H. Vanderbiit 10 800 Abram S. Hewitt 10 800 Totals 5000 *349.800 •-447.808 36 CORPORATIONS. The City of Brooklvn 80.000 83.000.000 The City of New York 15.000 1,500,000 • 50.000 14,849,800 * Includes the amount refunded on 10 shares of William II. Vanderbiit, as>i, kuu Material and Work. Collins Granite Co, retained on contract £4,5(U 96 Noone & Madden, " < ; 18,804 10 Beattie & Dresser u " 3,422 45 Keystone Bridge Co.. " " 2,383 37 Beattie & Dresser, for stone delivered 704 31 Bod well Granite Co.. «• 26,12107 Lake Chatnplain Blue Stone Co., for stone delivered 1,412 87 Divine Burtis, Jr.. " " 2,360 59 Alexander McCue, bill not yet audited 969 90 Edgar M. Cullen, t; " 0,527 82 Collins Granite Co., certificate of indebtedness is. 514 98 Keystone Bridge Co. , " " 5. 61 23 Rents to January 1—2 months 1,383 33 Salaries and bills due January 1 3,084 25 Balance due on salaries to January 1 1,539 OS $92,918 30 To Private Stockholders. Certificates of indebtedness, as per Schedule A, and in- terest to January 1, 1876 ^466.703 38 Materials to j$e Delivered after January L, 1 S T* J oh Outstanding Contracts. Joseph Brcnnan. " 8.575 30 South Brooklyn Saw Mill Co., Lumber 600 18 A. W. Bbadbolt a- Bon, cart 180 00 |190.256 85 .■s74'.t.s7H 53 p