i£x IGtbrta 
 
 SEYMOUR DURST 
 
 
 ~t' Tort ni*un> i.4mfltrd<i->n op Je Manhatans 
 
 ^^^^^ 
 
 FORT NEW WSTERDA.H^^^ .NEW YORK r j 
 
 "When you leave, please leave this book 
 
 Because it has been said 
 "£ver'thing~ 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/greatnorthsideorOOdurs 
 
1 
 
 NORTH SIDE BOARD OF TRADE, 
 
Copyright, 18^7 
 
 BY 
 
 THE NORTH SIDE BOARD OF TRADE 
 Albert E. D\v;s ( Chairman 
 
 Ube Iftnicfeerbocfcer press, IRew ItJorft 
 
THE GREAT NORTH SIDE OF THE 
 CITY OF NEW YORK. 
 
 Greater New York above the Harlem. 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Settlement and Early History . Fordham Morris, 1 
 
 Counsellor-at-Law. 
 
 Annexation ..... Wm. Cauldwell, 19 
 
 Ex-Senator. 
 
 Department of Street Improvements, 
 
 Hon. Louis F. Haffen, 30 
 
 Comirir of Street Improvements. 
 
 Commercial Advantages . Gen'l Egbert L. Viele, 58 
 
 Preset East Bay Land and Improvement Co. 
 
 Kaihvay Facilities . . . • Franklin A. Wilcox, 72 
 
 Counsellor-at-Laiv. 
 
 A Manufacturing Centre . John C. De La Vergne, 87 
 
 Late Pres't De La Vergne Refrigerating Machine Co. 
 
 A Home Centre .... Albert E. Davis, 107 
 
 Architect. 
 
 Educational Advantages . . Col. J. A. Goulden, 122 
 
 Ex-School Commissioner. 
 
 Bridges Wm. K. Beal, 132 
 
 Pres't Central Union Gas-light Co. 
 iii 
 
IV 
 
 Contents U % ontinued ) 
 
 Public Works .... Louis A. Risse, 160 
 
 Chief TojHjyntjjJt icul En<ji iicci\ Dcj/t St n et Imj/m'ts. 
 
 Parks and Parkways 
 
 General Advantages 
 
 Opportunities 
 
 Our Future . 
 An Invitation 
 
 . W. W. NlLBB, Jr., 189 
 
 /•.'.'■-. [ssrmblyman. 
 
 . Kunkst Hall, 205 
 Ex-Judge. 
 
 . De Wrrr C. Ovekbaugh, 220 
 
 .V' reliant. 
 
 Hugh N. Camp. 231 
 Hon. Samuel MacMillan, 244 
 
 Pres't Dept of Public Parks. 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 The purpose of this publication is to attract population, 
 capital, and business enterprise to the Borough of the Bronx. 
 It is not issued in any narrow sense with the desire of build- 
 ing up this borough at the expense of the other boroughs, for 
 the reader will observe that the writers evidence an equal 
 pride in advantages distinctively the possession of the Borough 
 of Manhattan. We are first of all New Yorkers — citizens of 
 no mean city — and proud of the fact. But our particular field 
 of activity is the Borough of the Bronx, and we know that 
 whatever tends to the upbuilding of this borough redounds 
 to the credit, prestige, and glory of our common city. 
 
 This work was projected about two years ago, but its pub- 
 lication was deferred owing to the then prevailing financial 
 depression. Two of the authors of articles, John C. De La 
 Vergne and Hugh N. Camp, have become citizens of another 
 city boundless in area, limitless in population, and infinite in 
 possibilities, — the Greater City beyond the Divide. 
 
 If there should appear to be any repetition on the part of 
 the different authors, the reader is reminded that a good story 
 will always bear repeating. 
 
 Most of the photographs from which the half-tone plates 
 were made were taken by Albert E. Lickman, a member of the 
 Committee on Literature and Publication, and grouped and 
 arranged by the chairman. The cover was designed by the 
 chairman. The committee is indebted to Geo. E. Stonebridge 
 
vi Introductory. 
 
 for the excellent photographs furnished by him, and to the 
 secretary of our Board, Otho G. Antrle, for invaluable assist- 
 ance rendered. 
 
 The thanks of the committee are due to Mr. Adolph G. 
 Hupfel for personal work and financial aid, and t<» Messrs. 
 Ernest Hall, Henry Lew is Morris, Fordhani Morris, and Win. 
 R. Beal for public-spirited services. 
 
COMMITTEE ON LITERATURE AND PUBLICATION. 
 
SETTLEMENT AND EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 This account includes very generally the territory formerly 
 a part of Westchester County which forms part of Greater 
 New York between the Hudson River and Long Island Sound, 
 but owing to limited space only particular statements are given 
 of the territory in which are situated our great suburban 
 parks, the 23rd and 2-ith Wards, and the adjoining Township 
 of Westchester, and now (1897) forming the Borough of the 
 Bronx. For more detailed information the reader is referred 
 to Bolton's and Scharfs histories of Westchester County, Rik- 
 er's History of Harlem, Colonial and other records and docu- 
 ments easily obtained in any of our public libraries. 
 
 INDIAN OCCUPANCY. 
 
 The most promineut tribe of Indians which inhabited 
 the territory prior to European settlement, we are informed 
 by Broadhead and Schoolcraft, was the Weekquaesgeeks. 
 Their hunting-grounds generally described were south of an 
 
2 The ( iiv.it .North Side. 
 
 irregular line drawn cast and wot from the Hudson to the 
 Sound, passing through the headwaters of t lie Pocantico, 
 NepperhaD, and Bronx; their settlements are attested by 
 mounds, shell-beds, stone hatchets, spear- and arrow-heads 
 found on the shores, hummocks, and uplands, which extend 
 from tin 1 month of the Pocantico at Tarrvtown to the rocks 
 hearing Indian inscriptions on Hunter's Island, in Pelham 
 Hay Park. Their actions in the region in which our Board is 
 interested are recorded in history by mention of the first 
 treaty made between them and tin 1 Dutch in 1 T> 4 2 at the 
 house of Jonas Bronck or Bronx, which stood near the outlet 
 of Mill Brook, near the present terminus of Brook Avenue at 
 Harlem Kills; their massacres and destruction of farms, in 
 violation of that treaty, about 1055, of Vanderdonck's colonis 
 in what is now Van Cortlandt Park; the celebrated Anne 
 Hutchinson's murder near the split rock in Pelham Bay 
 Park, and the driving away of Throckmorton and his associ- 
 ates from Throw's Neck : w hile our land titles begin with 
 
 Do O 
 
 deeds from members of that tribe, preceding or supplementing 
 Dutch ground briefs and patents and grants, borough and 
 manorial charters granted by the English. 
 
 EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT. 
 
 Hendrix Hudson anchored off Spuyten Duyvil in his cruise 
 up the Hudson in 1609 and Adriaen Blok, in the first vessel 
 built by Europeans in America, saw from the deck of the On- 
 rest or Restless the shores of North New York after passing 
 through Die Helle Gatt on his voyage of discovery up Long 
 Island Sound in 1613; but to Jonas Bronck or Bronx belongs 
 the honor of being the first actual settler, in 1639-40, on Har- 
 lem Kills. After him the river Bronx and all the southerly part 
 of our region was called Bronxland. Adriaen Vanderdonck, 
 the first lawyer w 7 ho came to this part of America, a patriot 
 and author, entitled to the credit of having obtained the con- 
 cession of popular rights to the early inhabitants of New 
 Netherland, followed Bronck, in 1653, by settling near where 
 
3 
 
1 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 the V;in Cortlandt mansion in the park of tliai name now 
 stands, His purchase from the Indians may bays been earlier. 
 That portion of our region, and as Ear north as well up the 
 valley of the Nepperhan, was therefore originally called Van 
 Donks or Vanderdonks Land. Between Vanderdonk and 
 Bronx came in the Archer Patent, or Manor of Fordham, 
 purchased principally from the Indian- by one dan Arcer, or 
 John Archer, between L655 and L6.71. Daniel Turneur, an 
 Alderman of Harlem, owned the neck o4 land between Crom- 
 well's Creek and Harlem River, now known as Bighbridge- 
 ville in 1671, also an Indian purchase; while Jessop and 
 Richardson acquired title to part of Weal Farm-. Barretto'a 
 Point, and Leggetfs Neck as earl) as L663, known subse- 
 quently as the \\ est Farms patent. Crossing the Bronx we 
 rind that about 1663-65, on the Westchester Creek, where 
 the ancient village of Westchester now stands, was a settle- 
 ment of trespassing New Englanders, whom the Dutch gover- 
 nor tried to bring under the jurisdiction of the West India 
 Company, but who, though outwardly loyal to the Dutch, 
 were hoping and scheming for an English invasion. They 
 were, in 1667, after the English conquest, rewarded for their 
 efforts and erected into a separate borough. This borough 
 comprised all the territory south of the present Eastchester 
 boundary, w r est of Hutchinson's River, Eastchester, and Pelham 
 Bay, and east of the Bronx with a front to the Sound and East 
 River. The tedious litigations about proprietary rights in that 
 section between the Pells, Cornells, and the Borough, are too de- 
 tailed to set forth in an article so restricted as this ; but suffice it 
 to say that the Borough and Cornells were firmly seated in their 
 holdings, and that East of Hutchinson's River and the bay called 
 Eastchester or Pelham, one Thomas Pell, of Fairfield, Connecti- 
 cut, had prior to 1666 purchased from the Indians all the lands 
 now in Pelham Bay Park and as far east as New Rochelle ; and 
 in 1666 the English governor Nicolls erected it into a proprie- 
 tary holding, with Thomas Pell as Lord of the Manor. 
 
5 
 
6 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 COLONIAL TIMES. 
 
 The colonial history of our region abounds with tales of 
 Indian warfare; tin 1 famous John Underhill oi Pequod fanir 
 
 came over from New England to help the Dutch. The crops 
 were tobacco, wheat, and indian corn. Controversies arose a^ to 
 lands and jurisdictions, the establishment of ferries over the 
 Harlem and Spuvten Duyvil so as to meet the two main thor- 
 oughfares of the Province, leading respectively to Albany and 
 Connecticut, the portion now Westchester being for a short 
 time under the jurisdiction of Long Island while the most west- 
 erly and southerly had in it the three manors of Phillipsbnrgh 
 (the most northerly part), Fordham, and Morrisania witli their 
 Courts leet and appellate tribunals at Harlem or before the 
 Mayor of New York. 
 
 In 1691, Westchester < ounty w as erected, which brought all 
 our region under the one jurisdiction but wit 1 1 separate repre- 
 sentatives for the Borough. Cooper, in his Ohainbearer and 
 Oak Openings portrays perhaps the most vivid picture of the 
 manners and customs of the u well-to-do" people of those days, 
 while Mrs. Knight in her Jpuivial of a Jowmey to Neiv York 
 from Boston, and Finlay in his Report on the Mails tell the 
 less pleasing, but perhaps most reliable, tales of the hardships 
 and inconveniences of "those good old colony times when we 
 were under the Kins:." 
 
 THE REVOLUTIONARY WAIL 
 
 At the outbreak of the Revolution we find Vander- 
 donck's land vested in Van Cortlandts by the female line 
 descendants of the Phillipses, and a Phillipse collecting toll 
 at Kingsbridge, then the only bridge except the Farmer's, 
 which spanned either Spuvten Duyvil or the Harlem estuary ; 
 a bridge at West Farms near Lydig's, or, as it was then known, 
 De Lancey's Mills ; and Williams Bridge at the site where 
 one now spans the Bronx near the Depot. The ferry at 
 Harlem which had its landing at a place on the north side 
 
7 
 
s 
 
 The ( ireat North Side. 
 
 <>f 125th Sheet ncai" Lsl Avenue, and on the Blonds Estate 
 this side of the river led to ;i road on this side correspond- 
 ing somewhat to 3d Avenue and Boston Road, as we now 
 know it, and thence to De Lancey's Mills at West Farms and 
 the Kingsbridge Road as it now runs from Wes1 Parma to the 
 Fanner's Bridge. The Ford ham Road ran from the Kings- 
 bridge Road to Harlem River, jus< as it runs now to Ford- 
 ham Heights, then called Fordham or Berrian^s Landing, and 
 the road we now call the Macomb's Dam Road ran then, as 
 now, to where it joins Jerome Avenue and thence to a point in 
 High bridge ville near the Anderson property on the western 
 slope of Cromwell's Creek. Such w as the "lay out" of the 
 North Side at the opening of hostilities with Great Britain. 
 
 The personnel of its inhabitants had changed somewhat 
 from the beginning of the English Colonial period. The Van- 
 cortlandts held most of what had been " I andonks land" some 
 of them Royalists, others brave soldiers in the continental regi- 
 ments; parts of the Fordham and West Farms Patents and 
 parts of the Turneur High Bridge holding had been pur- 
 chased as "additional" lands by the Morris family, lords of 
 the adjoining Manor of Morrisania, which had also taken in 
 Bronxland. The men of this family took up the American 
 side of the controversy. Lewis the elder, Lord of the Manor 
 was a member of the Continental Congress and signer of the 
 Great Declaration; Gouverneur, his brother, represented the 
 County in the Provincial Congress of New York; and Richard 
 of Fordham, a royal Commissioner of the Court of Admiralty, 
 resigned his lucrative post, and as a reward had his house and 
 farm at Fordham destroyed by the British, took refuge in the 
 American lines, and with his brother Gouverneur helped 
 make our first State Constitution and served as Senator from our 
 region. The other parts of the Fordham and West Farms 
 Turneur and AVestchester patents had, by sales and inherit- 
 ances, passed into the hands of the Devoes, Hadleys, Vermil- 
 yeas, Valentines, Corsas, Van Alsts, Hunts, Archers, Jessups, 
 
MAIN STREET, WEST FARMS. 
 
 BEDFORD PARK, FROM SO. BOULEVARD. 
 
 9 
 
10 The Great North Side. 
 
 Ryers, Cornells, Leggetts, Berrians, Briggs, Bussing*, Buck- 
 bouts, Pooles, and others, many of which names are on 
 our roll of members, or occur as names of our streets and 
 avenues and to the credit of their sturdy fathers are also to 
 be found on the muster-rolls of the Westchester, West Farms, 
 and Fordham Companies w hich fought for the American side. 
 Our region was the theatre of many bloody skirmishes and 
 important military movements during the Revolutionary con- 
 test. The gorge of the Harlem and Spuvten I)uvvil, the low, 
 marshy lands and creeks on the Kills and East river, and the 
 high lands immediately in their rear, disclosed to the strategic 
 eyes of Washington a natural line of defence, behind w hich 
 he could successfully lead his ill-equipped, and only half-de- 
 feated troops from Manhattan Island, and rally them on the 
 mountain slopes of the interior. There he could maintain an 
 unbroken line of communication between the New England, 
 the Middle and Southern colonies. How e's victory at Brook- 
 lyn and New York had merely placed him in possession of 
 some islands ; the continent was still held by the rebellious 
 Americans. The British had no base of supplies but the 
 ocean, and as the Americans retreated the crops were burned, 
 the cattle purchased from the farmers, and the roads and 
 bridges leading either across or up into the country were 
 rendered useless for artillery and baggage-trains by felling the 
 trees across them. The immediate command of the rear guard 
 was assigned to General Heath. He placed it with posts and 
 pickets along the east banks ft Spuvten Duyvil, the Harlem 
 River and Kills, the indentations of Leggett's Creek, Bronx 
 River, and Westchester Creek, and left no available route for 
 landward advance open to Howe except over broken bridges, 
 highways slashed with timber and up to lines of stone walls 
 with minute-men behind them. A second line of advance 
 open to How 7 e was up the Hudson in ships of war still ob- 
 structed by the American forts Washington and Lee : as a 
 third method of attack the Sound in ships, a landing on the 
 
12 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 continent and an advance in the front and not on tin* Hank of 
 the retreating Americans. Heath with his men held the Har- 
 lem River gorge so well that no available landing occurred to 
 
 the Howe brothers until the fleet and transports had reached 
 Hammonds anchorage just west of the promontory whereon 
 Fort Schuyler now stands. 
 
 After landing his troops and trains, and marching up the 
 Throgg's Nect road, Howe found tin- <»M Westchester bridge 
 across the creek impassable, ami American riflemen behind 
 cord-wood breast-works barring hid advance: farther up the 
 
 creek he crossed, or tried to cross, BO as to get on to the Kast- 
 chester Road near where the Pelhara Parkway now crosses it. 
 but there the regiments of Westchester in which were our 
 companies from Fordham, W est Farms, and Westchester vil- 
 lage, successfully resisted his advance and the British veterans 
 returned to Throws Neck and were forced to he ferried across 
 Pel ham Bay to Pell's Point and then in what is now Pelham 
 Bay Park, found Glover's regiment of Marblehead fishermen 
 disputing his advance behind thick stone walls. This delay 
 by a handful of undisciplined troops enabled Washington w ith 
 his main army to retreat to White Plains on the roads west of 
 the Bronx, un harassed in his rear and flanks, and to form his 
 lines at that place, which Howe finally attacked but did not 
 carry. 
 
 Hardly was our region cleared of the troops of both ar- 
 mies when our gorge of the Harlem again echoed the sounds 
 of war. Fort Washington on the Hudson was carried by at- 
 tacks from the AVestchester shore. British cannon planted on 
 Morris Heights rendered the outlying work on Laurel Hill at 
 the terminus of 10th Avenue useless, and Cornwaflis in his flat 
 boats came down Harlem River, landed at Cromwell's creek, 
 scaled that height, and the brave McGaw from Maryland lost 
 his life at Ft. George where now an enterprising brewer has 
 dubbed his house of refreshment, "Fort Wendell.' 1 The out- 
 lying lines near the Jumel Mansion were carried by Lord 
 
13 
 
11 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 Percy's regiment, and a regiment which scaled the heights ju-t 
 south of High Bridge. Yon Knyphausen Bwepl down the 
 valley of Broadway and attacked the fori on its northern 
 flank and Fort Washington fell. During the re&i of the war 
 Manhattan Island and all the Heights od the eastern and 
 northern shores of the Spuyten Duyvil and Harlem remained 
 to the British as their conquest with our region as sites for 
 chains of redoubts, block-houses, and videttes. Lack of space 
 forbids the recital of where those works Btood, but they are 
 known and should be marked in some appropriate manner 
 before public improvements entirely obliterate them. The 
 impartial annalist must here record the brave but mistaken 
 efforts of another son of our soil, Captain James I)e Lancev, 
 scion of the De Lanceys of De Lancey'a Mills, w ho, as captain 
 of the royal lighthorse, was the moat successful and useful 
 officer the British possessed to cany out the forays and raids 
 which were constantly occurring in the Debatable Land w hich 
 lay between the American lines and out-posts along the Harlem 
 and Spuyten Duyvil. lie, Emmerich, a soldier of fortune, and 
 Simcoe of the Rangers made 1 for themselves a reputation as 
 daring cavalry officers equal in acts of bravery " hai/r-breadth 
 9 scapes by flood and field" to any of the dashing ventures of 
 Prince Rupert, Lord Cardigan, Fitzpatrick, Forrest, or Gril- 
 mour. But De Lancey'a reward was a sad one ; his estates 
 were confiscated, and he died an exile in a foreign land, yet at 
 this late day we can honor an adversary by respecting his 
 fidelity to principle. 
 
 The attack on the British lines by way of Van Cortlandt 
 and Williamsbridge, unsuccessful, but yet notable ; Aaron 
 Burr's destruction of a British block-house at West Farms; 
 Washington's and De Rochambeau's reconnoissance in force 
 through our region, as far, as near where St. Ann's Church now 
 stands ; the defeat of the Stockbridge Indians in a part of Van- 
 cortlandt Park, near Woodlawn ; a brisk cavalry encounter at 
 the bridge crossing Tibbett's Brook near the old Mill, also in 
 
I; 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 Van Cortlaodt Park, are all events worthy of record and enter 
 into our Revolutionary history; and tin* last scene is (lie most 
 pleasing of all, when the Father of our Country, escorted by 
 the Westchester horse, crossed Kingsbridge to take possession 
 of New Y<>rk city when evacuated by the British. No better 
 works descriptive of the manners, customs, and condition of 
 the country at that period can be consulted than Cooper's Spy 
 and Dwight's '/ranis. 
 
 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE HARLEM RAILROAD. 
 
 Our region was wasted by fire and sword, hut an era of 
 peace and plenty again began: nature restored the forests 
 which American and British soldiers had cut down; the far- 
 mer laid his flint-locked musket aside or blazed away with it 
 at harmless squirrels and woodchucks, and wealth v men of 
 New York recognizing the beauties of the hilly, river and bay- 
 girt region, sought rest from their labors by purchasing some 
 of the worn-out farms, and erecting costly mansions, laying 
 out well kept pasture lands, tasteful plantations, and sloping 
 lawns. Blooded-stock replaced " neat cattle" slab-sided llozi- 
 nantes lank sheep and razor-back hogs; our pastures and 
 waters nourished the hones and muscles of " Eclipse" and 
 " Trustee " ' and gave new life and strength to imported Short 
 Horns, Alderneys and, Ayreshires, black-faced Southdowns 
 and sleek hogs from foreign lands; but the old native stock 
 of men still remained, and 11 showed against each other'''' at the 
 County and Town agricultural fairs ; the Town Clerk only 
 enlarged the Poll List and carried the names of the owners of 
 abolished manors and grantees of the Archers, Pells, and 
 Cornells and the Rosters of the Militia of war-times alongside 
 those of Fox, Dater, Faile, Dennison, White, Anderson, 
 Haight, Hoe, Simpson, Butler, Cammann, Lydig, Coster, Spof- 
 ford, Ludlow, Hall, Walker, Bailey, Van Schaick, Lorillard, 
 Richardson, Coddington, and Watson, and many other names 
 known in the mercantile, professional, journalistic and literary 
 
18 
 
 The ( ireat North Side. 
 
 life of tin 1 great metropolis. Pelham and the Third Avenue 
 Bridges were built and "new roads to Connecticut " laid out, 
 the Harlem River was crossed by a dam and fixed highway 
 at 7th Avenue, about 182C>, which was torn down and a draw 
 put into it about L836; the High Bridge w as begun at about 
 that time with its arches eighty feet in the span and the crow n 
 of the arch "not less than out 1i and red feet above hiyh title} 71 
 and in 1842 the waters of the Croton crossed the Harlem on 
 that viaduct. The Lydigs had succeeded the DeLanceys with 
 their " flouring" mill ; Bolton from England had set up the 
 Bleach, and the Lorillards their snntbmill in the beautiful 
 gorge of the Bronx, now happily devoted to Park purposes. 
 Robert Macomb had his grist-mill at Kingsbridge built across 
 Spuyten Duyvil creek, so thai t he t [de would turn the wheel; 
 the Van Tassels continued to grind the farmers 1 grist at the 
 old mill at Van Cortlandt's, over Tibbit'fl brook; the West- 
 chester Creek still turned the wheel of the tide mill at the old 
 bridge where the Americans had piled up the cord-wood and 
 resisted Howe's advance; the mills of the Morrises on Mill 
 Brook and Cromwell on Cromwell's Creek, had been discon- 
 tinued and the dams destroyed : other industries, especially a 
 carpet factory had been started at West Farms, but as yet 
 Christopher Walton at Pordham Corners, Daniel Mapes at 
 West Farms ami Sydney Bowne at Westchester were the only 
 merchants or " country -store keepers'' with any considerable 
 business, and West Farms was the Post Office and centre of 
 trade. The Red Bird sta^e received and delivered the mail 
 for the region at the latter place, and then rattled on over the 
 Eastchester turnpike on its weary way to the shire town of 
 White Plains. 
 
 Sucli was the region from the Revolution to the time of the 
 building of the Harlem Railroad through our territory. Some 
 other pen must record the future temporal development. His- 
 tory ends here : from that time onward, urban improvement 
 begins. 
 
ANNEXATION. 
 
 The booming of guns and other demonstrations of joy 
 which, at the hour of midnight of December 31,1873, her- 
 alded the advent of the year 1874, also celebrated the acces- 
 sion to the City of New York of a territory north of Harlem 
 River, equal, in extent, to the then boundaries of the city 
 south of that stream; for when the hour of midnight was 
 proclaimed the corporate existence of the then Westchester 
 towns of Morrisania, West Farms, and Kingsbridge had 
 ceased, and those localities, in the language of the Act of 
 Annexation, were " annexed to, merged in, and made part of, 
 the City of New York, subject to the same laws, ordinances, 
 regulations, obligations, and liabilities, and entitled to the 
 same rights, privileges, franchises, and immunities in every 
 respect, and to the same extent as if such territory had been 
 
 19 
 
20 
 
 Die Great North Side. 
 
 included within said City of New York at the time of the 
 grant and adoption of the first charter and organization thereof, 
 and had so remained up to the passage of this Act." 
 
 Annexation to the City of Xew York was, however, a plant 
 of slow growth. It had been talked about for more than ten 
 years prior to its actual consummation. Especially was it a 
 prominent topic in the town of Morrisania, whose rapid ad- 
 vance had far outgrown the scope of town government, the 
 powers of which were insufficient to meet the general demand 
 for local improvements. The idea of combining the towns 
 of Morrisania and West Farms under a special city charter 
 was much discassed, but as it aroused opposition from some 
 i>f the more extensive land proprietors of Wesi Farms, w ho 
 were opposed to all progress, the peoph- of Morrisania deter- 
 mined to abandon that idea, and secured the passage of an 
 act through the Legislature, in Ae year L864, creating a 
 Board of Trustees for that town, w hich act conferred upon 
 the trustees nearly all the powers of a city corporation with- 
 out the incidental expenses; and this act enabled the town 
 authorities to pioneer annexation by proceeding to make such 
 improvements in streets and highways as were demanded by 
 an increasing population flowing in from below the Harlem 
 River. 
 
 In 1863, Messrs. Campbell & Willis bought some one hun- 
 dred acres of land from Gouverneur Morris, located north of 
 what is now known as One Hundred and Thirty-eighth Street 
 and east of Third Avenue, then called Boston Road, and in 1 864, 
 Clarence S. Brown bought one hundred acres of land from 
 Henry M. Morris and his co-heirs, this land being bounded on 
 the north by One Hundred and Thirty-eighth Street, on the 
 east by Third Avenue, and on the south by Harlem River. At 
 this time, not a single house was located on any of this prop- 
 erty. In the laying out and mapping of these plots of land, 
 the cross streets were numbered in continuation of the streets 
 located in Harlem, the one nearest the river being One Hun- 
 
21 
 
22 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 dred and Thirty-third Street, afterwards converted into the 
 Southern Boulevard. I mention this incident to show the 
 general belief at that time in the upward extension of the city. 
 
 In 1808 it was deemed advisable, in the town of Morri- 
 sania, that some comprehensive and general plan for the laying 
 out of streets, roads, and avenues should be adopted (more 
 than a dozen so-called villages, each with its own lay-out of 
 streets, being then in existence), and this led to the passage 
 of an act, by the Legislature, conferring upon a Commission 
 the same general powers that had been conferred upon the 
 Commission of 1813, which mapped all the upper part of New 
 York Island. Having, also, the idea of future annexation in 
 view, this Commission adopted the numerical names for cross- 
 streets which existed in the city proper, and w Inch had been 
 initiated in Morrisania as mentioned above. 
 
 In 1869 the Legislature passed an act, giving to the Park 
 Department exclusive authority over bridges crossing the 
 Harlem River, ami over all streets having an approach thereto, 
 which was another Btep in the direction of the city jurisdic- 
 tion over the adjacent towns of Morrisania and AVest Farms 
 — the town of Kingsbridge then being, and was, up to 1872, 
 still a portion of Yonkers. 
 
 The first positive move in the Legislature towards annexa- 
 tion was, later, in the year 1869, when Air. Cornelius Corson, 
 then a resident of Mount Vernon, Westchester County, and a 
 close adherent to what was known as the Tweed regime, hav- 
 ing prepared a bill providing for the annexation of the towns 
 of Morrisania, AVest Farms, Westchester, and Mount A 7 ernon 
 to the City of New York, had notice of such proposed bill 
 given by the late Senator Genet. I had the honor at the 
 time of representing, among other localities, the Westchester 
 towns in the State Senate, and regarding it as an act of dis- 
 courtesy that such a move should have been made without 
 consultation, and without the request of my immediate con- 
 stituents, on the spur of the moment I arose in my place 
 
2 3 
 
24 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 in the Senate and gave notice that I would, al some future 
 time, present a "hill to annex the City of New York to the 
 town of Morrisania." This sarcasm bit the nail on the head, 
 and nothing further was heard of the Corson Bill; for soon 
 thereafter the adherents of the Tweed Ring got to quarrelling 
 and battering each other's heads, and the combination vras 
 utterly destroyed. 
 
 It was in the hill of 1872 that positive Bteps toward 
 annexation first began to take shape. Hon. William Herring 
 had just heen elected to represent the First Assembly District 
 of Westchester County in the State* Legislature. Several 
 eonferenees were tlien held of property owners of Morrisania, 
 and West Farms, the result of which was that Samuel E. 
 Lyon, Esq., a well-known lawyer, was authorized t<> prepare 
 a hill to carry the project into elfcct, and Mr. W illiam Her- 
 ring, a warm advocate of the scheme, w as requested and prom- 
 ised to secure the passage of the measure. 
 
 The City authorities did not take kindly to the project of 
 annexation, and the animosity then existing hetween the De- 
 partment of Public Works and the Department of Public 
 Parks nearly throttled the lull in the Legislature. But Gover- 
 nor Dix saved it by makiag know n most emphatically that he 
 would favor no hill for annexation which did not give exclu- 
 sive jurisdiction over the streets, roads, and avenues of the 
 proposed new district to the Department of Public Parks. 
 This ended the struggle hetween the rival departments, so 
 far as the annexation hill was concerned, and it became a law. 
 
 The Act of Annexation provided that the question pro and 
 con should he submitted to, and approved by, the people of 
 the City of New York and of Westchester County at the next 
 ensuing election, November, 1873. There was a general indif- 
 ference throughout the city concerning the matter, while there 
 seemed to be a determined opposition to the annexation pro- 
 ject throughout the upper part of Westchester County, the pro- 
 posed division of the old county not being at all liked. It is 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 25 
 
 not necessary to enter into details concerning the effort which 
 had to be made to overcome this feeling in regard to the project 
 on the part of the people. Much explanation had to be made 
 through the press, and much eloquence had to be otherwise 
 indulged in. I remember distinctly that the late John Kelly, 
 then the head and front of Tammany Hall, was at first inclined 
 to throw all his great influence against the project, he having 
 been advised that the scheme would not benefit the city but 
 would be a costly experiment and add largely to its expendi- 
 tures, and he did not wish his organization to incur such re- 
 sponsibility. But Mr. Kelly listened to committees from the 
 Westchester towns which waited upon him, and he finally 
 decided to remain perfectly impartial regarding the matter, 
 and the bags of ballots which left Tammany Hall the night 
 before election contained for each election district an equal 
 quantity of separate ballots " For " and " Against " an- 
 nexation. The Republican organization did the same thing ; 
 and this fair deal also being carried out in Westchester County, 
 the missionary work performed by the advocates of annexa- 
 tion in the City of New York and Westchester County had a 
 chance of fruition ; and the result was that the vote for an- 
 nexation in the city proper was 55,319 ; against annexation 
 8,380 ; in the towns of Morrisania, Kingsbridge and West 
 Farms, the vote for annexation was 4,230 ; against, 109 ; in 
 the balance of Westchester County the vote for annexation 
 was 9,023 ; against 2,643. There was considerable delay in 
 getting actual results of the vote on annexation in the city, 
 for the police authorities had been negligent in providing for 
 the reception of the additional separate ballot, and blanks for 
 the return of the vote had not been furnished. This condi- 
 tion of affairs kept the advocates of annexation on the qui 
 vive, tfcat the will of the people should not be ignored. 
 
 Between the time >f the declaration of the result of the 
 vote on annexation, and midnight of December 31, 1873, there 
 was much to be done by the officials of the towns interested 
 
dd^FffZCJA/CT police: station 
 3*°/lvenue&J59 r -*Sr. 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 27 
 
 to get all matters in readiness for the transfer of authority. 
 In Morrisania, where much of public improvements were in 
 progress, this work was laborious, and especially so the last 
 two weeks of the year; for nothing could be finally done tow- 
 ards the auditing aud adjusting of claims and the division of 
 indebtedness without the confirmatory action of the Board 
 of Supervisors of Westchester County. I well remember that 
 on that, to me, memorable 31st day of December I had been 
 busy at White Plains as a member of the Board of Supervi- 
 sors, and had finally at about three o'clock gotten through the 
 last motion necessary to make provision for the three to-be- 
 annexed towns to pay all their indebtedness to the county, 
 the State, and to all parties having claims against the towns, 
 and adjusting the bonded indebtedness of the towns to the 
 county. Then the Supervisors of Morrisania, West Farms, 
 and Kingsbridge each in turn rose to take leave of old asso- 
 ciates, which drew forth remarks from their companions in 
 the Board, and more than one tearful eye was to be seen, as 
 the sundering of old social and political ties was realized. 
 But when the retiring Supervisors reached the railroad station 
 to proceed to their respective towns to complete their work it 
 was found to their horror that the last train bound southward 
 had gone ; nothing remained but to secure a conveyance 
 and after seventeen miles of sleighing the belated trio of 
 Supervisors only reached their respective localities about nine 
 o'clock P.M. 
 
 My destination was the Town Hall of Morrisania, where I 
 had arranged to close up the unfinished business of the town, 
 to carry out the mandates of the Board of Supervisors, and to 
 pass upon all remaining audited accounts, so as to wind up 
 the affairs of the town without owing a single claimant one 
 cent. The hall was crowded almost to suffocation by those 
 who desired to " see the old year " as well as the old town 
 " out." Tired out almost beyond endurance I managed to 
 have all business duly transacted, and then as the hour of 
 
BRONXWOOD PARK COTTAGES. 
 
 28 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 29 
 
 twelve was at hand I formally announced everything ready 
 for annexation, and as Supervisor of the town received a Com- 
 mittee of the Board of Aldermen of New York who had come 
 to take formal possession of the Town Hall, and turn it over 
 into the charge of the Police Department, which now has 
 possession. Then amid general handshakings and outside firing 
 of many guns, the old town of Morrisania and the towns of 
 West Farms and Kingsbridge expired, and the City of New 
 York reigned supreme over the new territory above the Har- 
 lem River, few of the inhabitants of either town realizing the 
 labor incident thereto which had from first to last been per- 
 formed, and which subsequently remained to be performed 
 during: the legislative session of 1874, in remodelling the some- 
 what crude act of 1873. 
 
 And now, having given some facts relating to the annexa- 
 tion of the territory now comprised within the Twenty-third 
 and Twenty-fourth Wards, I might add a few figures, from 
 which to judge whether the project of annexation paid, and 
 which it paid best — the city proper or the territory merged 
 into the city. 
 
 I could give statistics, relating to the increase in real estate 
 values, population, police, fire, and water service, railway fa- 
 cilities, buildings, the paving of streets, construction of sewers, 
 etc., to evidence the marvellous growth north of Harlem River 
 since the annexed towns became part and parcel of the great 
 metropolis — soon to become, by the now assured project of a 
 Greater New York, the leading metropolis of the world. But 
 having already extended my remarks beyond my allotted space, 
 I submit the foregoing facts, and will leave to abler hands a 
 more exhaustive paper on this subject. 
 
DEPARTMENT OF STREET IMPROVEMENTS. 
 
 The Department of Street [mprovements of the 23rd and 
 24th Wards is that branch of the city government which 
 has charge of the making and maintenance — the sewering, 
 regulating, grading, and paving — of the highways, streets, 
 avenues and roads in the 23rd and 24th Wards. In other 
 words, it is a Department of Public Works situated in and 
 established exclusively for the 23rd and 24th Wards, a terri- 
 tory which is now more than double in area that of Manhattan 
 Island. 
 
 This Department was created under chapter 545 of the 
 Laws of 1890, with the authority to lay out that portion of 
 the city of New York lying north and east of the Harlem 
 River between the Hudson and the Sound, the Bronx River 
 and the south line of Yonkers, comprising the 23rd and 24th 
 
 30 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 31 
 
 Wards, an area of 12,317 acres, or 19^ square miles, being 
 about 200 acres less than the area of Manhattan Island, and 
 to do such other work as was necessarily incidental thereto. 
 
 The recent annexation of a part of Westchester County, 
 has more than doubled the territory which formerly consti- 
 tuted the 23rd and 24th Wards. The recent annexation is 
 authorized by chapter 934 of the Laws of 1895, which says 
 that : 
 
 " All that territory comprised within the limits of the town 
 of Westchester, Eastchester, and Pelham which has not been 
 annexed to the city and county of New York at the time of 
 the passage of this act, which lies southerly of a straight line 
 drawn from the point where the northerly line of the city of 
 New York meets the center line of the Bronx River, to the 
 middle of the channel between Huuter's and Glen Islands, in 
 Long Island Sound, and all that territory lying within the 
 incorporated limits of the village of Wakefield, which lies 
 northerly of said line, with the inhabitants and estates therein, 
 is hereby set off from the county of Westchester and annexed 
 to, merged in, and made part of the city and county of New 
 York, and of the twenty-fourth Ward of the said city and 
 county, and shall hereafter constitute a part of the city and 
 county of New York, and of the twenty-fourth Ward of said 
 city and county, subject to the same laws, ordinances, regula- 
 tions, obligations, and liabilities, and entitled to the same 
 rights, privileges, franchises, . . ." 
 
 The task originally intrusted to the Department of Street 
 Improvements provided for the conversion of about fifty 
 village lay-outs and a vast area of unimproved and unde- 
 veloped land into a modern city system. It included the 
 preparation of the exact working plans according to which a 
 great city should be constructed or completed. To be satis- 
 factory, the lay-out or street plan should be comprehensive 
 and systematic, and should be adopted with a view to the 
 needs of the future as well as of the present. 
 
 To quote from a recent official report : 
 
32 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 33 
 
 "It must provide that the grades of streets shall never 
 be excessive, and that the easiest shall be on main thorough- 
 fares. It must provide that there shall be sufficient inclina- 
 tion to the streets to give speedy drainage. It must provide 
 streets that will conform best to the topographical features of 
 the drainage area or water-shed through which the main lines 
 of sewers can be constructed with the greatest facility and 
 with the least expense; it must take into consideration the 
 present and future appearances of the streets, and that there 
 shall be ample opportunity of placing large and important 
 buildings where architectural effects shall be enhanced, and 
 light and air secured ; it must provide broad thoroughfares to 
 the new system of parks, and at the most eligible points. It 
 should provide for business and manufacturing sections as 
 well as for suburban districts for residences. It must provide 
 for readiest access to railroad stations and the water-front. It 
 should arrange for safety at all railroad crossings. All these 
 considerations have to be regarded, in addition to innumera- 
 ble special problems that constantly arise." 
 
 The creation of the Department of Street Improvements 
 has been one of historical interest in the development of local 
 municipal government. The jurisdiction of New York City 
 before January 1, 1874, was confined to Manhattan Island, 
 and the islands lying in the East river, then as now used for 
 public institutions. A quarter of a century ago, the question 
 of annexation to Manhattan Island was very earnestly dis- 
 cussed by the people of the towns of West Farms, Morrisania, 
 and Kingsbridge, in the county of Westchester. 
 
 The town of West Farms was incorporated under the 
 provisions of chapter 279 of the Laws of 1846. The town of 
 Morrisania, with an area of 2,729 acres, was taken from West 
 Farms and incorporated as a special town under chapter 210 
 of the Laws of 1856. The town of Kin^bridffe was not 
 incorporated until immediately prior to annexation. 
 
 The Legislature, by chapter 826 of the Laws of 1869, 
 authorized the Commissioners of the Central Park to cause 
 surveys to be made of that part of Westchester County west 
 
34 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 35 
 
 of the New York tfc Harlem Railroad and south of the village 
 of Yonkers, and to lay out streets within the area described. 
 This work was going on when chapter 137 and chapter 383 
 of the Laws of 1 8 7< which re-organized the New York City 
 government, incidentally created the Department of Public 
 Parks, and transferred to this Department the authority in- 
 vested in the Central Park Commissioners. Chapter 534 of 
 the Laws of 1871 gave the Park Department additional power 
 to survey that part of Westchester County from the Harlem 
 river easterly to Hutchinson Creek and to lay out streets. 
 It is an interesting fact that the territory, although nominally 
 known as West Farms, Morrisania, and Kingsbridge, consti- 
 tuted some fifty specially laid-out districts, each one repre- 
 population in itself. They had the follow- 
 
 sentimx a centre of 
 in£ designations • 
 
 Mott Haven, 
 North New York, 
 Wilton, 
 Port Moms 
 Springhurst, 
 East Morrisania, 
 Bensonia. 
 Carr Hill, 
 Woodstock, 
 Grove Hill, 
 Forest Grove, 
 Eltona, 
 East Melrose, 
 Melrose South, 
 Melrose, 
 North Melrose, 
 Morrisania, 
 
 West Morrisania, 
 Hio'hbrid^eville, 
 Claremont, 
 In wood, 
 Morris Heights, 
 Foi'dhani Heights, 
 Mount Eden, 
 Mount Hope, 
 West Tremont, 
 Central Morrisania. 
 South Ford ham, 
 Upper Morrisania, 
 Tremont, 
 Fair mount, 
 East Tremont, 
 West Farms, 
 South Belmont, 
 
 Belmont, 
 Adamsville, 
 Prospect Hill, 
 Fordham, 
 Wardsville, 
 Monterey. 
 Union Hill, 
 Cedar Hill, 
 Bedford Park, 
 Mount Pleasant, 
 Willi amsbridge, 
 Woodlawn, 
 Kingsbridge, 
 Spuyten Duyvil, 
 Riverdale, 
 Mosholu, 
 
 Mount St. Yiucent. 
 
 The majority of the people of the territory in question 
 were in favor of annexation. They were dissatisfied with the 
 
3 6 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 37 
 
 administration of local affairs, which was nothing more than 
 village government, and believed that a union with New 
 York City would be of great advantage to them. The question 
 of annexation was warmly agitated, and in 1873 the Act of 
 Annexation became a law. It was amended and re-enacted 
 to a substantial extent in 1874. The Act of 1873 placed the 
 new territory under the jurisdiction of the Department of 
 Public Parks. The latter body, as already stated, succeeded 
 to the powers and authority of the Central Park Commis- 
 sioners, who were appointed originally for the simple purpose 
 of laying out, beautifying, and maintaining park lands. AVhen 
 the Central Park Commissioners were first appointed, it was 
 intended that they should have nothing of consequence to do 
 with laying out of streets, or building of sewers or any work 
 of that character, but they were, however, invested with cer- 
 tain }><>\\>r over boulevards and streets on Manhattan Island 
 north of 59th Street. The ri^ht to exercise this authority 
 was. perhaps, the excuse for increasing the jurisdiction of the 
 Park P>oa.d as to this territory, and at the same time adding 
 to its functions when annexation came. These were increased 
 to a limit that now seems incomprehensible. Constituted as 
 the Park Board was, it was really out of the question to 
 think that that Department could cope with the task placed 
 in its hands, and at the same time perform the other duties 
 of Park Commissioners. 
 
 Under the Act of Annexation of 1873, the Park Commis- 
 sioners were given exclusive power to alter the grades and 
 lines as shown upon the map prepared by a Commission 
 appointed under chapter 841 of the Laws of 1868 for the 
 special purpose of surveying and laying out the town of 
 Morrisania It was intended that the map prepared by this 
 Commission should be confirmed by the Act of Annexation, 
 except so far as the same had been legally changed or modi- 
 fied, but in the passage of the bill a provision was inserted 
 giving the Park Commissioners the right to alter the lines so 
 
BERTINE BLOCK, 136TH ST. NEAR WILLIS AVE. 
 
 3^ 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 39 
 
 confirmed and established whenever they saw fit. At the 
 time of annexation the population of the 23d and 24th Wards 
 was about 35,000, and a speedy development of this territory 
 was expected. The people were justified in expecting it, but 
 a rapid development did not come. The towns of West 
 Farms, Morrisania, and Kingsbridge were taken under the 
 wing of Xew York City, (quoting from the language of the 
 Act,) 
 
 "subject to the same laws, ordinances, regulations, obliga- 
 tions and liabilities, entitled to the same rights, privileges, 
 franchises and immunities, in every respect and to the same 
 extent as if such territory had been included within the City 
 and County of New York at the time of the grant and adop- 
 tion of the first charter and organization thereof and had so 
 remained up to the passage of this Act." 
 
 It can hardly be said that the new part of the city obtained 
 the same rights and privileges as Manhattan Island. As the 
 sequel showed, it never received the consideration it was 
 legally entitled to as a part of the metropolis from the officers 
 in control of municipal affairs. The fact was that, notwith- 
 standing the guarantee of equal recognition vouchsafed by the 
 act of annexation, the 23d and 24th Wards were looked upon 
 as a mere suburban locality, that was more to be tolerated 
 than recognized as a part of the city. The people of the 
 "Annexed District" — which, by the way, is now, after twenty 
 years, an insufferable misnomer, and one which every citizen 
 having a pride in the development of the two wards should 
 seek to relegate to oblivion— fared as badly under the new 
 regime, practically speaking, as they did before. 
 
 Finally, after many years of an administration of the affairs 
 of the 23d and 24th Wards that was anything but satisfac- 
 tory, property owners began to discuss seriously the question 
 of having a local bureau, or department, that would prove 
 more beneficial to them, as well as to the city at large. It 
 was argued that a local board or department with exclusive 
 jurisdiction would exactly meet the situation. 
 
The Jol)nson Houses, Dawson & /5~6fr> $fa 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 41 
 
 Early in 1887, the 23d Ward Property Owners' Associa- 
 tion, then but a short time organized, appointed a committee 
 to draft a bill for a "Street Opening Board" for the 23d and 
 24th Wards, to be located in said Wards. Meanwhile other 
 Property Owners' Associations took the subject up and 
 agitated it. 
 
 Early in 1889, a bill was submitted to the Honorable 
 Hugh J. Grant, then Mayor, and received his indorsement. 
 The bill was entitled : 
 
 " An Act creating a department to be known as the De- 
 partment of Street Improvements of the Twenty-third and 
 Twenty-fourth Wards of the City of New York, and transfer- 
 ring thereto certain powers possessed by the Department of 
 Public Parks of said city." 
 
 The bill provided that the Mayor should appoint a person 
 residing in either the 23d or 24th Ward as the head of said 
 department, to hold office for six years from the first day of 
 May, 1880. This bill was defeated, and at the same session 
 of the Legislature a Senate Committee was appointed to make 
 an investigation and present a report upon the necessity of 
 such a department. This committee visited personally the 
 23d and 24th Wards, and was received by a committee from 
 the joint tax-payers' associations, of which the late Louis J. 
 Heintz was chairman. To quote from a printed reference to 
 this incident : 
 
 "They were taken upon a tour of inspection throughout the 
 district, and were compelled to acknowledge that the demand 
 for relief by the people was justified. The gentlemen got a 
 very practical introduction to the celebrated mud of the dis- 
 trict by having their carriages break down and in having been 
 compelled to wade ankle-deep in their shiny patent leathers 
 to terra firma. The late Louis J. Heintz was the chief of the 
 escort to the Senate Committee when this catastrophe hap- 
 pened, and the episode when referred to ever since has been 
 the subject of much merriment. Louis J. Heintz was accused, 
 
42 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 43 
 
 in a semi-facetious way, by some members of tbe committee, 
 of having made them the victim of a practical joke. Mr. 
 Heintz always enjoyed the recital of this incident, but whether 
 the shock to the nerves and patent leathers of the visiting 
 statesmen was due to accident or design, it has always been 
 considered as having had a marked effect upon the conclu- 
 sions of the committee and the future of the district." 
 
 The committee also gave a public hearing and took written 
 testimony as to the advisability or necessity of a change of the 
 administration of affairs on the North Side, and at the next 
 session of the Legislature presented a report which made the 
 passage of the bill creating a new department an easier matter. 
 
 This bill, unlike the former one, made the office elective 
 instead of appointive. It passed both Houses of the Legis- 
 lature with but little opposition, and was approved by the 
 Governor June 7, 1890. It went into operation on January 1, 
 1891. Louis J. Heintz was the first incumbent. He died in 
 March, 1893, after which I had the honor to be appointed 
 temporarily, and subsequently, in November, 1893, elected to 
 fill the unexpired term of Commissioner Heintz. The latter's 
 administration, covering a period of little more than two years, 
 gave such general satisfaction that the people were highly 
 pleased with the transfer of authority to the new department. 
 
 Those of our citizens who were identified with the popular 
 movement of six years ago and who labored zealously for the 
 enactment of the "People's Bill" need no arguments to con- 
 vince them of the beneficial results of their action in securing 
 the establishment of the Department of Street Improvements. 
 They, as well as the people generally, have witnessed through- 
 out the two w T ards improvements progressed of such a charac- 
 ter, and to such an extent, that doubts are no longer entertained 
 as to ; the practical advantages secured by the transfer of 
 authority to an independent Department of Public Works. 
 
 Chapter 545 of the Laws of 1890 provided that the Com- 
 missioner of Street Improvements should 
 
44 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 45 
 
 " within two years and six months from the first day of Janu- 
 ary, eighteen hundred and ninety-one, complete the surveys, 
 maps, plans and profiles of all the streets, roads, avenues, pub- 
 lic squares and places located and laid out, or hereafter to be 
 located and laid out in said territory (23rd and 24th Wards), 
 showing the location, width, grades and class of said streets, 
 roads, avenues, public squares and places, and on the comple- 
 tion thereof the said commissioner shall submit the same to 
 the said board of street opening and improvement for its con- 
 currence and approval, subject, nevertheless, to such correc- 
 tion or modification as in the judgment of a majority of said 
 board may be advisable, and the said board thereafter, and on 
 or before the first day of January, eighteen hundred and 
 ninety-four, shall file said maps, plans and profiles in the man- 
 ner now prescribed by law for the filing of such maps, plans 
 and profiles by the said department of public parks, except 
 that said maps, plans and profiles shall be certified to by the 
 said commissioner of street improvements, instead of by the 
 president of the department of public parks or one of the 
 officers or commissioners of said department, and except also 
 that one of said maps, plans and profiles shall be filed in the 
 office of the said commissioner of street improvements, instead 
 of in the office of the department of public parks; and the 
 said maps, plans and profiles when so filed shall not be subject 
 to any future change or modification, but shall be final and 
 conclusive as to the location, width, grades and class of streets, 
 roads, avenues, public squares and places exhibited on such 
 maps, plans and profiles, as well as in respect to the mayor, 
 aldermen and commonalty of the city of New York, as in 
 respect to the owners and occupants of lauds, tenements and 
 hereditaments within the boundaries aforesaid, or affected by 
 said streets, roads, avenues, public squares and places, and in 
 all respects to all other persons whomsoever." 
 
 The immense amount of technical labor involved in the 
 preparation of the final maps of the 23rd and 24th Wards made 
 it impossible to complete the maps within the time specified 
 in Chapter 545 of the Laws of 1890. As will be seen by the 
 provisions above mentioned the Board of Street Opening and 
 improvement exercised, as they do now, a veto power on the 
 
! 77} ' = — ! ' ^ ■ ' ' f 
 
 NORTHERN GAS-LIGHT CO'S PLANT AT WEST FARMS, ON THE BRONX. 
 
 From Photo, by F. C. Berth, Tremont. 
 
 /t/ ver Mew Terrace, JVJorri s He iqhts 
 
 Souft) from Trowel/ Place 
 
 4« 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 47 
 
 maps presented to their consideration by the Commissioner of 
 Street Improvements. It has happened, however, generally 
 speaking, that the maps presented by the Commissioner of 
 Street Improvements have met with prompt approval by the 
 Board of Street Opening and Improvement, of which Board 
 the Commissioner of Street Improvements is a member, hav- 
 ing co-equal authority in the Board in all matters appertain- 
 ing to the street svstem of the 23rd and 24th Wards. It 
 cannot be said that the filing of the maps was in any way 
 delayed by the action of the Board of Street Opening and 
 Improvement ; yet a good deal of labor is necessarily involved 
 in the mere preparation of the resolutions and other matter 
 for presentation to the Board of Street Opening and Improve- 
 ment which sometimes involve the reference of questions that 
 arise, to the Counsel to the Corporation. It was seen by my 
 predecessor that the time allowed by Chapter 545 of the Laws 
 of 1890 for the preparation of the final maps was too short, 
 and hence at his instance Chapter 545 of the Laws of 1890 
 was amended by Chapter 443 of the Laws of 1893 to the 
 effect that the time limit for the completion of the maps by 
 the Commissioner of Street Improvements was changed to the 
 first day of July, 1895, and the time for the filing of the maps 
 was extended by the same act to " on or before the first day 
 of January, 1896." 
 
 I pledged myself after my appointment to office to com- 
 plete the maps of the 23rd and 24th Wards as our territory 
 then existed within the time allowed by Chapter 443 of the 
 Laws of 1893. It has been one of the most gratifying inci- 
 dents of my official career that although for a long time crip- 
 pled as to proper accommodation and facilities for the com- 
 pletion of these maps I have been able to carry out this 
 pledge. I filed with the proper authorities before the end of 
 the year 1895 the last of the final maps of the 23rd and 24th 
 Wards. 
 
 The same sort of work exactly as to street lay-out will have 
 
SCENIC STUDIO. WALTON AVE., NEAR CHEEVER PLACE. 
 
 SPIES BLOCK, LINCOLN AVE. AND SO. BOULEVARD. 
 
 43 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 49 
 
 to be repeated in the territory added to the city and county 
 of New York by Chapter 934 of the Laws of 1895. A topo- 
 graphical survey must be made of the entire district showing 
 the existing lay-outs, the elevations above high water, the 
 position and extent of all the roads, streets, avenues and lanes, 
 all division lines and boundaries of properties, and all build- 
 ings, creeks, brooks, visible rock surfaces, etc. It will take 
 about three years to complete this work, and it will cost 
 about $150,000 for the topographical survey. The sum of 
 s4< >,000 has already been appropriated for 1896 for this pur- 
 pose. The survey will be a complete one, and the resultant 
 map will be a foundation plan and basis for all future work, 
 and immediately after its completion the street lay-out of the 
 new section can be perfected. 
 
 The towns, villages, etc., in the territory recently annexed, 
 east of the Bronx River, are : — 
 
 Bartow, 
 Bay ch ester, 
 Br< raxdJIe, 
 Bronx Wood Park, 
 Cherry Tree Point, 
 City Island, 
 Classen's Point, 
 Cornell's Neck, 
 Eastchester, 
 Edenwald, 
 Ferry Point, 
 Fort Schuyler, 
 ( ri\ an Homestead, 
 Goose Island. 
 Hart's Island, 
 
 High Island, 
 Hunter's Island, 
 Jacksonyille, 
 Jerome, 
 Lacona, 
 Locust Point, 
 Ludlow Island, 
 Middletown, 
 Morrell Park, 
 Morris Park, 
 Olinville, 
 Park Versailles, 
 Pelham Neck, 
 Pennyfield, 
 Rodman's Neck, 
 
 Schuylerville, 
 Seton Homestead, 
 So. Mount Vernon, 
 So. Washingtonville, 
 Stinardstown, 
 Throo-cr's Neck, 
 Twin Island, 
 Unionport, 
 Van Nest, 
 Wakefield, 
 Wash i n gton ville, 
 Westchester, 
 West Farms, 
 Williamsbridge, 
 Wright's Island. 
 
 The parks and parkways in the new territory are Bronx 
 Park, Bronx and Pelham Parkway and Pelham Bay Park. 
 Pelham Bay Park, the easterly half of Bronx Park, and 
 
5o 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 51 
 
 the Bronx and Pelham Parkway, comprising about 2100 acres 
 of ]and, are within the limits of the old towns of Westchester, 
 Eastchester and Pelham. 
 
 There are about 14,500 acres in the new district east of 
 the Bronx River, and about 100 miles of streets in use. 
 
 The most notable street improvement proposed in the 23rd 
 and 24th Wards is the Grand Boulevard and Concourse. 
 This project was first made public during the administration 
 of my predecessor, and I have had the honor of being instru- 
 mental in having it receive le<^al sanction. The Commissioner 
 of Street Improvements of the 23rd and 24th Wards was 
 authorized, by Chapter 130 of the Laws of 1895, to lay out and 
 establish a Grand Boulevard and Concourse together with not 
 more than fifteen (15) roads running transversely under said 
 Grand Boulevard and Concourse, as follows : Commencing at 
 a point on East One Hundred and Sixty-first street, in said 
 city, at the intersection of said street and Mott avenue, run- 
 ning thence in a northerly direction and embracing Mott 
 avenue to East One Hundred and Sixty-fifth street ; thence 
 curving to the right and in a northerly direction intersecting 
 East One Hundred and Seventy-fourth street (formerly Wal- 
 nut street), at Belmont avenue (formerly Fourth avenue), 
 continuing thence to a point intersecting East One Hundred 
 and Seventy-seventh street, at Morris avenue (formerly Mon- 
 roe avenue), thence northerly to the intersection of East One 
 Hundred and Eighty-second street with Byer avenue ; thence 
 northerly and embracing Byer avenue to Highbridge road ; 
 thence northerly and embracing Anthony avenue to Potter 
 place ; thence northerly on a straight line to Mosholu park- 
 way, intersecting its south side about two hundred and fifty 
 feet east of Jerome avenue. 
 
 Ten thousand dollars was appropriated under the act last 
 year for preliminary surveys. Commissioners were appointed 
 to award damages, and they have made, I am informed, most 
 satisfactory progress with their task. No time is fixed for 
 
ffes/c/ence of EmesHHa// &<i 
 Boston /I i/ 
 
 52 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 53 
 
 the construction of this Grand Boulevard and Concourse, but 
 when completed it will be the most magnificent thoroughfare 
 in the world. The Grand Boulevard and Concourse, under 
 the act, will be 182 feet wide. 
 
 Before closing this article, perhaps it would be well to 
 call attention to the proposed sewer and highway in the 
 counties of New York and Westchester through the Bronx 
 Valley. Under the provisions of Chapter 1021 of the Laws 
 of 1895, a commission was appointed to inquire into the expe- 
 diency of constructing a sewer along the valley on the edge 
 of the Bronx River and to report such recommendations as it 
 might deem proper. The 1 proposed trunk sewer is of special 
 interest to the people of the new portion of the 24th Ward, 
 as, when completed, a part of the sewage system of this 
 department will connect with the proposed trunk sewer. 
 
 The members of the commission appointed in the act, 
 were the Mayor of New York, Mayor of Yonkers, Commis- 
 sioner of Street Improvements of the 23rd and 24th Wards, 
 Mayor of Mount Yernon and the Chairman of the Board of 
 Supervisors of the County of Westchester. Mr. Fordham 
 Morris, president of the commission, as well as the other 
 commissioners, Messrs. Archibald S. Van Orden, Charles Hill 
 Willson, William Delavan Baldwin and James Wood, were 
 appointed in pursuance of the act, by the Governor. This 
 commission completed its work before the end of 1895, and 
 the sewer which it proposes will run from the Kensico Dam 
 south to the north line of Bronx Park, thence easterly to the 
 channel of the Lon^ Island Sound at or near Hi^h Island. 
 
 The land proposed to be used for the sewer is also pro- 
 posed to be used as a highway, as far as practicable, and the 
 beauties of the Bronx River the entire length of the valley 
 will be preserved. 
 
 The following tabulated comparison will probably give 
 a general idea of what has been and what is being done to 
 build up the North Side : 
 
14 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 55 
 
 WORK DONE. 
 
 KIND OF 
 
 17 YEARS. 
 
 5 YEARS. 
 
 Regulating, Grading, 
 
 1 dvlllg, 4114 Ocv\ellIlJ^ 
 
 of Avenues and Streets 
 in the 23rd and 24th 
 
 From Jan- 
 uary 1, 1874, 
 to December 
 31, 1890. 
 
 Annual 
 Average. 
 
 From Jan- 
 uary 1, 1891. 
 to December 
 31, 1895. 
 
 Annual 
 Average. 
 
 Wards. 
 
 xVliles. 
 
 No. 
 
 Miles. 
 
 No. 
 
 Miles. 
 
 No. 
 
 Miles. 
 
 No. 
 
 Regulated and (xraded 
 
 24.00 
 
 
 1.41 
 
 
 38.96 
 
 
 7.79 
 
 
 Curb-stones set .... 
 
 Flagging laid 
 
 Crosswalks laid .... 
 
 39.72 
 37.06 
 5.51 
 
 
 2.34 
 2.18 
 0.33 
 
 
 83.50 
 62.41 
 9.76 
 
 
 16.68 
 12.48 
 1.95 
 
 
 ravemeiit laid 
 
 10.91 
 
 
 0.64 
 
 
 21.54 
 
 
 4.31 
 
 
 Repaying Third 
 
 Avenue 
 
 Asphalt Willis Avenue 
 
 Sewers built 
 
 Sewer Manholes 
 
 33.39 
 
 
 1.96 
 
 
 2 24 
 76 
 37.72 
 
 
 7.54 
 
 
 constructed . . . 
 Receiving-. »asi ns 
 
 Avenues and Streets 
 
 
 1603 
 567 
 
 
 94.3(1 
 
 33.35 
 
 
 2067. 
 429 
 
 
 413.4 
 
 85.8 
 
 legally opened . . 
 
 49.61 
 
 
 2.92 
 
 
 49.0(1 
 
 
 9.40 
 
 
 There are now altogether 130 miles of legally opened 
 streets in the 23rd and 24th Wards. 
 
 Willis avenue was paved with asphalt in the fall of 1895. 
 It was the first asphalt laid in the 23rd and 24th Wards. 
 
 The cost of the assessable improvements made during the 
 five (5) years ending December 31, 1895, amounted to $5,235,- 
 887.16; averaging $1,047,177.43 per annum. 
 
 The assessed valuation of the 23rd and 24th Wards in the 
 year 1890 was $44,448,914, and in the year 1895 $65,885,155, 
 an increase in five (5) years of $21,436,241, being an annual 
 average increase of $4,287,248, which shows plainly that the 
 increase in real-estate valuations has kept pace with the im- 
 provements made. 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 The experience obtained by the Department of Street 
 Improvements in perfecting the street system in the territory 
 which formerly constituted the 23rd and 24tk Wards will be 
 of marked advantage in the laying out and improvement of 
 that portion of Westchester County recently annexed to New 
 York, and as a logical sequence will be of great advantage to 
 the residents of that section also. 
 
 There is every sign of a rapid and healthy progress north- 
 ward, and with increased rapid-transit facilities and a proper 
 utilization of the very valuable water-front advantages of the 
 entire 23d and 24th Wards, I predict that in a very few years 
 our territory will not only be the garden spot of the metropo- 
 lis, but will be a vigorous rival, so to speak, in commercial 
 supremacy with that part of the city within the confines of 
 Manhattan Island. 
 
 ♦ 
 
COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGES. 
 
 The North Side of New York, /. e., the territory above the 
 Harlem River, bears a similar relation to the city at large 
 that the Great West does to the country — a land of great 
 promise of infinite possibilities, and the seat of future empire. 
 No city in the world has such a wealth of public parks and 
 pleasure grounds as lie witmn its area ; no city in the world 
 has such natural and economical advantages for commerce, or 
 on so grand a scale. None has a more salubrious climate, or 
 such a variety of surface, nor has any other city such abun- 
 dant facilities of passenger transit and land traffic. 
 
 Its resources are the resources of the continent, for behind 
 it, and tributary to it, are all the products of the continent 
 and all its commercial necessities. Its growth is only limited 
 by the growth and development of American civilization. Its 
 
 58 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 59 
 
 position in the past and in the future has been fixed by nature's 
 fiat, and nothing but the upheaval of the continent, or its 
 subsidence in the sea, can change the topographical and hydro- 
 graphical conditions which have made it what it is, and which 
 will make it, in a very limited period of time, the most popu- 
 lous, the most prosperous and the wealthiest city on the Globe. 
 
 The North Side of the city is, in shape, an irregular 
 parallelogram, bounded on three sides by navigable waters, 
 while nearly half of the remaining boundary makes up the 
 northerly limit of the great public park area of the city. 
 This North Side is, in its topography, unlike that of Manhattan 
 Island. The latter consists of an almost continuous central 
 ridge, running north and south, from which the land surface 
 descends east and west to the North and East rivers, the 
 whole being about twelve miles long, averaging a little over 
 a mile in width, its greatest width at one point being but two 
 and a half miles, while the average width of the North Side 
 is more than six miles, and, instead of one elevated ridge, there 
 are three parallel lines of elevation, and three corresponding 
 valleys of depression. 
 
 In this outline of its topography can be traced the basis of 
 its commercial facilities. All of the depressions are suitable 
 for, and are actually in use as, channels of commerce in the form 
 of great trunk lines of railway. This fact is sufficient in itself 
 to demonstrate the remarkable commercial facilities of this 
 entire area so far as land traffic is concerned. Not only is a 
 general system of rapid transit thus made secure, but a 
 thorough system of freight transit is established along the 
 entire lines of these railways, so that manufactories of every 
 kind can distribute, from their doors, their commodities to the 
 entire continent without breaking bulk, and, in return, secure 
 the raw material from any source where it is available. 
 
 It does not require a moment's reflection to understand 
 how much this diminishes the cost of handling material, 
 either crude or manufactured, and thus increases the profits to 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 61 
 
 the producer as well as diminishing the costs to the consumer. 
 These trunk lines of railway connect with the entire railway 
 system of the continent, North, South, East, and West, so that 
 the entire continental network of railways, nearly two hundred 
 thousand miles in extent, are directly tributary to this favored 
 locality. 
 
 Not only the land transit, but the facilities for water com- 
 munication are unique and far reaching in their extent. As 
 has been said, three fourths of this North Side section are 
 bounded by navigable waters. That is to say, a water frontage 
 equal in extent to the entire water frontage of Manhattan 
 bland is here presented, thus doubling the commercial facili- 
 ties of the City on the water front, giving a total length of 
 shipping front of more than fifty miles. 
 
 No other city on the Globe can approach New York in this 
 marvellous feature, and, when we consider what an immense 
 advantage is derived from the slight variations in its tidal flow, 
 by reason of which the " docks " which characterize the com- 
 mercial seaports of Europe are made totally unnecessary, and 
 the universal system of high dues which they involve is 
 avoided — the wharfage expenses being confined here to a 
 reasonable charge for the use of a very economically con- 
 structed series of wharves and piers — we see at once the great 
 preponderating influence in our favor from a strictly com- 
 mercial standpoint. 
 
 But even from a commercial' point of view we must also 
 consider the advantages offered by the elevated ridges which 
 separate the valleys, so favorably situated for commerce, as 
 admirable places of residences for the operators in the facto- 
 ries, and persons employed in commercial pursuits. These 
 ridges are salubrious, and, in many instances, very picturesque 
 and attractive. Their immediate proximity to the great com- 
 mercial highways referred to, save both time and expense in 
 going from home to business for all whose employment lies in 
 that direction, along the immediate lines of traffic. This much 
 
62 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 63 
 
 favored region presents other sections still more elevated, 
 overlooking a vast expanse of water, which must, at all times, 
 offer irresistible attractions for permanent homes for a very, 
 large population. 
 
 It is estimated that eight millions of persons are immedi- 
 ately connected with the business of the Metropolis. The 
 nearer these eight millions can get to their places of employ- 
 ment, and, at the same time enjoy the comforts and well-being 
 of salubrious homes the better it will be for the entire com- 
 munity, and, therefore, it is in the development of this new 
 and most attractive region, with its magnificent system of 
 grand parks, and its wonderful hydrographic features, that 
 we must endeavor to exercise a wise judgment, and an un- 
 equalled skill. 
 
 Steam and electricity, and the wonderful developments in 
 the mechanic arts, as also the great progress and improve- 
 ments in domestic architecture, with its thousand and one 
 comforts, and luxuries heretofore unknown, have done more 
 for human happiness in five years than a half a century ac- 
 complished with the old order of things. Let us thank God 
 for all this, and take the fullest advantage of the blessings we 
 enjoy. 
 
 And now there remains to speak of the remarkable com- 
 mercial advantages which have been developed by the opening 
 of the Harlem River to navigation. The official celebration 
 of this important event took place on the 17th day of June 
 1895, with imposing ceremonies. The General Government, 
 the State Government, and the Municipal authorities united 
 to make the occasion a notable one in the history of the City 
 and the State. 
 
 Two men-of-war, and all the military forces of the United 
 States Government in and about the Harbor, formed the 
 naval and military part of the display, while the Civil au- 
 thorities were represented by the various appliances of the 
 several departments, and the different trades and manufactures 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 65 
 
 united to form a pageant of no ordinary interest. A general 
 holiday was officially declared, and many thousands lined the 
 routes of the land and water pageants, the day closing with a 
 banquet and display of fireworks. 
 
 Already there has been added a remarkable impetus to 
 the trade and commerce of this whole region by reason of the 
 great advantages it possesses being thus made widely known. 
 It would be a difficult matter to overestimate the commercial 
 and manufacturing future of this entire region. No intelli- 
 gent person can witness the busy activity that is apparent in 
 every branch of industry, and the vast coucourse of people 
 continually passing to and fro, without recognizing the fact 
 that the day of inertia has passed, and the hour of progress 
 and development has come, every day and hour adding to 
 the impetus it has received. 
 
 The Harlem River as a factor in the commercial life of 
 New York has been looked forward to with a great deal of 
 interest for a number of years. The necessary delay in ob- 
 taining the requisite appropriations and the time required for 
 prosecuting the work of improvement was a matter to be 
 expected. 
 
 But this important addition to the commercial necessities 
 of the Metropolis, being now so far completed that it has been 
 thrown open for the purposes of general commerce, we are 
 enabled to see from actual results how far it has met the ex- 
 pectations of its promoters. Already the brick and lumber 
 interests have felt the stimulus and have nearly absorbed all 
 the wharf facilities that were provided for their possible 
 demands. 
 
 The whole river presents a scene of activity and business 
 energy that is a marvel to behold. What it will be when the 
 shipping facilities at East Harbor are completed so that the 
 grain trade can participate in the great advantages that will 
 then be offered may be imagined from what has already taken 
 place. The relief, even now, that has come to the shipping 
 
West 
 
 Go 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 67 
 
 in the lower part of the city, through the use of the Harlem 
 River, is clearly perceptible. All the long line of barges that 
 now leave the Hudson at Spuyten Duyvil, was formerly com- 
 pelled to double the battery and fairly blocked the way of 
 the great steamship lines. This obstruction will be less and 
 less as wharf accommodations are found for other branches of 
 industry. 
 
 But more than all this, we are now in a position to offer 
 to all the varied industries of the country, facilities that can- 
 not be found elsewhere. Materials and skilled labor for manu- 
 facturing purposes are more readily and more cheaply obtained 
 at tide water and in the vicinity of large populations than 
 anywhere else. 
 
 The powerful influences of the inventive genius of the age, 
 new forms of industry, new adaptations of motive power and 
 labor saving conceptions of every kind are constantly being 
 evolved. In large industrial centres there can always be found 
 in sufficient numbers the class of persons who from their 
 familiarity with mechanical employments can readily adapt 
 themselves to new inventions and new appliances. Thus the 
 labor and the materials are at the very doors of those who 
 desire to enter upon a new or improved field of industry, and 
 obtainable at the most economical cost. 
 
 This it is that has made New York the largest manu- 
 facturing city on the Continent, and which will enable the 
 Metropolis to maintain its supremacy, in this as well as in 
 every other field of enterprise. 
 
 THE EAST HARBOR. 
 
 The East Harbor of New York, which is formed by the 
 junction of the East River, the Harlem River, and Long Island 
 Sound, has now become an important factor in the commercial 
 affairs of the city, more especially since the recent addition 
 of territory. The whole length of this additional territory 
 (more than six miles) lies upon this fine harbor with ample 
 
68 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 69 
 
 water space and ample depth of water for the largest vessel 
 afloat. The numerous indentations in the water-front have 
 been made available by the Harbor Line Board for large basins 
 admirably adapted to the canal trade, for ship-building, float- 
 ing docks, and grain elevators. In fact this superb body of 
 water approached by the way of Long Island Sound directly 
 from the ocean with no bar or other obstructions, or from the 
 lower bay by the East River if necessary, is one of the finest 
 harbors in the world. 
 
 Here the entire canal trade and Hudson River traffic can 
 be centred with every possible convenience for trans-ship- 
 ment with ocean-going steamers. The entire coast traffic of 
 the New England States passes through this harbor includ- 
 ing the mammoth passenger steamers of the Sound that rival 
 in size and passenger accommodation the largest steamships 
 in the world. What all this is to be in the commerce of the 
 City of New York can be readily comprehended. 
 
 There are no limits to its possibilities since it is a vast land- 
 locked basin larger in extent than any other body of water 
 so well adapted to a similar purpose. The great advantages 
 that are presented along this water-front for manufacturing 
 establishments on a large scale are already being understood 
 and plans are on foot looking to an early occupation of favor- 
 able sites for this purpose. The active competition in all in- 
 dustrial pursuits has made it a matter of absolute necessity, 
 that every advantage of natural and artificial facilities should 
 be availed of in the interest of economy, as everything by 
 which time and labor can be saved must be carefully consid- 
 ered in order to meet the sharp lines that exist in all the 
 departments of industry. 
 
 Here are the freight terminals of two great trunk lines that 
 embrace with their connections the entire continent. From 
 their very doors the manufacturers may ship their products 
 that will be conveyed in unbroken bulk by rail or steamer to 
 every part of the United States, Mexico, Canada, and to every 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 71 
 
 seaport in the world, and in return secure the raw material at 
 the lowest rates from any available source. A line of steamers 
 is now negotiating for piers, and other trunk lines of railroads 
 are seeking terminals at this point. The coming year will see 
 a commercial revolution in this part of the City if the plans 
 now being prepared are carried out. 
 
RAILWAY FACILITIES. 
 
 To the student of sociology nothing is more interesting 
 than urban growth. The phenomenal growtfi of cities through- 
 out the work], but more especially in the United States and 
 Europe, is noticeable. In the last few years man lias sought 
 out many inventions to ameliorate his condition and to relieve 
 human life of unnecessary friction, so that the humblest citi- 
 zen is now better clothed, fed, and protected from disease by 
 sanitary regulations than the king of a century ago. These 
 favorable conditions are inherent in city life, and urban growth 
 has its support, therefore, in a natural law of evolution, the 
 survival of the fittest. Following this process of aggregation 
 is the consideration of adequate facilities for inter-communica- 
 tion, and man's cunning a^ain comes to his aid in solving this 
 
 problem. Electricity, that most wonderful principle, invisible, 
 
 72 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 73 
 
 imponderable, but which, strange to say, can be measured and 
 sold, has been harnessed to man's needs, and, by the applica- 
 tion of the trolley, the inhabitants of cities can now travel from 
 one extremity of their city to another in the most comfortable 
 and convenient cars, propelled, lighted, and heated by this 
 subtle fluid, and, by a system of transfers, with great cheap- 
 ness. Soon the overhead trolley will, in the writer's opinion, 
 give way to the underground trolley, and then the problem of 
 inter-mural transit will have reached almost perfection. 1 
 
 Considering more particularly the subject of this article in 
 its local application, it may be remarked that in no other 
 locality has there been so much wisdom and foresight shown 
 on the part of its people as in making timely and adequate 
 provision to receive the multitudes now crowding across the 
 Harlem River to settle between the latter and the Hutchin- 
 son River, including the towns of West and East Chester, re- 
 cently annexed. The North Side Board of Trade, and 
 numerous other associations, have taken the deepest inter- 
 est in this problem, as evidenced, for instance, by their 
 cordial support of the recent application of a traction com- 
 pany for the use of certain streets not already granted in the 
 Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Wards ; and it was owing 
 mainly to this interest expressed to the public authorities and 
 the press that unanimous consent was given to the application 
 by the Board of Aldermen and approved by the Mayor, with 
 his especial commendation. And the public may be assured, 
 that at a period not remote an efficient service, with transfers 
 and cheap fares, \vi\l be established in the streets embraced 
 within this grant of some twenty miles in the Twenty-third 
 and Twenty-fourth Wards, and in addition thereto some 
 twelve miles in the new annexed district, granted by the local 
 authorities before annexation. 
 
 1 Since the preparation of this article, The Metropolitan Traction Company, 
 after various experiments, have adopted the underground trolley, and it is now 
 being introduced on their lines throughout the city. 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 75 
 
 It is not alone that the trolley has come to the North Side 
 to stimulate its growth in all points of the compass, but in 
 addition thereto the elevated railroad is now in operation to 
 Oue-hundred-and-seventy-seventh Street, or Tremont Avenue, 
 which line is soon to be extended to Fordham, and by which a 
 passenger is now carried from the Battery nearly the whole 
 length of the city, without change of cars, for five cents. 
 Also, "rapid transit trains," so called, are now being run at 
 frequent intervals from the heart of the city — Forty-second 
 Street Grand Central Station — to the northern limits of the 
 city, over the Harlem Railroad. This service has been greatly 
 improved by the completion of the new steel viaduct, now in 
 full operation. Then again, the westerly section of the North 
 Side has the benefit of an express service from the Battery 
 over the Sixth and Ninth Avenue elevated railroads to One- 
 hundred-and-fifty-fifth Street and the Harlem river, and there 
 connecting with the Putnam Division of the New York Cen- 
 tral Road. 
 
 It may be observed in this connection that the Harlem 
 Railroad, the New York Central (Putnam Division) Road, 
 the elevated railroad and the existing trolley road, for the 
 most part, extend in a northerly and southerly direction, 
 nearly parallel to each other, while the new People's Traction 
 Company will supplement the service of these roads in a 
 transverse direction. The problem of the underground rapid 
 transit service, which has been so constantly before the people 
 for the last ten years, and which has at last resulted in an Act 
 for an appropriation of some fifty millions of dollars, will ere 
 long become an accomplished fact, and be extended to the 
 northern limits of the city, through the Twenty-third and 
 Twenty-fourth Wards. 1 
 
 1 As this article goes to press it is announced that the report of the Commis- 
 sion favoring the construction of the underground rapid transit road will be con- 
 firmed at an early date by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, and the 
 work will probably be under way by the opening of the new year. The route 
 laid out by the Commission, it will be observed, strikes the Twenty-third Ward 
 
76 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 77 
 
 It may not be foreign to the writer's subject to refer to 
 the successful labors of the Commissioner of Streets for the 
 Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Wards in that in a remark- 
 ably short time since his office was established, there have been 
 projected and laid out so many miles of streets and avenues, 
 without which an efficient railroad system would have been 
 delayed many years. 
 
 It may not be uninteresting to give some definite particu- 
 lars as to facilities for passenger transportation afforded by 
 existing lines. 
 
 The Eastern Division is served by the Harlem River Branch 
 of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, connect- 
 ing at One-hundred-and-twenty-ninth Street, on the same plat- 
 form, by a change of cars with the Second and Third Avenue 
 elevated lines to City Hall and South Ferry as follows : 
 
 Between Onv -hundred-and- 
 Twenty-ninth Street and : 
 
 Distance From 
 Harlem River. 
 
 Time From 
 129th Street. 
 
 Monthly 
 Commutation 
 Rates. 
 
 Number of 
 Trains Daily. 
 
 Harlem 
 River. 
 
 129th 
 Street. 
 
 South 
 Bound. 
 
 North 
 Bound. 
 
 Port Morris 
 
 1.20 
 
 5 
 
 $2.25 
 
 $3.25 
 
 20 
 
 19 
 
 Casanova 
 
 2.30 
 
 7 
 
 2.25 
 
 3.25 
 
 18 
 
 19 
 
 Hunt's Point 
 
 2.33 
 
 9 
 
 2.25 
 
 3.25 
 
 18 
 
 19 
 
 West Farms 
 
 4.08 
 
 13 
 
 3.25 
 
 4.25 
 
 18 
 
 19 
 
 Van Nest 
 
 5.02 
 
 16 
 
 4.00 
 
 5.00 
 
 20 
 
 20 
 
 West Chester 
 
 6.00 
 
 18 
 
 4.25 
 
 5.25 
 
 20 
 
 20 
 
 Bay Chester 
 
 7.43 
 
 22 
 
 4.50 
 
 5.50 
 
 20 
 
 20 
 
 Bartow and City Island .... 
 
 8.50 
 
 26 
 
 4.75 
 
 5.75 
 
 20 
 
 20 
 
 at One-hundred-and-forty-ninth Street and Harlem river, extending under that 
 street to Third Avenue, thence up Third Avenue and Westchester Avenue to a 
 depression near Bergen Avenue, and from the latter point to be continued as an 
 elevated or surface road to Bronx Park and the outlying districts. As the Fourth 
 Avenue branch extends to Forty- econd Street, there is an assurance, on fairly 
 good authority, that the route will be extended through Fourth or Park Avenue 
 at a very early period. The writer can see no reason why the present Harlem 
 system cannot now be immediately utilized in the extension of the underground 
 rapid transit road from Forty-second Street. 
 
78 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 79 
 
 Trains run regularly, south bound, one-half-hourly in the 
 morning, north bound, one-half-hourly in the evening, balance 
 hourly both ways. 
 
 Commutation tickets are good for fifty-four rides, to be 
 used within the calendar month for which they are sold, all 
 tickets dating from the first of the month. 
 
 The charge of $1.00 per month for crossing the Harlem 
 River can be saved by alighting at Willis Avenue, and taking 
 the elevated cars at Southern Boulevard, two blocks distant. 
 
 School commutation tickets, forty-four rides per month, are 
 sold to those under eighteen years in regular attendance at 
 school at one half the rates to Harlem River, with an addition 
 of $1.00 per month to One-hundred-and-twenty-ninth Street. 
 
 Fifty-trip family tickets, to be used only by the person to 
 whom issued, a member of his or her immediate family, or a 
 servant therein, good for one year from date of issue, are sold 
 as follows : 
 
 Between Harlem River and : 
 
 West Farms $3 10 
 
 Van Nest 3 80 
 
 WestChester 4 50 
 
 Bay Chester 5 60 
 
 Bartow and City Island 6 -10 
 
 The Central Division is served by the Harlem Division of 
 the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad from Grand 
 Central Station (Forty-second street) as follows : 
 
 A fifty-trip family commutation ticket is good for one 
 year, and for the person to whom it is issued, any member of, 
 visitor to, or servant in, his or her family. 
 
 Monthly commutation, or sixty-ride, tickets are limited to 
 one month from date of sale. 
 
 School tickets are sold at reduced rates on a graduated 
 scale diminishing from the first to the tenth month. 
 
Ffar/emf(:7f Station 
 
 Harlem 7f 7p Station 
 -Bedford T>ark 
 
 So 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 81 
 
 — 
 
 
 a 
 
 CD 
 
 — 
 
 
 -±.vo 
 
 to 
 
 6.13 
 
 17 
 
 6.60 
 
 1«» 
 
 7.38 
 
 21 
 
 7.87 
 
 23 
 
 8.51 
 
 24 
 
 8.92 
 
 26 
 
 9.57 
 
 28 
 
 10.53 
 
 31 
 
 11.81 
 
 34 
 
 Between 
 Grand Central 
 Station and 
 
 Mott Haven . . . 
 (138th St.) 
 
 Melrose 
 
 Morrisania . . . . 
 Claremont Parl> 
 
 'dhara 
 
 Park 
 
 Williams 
 Bridge 
 
 One-way Fare. 
 
 — . 
 
 - _ 
 
 3 ■- 
 
 •-f r -" 
 
 w 
 
 c . 
 - I 
 c ~ 
 
 ~ 2- 
 
 BP 
 
 Fifty-ride Fami- 
 ly Ticket. 
 
 Sixty-ride 
 
 Monthly Com- 
 mut'n Ticket. 
 
 Number of 
 Trains Daily. 
 
 North 
 
 South 
 
 .06 
 
 .10 
 
 
 
 $2.50 
 
 o ~ 
 O < 
 
 A A 
 
 40 
 
 .10 
 
 OA 
 
 .20 
 
 
 
 3.00 
 
 26 
 
 26 
 
 . 10 
 
 .20 
 
 
 
 3.25 
 
 25 
 
 20 
 
 .12 
 
 .20 
 
 
 
 3.50 
 
 25 
 
 20 
 
 12 
 
 .20 
 
 
 $5.50 
 
 3.70 
 
 26 
 
 26 
 
 .15 
 
 .30 
 
 .25 
 
 5.75 
 
 3.80 
 
 12 
 
 9 
 
 15 
 
 .30 
 
 .25 
 
 6.00 
 
 3.85 
 
 27 
 
 27 
 
 .20 
 
 .35 
 
 25 
 
 6.50 
 
 4.10 
 
 27 
 
 31 
 
 22 
 
 .35 
 
 .25 
 
 7.00 
 
 4.45 
 
 27 
 
 31 
 
 25 
 
 .35 
 
 * 
 
 7.50 
 
 4.60 
 
 30 
 
 31 
 
 The Western Division is served by the Hudson River & 
 Putnam divisions of the New York Central as follows: 
 
 HUDSON RIVER DIVISION. 
 
 ■z 
 
 - X 
 
 15 
 17 
 21 
 25 
 29 
 31 
 
 Distance Between 
 Grand Central Sta 
 tion or Thirtieth 
 Street and 
 
 Hi o h Bridge . . . 
 Morris Heights. 
 Kingsbridge . . . 
 Spuyten Duyvii 
 
 Riverdale 
 
 Mt. St. Vincent. 
 
 En 
 
 .& 
 "C 
 H 
 
 C 
 
 o 
 
 'S3 
 z, ~ - 
 
 OJ4 
 
 Number of 
 Trains Daily 
 
 North. 
 
 South. 
 
 .10 
 
 .20 .... 
 
 $3.45 
 
 23 
 
 18 
 
 .15 
 
 .25 
 
 $5.50 
 
 3.70 
 
 24 
 
 20 
 
 15 
 
 .30 
 
 6.50 
 
 4.10 
 
 23 
 
 21 
 
 .20 
 
 .40 
 
 7.50 
 
 4.45 
 
 26 
 
 24 
 
 24 
 
 .48 
 
 8.00 
 
 4.60 
 
 26 
 
 24 
 
 .26 
 
 .50 
 
 8.75 
 
 4.75 
 
 25 
 
 23 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 83 
 
 PUTNAM DIVISION. 
 
 From eight to ten trains morning and evening have " elevated " express connection 
 with Sixth and Ninth avenue lines. 
 
 c -g 
 
 »o 
 
 Between 
 
 6 
 •~ 
 
 2 
 
 OS 
 
 •a c3 
 S -S . 
 
 93 2 +a 
 
 
 Number of 
 
 
 
 
 
 Trains Daily. 
 
 
 
 The Battery or 
 
 
 « 5 2 
 
 
 
 
 South Ferry 
 
 
 EH 
 
 
 
 
 §6 
 
 Tim.' fr< 
 Street 
 
 d 
 
 
 
 and 
 
 One-w 
 
 Round 
 
 Fifty-i 
 ly i 
 tion 
 
 Sixty- 
 Mori 
 unit 
 
 North. 
 
 South. 
 
 1.1 
 
 
 High Bridge .... 
 
 10 
 
 20 
 
 
 
 35 
 
 33 
 
 2.0 
 
 i 
 
 o < o 
 
 Morris Heights. . 
 
 10 
 
 20 
 
 $5.50 
 
 $5.10 
 
 35 
 
 36 
 
 2.8 
 
 
 Fqrdtiam Heights 
 
 14 
 
 28 
 
 6.00 
 
 5.35 
 
 35 
 
 36 
 
 3.8 
 
 
 Kingsbridge 
 
 15 
 
 30 
 
 6.50 
 
 5.55 
 
 35 
 
 36 
 
 48 
 
 
 Van Cortlandt . . 
 
 20 
 
 35 
 
 7.40 
 
 6.00 
 
 37 
 
 36 
 
 5.8 
 
 r 
 
 10 
 
 Mosholu 
 
 23 
 
 40 
 
 8.05 
 
 6.15 
 
 30 
 
 33 
 
 
 Kates on the Putnam Division include ride on Manhattan 
 Elevated Railroad to or from any station on the Sixth or 
 Ninth avenue lines. 
 
 Family commutation and school tickets are sold on the 
 Hudson and Putnam divisions under the same conditions as 
 on the Harlem Division. 
 
 The Suburban Elevated Railway serves about the same 
 territory as the Harlem Division of the New York Central, 
 and carries passengers from Tremont to the Battery for five 
 cents, a limited number of trains morning and evening making 
 a continuous trip, and all trains running at a few minutes' 
 headway. There are also numerous express trains. Running 
 time from City Hall to Tremont, express trains forty-seven 
 minutes, regular trains fifty-two minutes. 
 
 The Union Railway Company operates eight lines of sur- 
 face cars on the trolley system. Starting at One-hundred-and- 
 twenty-ninth Street and Third Avenue, it has branches run- 
 ning northeast, north, and northwest, and by a liberal system 
 of transfers, passengers can reach almost any section of the 
 North Side for a single fare of five cents from One-hundred- 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 85 
 
 and-twenty-ninth Street and Third Avenue on the East Side, 
 or One-hundred-and-thirty-fifth Street and Eighth Avenue on 
 the West Side. 
 
 It will be seen, therefore, that if transit facilities and ad- 
 vantages of inter-coinmunication constitute a potent factor, if 
 not the most potent factor, in urban growth, then every 
 citizen of the North Side must naturally take the most optimis- 
 tic view of the rapid growth of his favorite locality, and ere 
 long receive the reward of his enterprise. 
 
FSTEY PIANO FACTORY. SO BOULEVARD - LINCOLN AVE 
 SCHIEFFELIN& COS DRUG Ml LLS ,S° &V'D&> S^/tAltfb /H/£ 
 
 86 
 
A MANUFACTURING CENTRE. 
 
 It is universally conceded that the City of New York, 
 when its growth in population and its unprecedented devel- 
 opment are considered, is one of the most striking evolutions 
 of history. In all the retrospect of the past, search as we 
 may every point within our scope, no instance presented to 
 us is quite comparable to it. All great cities of the world 
 have been the outcome of centuries of gradual development. 
 
 Even London and Paris — rated as the two largest cities — 
 grew as a man grows to maturity, strengthening in fibre and 
 bone, and nerve and brawn, year by year, each successive 
 period during which they were passing from infancy to full 
 growth involving a century of time. 
 
 History seemed to have especially reserved for this conti- 
 nent the glory of presenting the marvel of a great city as one 
 
 87 
 
88 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 89 
 
 of the commercial wonders of the world, developing into a 
 robust, ever restless and broad-minded activity in less than 
 twenty decades and winning from all the great municipal 
 commonwealths of the Old World the acknowledgment that 
 it was entitled to rank with them as a commercial emporium 
 of importance and second to none. Yet it is as a manufac- 
 turer that one of the chief glories of this great city is to be 
 achieved. Even to-day it acknowledges no superior as a pro- 
 ducer, both as to extent and quality, of general products of 
 every variety of manufacture, while in the production of a 
 goodly number of useful and universally desired specialties it 
 enjoys a generally conceded monopoly ; and there is no rea- 
 son why, before the lapse of many years, it should not become 
 the "hub " of the world's manufacturing interests. 
 
 Topographically speaking it has all the territory necessary 
 to such a grand development, and a vast proportion of that 
 area is compassed within the boundary of what lias come to 
 be known as the North Side, with its seven and one half miles 
 of frontage on the Hudson, its six miles on the Harlem River, 
 its caster., shore extending fifteen miles from Port Morris to 
 Pelham Bay and City Island, and the Bronx River which, 
 with the march of improvement, is destined soon to be made 
 navigable to a considerable distance ; while all along the line 
 of its northern boundary extending westward from upper 
 Pelham Bay to Spuyten Duyvil it is adapted, by its natural 
 and accpiired facilities, to the establishment of manufacturing 
 enterprises of every variety. When the fact is taken into 
 consideration that the area of the North Side is double that 
 of Manhattan Island, the vast measurement of the territory 
 occupied by it can be comprehended. 
 
 There is no advantage necessary for the successful opera- 
 tion of manufacturing industries that is not to be found on 
 the North Side ; indeed there is no facility lacking for the 
 promotion of such operation in any important respect. Mainly 
 among the advantages and facilities is the well-established 
 
oo 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 91 
 
 convenience for the receipt of goods to- be used in the manu- 
 facture of articles of merchandise, and for their transporta- 
 tion to consignees by rail or water. Surrounded as it is by a 
 water boundary — with the exception of its northern line — the 
 North Side certainly presents a rare topographical condition 
 and advantageous location excelled by no other locality in the 
 world. Of the railroad facilities it can be truly said that no 
 better can be found anywhere, with the New York Central 
 and Hudson River Railroad on the south and west, the New 
 York, New Haven, and Hartford Road on the east, the New 
 York and Harlem, and the New York and Putnam between 
 the two great lines, the Harlem River and Portchester Rail- 
 road on the east doing suburban service for the New York, 
 New Haven, and Hartford. These railway thoroughfares are 
 acknowledged to be the best equipped and the best managed 
 of any in the country, and being such they are enabled at all 
 times to render the best and most satisfactory service desired. 
 Goods can be shipped by them to any part of the United 
 States without being subjected to the dilatory and often 
 annoying disadvantages of transferring freight. And these 
 same excellent facilities of water and rail can be used in 
 bringing in coal at a very low cost to the manufacturers lo- 
 cated on the North Side, so that the cost of power is less here 
 than at any other place not so favorably situated. 
 
 Another valuable advantage will be the Harlem Ship 
 Canal through which, when completed, many of the raw 
 products of the country will be brought nearer to the North 
 Side, and, as saving of time and distance are important factors 
 in all manufacturing enterprises, the efficacy of this long- 
 needed improvement will be at once recognized. 
 
 Taking into consideration the fact that the population of 
 the North Side is only about one twelfth that of the city 
 proper, it is surely a subject of deepest congratulation when 
 we survey the different fields of manufacturing which are 
 now in a state of prosperous cultivation on the upper side of 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 93 
 
 the Harlem. From these mills of industry come a great 
 variety of commodities, such as iron work of every description, 
 including stoves, ranges, and furnaces ; refrigerating and ice- 
 making machinery, church organs, pianos, refrigerators, artis- 
 tic bronze goods, electric supplies, surgical instruments, beaten 
 gold, china and enameled ware, naphtha launches, railway 
 lamps, paper boxes of every design both as to utility and 
 beauty, window-shades, toys, segars, brushes, carpets, dyeing 
 and printing work, mineral waters, tape, soap, silks, shirts, 
 drums, varnish, and other products of necessity and practical 
 usefulness. And these industries, as great as they are in ex- 
 tent and variety, are only an item compared with the possi- 
 bilities that the near future presents to the mind of every 
 observer who has applied his eye and his thought to a thor- 
 ough examination of the situation. 
 
 Among the possibilities, even among the probabilities of 
 the future, is a renewal of the ship-building interests of this 
 country, and there is no locality in the world better adapted 
 by nature for that work than the Sound frontage of the North 
 Side. The harbor of Port Morris and East Harbor offer every 
 desirable advantage for carrying on ship-producing enterprises 
 that is to be found in any of the great ship-yards of the 
 world, both for construction and launching, and there is no 
 reason why they should not establish themselves in this local- 
 ity before the lapse of many years with an extensiveness of 
 activity equal to, if not surpassing, that of the Clyde, or of 
 Chester on the Delaware. Here there are no bridge obstruc- 
 tions and all the depth and expanse of water necessary to the 
 untrammeled prosecution of such enterprises are afforded. 
 
 Indeed, it can be said in brief, that this North Side pos- 
 sesses every natural characteristic for an evolution which 
 would make it the model and most extensive manufacturing 
 centre on the face of the globe. New York City is the recog- 
 nized market of the Western hemisphere. It is to it that 
 European merchants and consumers turn their eyes when they 
 
94 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 95 
 
 are desirous of making purchases of the commercial products 
 of this country, for it is the great shipping emporium of the 
 continent to which manufacturers in any section of the land 
 send their goods for transportation across the sea. Hence it 
 is that manufacturers in distant localities are anxious to find 
 places for their establishment either within the old city or at 
 points so contiguous thereto that they may always be within 
 ready reach of the market whence their products are dispensed 
 to the purchaser. 
 
 Among other things to be considered in connection with 
 this subject is the labor interest. Workingmen of every grade, 
 whether skilled or otherwise, prefer to live near the places 
 where they render their services ; moreover the question of 
 cheap but comfortable living is to them always a most serious 
 one. And nowhere can the working-man find more advan- 
 tages calculated to gratify his wishes in this respect than here 
 on the North Side. The increase in the number of factories 
 will logically be followed by increased accommodations for 
 the employed, who will also find here for their children 
 schools second to none in the city. The water supply for 
 residences, the street lighting and street cleaning facilities are 
 unsurpassed even by Murray Hill. 
 
 As for special " breathing spots " there is no territory of 
 equal extent within the corporate limits of any city of the 
 world which contains so many parks as our own North Side. 
 In these beautiful sylvan retreats, delightfully situated and 
 attractive in their natural picturesqueness, children of the rich 
 and poor alike find pleasure grounds that are as extensive in 
 area, and as charming in all their ancient loveliness of dale, 
 knoll, and woodland as they are in all their acquired attract- 
 iveness and conveniences. And all of these are easily accessi- 
 ble by means of the elevated roads and the trolley electric 
 lines of the Union Railway, and indeed every section of the 
 North Side is — a fact which has probably contributed more 
 to the building up, and steadily increasing prosperity of the 
 
Ob 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 97 
 
 section than any other factor. These means of communica- 
 tion extend in some instances beyond the city limits and 
 stretch across the territory from east to west, giving to the 
 population the most desirable facilities of transit with quick- 
 ness of speed and at moderate fares. 
 
 Amono- the inducements that are bringing; manufacturers 
 to the North Side is the consideration given by many of them 
 to the fact that dealers throughout the country find it to their 
 advantage to come to New York to make their purchases of 
 stock. A large proportion of these have an eye to cheapness 
 in making their bargains, whether the fabric they buy be of 
 the costliest manufacture or of the commonest make. Here 
 they can inspect the goods before they have left the places of 
 their manufacture, and have the advantages of obtaining them 
 at first cost. And when we know that thousands of these 
 purchasers make regular pilgrimages to New York for the 
 purpose of buying goods for delivery to consumers, it surely 
 will be most advantageous to them in every business way, 
 financial as well as otherwise, to deal directly with the manu- 
 facturer, and save all the extra cost which attaches to dealing 
 with the middle man. And this is one reason why men who 
 look ahead predict for the North Side a great future as a 
 manufacturing centre, the dawn of which seems to be almost 
 at. hand. 
 
 And if the existing order of things in the manufacturing 
 life of this city, and the forecast which it is not difficult to 
 make of what the future is to be, may be taken as a prognos- 
 tication of events that are fast reaching the epoch of their 
 birth, their significance lies in the fact that they point to a 
 time when the extent of the manufacturing interests and de- 
 velopments of the North Side will be so great and universal 
 in its influence that it will be felt by every mart of the world 
 however distant it may be. 
 
 Already, though young in years compared with the great 
 nations of the earth, this country has contributed much to the 
 
98 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 99 
 
 benefit of the whole world. It perfected steam propulsion, it 
 evolved the telegraph, the railroad, the telephone, the sewing 
 machine, mowing and reaping machines, and agricultural im- 
 plements, the type-setting machine, and the two-wheeled 
 horse upon which circuits of the globe have been made. 
 These are but a few of the many achievments of invention 
 that could be mentioned. And it is here on the North Side 
 that a great manufacturing community is to be evolved which 
 will greatly, and for all time redound, to the credit, perpetual 
 development, and lasting prosperity of what is bound to be- 
 come the best and greatest city among all the great cities of 
 the world. 
 
 ADDENDUM. 
 
 Manufacturers looking for factory sites, with convenient 
 facilities for transportation by water and rail, will find it to 
 their advantage to consider the opportunities afforded by 
 the North Side, or Borough of the Bronx. 
 
 Its railway facilities are afforded, as follows : 
 
 By the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railway Co. 
 
 The following, is a list of railroads and lines over which 
 it receives and forwards freight at through rates : 
 
 All points on the New Haven and Old Colony systems 
 of its own road, Fitchburg, B. <fe M., B. <fo A., and Central 
 Vermont Railroads ; east and west over the Pennsylvania R.R. 
 and lines operating over same as follows : Union Line, Anchor 
 Line, Great Southern Despatch, Seaboard Despatch, Atlantic 
 Coast Despatch, Richmond & Danville Despatch, C. & O. ; 
 P. & R., and lines operating over same as follows : Central 
 States Despatch, C. R. R. of N. J., Western Maryland R.R. ; 
 Lehigh Valley, and lines operating over same as follows : 
 Traders Despatch, Lake Shore, Lehigh & Wabash Despatch, 
 Lehigh Valley Despatch, N. Y. &, Greenwood Lake ; Erie 
 R.R., and lines operating over same as follows : Commercial 
 
Gas Tanfe : Central -Union 
 Fbnr AJ orris 
 
 100 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 101 
 
 Express, Erie Despatch, Interstate Despatch ; West Shore 
 R.R. and lines operating over same as follows : West Shore 
 Line, Nickel Plate Line, Canada Southern Line, Housac 
 Tunnel Line. 
 
 The advantages of this will be apparent as there will be 
 no delay in making shipments. 
 
 In regard to the eastern trade, manufacturers are on the 
 level with lower New York City firms, and this also holds 
 good for all business destined beyond Pittsburg. 
 
 In regard to New York State business, as well as Pennsyl- 
 vania and the South, the rates are nearly the same as from 
 the lower end of the city. 
 
 This load also receives, and handles business to and from 
 Long Island R. R., and to and from the N. Y. C. & H. R. R. 
 
 This is one of the largest grain distributing centres in the 
 country, it being the gateway into New England, for the 
 handling of the products from the western lines, so that grain 
 and hay may be bought on track. 
 
 A large proportion of the kindling-wood supply for the 
 city is received and delivered here. 
 
 It also handles an extensive milk business from Berk- 
 shire Hills for New York City and Brooklyn, which is de- 
 livered to dealers at this station about 11 p.m. every day in 
 the year. 
 
 By the N. Y. Central <fc Hudson River Railroad. This 
 road has extensive freight yards at Melrose, and is the great 
 route from the east to the west, including the Boston & 
 Albany ; Rome, Watertown, & Ogdensburg ; Michigan Central, 
 Lake Shore, & Michigan Southern ; Cleveland, Cincinnati, 
 Chicago & St. Louis, and connecting lines, and embracing 
 the following fast freight lines: Red Line, White Line, 
 Blue Line, Midland Line, Canada Southern Line, Milwau- 
 kee & Michigan Line, and Merchant's Despatch Transporta- 
 tion Company, affording facilities for handling, storing, or 
 transferring all classes of freight intended for domestic points, 
 
GAS TANK, WEST FARMS. 
 K. C. Hkktk, l'hotu. 
 
 GAS CO'S OFFICE, WEST FARMS. 
 
 From Photo, by F. C. Berte, Tremont. 
 1 02 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 103 
 
 or for export, having traffic arrangements with 96 railroads 
 throughout the U. S. and Canada through immediate connec- 
 tions, and makes freight car interchange direct, and by float 
 with 38 railroads at the Melrose Junction, 159th St. & Morris 
 Av., designated as the East Side terminal freight station of 
 the Harlem Division, and junction point with main line of the 
 N. Y. C. & H. R. R. R. There is a lar^e freight house and 
 yard here for receiving and forwarding freight in any quan- 
 tity. Tracks are easy of access and well arranged for imme- 
 diate delivery of carload freights. A large building used as a 
 "Produce Market" is located at this point for the sale of 
 country produce coming from the Harlem Division. 
 
 At Port Morris is the Tidewater Terminal on the East 
 River. There is no freight house at this point, it being used 
 for carload freights only. Tracks are well arranged so that 
 freight can be discharged directly from vessels upon cars. 
 Also track connection with the N. Y., N. H., & H. R. R. for 
 the interchange of freight in carloads, this point being called 
 Port Morris junction. Private sidings here for dressed beef, 
 ice, brewers grain, grain and hay. 
 
 At High Bridge connection between Hudson and Putnam 
 Divisions is made. 
 
 The facilities for shipping freight from the North Side, 
 over this road are very good, and the management is alive 
 to the importance of the traffic from this section and will 
 provide additional facilities for handling it as fast as the 
 necessities of the case demand. Regular New York rates apply 
 from Melrose Junction to western points, also from High 
 Bridge, Morris Heights, and Port Morris ; and rates from these 
 points to Philadelphia and points in Eastern Penn., are but a 
 slight advance over rates charged by roads ending at Jersey 
 City over their regular N. Y. rates. 
 
 Excellent transportation facilities by water are provided 
 by the Harlem & Morrisania Steamboat Line, from its dock 
 at Harlem Bridge. This line has traffic arrangements with 
 
The Great North Side. 105 
 
 the Baltimore <fe Ohio, Erie, and Pennsylvania Railroads, 
 and with coastwise steamship lines from Maine to the Gulf. 
 Landings are made at the different railroad docks in the lower 
 part of the city, and shipments can be made from Harlem 
 River at about the same rates as down town. 
 
Huff en's: Melrose /)</ c & 
 
A HOME CENTRE. 
 
 It is one of the unfortunate characteristics of Manhattan 
 Island that the privacy of home life is unknown to more than 
 half of its people. Its inhabitants are crowded together with 
 a density unequalled by any other city in the world. This is 
 perhaps mainly due to its conformation. A narrow island 
 but two miles wide and thirteen miles long, with the business 
 interests mainly concentrated in its extreme lower end, prop- 
 erty within accessible distance of business rapidly became too 
 valuable for single dwellings which could be rented at a mod- 
 erate figure. Returns adequate to the values which owners 
 placed on their lands could only be obtained by building 
 houses many stories high which could be occupied by a num- 
 ber of families ; and the avarice of the land owner led to the 
 
 107 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 109 
 
 building of as many buildings as possible upon each city 
 block. 
 
 As a consequence of this over-crowding, families desiring 
 privacy in homes with no other occupants were forced across 
 the waters surrounding the lower end of our island to land 
 where there was ample room to spread out. Hence Long 
 Island and New Jersey have become the homes of a very 
 large and most desirable population which earns its living on 
 Manhattan Island. 
 
 If attempts which have been made from time to time to 
 solve this serious problem of over-crowding have not devel- 
 oped a way out of the difficulty, they have at least revealed 
 the alarming extent to which this over-crowding exists, and 
 some of the worst blocks are being torn down and converted 
 into public parks. 
 
 The Tenement House Committee of 1894 appointed by 
 the Legislature to investigate the subject reports that " a block 
 was discovered in which 93 per cent, of the total area is cov- 
 ered by buildings; others running from 80 per cent, to 86 
 per cent, and a total average for 34 blocks showing 78.13 of 
 the area built upon." The lower end of New York island 
 contains more inhabitants to the acre than any other city in 
 the world — 143.2 persons. Paris comes next with 125.2 per 
 acre, followed by Berlin with 113.6. A district in the Elev- 
 enth Ward, bounded by Second, Columbia, Rivington, and 
 Clinton streets and Avenue B, contains 986.4 persons to each 
 of its thirty-two acres. The nearest known approach to this 
 is a district in Bombay which, in 1881, had a population of 
 759.66 to the acre. The Tenth Ward contains an average of 
 57.2 persons to each house. Such instances of over-crowding 
 are cited as a family of eleven persons living in two rooms. 
 
 In such a condition of affairs the privacy of home life is 
 an utter impossibility, and the result is detrimental to the 
 moral and material welfare of the city. The extent to which 
 the morality, integrity, and civic virtue of a city are depend- 
 
no 
 
The Great North Side. Ill 
 
 ent on the character of the home life of its citizens cannot be 
 overestimated. A city missionary says : 
 
 " I knew a family in Church Street whose immoral condi- 
 tion was traced directly to being forced to herd like cattle. 
 The father was an educated man of fifty-eight years ; the 
 mother was fifty, the son thirty-one, and the daughter twenty. 
 For this family there was one three-quarter sized bed. The 
 moral sense of the young man and woman had become so 
 blunted that they seemed utterly devoid of shame." 
 
 Says another writer : 
 
 4< In over-crowding the children are never counted. You 
 will find them sleeping five or six in one bed, and that bed is 
 often a closet with a few boards nailed across the front, and 
 filled with rags, these rags swarming very likely with fever 
 germs, but rarely without more immediately troublesome, if 
 less fatal occupants." 
 
 The following statistics furnished by Mr. Carroll D. 
 Wright, Commissioner of Labor in charge of the Ceusus Office * 
 at Washington, illustrate the over-crowding of New York's 
 habitations as compared with the other large cities of the 
 United States, the statistics of course referring to old New 
 York as distinguished from Greater New York : 
 
 AVERAGE NUMBER OF PERSONS TO A DWELLING. 
 
 
 1890. 
 
 1880. 
 
 New York 
 
 18.52 
 
 16.37 
 
 
 8.60 
 
 8.24 
 
 
 5.60 
 
 5.79 
 
 Brooklyn 
 
 9.80 
 
 9.11 
 
 St. Louis 
 
 7.41 
 
 8.15 
 
 Boston 
 
 8.52 
 
 8.26 
 
 
 6.02 
 
 6.54 
 
 San Francisco . 
 
 6.34 
 
 6.86 
 
 Average number of families to a dwelling : 
 
 New York 3.82, Chicago 1.72, Philadelphia 1.10, Brooklyn 
 
 2.08, St. Louis 1.51, Boston 1.70, Baltimore 1.20, San Fran- 
 
 cisco, 1.11. 
 
112 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 113 
 
 In New York 66.70$ of its total population live in dwell- 
 ings containing more than 20 persons each ; in Chicago 16.63 ; 
 in Philadelphia 3.41; Brooklyn 25.70; Baltimore 2.55. It 
 will be observed that 2/3 of New York's population live in 
 crowded houses, while but 1/28 of Philadelphia's population 
 do — an amazing difference ! 
 
 In striking contrast with the statistics for the entire City 
 of New York, are the figures for the 23d and 24th Wards, 
 which comprise the district known as the North Side or Bor- 
 ough of the Bronx. While the average number of families to 
 a dwelling in the entire city is 3.82, for the 23d Ward it is 
 1.84, and for the 24th Ward 1.14 which latter is as favorable 
 a showing as that of such distinctively "home" cities as 
 Philadelphia or Baltimore. Also, while the number of dwell- 
 ings occupied by but one family is 45. 9bfc of the whole num- 
 ber for the city at large, for the 23d Ward it is 60.86, and for 
 the 24th Ward, 90.04. These figures do not include the re- 
 cently added territory east of the Bronx, which was not a 
 part of the city when the last census was taken, and which 
 would bring the average still lower. The 24th Ward is the 
 banner " home" ward of the city of New York, the majority 
 of its houses being occupied by but one family each. 
 
 The conditions which caused over-crowding on Manhattan 
 Island do not exist on the North Side. It contains about two- 
 thirds of the combined area of both, is broader and less closely 
 confiued by water, and has unlimited room to expand north- 
 ward into Westchester County whenever the growth of the 
 city demands it. Hence, while the state of affairs below the 
 Harlem was perhaps the natural outgrowth of the necessities 
 of restricted area, it is absolutely unjustifiable and positively 
 wrong to thus crowd the habitations of human beings where 
 there is so much room to spread out, and the price of land is 
 still low. 
 
 For those property owners of the North Side whose greed 
 of gain has caused them to attempt a repetition of this unde- 
 
ir 4 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 115 
 
 sirable feature of lower New York, the arm of the law should 
 be used in restrictive legislation. 
 
 Another feature favorable to the development of a home 
 centre is the provision of the building laws which permits 
 the erection of frame buildings in the major portion of the 
 North Side. The man of moderate means can here provide 
 a home for himself at much less cost than would be possible 
 in the brick district. Every city has its successive stages of 
 development, and the first of these is the frame building era. 
 This brings the pioneers, whose energy and thrift make pos- 
 sible the more substantial development which follows. When 
 the growth of the North Side warrants it, brick buildings 
 will take the place of frame, and the fire limits will be ex- 
 tended, as has been the case in lower New York. 
 
 A third feature of the North Side which ouofht to have its 
 effect in the development of a home section is its street sys- 
 tem. When, at the commencement of the present century, the 
 Commissioners who were appointed to do for Manhattan 
 Island what the Commissioner of Street Improvements must 
 do for the North Side — plan its street system — made their 
 report, they stated, that how T ever much stars, circles, crescents, 
 and the like might embellish a plan, square-sided houses 
 w T ere the cheapest to build, and the most convenient to live 
 in, hence the street system should consist of rectangular 
 blocks. So they laid down a T-square and triangle, and drew 
 parallelograms across the island about 150 times, and then 
 stopped, startled at their own audacity in planning streets so 
 far north into the wilderness. The result we have in the 
 gridiron system of monotonous streets which has little to 
 recommend it except perhaps convenience to strangers within 
 our gates. Thus it was that Manhattan Island was laid out on 
 the parallelogram plan with narrow and deep lots, as a conse- 
 quence of which buildings of any depth must, of necessity, 
 have dark and ill-ventilated interior rooms : the depth of the 
 lot which forms the unit of measurement being four times its 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 117 
 
 width. This same plan has been carried out to some extent 
 on the North Side. Fortunately, however, a large portion of 
 the North Side is topographically incapable of being laid out 
 on the " gridiron " plan, its hills and valleys rendering this 
 impracticable, because either the grades would be too steep, 
 or else the hills would have to be cut down and the valleys 
 filled in so much as to render the adjacent property valueless 
 for building purposes. Where this is the case picturesque, 
 winding roads have been laid out, which are very apt to be 
 lined with attractive cottages, the lots being irregular in shape, 
 and ill-adapted to tenement-house building. This is espec- 
 ially the case along the western and northwestern hills of the 
 Noi'th Side. 
 
 There are many attractive residence streets and avenues 
 on the North Side, only a few of which can be here alluded 
 to. Mott Avenue, a very pretty thoroughfare lined with fine 
 old trees which arch over the roadway, starts in the business 
 section of Mott Haven, just below the 138th street station, 
 and extends northward along the westerly ridge known as 
 Buena Ridge to 165th street. Mott Avenue will form the en- 
 trance to, and part of the Grand Concourse which is to be the 
 finest boulevard in the country. Walton Avenue, on this 
 I'idge, is also a residence thoroughfare. Washington Avenue, 
 in the central valley, is another tree-lined avenue similar to 
 Mott Avenue. Franklin, Boston and Prospect avenues, on 
 high ground in the eastern section, contain some very hand- 
 some residences, and there are many attractive homes on upper 
 Morris Avenue. Sedgwick and Ogden avenues, on the upper 
 westerly ridge, and Riverdale Avenue in the north west, are 
 bordered with handsome residences and the beautifully kept 
 estates of some of New York's wealthiest and most prominent 
 citizens. For those who admire picturesque scenery and like 
 to live on high ground there is perhaps no North Side thor- 
 oughfare which affords so many admirable sites for homes as 
 Sedgwick Avenue. Starting at McComb's Dam bridge it fol- 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 119 
 
 lows the east bank of the Harlem by graceful curves adapted 
 to the contour of the land, passing under the arches of High 
 and Washington bridges and by the grounds of Berkeley 
 Oval, the New York University, and the Webb Academy, 
 extending as far northward as Van Cortlandt Park. Many 
 charming views of the Harlem and Hudson may be had while 
 driving along this avenue. It has been called the " Riverside 
 Drive " of the. North Side. 
 
 For the many thousands of fairly prosperous who by in- 
 dustry and economy are enabled to save something out of 
 their earnings there is no more inviting section than the North 
 Side. Here opportunities are offered them of securing homes 
 of their own at a moderate outlay, and at the same time with- 
 out forfeiture of citizenship in the Metropolis, with all that 
 that implies. The many excellent building and loan associa- 
 tions of this section of the city provide means whereby those 
 who are now paying rent, for which they will have nothing to 
 show, say ten years hence, may secure homes of their own by 
 paying but little more monthly than they now pay out for 
 rent. And, perhaps, next to life insurance, there is no better 
 provision that a man can make for those dependent on him 
 than the securing of a home for them : a house which they 
 can call their own. It ought to be the ambition — indeed, it 
 is the duty — of every head of a family capable of earning 
 more than the mere means of support, to labor and save to 
 the end that those who look to him for support may be thus 
 provided for. 
 
 It would be difficult to find, within many miles radius of 
 New York, more delightfully picturesque scenery than is to 
 be found on the North Side, within the corporate limits of the 
 Great Metropolis. Its hills and valleys, affording entrancing 
 views of the majestic Hudson with its world-famed back- 
 ground, the Palisades ; the sinuous and placid Harlem hedged 
 in by commanding hills and spanned by many bridges ; the 
 wide spreading marine views of the Sound with its numerous 
 
120 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 121 
 
 islands, and the land adjacent to that charming strip of rustic 
 woodland which skirts the picturesque Bronx from West 
 Farms to William's Bridge offer attractive sites for residence 
 which for beauty and healthfulness it would be hard to equal. 
 
 Here then is New York's ideal home section. Within this 
 magnificent territory upon which Nature has bestowed her 
 bounties with such liberality we may expect to see developed 
 the residence quarter of the Metropolis, dotted with the homes 
 of the thrifty and industrious of moderate means as well as the 
 palatial mansions of the wealthy ; a district which shall be to 
 our city what London's great home section is to the Metropo- 
 lis of the world. 
 
EDUCATIONAL ADVANTAGES. 
 
 As regards the number and character of our educational 
 institutions there are few places more highly favored than the 
 North Side. The kindergarten and university have found a 
 congenial home : here boarding school, academy, and college 
 hold out the strongest inducements to the youth of both 
 sexes. The healthful ness of this section, the charm of land- 
 scape, the historic interest of the territory, and the intelligence 
 of the people are powerful attractions to those in search of a 
 home. But there is another attraction which the future house- 
 holder might study — nay, the effete denizen of some down- 
 town ward might ponder over to some purpose — let both think 
 of this : that at no distant day this whole region is destined to 
 become the educational centre of the Greater New York. 
 
 In the two wards there are twenty grammar and twenty- 
 
 122 
 
ERSTANDO • ET- PR /£ STAN DO • (JUL I TAT I 
 
 ~Hall of language 
 
 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, Sedgwick "Ave 
 
 23 
 
124 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 six primary schools, including departments. A new 1 1 i «_r 1 1 
 School has been established and is in successful operation at 
 Third Avenue and 158th St. The principals of these schools 
 are teachers of ability and of wide experience and their effort^ 
 are seconded by a corps of zealous and eth'cient subordinates. 
 The kindergarten system, physical culture, and manual 1 raining 
 are prominent features in many schools and there is likewise 
 ample provision for military drill in the case of the boys 
 beloninn" to the advanced classes. We have one evening 
 school, No. C>2, at 157th Street and Cortlandt Avenue; the 
 five hundred meet and for five whole months devote them- 
 selves with praiseworthy ardor to the study of the English 
 and mathematical branches, including book-keeping and sten- 
 ography. Our people have reason to be proud of the success 
 attained by this school. The discipline is excellent and 
 the instruction is unsurpassed. Tinier the auspices of the 
 Board of Education six courses of free lectures, delivered in 
 (i. S. No. 64, Ford ham, (i. S. No, 66, Kingsbridge, in the new 
 school at Bedford Park, at Wakefield, and at Westchester are 
 proving a great attraction to the people of the North Side. 
 The lecturers selected for the purpose have been so far ex- 
 ceedingly successful in their work. The halls are invariably 
 so crowded that hardly standing room is left The Boards of 
 Inspectors belonging to the two wards deserve more than a 
 passing mention. All have done their duty faithfully and 
 well, and deserve a share of credit for the excellent showing 
 made by the pupils of the North Side at the entrance examina- 
 tions held each year for admission to the two colleges, as well 
 as for the high character of the schools in these wards. 
 
 SCHOOL BUILDINGS, SITES, ETC. 
 
 School officers have not been idle in the matter of pro- 
 curing new buildings, repairing and enlarging old ones, and 
 more especially in the purchase of the sites for the use of the 
 coming generation of scholars. At Kingsbridge, Bedford 
 
125 
 
126 
 
 The ( rreat North Side. 
 
 Park, Morris Heights, Mount Hope, Tremont, Fos Estate, 
 (College Avenue and 145th Street, St. Ann's Avenue and 
 148th Street, Union Avenue and L49th St., Cypress Avenue 
 and 135th Street, Burnside and Andrews Avenues, etc., the 
 land for school sites has been already secured and new build- 
 ings completed or under contract. Those who conic after us 
 will therefore have no reason to complain that we of this day 
 and generation have been blind to their interests in not 
 making something like suitable provision for their children 
 and their children's children. 
 
 Of tbe higher institutions of learning the 24th Ward bids 
 fair to have something like a monopoly. First, there is the 
 Ursuline Convent Academy, charmingly situated near Bedford 
 Park, with everything that can bedesired in the shape of class 
 rooms, dormitories, hall, chapel, refectory, and playgrounds. 
 The convent school is of recent date, hardly four years old, 
 but the sisters have shown w hat it, is p< »ssible to do within that 
 time: thanks to their skill, perseverance, and unselfishness they 
 have achieved a most gratifying if not a marvellous Buccess. 
 Upward of two hundred students are receiving an excellent 
 education at this popular institution. 
 
 The Webb Home, a costly and beautiful structure situated 
 on Sedgwick Avenue, one of the loveliest spots in creation, 
 stands a monument to the noble philanthropist whose name it 
 bears. The art of designing ships, etc., is surely one of the 
 most useful of arts: it deals with a great and highly im- 
 portant industry, besides helping us to take part in the carry- 
 ing trade of the world. The man who makes such provision 
 for the students of that art, who supplies them with means to 
 pursue it, that man is deserving of great praise and gratitude. 
 
 St. Joseph's Institute for the Care and Instruction of the 
 Deaf and Dumb, situated near East 184th Street, Ford. ham, is 
 an institution created for a truly noble and beneficent purpose. 
 It receives state aid, of course, and never, let me say, does the 
 civil power appear to greater advantage than when helping 
 
HU&l~,C S-CHOOi-j UNION AV N£AK /^.qTH ST. & FOX ST. 
 
 HitmhiMhl fcf,„ <t „ i,„.,v». »„w.i... »„i„ t ..u.,.. 
 
 127 
 
ll>S 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 to lives of usefulness those unfortunates who, through no 
 fault of theirs, are forever cut off from the whole world of 
 sound. As regards methods of instruction and the results at- 
 tained, St. Joseph's is in every respect uj> to the highest 
 standard. 
 
 St. John's College, beautifully situated in a spacious park 
 fronting on Pel ham Avenue, Fordham, is as we reckon time, 
 an old and highly favored seat of learning. For nearly three 
 score years the College has been in charge of the Fathers of 
 the Society <>f Jesus and tin 4 fame acquired has been such as 
 to attract students from nearly every part of the habitable 
 globe. Young men from Canada, British Columbia, the West 
 Indies, Brazil, Uruguay, Chili, Peru. Bolivia, Central America, 
 Mexico, are there in considerable numbers, and as for the 
 United States, hardly a State is unrepresented. There is no- 
 where a better type of a polyglot college, for amongst its four 
 hundred students you can hear all the lamruacres of the civil- 
 ixed world. 
 
 The New Yoik University is the latest addition to our 
 educational institutions. It is so well known and deservedly 
 popular that but little need be said of this institution. AVise 
 in their day and desirous of increasing the usefulness of the 
 University, the Board of Trustees purchased a beautiful site 
 containing twelve acres of ground on Fordham Heights; the 
 location is a superb one, being on an elevation over the banks 
 of the Harlem River, and overlooking the Hudson with its 
 picturesque scenery, the Palisades on the west, and a magnifi- 
 cent view to the Sound on the east. A number of new build- 
 ings have been erected of modern design, with all the approved 
 appliances in educational matters. Under the wise and able 
 management of the Rev. Dr. Henry M. McCracken, Chancellor, 
 and a most distinguished corps of professors, in its new and 
 splendid home the New York University is destined to ac- 
 complish the work of an ideal educational institution. 
 
 The New York Catholic Protectory at Westchester, re- 
 
I2y 
 
130 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 cently annexed to New York City, is one of the best know n 
 institutions in the country. Its special purpose and aim is to 
 care for the homeless of both sexes and it is ably presided over 
 by that noble and Belf-sacrificing band, the Christian Brothers. 
 Two thousand boys and one thousand girls here find a comfort- 
 able home and are taught useful trades. Tailoring, shoe-mak- 
 ing, printing, farming, care of horses, gardening, are all taught 
 on an extended scale. A regiment of cadets, armed and 
 equipped, and a magnificent brass band, are connected with 
 this excellent institution. Brother Eusebius is in charge of 
 the whole matter, and Sister Anita, of the Sisters of Charity, 
 of the girls' department 
 
 The Sacred Heart Academy for boys at Classon Point has 
 one hundred and fifty pupils, in charge of the Sisters of 
 Charity. 
 
 The excellent educational facilities of the North Side, with 
 its grand system of public parks, its healthful and invigorat- 
 ing climate, its kindly disposed and hospitable people, and the 
 many other substantial advantages, must make this section of 
 the Greater New York the centre of refinement and intelli- 
 gence, as well as of a contented and happy people. 
 
BRIDGES. 
 
 The Harlem River,a branch of the East River, and Spuy- 
 ten Duyvil Creek, a branch of the Hudson River, make a 
 continuous w aterw ay about six miles long through the City 
 of New York, separating Manhattan Island from the larger 
 portion of the city on the main land. 
 
 The first bridge over the Harlem River was built under 
 a franchise for 99 years, graired in June, 1(593, to Predryck 
 ETypsejD or Philipse, to build and maintain at his own expense 
 a bridge over the Spuy ten Duyvil Creek, and to collect cer- 
 tain " easy and reasonable tolls" from such passengers as 
 might cross it. The bridge was to be twenty-four feet w ide 
 and provided with a draw of sufficient size to permit the pas- 
 sage of small craft. It was further stipulated that it should 
 be free for the passage of the King's forces, and should be 
 
 132 
 
133 
 
I 3 l 
 
 The ( rreat North Side. 
 
 called King's Bridge. Tins bridge was buih during the same 
 year, a little to the east of the site of the present structure 
 which hears the same name. It remained in the hands of 
 Philipse's descendants down to Revolutionary times, when it 
 was forfeited to the State on account of the adherence of the 
 family to the English ( 'row n. 
 
 About 1759 public opinion became so strongly aroused 
 against the payment of tolls that a second bridge, called the 
 Free Bridge, was built by public subscription at or near the 
 site of the present farmer's or Fordham Bridge. This diverted 
 
 all the travel from the old structure and the obnoxious tolls 
 were finally suspended. 
 
 The next bridge was built at Third Avenue by J. B. Coles, 
 in 1795 to 1797. He was at first reimbursed by tolls collected 
 from tin 1 passengers over it. 
 
 This bridge remained in use until IS.").") or 1X58 when it 
 was torn down to give place to the bridge which has ju^t 
 been removed. The latter was completed and opened to the 
 public in 18(>7. It was very low, being only l:\.'2 feet in the 
 clear above high water, with an opening on each side of the 
 centre pier of 82 feet. 
 
 In 1813 authority was granted to Robert Macomb to 
 build a bridge with a draw where the Seventh Avenue Bridge 
 now stands. He built it, however, without a draw and 
 dammed the river at that point. About the same time, it 
 was also dammed at King's Bridge and remained a tidal mill 
 pond until 1886, when a number of Westchester farmers tore 
 down the Macomb's dam and re-opened navigation. Later, a 
 wooden bridge was constructed at the same place with a 
 swing draw, known as Macomb's Dam Bridge, which was in 
 constant use up to 1891, when it was moved a short distance 
 up the river (See Scientific American of July 14, 1894) to 
 make room for the new steel bridge, and was used while the 
 latter was under construction. 
 
 The Fourth Avenue Railroad Bridge was authorized in 
 
135 
 
130 
 
 The ( ireat North Side. 
 
 184<>, and the railroad bridgeover Spuyten Duyvil Creel was 
 authorized in 1846. These bridges were built for railroad 
 purp< »scs only. 
 
 High Bridge was completed in L849, and is a portion of 
 t he old Croton Aqueduct, carrying tin- water across tin* valley 
 of the Harlem, [t extends from L75th Street and LOth Avenue 
 to Aqueduct Avenue. 
 
 It will be noticed thai the bridges referred to w&re erected 
 previous to, and were in position in 1874, the date of the 
 passage of the Act annexing the territory on the north side 
 of the river to the City of N«-w Fork. 
 
 At that time, while the lands under water on Manhattan 
 Island were vested in the corporation of the City of New 
 York, the lands under water on the Westchester side were in 
 almost, if not in all, cases vested in the riparian owners by 
 grants from the Commissioners of the Land Office, at Albany. 
 In some eases, the hinds under wafer were secured to the 
 riparian owners by patents granted }>ri<>r to the Revolution. 
 
 The survey of the stream by the V. S. Government En- 
 gineers was authorized by act of Congress, June 2 >, 1N74. Tin 1 
 channel depth in the Harlem River and Sjmi\ ten Duyvil Creek 
 is 15 feet at mean low water. In the channel along Dyk- 
 man's Creek there is a depth of 18 feet at mean low water. 
 
 From the Third Avenue Bridge to the entrance of Dyk- 
 man's Creek into the Harlem River, a distance of about five 
 miles, exterior pier and bulkhead lines are laid out, 400 feet 
 apart. The line through Dykman's Meadows, about one half 
 mile long, is 350 feet wide. The balance of the stream to the 
 Hudson River is 400 feet in width. The average rise and fall 
 of the tide in the river is 5 ft. 9 in. at the East River end and 
 4 ft. 6 in. at the Hudson River. 
 
 The work of making the channel navigable between the 
 Hudson and East Rivers was sufficiently complete at the close 
 of the year 1894 to warrant the celebration by the North Side 
 Board of Trade of the formal opening of the Harlem River 
 
L38 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 Canal by a land and water parade, and a banquet on June 17. 
 1895. 
 
 The banks of the river on both 1 < ^ for tin 1 greater part 
 
 arc admirably adapted fco the building of wharves, slips, and 
 basins, and will afford opportunity for the addition of new 
 dock frontage aboul L44 miles in length through an im- 
 portant part of the city. At High Bridge and at Washington 
 Bridge the land on both sides of the river is high enough fco 
 permit of approaches substantially level with the bridge 
 floors. 
 
 Vested interests, ami the rapid growth in wealth and 
 population compelled a demand for more and better facilities 
 for transportation over the river, and since annexation five 
 new bridges, — Northern U.K., L877; Madison Ave., 1884; 
 Second Avenue, 1885; Washington. 1KKU; and Broadway, 
 1894; have been built 24 feet above mean high water, to 
 conform to the requirements of the War Department. 
 
 Two bridges of sufficient height to conform to the act of 
 Congress, have been built to take the place of the Macomb's 
 Dam Bridge and of the Railroad Bridge at Fourth Avenue. 
 The new bridge at Third Avenue is now in process of con- 
 st ruction. 
 
 The contract for the new Willis Avenue Bridge will soon 
 be under way, having approaches at 125th Street and Second 
 Avenue and 134th Street and Willis Avenue, has not yet been 
 awarded. The estimated cost of the 1 (ridge is $1,666,000. 
 
 The North Side Board of Trade asked the Commissioner 
 of Public Works to make provision for a recreation park on 
 one of the fixed spans of the north side of the bridge. Such 
 a park, sixty-six feet wide, and several hundred feet long, af- 
 fording a fine view of the East River, Ward's Island, and the 
 valley of the Harlem River, in the near vicinity of a large 
 tenement population, would prove a wise benefaction. The 
 petition of the Board was not, however, treated with the 
 respect it deserved. 
 
140 The ( ircat North Side. 
 
 The presenl plans of the Rapid Transil Commissioners 
 include h bridge over the Elarlem at Fourth Avenue, north of 
 the present railroad bridge. 
 
 Chapter 986, Laws of 1895, authorizes the construction of 
 a bridge at 1 19th Street to connect with 145th Street <>n 
 the Elarlem side, and Boundings are now being taken. This 
 bridge, when built, will be of great utility , as it w ill be the con- 
 necting link between two thoroughfares, making a practically 
 straight line between the Hudson River and tin* East River. 
 
 An act was passed 1>\ the Legislature of 1 s ( J7, providing 
 for the acquisition of lands to conned the Macomb's Dam 
 Bridge with the Concourse. It is proposed to build an or- 
 namental iron viaduct, with two sidewalks, two roadways lor 
 vehicles and two bicycle tracks, to cost about k50o,ooo. 
 
 Bridges oyer the Bronx River at Westchester Avenue, 
 Woodruff Avenue, Tremont Avenue, and at Wakefield, to be 
 built under the supervision of the Commissioner of Street 
 Improvement, have l>een arranged for, and the plans arc weli 
 under way. 
 
 Under Chapter 970 of the l\ S. Laws of 1890, it is pro- 
 vided that the Secretary of War shall fix the time during 
 which the draws shall be opened, but that '-said draw s shall 
 not l>e opened except for vessels propelled by steam, with or 
 without vessels in tow; nor shall they he required to he 
 opened at any times other than between ten o'clock in the 
 forenoon and five o'clock in the afternoon." Experience has 
 shown that the draws should not he opened between five a. m. 
 and eight p. m., and that all steam tugs should he compelled 
 to adopt devices to enable them to pass tinder the fixed draws 
 at all stauvs of the tide. 
 
 With the completion of the new bridges having a clear 
 space of 24 feet above high water, and the enforcement of the 
 U. S. Law of 1890, and of the ordinance of the Department of 
 Public Parks of November 30, 1892, many of the disadvantages 
 associated with a territory separated by a navigable stream 
 
I 12 
 
 The Cn at North Side 
 
 crossed by low level bridges from the old, wealthy, and thickly 
 settled portion of the city of w hich it is a part, w ill be greatly 
 lessened, and some practically removed. 
 
 The commerce of the river will be principally in building 
 materials, fuel, and the product of factories along its banks, 
 This bulky freight w ill be carried in steam-propelled vessels, 
 
 adapted to passage under its bridges, which will in time 
 become practical!} fixed bridges, affording uninterrupted 
 transit ; thus increasing the value of properties on the North 
 Side to very nearly an equality with those of like character 
 on Manhattan Island, and stimulating growth in population 
 and wealth in ever} section of fche North Side. 
 
 The bridges re-built, to meet the requirements of the 1'. S. 
 Law, those in progress of construction, and the others a> ar- 
 ranged for, are all conspicuous examples of engineering skill 
 
 and adaptation. For beauty of desigp and detail of mechanism, 
 they are as fine examples of bridge construction as can be 
 found anywhere. 
 
 The table on page 144 shows the traffic across fche more im- 
 portant bridges spanning the Harlem River during the year 
 1895. 
 
 The statistics relating to car traffic were furnished by the 
 various railroad companies. 
 
 The figures in connection with vehicular and pedestrian 
 traffic (two last columns of table) are based on actual count, 
 made during May, 1895, between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 P.M., 
 and therefore represent only the traffic for the twelve heaviest 
 hours daily. 
 
 The commerce of the Harlem River, above Second Avenue, 
 for the year ending June 30, 1893, was, approximately, 2,666,- 
 526 tons, distributed as follows : 
 
 Handled by N. Y. & Putnam R R. . . . 166,066 tons. 
 
 Distributed alono- the river 2,475/275 " 
 
 " . Spuyten D. Cr 25.185 " 
 
 2,666,526 tons. 
 
U3 
 
1 1 1 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 Number of 
 Pedestrians. 
 
 o 
 
 CO 
 rH 
 
 J - 
 
 GO 
 CO 
 
 CP 
 
 
 i — i 
 CO 
 
 00 
 r-i 
 
 ; co sf* ds" ; 
 co " a 
 
 IQ CI CM rH \ 
 rH 
 
 J* 
 
 r-T 
 
 IM 
 
 go 
 
 J— ,2 
 
 i| 
 
 
 © 
 
 SO 
 i— I 
 
 
 c 
 
 ad 
 
 OS 
 
 C 
 
 CO 
 
 1 r /, • 
 
 . . "+ N 
 . . CO Ol 
 
 o 
 
 CO 
 
 1 - 
 
 CO 
 
 ~f 
 
 ii 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 • • • • CO 
 
 • ■ ss 
 ! ; .' © 
 
 • • • co" 
 
 ?J 
 
 3 E 
 3 So 
 
 If 
 
 *J 
 
 HOOQW . C . . . - 
 CO QQ CO <N t<- * 
 
 • ~ r r ~ co 36 . . . i - 
 
 ^ ^ i~ ^ * * • I- • • -co 
 »C fc<- co ~ -r i - • 
 
 a$ ad : r-i : ; ; 
 
 X 
 CO' 
 
 »o 
 
 CO 
 
 Number of 
 Street Cars. 
 
 • • >o • 
 
 • • <M • 
 
 • • \Q • 
 
 : o 
 . 5 
 
 • i - 
 
 • 'X> 
 ■ rH 
 
 
 c-i 
 — 1 
 
 1 - 
 
 Number of 
 Trains. 
 
 i * °* ■ 
 
 rH • rH 
 
 
 o " * »o 
 
 ! OS . . <M 
 X . . . *«■ 
 r~ • • • co 
 
 <* 
 
 R. R. Cos. whose Cars 
 Cross Bridge. 
 
 . ^ 
 
 — ~j — , • — . ~ . . . 
 
 i^^^aS • ^ • • 
 
 -C - - . -C ~ _ s . . . hH 
 ~- — ■ — ^ 1 *f . . 
 ' ~~ t— ■* — ^ — -hi 
 
 — - ~ r - • I 
 
 fcllo^SJ : * : : 
 
 J3 • >- • • . . 
 
 . S . . S • . • • ■ -Sh 
 
 teS : : : : 
 ' - — '—v— ; : : 
 
 6 
 be 
 
 cS 
 
 : : : : g : 
 
 o ~ ? <d ^ g ; cp 
 
 fl ? d 5 £ ; p 
 o a o >• Hr4 © , 
 
 > O > ha 08 > 
 
 ^ g =c3^* 
 
 § •= g 1 ^ 'feb 
 CO rn ^ ^ g @ 
 
 i : : : 
 
 t 
 
 • • • "> 
 
 i>" : : &» 
 
 - ^ > — 
 
 ^ 5 § 
 
 — "7 c3 > - 
 
 bc cs o 2 
 
 hri S PC 'rr 1 
 
145 
 
146 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 The foregoing statistics show clearly that the traffic over 
 the various bridges greatly exceeds in volume and importance, 
 the commerce of the stream. 
 
 A short description of each of the bridges is given, fol- 
 lowed by a tabulation. 
 
 8EOOND A. VENUE BRIDGE 
 
 The Second Avenue Bridge was built in \HS~y by the Sub- 
 urban Rapid Transit Company a< a railroad bridge. It is 
 28.5 feet above high water, and gives a clear opening 013 each 
 
 side of the draw of 103.7 fret. In L887, by arrangement w ith 
 the Park Board, a foot path was opened across it for the free 
 
 use of the public. It is now u-ed by the Manhattan Railway 
 Company, and also the New York, New Haven A Hartford 
 Railroad Company, which has a station at 129th Street. 
 
 The total cost w as $203,05,?. 
 
 HARLEM, OR THIRD AVENUE BRIDGE. 
 
 The new bridge, which is to replace the old one, is now in 
 course of construction. The draw span when finished will 
 have a total Length of l )( .h> feet, giving a clear opening for 
 vessels of 102 feet on each side, and the bottom chord will be 
 24 feet above high-wate: line. It will have two sidewalks, 
 each 9 feet wide; two roadways, 16 ft. ( .> in. wide on each side 
 for trucks, etc., and in the centre a space 17 ft. w ide, giving 
 room for a north and a south bound car track. 
 
 The northern approach will consist of a truss 1 1 7 feet long 
 from the end of the draw span to the commencement of an 
 open steel structure, supported on columns which will cany 
 the roadway by an easy incline as far north as 134th Street. 
 From that point there will be a solid fill between granite 
 walls until the grade of Third Avenue is reached at 135th 
 Street. The grade from 135th Street to the Southern Boule- 
 levard will be 3 feet in 100 feet, and thence to the bridge I A 
 feet in 100 feet. 
 
148 The Great North Side. 
 
 The southern approaches will he two in number; one run 
 aing wesl along the northerly house line of i;*otli Street to 
 Lexington Avenue, and the other following a hoi'se-shoe curve 
 to reduce the Bteepness of the incline, reaching the grade of 
 Third Avenue on its easterl v side at 128th Street. The grades 
 of both these approaches will he :> feet in l<>n feet. 
 
 Strenuous efforts were made by the North Side Board of 
 Trade and similar organizations to secure for this great struc- 
 ture a direct approach on Third Avenue, 1 > u t without success. 
 Bui sufficient attention was given to these efforts to secure the 
 extension of the easterly approach from midway between Third 
 and Second Avenues on 129th Street to 12sth Street and it< 
 junction with Third Avenue ; and also the widening of this 
 
 approach to a 60 ft. roadway and our i<» ft. sidewalk on the easl 
 side, and the proposed addition i >f a 10 ft. sidewalk on the north 
 side of tin 1 Lexington Avenue approach. 
 
 The efforts to secure the erection of an open w ork struc- 
 ture on tin' north side were successful, w hile those in behalf 
 of an approach on the Southern Boulevard failed. 
 
 The contract for building this bridge and approaches was 
 awarded to Mr. Isaac A. Hopper. It is expected that the 
 bridge will be opened to travel about March 1, 1898. 
 
 The estimated cost of the structure and approaches, exclu- 
 sive of land values, is si, 400,000. 
 
 FOURTH A V EN I " E ( RAILROAD ) BRIDGE. 
 
 The new bridge, which is a four-track structure, is one of 
 the few bridges in this country with that number of tracks 
 placed side by side. It has a total width of 61 feet. It \wis 
 opened to traffic over two tracks on January 17, 1897, and on 
 four tracks September 20, 1897. 
 
 The raising of the tracks at the bridge to the required 
 height involved a vast amount of construction both on the 
 north and south sides. It is estimated that the total cost of 
 the improvement was in the neighborhood of $3,000,000. 
 
I IQ 
 
1 50 
 
 The ( ii cat North Side. 
 
 MADISON AVENUE BRIDGE. 
 
 Madison Avenue Bridge was built under the direction of 
 tht 1 Commissioners of Public Parks, and was completed in 
 lcSS4. It connects 188th Street on the east with Madison 
 Avenue on the west, and has a total length, including the 
 approaches, <>f 1163 feet. The draw, when open, gives a clear 
 channel, on each side, of 132 feet, and is 28 feet above high 
 water line. 
 
 The roadway is 22 feet wide, and the sidewalks each 8 
 feet w ide. 
 
 The flooring of the draw is of plank, and the roadway <>f 
 the approaches of granite block pavement. 
 
 The grades of the approaches are about 5 feet in lOofeet. 
 
 It is crossed by the cars of the Union Electrie Railway 
 Company, and the Madison Avenue horse line, and is of great 
 importance as a connecting link with Manhattan [aland. 
 
 The total cost was $492,295. 
 
 During the construction of the new Third Avenue Bridge, 
 this structure has proved entirely inadequate to carry the 
 traffic, and now that the avenues leading to it on the south 
 side have been improved by modern paving, and 138th Street 
 on the North Side is to be widened to 100 feet, the present 
 bridge should be removed and replaced by a better one, 
 having well paved roadways and easier approaches. 
 
 SEVENTH AVENUE BRIDGE. 
 
 In 1886, it was decided to build a viaduct from Wash- 
 ington Heights to connect vrith a bridge over the Harlem at 
 155th Street. Work was commenced on the viaduct in 1890, 
 under the direction of the Department of Public Works, and 
 it was opened to the public in 1893. It has a total length 
 of 1500 feet, and crosses over the elevated railroad, with 
 which it is connected by stairways. The roadway, 40 feet 
 wide, is paved with granite blocks laid in cement, and the 
 sidewalks on each side, 10 feet wide, are also laid in cement. 
 
L52 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 It was built at a cost of $789,000, one half the expense being 
 borne by the property benefited, and the other by the city 
 at large. 
 
 The bi •idge proper, was authorized by Chapter 207, Laws 
 of 1890, which specifies that no surface railroad shall cross it. 
 It was built by the Department of Public Parks, and is 731 
 feet long, being made up of a swing draw 400 feet long, a 
 truss 225 feet long over the N. Y. Central <fe Hudson River 
 R. R. Company's tracks, and a viaduct 106 feet long connect- 
 in-' fche t wo. 
 
 The draw span is 2<S feet above high-water mark, and 
 gives a clear channel of l(>f) feet on each side, when open. 
 It weighs 2400 tons, and is the heaviest in the world. It 
 is supported on a circular granite pier, built on a steel 
 caisson, w hich rests on solid rock. It turns on 12S cast steel 
 rollers arranged in two concentric rings and is opened or 
 closed by a <T5 horse-power engine in 1 \ minutes. 
 
 r l ne flooring is of steel buckle plates, paved with asphalt 
 which gives a remarkably smooth and durable surface. The 
 roadway has a width of 40 feet, and the sidewalks of 9 feet. 
 There are two approaches on the North Side, one 1740 feet 
 long, leading to Jerome Avenue, and the other 350 feet lead- 
 ing to Ogden Avenue. They are supported on granite 
 foundation piers, and the roadways, etc., correspond in width 
 and style of pavement with that of the bridge. 
 
 The bridge and northern approaches were completed and 
 opened to the public May 1st, ISM.). 
 
 The total cost of the bridge was about §1,989,000. 
 
 NEW YORK AND PUTNAM BRIDGE. 
 
 The bridge of the N. Y. & Putnam R. R, which crosses 
 the river about a quarter of a mile above the Seventh Avenue 
 Bridge, was built about 1877. It is provided with a steel 
 draw 300 feet long and 28 feet above high water, w T ith open- 
 
5 3 
 
154 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 ings 128 feet wide. It carries two railroad tracks, and a foot 
 path for free public use. 
 
 The cost of this bridge was about §200,000. 
 
 UK. ii BRIDGE. 
 
 High Bridge, locate* I about one third of a mile below the 
 Washington Bridge, was completed in 1849, and is a portion of 
 the old Croton Aqueduct, carrying the water across the valley 
 of the Harlem River. It extends from One Hundred and 
 Seventy-fifth Street and Tenth Avenue to Aqueduct Avenue. 
 
 Various schemes were proposed for the aqueduct at this 
 point, and in 1*:*7 a contract was actually let and work 
 started on a rock till, with an arch at tin* centre eighty feet 
 wide and thirty feel high, the intention being to lay the water- 
 pipes on top of the embankment and cover them with earth. 
 
 The government, however, seeing that such a structure 
 would prove an effectual bar jo the further improvement of 
 the river as a navigable stream, refused t<> permit the contin- 
 uance of the work, and caused the construction of the bridge 
 as it now stands. It has a total length of 1450 feet, made up 
 of 15 semi-circular arches, 8 of w hich are of <S(>-feet and 7 of 
 50-feet spans. The bridge is about 25 feet wide, and provided 
 with a pathway for fool passengers, but has no provision for 
 vehicles. 
 
 The arches at the crown rive a clear height of 100 feet 
 above high water. 
 
 The Croton water is carried in three large pipes built in 
 brick masonry. Two of cast iron, each three feet in diameter, 
 were laid lirst, but were soon found to be of insufficient capac- 
 ity. Between 1860 and L864 the Croton Aqueduct Commis- 
 sioners raised the side- walls of the bridge and laid a wrought 
 iron pipe, 7 feet 6 inches in diameter, over the other two. 
 The new Croton Aqueduct crosses under the river just north of 
 this bridge. 
 
 The bridge was built by the city at a total cost of $963,428. 
 
155 
 
156 The Great North Side. 
 
 WASHINGTON BRIDGE. 
 
 The Washington Bridge, extending from One Hundred and 
 Eighty -first Street and Tenth Avenue on the west bo Aqueduct 
 Avenue on the east, is one of the most notable structures cross- 
 ing the Harlem, l>oth in appearance and in form of construc- 
 tion, The two main spans arc parabolic steel arch structures, 
 each of six parallel ribs. These ribs are built up of immense 
 roitssoi/s of steel, forming sections analogous to the ring stones 
 in a masonry arch. These sections are constructed in the 
 form of an kk I " beam, the fiances of the beam being made up 
 of a number of plates, w hile the w eb is a single piece. They 
 are each 13 feet in depth. The ribs rest on steel pins, 18 
 inches in diameter, placed at the springing point of the arch, 
 and supported on pillow blocks carried by the abutments. 
 The arches spring from granite piers, which are carried up to the 
 level of the floor system. This floor is supported by latticed 
 posts resting on the arched ribs, and is a little higher than 
 the crown of the arches. 
 
 The principal dimensions of the bridge are as follows: 
 Total length, 2375 feet, made up of the two steel arches, each 
 510 feet long, the eastern approach of four masonry arches 
 making 342 feet, and a solid till between granite walls about 
 325 feet long, and the western approach of three masonry 
 arches 277 feet long, and a solid fill as on the east side of 
 about 411 feet. The clear height of the main arches above 
 high water is 133 feet. The roadway, which is paved with 
 asphalt, is 50 feet wide, and the sidewalks each L5 feet. The 
 piers rest on caissons which are carried dow n to solid rock. 
 There are 40,000 cubic yards of dressed granite and gneiss, and 
 about 14,750,000 pounds of iron and steel in the structure. 
 
 The bridge is hoped by engineers to help solve the prob- 
 lem of the relative value of steel and masonry construction, 
 as both forms are used in it. The masonry arches are, of 
 course, much smaller, but the effects of time on each will be 
 carefully noted. 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 157 
 
 The commissioners appointed to build the bridge asked for 
 competitive designs, and offered prizes for them — $1500 to 
 the best, and $1000 to the second best. The first prize was 
 avoii by C. C. Schneider, and the bridge was built on almost 
 the lines shown in his design. 
 
 The bridge was two years in building, and was opened to 
 the public use in 1889. 
 
 It cost $2,851,684. 
 
 BROADWAY BRIDGE. 
 
 The Broadway Bridge over the Harlem ship canal, 
 connecting the old Kingsbridge Road on the south with Broad- 
 way on the north, was commenced in April, 1893, and com- 
 pleted in December, 1894. It has a total length of 551 feet, 
 made up of the two approaches and a swing draw. 
 
 The draw span is 205 feet long, giving a clear channel on 
 each side when open of about 85 feet. The bottom chord of 
 the draw is 26.5 feet above hi^h water. 
 
 The '-oadway is 50 feet wide, and the sidewalks 8 feet, 
 both paved with asphalt. The centre piers, abutments, and 
 masonry on the approaches are of granite. 
 
 The bridge was built at a cost of $450,000. 
 
 SPUYTEX DUYVIL (RAILROAD) BRIDGE. 
 
 The present bridge of the N. Y. Central & Hudson 
 River R.R. at Spuyten Duyvil Creek, is a low structure of 
 wood and iron. It has a swing draw 1 t 4 q feet above high 
 water, which gives a clear opening of 26.2 feet on each side 
 when open. This bridge was authorized in 1846. 
 
 Preliminary surveys and soundings have been made with 
 reference to a new bridge to comply with the law, but nothing 
 definite has been decided upon as yet. 
 
1 58 
 
 The ( rreat North Side. 
 
 BROADWAY BRIDGE, SPANNING 8PUYTEN DUYVIL GREEK. 
 
 A Contract was awarded June 14, 1<S ( .>7, to Messrs. Gilder- 
 sleeve As Smith, for the const met ion of a bridge over Spuyten 
 Duyvil Creek at Broadway, to replace the old bridge. 
 
 Total cost, $53,607.50. 
 
 WILLIS AVENUE KUIDOE : (Proposed) 
 
 As before staled, tlie plans for a new bridge to span the 
 river from Willis A. venue to Lsl Avenue, have been approved, 
 and the contract will shortly be under way. 
 
 The plans provide for a swing draw 310 feet long, giving 
 108 feet clear opening on each side, and having a height above 
 high water of 24 feet. The southern approach w ill be 585 
 feet long, made up of a masonry incline, from 125th Street and 
 1st Avenue 345 feel long, and a trU88 240 feet long from tile 
 end of the incline to the end of tin* draw. ( )n the north, the 
 incline of masonry will commence at 134tli Street and Willis 
 Avenue, extending 200 feet. From this point, there will be a 
 steel viaduct 47 ( .> feet long, extending to the draw, and sup- 
 ported on eight sets of steel pillars on masonry and pile foun- 
 dations. The roadway and sidewalks are to be respectively 
 40 and 13 feet in width, and will be paved with asphalt. 
 
 The estimated cost is $1,666,000. 
 
The Great North Side. 159 
 
 id 
 8 
 
 
 a 
 H 
 
 § 2 • *§ 33 2 &i r ^ "§ 
 x - -i^- — CC — -2 £ 
 © Q ^ k> *g _ — — > - j= 
 — ~ • — 2_ ^ ^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 +-5 +i 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 w OQ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ao 
 
 
 
 o u 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 co . 
 
 
 ta 
 00 
 O 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 CO o o 
 
 lO 
 
 - r x 
 
 -HH . 
 
 
 
 © • 
 
 
 U 
 
 
 OS 
 
 O O CM 
 
 00 ■ 
 
 c 
 
 
 o • 
 
 o 
 
 tal 
 
 o o o 
 
 CM 
 
 O O 
 
 CO • 
 
 c 
 
 
 
 CO • 
 
 
 cm" 
 
 a> ©~ co" 
 
 rH J 
 
 o 
 
 
 co~ 
 
 CO" ' 
 
 o 
 
 O rH © 
 
 
 X c cc 
 
 
 
 
 CO 
 
 
 Eh 
 
 CM — C 
 
 
 C^CM Ol 
 
 aq^ : 
 
 : ^ 
 
 
 co ; 
 
 
 
 rH CO~ 
 
 
 
 cm' • 
 
 
 
 i — i 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 •A\B.IQ JO 
 
 *^ ■* *" 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 b- CO rH 
 
 00 
 
 c — X 
 
 o • 
 
 
 c 
 
 CO • 
 
 
 CO OO CO 
 
 CO 
 
 -H CM 
 
 X- ; 
 
 
 — 
 
 CO 
 
 
 
 *S - ^ 
 »M - - 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ■AVB.ia J° 
 
 IO Q © 
 
 
 o o o 
 
 o ; 
 
 
 
 o : 
 
 
 
 od Tji Tji 
 
 X 
 
 x x © 
 
 CO • 
 
 CO 
 
 
 HH • 
 
 
 
 CM CM CM 
 
 CM 
 
 CM CM O 
 
 
 CM 
 
 
 CM • 
 
 
 
 
 
 i— ( 
 
 rH 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 +3 v ,. 
 «W - - 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 <© © © 
 
 
 c r r 
 
 o ; 
 
 
 CM 
 
 c ; 
 
 
 
 CO CM id 
 
 CM 
 
 x © 
 
 © • 
 
 
 
 00 • 
 
 
 3 3 2 
 
 ~~ 
 
 CD CM X 
 
 o • 
 
 00 
 
 f 
 
 o • 
 
 
 
 
 rH 
 
 rH rH 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 < 
 
 2 A 
 
 C) P 
 
 ' AVU.IQ JO 
 
 ^ o o 
 
 CM CM rH 
 
 CO 
 
 o ^ 
 :t — 
 
 »~ ~ _ 
 'S x — 
 
 CM CO 
 
 c 
 
 <v 
 
 — 
 
 o 
 
 -t-i - ^. ^ 
 
 
 
 
 CO -H © © 
 
 lO . 
 
 rH 
 
 
 :o -m c *c 
 
 t- 
 
 
 . o . 
 
 H kC -f 
 
 CO " 
 
 '. >o 
 
 . Ol . . . 
 
 rH ^ rH 
 
 CM ' 
 
 
 . CM . . . 
 
 peioiduioQ 
 
 lq -S co h^ ic i> a Oi ot co "Hh ^=r 
 
 x> r OS »at — ^ x> »o ct c: 
 
 00 £ 00 X) X X X) 00 CD X IT 
 
 H „ H r-H r- IHr I t — * i — I ' — l — J ~ 
 
 CO ■ CO 
 
 p CO p 
 
 p P P 
 
 a> r o 
 
 > © > 
 
 o ^ 
 
 cj ci^f 
 
 2 - = 
 
 < < p ^ 
 
 S3 »— * 
 
 p £ 
 E 5 
 
 a3 
 
 jppq 
 
 c 
 
 — >^ D_>- 
 
 . 03 t> 
 
 ->>.•: 
 K ^ — z_ 
 
 C3 SH r-^£: p 
 Xi — I CQ _{ rr< 
 
PUBLIC WORKS. 
 
 Chapter 545 of the Laws of lM'o, which transferred all 
 the powers possessed by the Department of Public Parka in 
 relation to the public worts on the North Side, authorizes the 
 work which is performed by the Department of Street Im- 
 provements. One of the most important works that could he 
 done for the development of the North Side, the want of 
 which has hitherto set a limit upon its development and popu- 
 lation until now, has just been completed. I refer to the final 
 lay-out and adoption of the maps of the new street system. 
 For seventeen years prior to the establishment of the Depart- 
 ment of Street Improvements no reliable and complete map 
 of the North Side existed. One of the most serious defect 
 of the system was the frequent, unnecessary, and ill-advised 
 changes of maps involving changes of locations, lines, and 
 
 1 60 
 
162 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 grades of streets and avenues; these changes prevented a 
 scientific and uniform street system. The work hasnow been 
 completed and a comprehensive and permanent map estab- 
 lished. The maps not only show the new lav out of the 
 street system, hut also the angles and dimensions of the Mock-, 
 the new grades and the contour lines of the topographical 
 features. 
 
 The work performed in the Engineering Bureau of the 
 Department of Street Improvements has been divided into 
 three branches, as follows : 
 
 1st. Topographical work. 
 
 2d. Regulating, grading, curbing, flagging, paving, and 
 la\ Lng cr< >^w alks, etc 
 
 3d. The constructing of sewers and appurtenances, etc. 
 
 TOPOGRAPHIC A L WORK. 
 
 This work is of a multifarious nature and is done prin- 
 cipally under the Following heads: 
 
 SURVEYING AM) LAYING-OUT OF TIN; NORTH BIDS. 
 
 The general scope of this work being the conversion of 
 this great area from farm land into city property. More 
 correctly it may be defined as the preparation of the exad 
 working plans according to which a great city shall l>e 
 constructed. 
 
 MONUMENTING. 
 
 This work consists in placing stone monuments or iron 
 bolts at the angles of intersecting >treets and avenues for the 
 purpose of delineating the exact location of the same on the 
 ground. 
 
 FINAL MAPS AND PROFILES OF THE NORTH SIDE. 
 
 The general plan of the street system for the whole North 
 Side (exclusive of the district east of the Bronx River) was 
 prepared, covering 12,317 acres. This plan shows the general 
 
163 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 course and location of avenues and streets. The district was 
 subdivided into 28 sections, and a title page, an index page, 
 28 map pages, and 58 profile pages, on a scale of L50 (eel to 
 one (1) inch, were prepared and submitted for the final 
 approval and concurrence of the Board of Street Opening 
 and Improvement* After this concurrence had been obtained, 
 three (3) copies, for filing, of each of these 88 maps were 
 made and filed previously t<> January, 1 Vh;, as provided for in 
 Chapter 44tt of tin* Laws of 1 w hich act extended the 
 
 time of completion of the street plan as originally ordered 
 under ( lhapter 5 L5 of the Law s of L890. 
 
 The plan was adapted to the topography and its ultimate 
 occupation of the different areas of the region laid out, 
 whether Eor commercial purposes, for manufacturing or general 
 business, or for residences. The street plan provides direct, 
 hence shortest, thoroughfares between objective points. It 
 provides that the grade of >t refts snail uever be excessive | ex- 
 cept in a lew cases) and that the lightesl ones occiii- on main 
 thoroughfares. It provides that there he sufficient inclination 
 to the streets to give speedy surface drainage. It provides 
 streets through which the main lines <>f sewers can be con- 
 structed with the least amount of work; it was taken into 
 consideration that in the present and future appearance of the 
 streets there shall be no abrupt and broken grades, that there 
 shall be ample opportunity of placing large and important 
 buildings where their architectural effects shall be enhanced 
 and not smothered; it provides broad thoroughfares to the 
 new system of parks, and at the most eligible points; it pro- 
 vides for aslittle injury in die subdivision of private property 
 as possible; it provides for business and manufacturing sec- 
 tions as well as for suburban districts for residences ; it 
 provides for the readiest access to railroad stations and the 
 water front ; it provides for safety at all railroad crossings. 
 All these general considerations have been regarded in the 
 final arrangement of the lay-out. 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 The genera] plan has been adopted and concurred In by 
 the Board of Street Opening and Improvement after hearings 
 given to the people interested and has been died. This will 
 settle for all time the genera] system of fche North Side. 
 Local changes may he made here and there. bu1 QO general 
 alteration w ill ever be attempted. 
 
 
 
 
 •5 d 
 
 
 
 . \ I « ■ ; i in 
 
 Aeres. 
 
 
 
 Miles of Streets Lai«l 
 
 ~ — 
 
 Number of Monumental 
 
 Sections. 
 
 Out and Defined bj I A- 
 
 inensions. 
 
 E / 
 
 and Holts partly Set 
 and to !)•• Set in Sect i< »ns. 
 
 1 
 
 358.2 
 
 
 
 LS.96 
 
 82 
 
 128 
 
 2 
 
 514.6 
 
 L8.55 
 
 I 1 1 
 
 194 
 
 3 
 
 409.6 
 
 17.71 
 
 L07 
 
 202 
 
 4 
 
 4847 
 
 20.39 
 
 L20 
 
 160 
 
 5 
 
 315.7 
 
 15.01 
 
 97 
 
 L21 
 
 6 
 
 491.4 
 
 lit. 57 
 
 11 5 
 
 271 
 
 7 
 
 456.5 
 
 10.4s 
 
 108 
 
 206 
 
 8 
 
 388.8 
 
 L2.62 
 
 78 
 
 1 36 
 
 9 
 
 585.5 
 
 21.757 
 
 1 48 
 
 321 
 
 LO 
 
 544.i; 
 
 17.08 
 
 L08 
 
 813 
 
 11 
 
 399.9 
 
 15.65 
 
 92 
 
 216 
 
 L2 
 
 426.3 
 
 9.20 
 
 »57 
 
 152 
 
 13 
 
 464.8 
 
 15.00 
 
 111 
 
 228 
 
 14 
 
 529.1 
 
 21.77 
 
 L60 
 
 319 
 
 15 
 
 480.0 
 
 15.404 
 
 77 
 
 882 
 
 16 
 
 520.3 
 
 15.75 
 
 81 
 
 552 
 
 17 
 
 408.6 
 
 14.84 
 
 98 
 
 207 
 
 18 
 
 079.3 
 
 12.03 
 
 72 
 
 183 
 
 19 
 
 408.3 
 
 8.20 
 
 52 
 
 110 
 
 20 
 
 484.0 
 
 6.25 
 
 22 
 
 136 
 
 21 
 
 829.1 
 
 12.49 
 
 69 
 
 800 
 
 22 
 
 841.2 
 
 9.915 
 
 48 
 
 230 
 
 23 
 
 262.5 
 
 b'.O 
 
 47 
 
 134 
 
 24 
 
 347.3 
 
 11.94 
 
 70 
 
 267 
 
 25 
 
 227.2 
 
 8.45 
 
 58 
 
 161 
 
 26 
 
 818.8 
 
 6.5 
 
 27 
 
 158 
 
 27 
 
 1,147.4 
 
 4.73 
 
 3 
 
 44 
 
 28 
 
 Given in Sections 
 12 and 18. 
 
 1.42 
 
 3 
 
 23 
 
 Total. 
 
 12,323.2 
 
 371.456 
 
 2256 
 
 5918 
 
 The above is a statement giving (1st) the number of 
 
i6 7 
 
L68 
 
 The ( ireat North Side. 
 
 sections; (2nd) area in acres in each section; (.'><!) miles of 
 streets laid <>ut and defined by dimensions; (4th) number of 
 Mocks in each section, and (5th) number of monuments and 
 bolts partly set and to be set in each section. 
 
 TIIK PREPARATION OF THE TAX MAPS OF THE WORTH SIDE. 
 (CHAP, 411 OF THE LAWS OF L876.) 
 
 This work consists in making location surveys from monu- 
 ments of new avenues and streets, of all property and existing 
 street lines, making searches in the Register's office, making 
 calculations to establish the relation between the property lines 
 and tiled streets, calculating the net and gross areas of each 
 plot, and drafting maps, etc 
 
 In the preparation of the tax maps the Following informa- 
 tion is given : 
 
 1st. The exact area in city lots and fractions of all property. 
 
 2d. The exact shape of each lot in addition to its dimen- 
 sions. 
 
 3d. The shape and dimensions of all streets. 
 
 4th. The legal status of streets. 
 
 5th. The old, as well as new, names of streets. 
 
 6th. The titles of all tiled maps of property as originally 
 subdivided, and w hen filed. 
 
 STttEET OPENINGS* 
 
 This work consists of furnishing all maps required by the 
 Commissioners of Estimate and Assessment, and in the mat- 
 ter of opening avenues and streets, such surveys and maps as 
 may be required by them (Chapter 5 79 of the laws of 1880), 
 and consists in preparing; 
 
 1st. Rule maps and technical descriptions of land to be 
 taken in proceedings to acquire title for the use of the public 
 to land required for avenues, streets, and roads. 
 
 2d. Making surveys to locate the land, buildings, fences, 
 etc., included within the lines of streets to be opened. 
 
 3d. Making draft damage maps for Commissioners of 
 
170 The Great North Side. 
 
 Estimate and Assessment showing every parcel of land to be 
 taken, with the owner's name, fche metes and bounds, and the 
 number of square feet contained therein; all buildings and 
 their dimensions, with improvements and materials of which 
 t hej are constructed. 
 
 4th. Making draft benefit maps and area calculations 
 showing all the lots or plots to be assessed, the block numbers 
 and ward numbers, and the Commissioners 1 map numbers, the 
 
 names of the owner of each lot, and the number of Square feel 
 contained therein. 
 
 5th. Making duplicate copies of both the damage and 
 benefit maps, to be bound in boob Form with fche report of the 
 Commissioners t<> the Supreme Court. 
 
 6th. Making profiles and other supplementary maps for 
 the information of fche Commissioners. 
 
 The following is a summary of fche topographical work 
 done by the Department of Street Improvements from Janu- 
 ary 1st, 1891, to September 30th, 1897: 
 
 SURVEYING, LAYING-OUT, MONUMENTING, &C. 
 
 255 maps or plans were submitted for adoption by this 
 1 department. 
 
 180 maps or plans, in triplicate, were submitted for filing. 
 Instructions were prepared for setting 2358 monument 
 points. 
 
 Instructions were prepared for testing 1088 monuments. 
 Instructions were prepared for referencing 1065 monu- 
 ments. 
 
 The field parties, took accurate measurements of 632 miles, 
 for running traverses, setting monument points, referencing 
 and testing monuments, &c. 
 
 The field parties set stakes for 2551 monuments. 
 
 The field parties referenced 1201 monuments. 
 
 The field parties tested 1344 monuments. 
 
 The field parties set 1654 monument stones and bolts. 
 
I7i 
 
172 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 TAX MAIN. 
 
 Volume IX., of the tax maps of the 24th Ward, covering 
 an area of 918.09 acres, consisting of 28 maps, w as completed 
 March, 1891. (This volume was partially completed before 
 the creation of the Department of Street Improvements.) 
 
 Volume X., covering an area of 1774.29 acres, consisting of 
 28 limps, was completed June, 1892. 
 
 Volume XL, covering an area of 787 acres, consisting of 
 35 maps, was completed December, 1893. 
 
 Volume XII., covering an area of 84G.2 acres, consisting of 
 34 maps, was completed December, 1894. 
 
 STREET OPENINGS. 
 
 Rule maps, in triplicate, ami technical descriptions were 
 prepared for acquiring title to 389 avenues and streets. 
 
 Draft damage maps, in duplicate, were prepared for acquir- 
 ing title to 2G0 avenues and streets. 
 
 Draft benefit maps, in duplicate, were prepared for acquir- 
 ing title to 178 avenues and streets. 
 
 Final copies of draft damage and benefit maps were pre- 
 pared for acquiring title to 1 72 avenues and streets, consisting 
 of 5596 maps. 
 
 The field parties made damage map surveys, locating 
 houses, fences, etc., within the lines of 304 avenues and streets ; 
 such surveys form the basis for calculations required for the 
 preparation of the damage maps. 
 
 150 miles of avenues and streets were legally opened from 
 January 1, 1891, to September 30, 1897. 
 
 319 proceedings for acquiring title to avenues and streets 
 were pending September 30, 1897, aggregating a total of 147 
 miles. 
 
 The surveys, calculations, and maps for the above 319 pro- 
 ceedings were in various stages of completion. 
 
173 
 
174 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 SEWERAGE AND DRAINAGE. 
 
 Plans of drainage for sewerage districts in various sections 
 were prepared, defining the location, course and grades of each 
 sewer and drain, and the alteration and improvement in exist- 
 ing sewers. All those sections where the population is the 
 most dense were completed. 
 
 The following plans for sewerage for drainage districts 
 were prepared, submitted to a public hearing, adopted and 
 filed: 
 
 I 1 plans relating to the Ice Pond District. 
 
 5 plans relating to the Third Avenue District. 
 29 plans relating to the Mill Brook District. 
 9 plans relating to the Bungay Creek District. 
 15 plans relating to the Leggett's Creek District 
 18 plans relating to the Cromwell's Creek District 
 
 9 plans relating to the Harlem River District. 
 
 II plans relating to the Tibbett's Brook District. 
 
 1 plans relating to the Bronx River District, making a 
 total of 111 plans. 
 
 LEVELS. 
 
 Levels were taken on about 120 miles of avenues and 
 
 streets. 
 
 MAP- AND CATALOGUES. 
 
 Maps and catalogues for the auction sale of encroach- 
 ments within the lines of 185 avenues and streets, to which 
 title was acquired by the City, were prepared. 
 
 MILES OF STREETS LEGALLY OPENED OX THE NORTH SIDE. 
 
 Previous to annexation 31.460 miles 
 
 From January 1, 1874, to January 1, 1891 . 49.608 ;< 
 From January 1, 1891, to September 30, 1897 150.000 " 
 Miles of streets, &c, adopted and concurred in 
 from January 1, 1891, to September 30, 
 1897 371.456 " 
 
17(> ' The Great North Side. 
 
 REGULATING, ORADIXO, CURBING, FLAGGING, RAVING, AND 
 
 LAYING CROSSWALKS, Arc. 
 
 In the North Side the demand for public improvements 
 has been steadily growing. 
 
 From 1874, the year of annexation, to January 1, 1891 
 (17 years), there were 231 ordinances adopted for public im- 
 provements, an average of 13.59 per year. From January 1, 
 1891, to September 30, 1897, there were 471 ordinances adopted 
 for public improvements, an average of nearly 68 per year. 
 
 From January 1, 1874, to January 1, 1891, 10.91 miles of 
 streets were paved, an average of 0.64 miles per year. 
 
 From January 1, 1<S91, to September 30, 1N97, 42.12 miles 
 of streets were paved, an average of 6.00 miles per year, and 
 3.20 miles were paved with asphalt, not including asphalt 
 81 rips. 
 
 In addition, Third Avenue from 1 3 8th Street to 17<>th 
 Street w as re-paved, equalling 11,834 linear feet, or 65,651.2 
 square yards. 
 
 SUMMARY OF Wo UK DONE FROM JANUARY 1, 1891, TO SEP- 
 TEMBEB 30, 1897. 
 
 788,812.0 cubic yards earth excavation. 
 558,428.8 cubic yards of rock excavation. 
 2,641,125.5 cubic yaids of filling. 
 585,260.2 linear feet of new curl) set. 
 21,465.9 linear feet of old curb set. 
 204,600.43 square feet of new flagging laid. 
 
 42.672.3 square feet of old flagging. 
 
 332,088.8 square feet of bridgestone for crosswalks. 
 684,174.6 square yards of granite-block pavement. 
 24,312 square yards of trap-block pavement relaid. 
 20,627 square yards of brick pavement. 
 109,411.5 square yards of trap-block pavement. 
 
 92.232.4 square yards of asphalt pavement laid (replaced 
 trap-block). 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 177 
 
 187,294.2 cubic yards of dry rubble masonry. 
 
 24,618.0 linear feet of pipe drain. 
 
 23,104.0 pounds of vitrified stoneware. 
 
 457,670.0 feet (B. M.) lumber for foundation. 
 
 16,940 feet of piles. 
 
 8334.8 cubic yards of concrete. 
 
 42,278.8 linear feet of fence built. 
 
 16 receiving basins. 
 
 528 surveys made. 
 
 430 plans made. 
 
 325 assessment lists and plans made, in duplicate. 
 
 COMPARATIVE STATEMENT OF WORK DOXE EN THE NORTH SIDE, 
 UNDER THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC PARKS AND UNDER 
 THE COMMISSIONER OF STREET IMPROVEMENTS. 
 
 Prior to Jan. 1,1891, From Jan. 1, 1891. to 
 17 years and over, j Sept. 30, 1897. 
 
 Lin. ft. Miles. 
 
 Lin. ft. 
 
 Streets and avenues regulated audi 
 graded 
 
 Curb stones set (includes old and 
 new) I 
 
 Flagging laid (includes old andj 
 new) 
 
 Crosswalks laid 
 
 Pavement laid 
 
 Repaying Third Avenue. . . . 
 
 126,770 2400 
 
 407,942 
 
 77.22 
 
 209,769 39.72 
 
 606,725 
 
 114.94 
 
 195,688' 37.06 
 
 1,278.256 
 
 498.89 
 
 29,120 5.51 
 
 208,218 
 
 15.73 
 
 57,605 10.91 
 
 476.352 
 
 39.14 
 
 11,834 
 
 2.24 
 
 
 
 Miles. 
 
 The total number of roads in present use in the North 
 Side is 214 miles, of which 
 45 miles are paved roads, 
 55 miles are macadamized roads, 
 114 miles are earth roads. 
 
 The following table shows the number of gas mains in 
 the North Side and the number of public lamps now lighted 
 up to January 1, 189l : 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 179 
 
 Central Gas Light Company 
 
 Northern Gas Light Company 
 
 Yonkers Gas Light Company 
 
 K Y. & N. J. Globe Gas Light Company. 
 Naphtha (Woodlawn Heights) 
 
 North Eiyer Electric Light & Power Com- 
 pany. 
 
 Mains. 
 
 62.52 
 35.00 
 19.13 
 
 miles. 
 
 Lamps. 
 
 1253 
 2178 
 655 
 
 158 
 
 801 
 
 134 miles of water mains are laid in the North Side with 
 1603 hydrants. 
 
 SEWERS AND APPURTENANCES. 
 
 The question of sewerage and drainage has received first 
 consideration. The entire area of the water-sheds has been 
 surveyed, and the plau and grades of the street system em- 
 braced in it were determined before the plans for the sewerage 
 and drainage were finally settled, and the capacity proper for 
 the main sewers and their branches are accurately established. 
 
 The work done as to sewerage and drainage plans in the 
 different water-sheds in succession, is as follows : 
 
 1. THE HUDSON RIVER WATER- SHED. 
 
 This consists of some 569 acres, covering an area less than 
 a half a mile in average width and about 2^ miles in length. 
 About an average width of 1000 feet next to the Hudson 
 River is occupied by the river bank proper. 
 
 2. SPUYTEN DUYVIL CREEK WATER- SHED. 
 
 This little district comprising 122 acres is situated at the 
 very extremity of the Spuyten Duyvil Promontory where the 
 drainage flows directly into the creek. 
 
 3. tibbett's brook water-shed. 
 
 This large district contains about 2292 acres, of which 
 some 1300 acres of the water-shed lie in Yonkers, 
 
The Great North Side 
 
 181 
 
 4. THE HARLEM RIVER WATER- SHED 
 
 This consists of that portion of the eastern bank of the 
 Harlem River extending south from Kingsbridge Road to 
 Jerome Avenue, a comparatively narrow strip about 4 miles 
 in length with an average width of 1600 feet, and containing 
 992 acres. 
 
 5. cromwell's creek water shed. 
 
 This district, which lies along Jerome Avenue on either side, 
 contains nearly 1000 acres, extending from near Jerome Park 
 to the Harlem River. 
 
 6. ICE POXD BROOK WATER-SHED. 
 
 This small district of some 530 acres extends from Clare- 
 mont Park to the Harlem River. 
 
 7. MILL BROOK WATER-SHED. 
 
 This comprises some 2524 acres, making it second in size 
 only to that of the Bronx River. It is the most important 
 one, as within its limits is found the greatest portion of the 
 population of the North Side. It includes most of the built- 
 up portions of the districts formerly known as Melrose, 
 Morrisania, Tremont, and Fordham. It is about 6 miles in 
 length. South of Fordham Station its average width is some 
 3000 feet, while to the north it widens out considerably. 
 
 8. BUNGAY CREEK WATER-SHED. 
 
 This comprises about 408 acres, and includes within its 
 limits most of the property subdivisions known as Eltona, 
 Woodstock, and East Morrisania. 
 
 9. PORT MORELS WATER- SHED. 
 
 This consists of 260 acres, situated south of the Port 
 Morris Branch of the Harlem Railroad and east of Cypress 
 Avenue. Its drainage flows directly easterly and southerly 
 from the high ground to the Long Island Sound. 
 
182 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 183 
 
 10. leggett's creek water-shed. 
 
 It contains about 865 acres, and extends from East 
 Tremont to Long Island Sound, lying just east of the old 
 (eastern) town line of Morrisania. It is about 2.6 miles in 
 length by one-half a mile in average width. 
 
 11. .THE BRONX RIVER WATER-SHED. 
 
 This water shed, the largest on the North Side, contains 
 some 2700 acres. It contains West Farms, Fairmount, Bel- 
 mont, and Williamsbridge, and Woodlavvn Cemetery. It lies 
 altogether alono; the western bank of the Bronx River from 
 Long Island Sound nearly to Mount Vernon, a distance of 
 about seven miles ; its width varies from about a mile to less 
 than 700 feet. 
 
 The sewerage plans for all avenues and streets, 371.5 miles 
 in all, are completed. 
 
 Six of these water-sheds have already been provided with 
 trunk sewers and two are under construction. 
 
 SUMMARY OF WORK DONE FROM JANUARY 1, 1891, TO 
 SEPTEMBER 30, 1897. 
 
 104817.8 lin. ft. of brick sewer. 
 
 256147.2 lin. ft. of pipe sewer. 
 
 225. lin. ft. of 6 in. iron drain pipe. 
 
 63072 spurs for house connections. 
 
 3689 manholes built. 
 
 752 receiving basins built. 
 
 390464.5 cub. yds. of rock excavation. 
 
 479.3 cub. yds. of concrete (extra). 
 
 10918.5 cub. yds. of broken stone (extra). 
 
 2418.5 cub. yds. of rubble masonry in mortar (extra). 
 
 371731. lin. ft. of piles, driven, cut off, etc. 
 
 2950735. feet (B. M.) of lumber for foundation. 
 
 3197862. feet (B. M.) of lumber for sheeting. 
 
 316 preliminary surveys and rock soundings made. 
 
The Great North Side. 185 
 
 395 plans for sewers, etc., completed and preliminary 
 
 estimates made. 
 261 duplicate tracings, etc., made. 
 230 assessment lists and plans completed. 
 Comparative statement of work done in the North Side 
 under the Department of Public Parks and under the Com- 
 missioner of Street Improvements. 
 
 before 1874. 
 
 Brick sewers constructed 0.347 miles. 
 
 Pipe sewers constructed 2.893 " 
 
 Number of manholes built 105 
 
 Number of receiving basins built 130 
 
 FROM JANUARY 1, 1874, TO JANUARY 1, 1891 (17 YEARS). 
 
 Sewers built 176,299 lin. ft, or 33.39 m. 
 
 Manholes constructed 1,603 
 
 Receiving basins constructed 567 
 
 FROM JANUARY 1, 1891, TO SEPTEMBER 30, 1897. 
 
 Brick sev ers constructed 104,817.8 lin. ft. or 19.85 m. 
 
 Pipe sewers constructed 256,147.3 " " " 48.51 " 
 
 Manholes constructed 3,689 
 
 Receiving basins constructed. . . . 752 
 
 Total length of sewers constructed in 23d and 24th Wards 
 (exclusive of district east of Bronx River) prior to and since 
 annexation to September 30, 1897, equals 554,421.82 lin. feet 
 or 105.004 miles. 
 
 Total length of sewers constructed in district east of 
 Bronx River equals 4,869 miles. 
 
 THE GRAND BOULEVARD AND CONCOURSE. 
 
 One of the most important of the contemplated public 
 improvements in the 23d and 24th Wards is the Grand 
 Boulevard and Concourse, laid out on the Central Section of 
 
186 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 187 
 
 the Final Maps, etc., of the two wards. There is needed in 
 the North Side a spacious and attractive drive connecting 
 Central Park with the upper park system; Van Courtlandt 
 Park, Mosholu Parkway, Bronx Park, Bronx and Pelham 
 Parkways, and Pelham Park, which are now from the point 
 of view of driving for pleasure, almost inaccessible. The 
 plan and design of the Concourse will be free for all time 
 from the encroachments and demands of traffic and business, 
 and while it will be a lasting source of enjoyment and health 
 for present and future generations, this Grand Boulevard 
 and Concourse will exist in the city's heart and will in no way 
 impede the progress of the city's growth in trade, traffic, and 
 commerce, but on the contrary strengthen and accelerate it. 
 It will open for development a wide section of real estate, from 
 which betterments and lar^e increase of taxable valuation will 
 be secured. It will be 4^ miles long. It will include not 
 only a wide speedway, but a double boulevard for common 
 pleasure driving, broad walks, promenades, cycle paths, all 
 to be adorned with lawn parking and shade trees, and will be 
 intersected by nine transverse roads, passing underneath the 
 same, for the accommodation of railways and heavy traffic. It 
 will be an improvement worthy of the great metropolis of the 
 country. The new Concourse will give a continuous sight of 
 New York's beauties. It will be a drive of extraordinary 
 delightful ness and practical convenience, and will offer the 
 peculiar attractiveness arising from the sense that one may 
 drive for miles without encountering an interruption in the 
 road or a change in its character. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 The growth and prosperity of the North Side depends 
 upon two general causes : 1st, the pushing of public works in 
 its relation to the general commerce of the city, and 2d, its 
 attractions as a place of residence. The North Side can com- 
 bine them both ; its natural advantages for gathering popula- 
 
188 The Great North Side. 
 
 tion by attractions for residences are as matchless as its 
 commercial advantages. 
 
 The building of the water front, the opening of tlx* Harlem 
 Ship Canal, the development of the magnificent park system, 
 the creation of the Botanical Garden, the construction of the 
 Grand Boulevard and Concourse, with its approach and en i ranee, 
 new bridges over the Harlem River, the construction of the 
 new reservoir at Jerome Park, and additional rapid transit 
 facilities, and other contemplated improvements in the North 
 Side will be of immense advantage to the population and its 
 benefits distributed through the w hole territoiy. 
 
 It is the province of the Department of Street Improve- 
 ments, and it has been the result of its operations, to embrace 
 and develop by its public works the attractions of the North 
 Side as a place of residence. What has been done in the past 
 is but little compared to what is expected to be done in the 
 immediate future, for the work of improvement must go on 
 though the Department ceases to exist. 
 
PARKS AND PARKWAYS. 
 
 The North Side has many advantages and attractions to 
 recommend it to the casual visitor, and also, and more particu- 
 larly, to the home seeker or investor ; and among them all, 
 perhaps the most potent is the magnificent system of new 
 parks and parkways which has recently been opened to the 
 public ; parks which, with every year, are becoming more 
 accessible to, and more appreciated by, not only the residents 
 of the district, but inhabitants of all the city and by visitors 
 from without the State. 
 
 Until the year 1883 New York was lamentably deficient 
 
 in park area, not less than five cities in the United States 
 
 exceeding her in that respect and many other unimportant 
 
 cities in various parts of the country almost equalling her in 
 
 park area. Up to that date the citizens seemed to be in- 
 
 189 
 
L90 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 different to the fact that the city was rapidly increasing in 
 population and real estate was rapidly appreciating in value, 
 whereas no provision was being made for the future iii the 
 matter of adding to the park lands, which were already totally 
 inadequate to the needs of the city. 
 
 In that year, however, a few public-spirited citizens awoke 
 to the appalling condition of affairs, called the matter to the 
 attention of the Legislature, and an act was passed April 19th, 
 1883, for the appointment of Commissioners to select and 
 locate lands for public parks. The II<>n. Franklin Kdson 
 was at that time Mayor of the City and he appointed as that 
 Commission, Luther R. Marsh, Louis Fitzgerald, Waldo 
 Hutchins, C. L. Tiffany, Geo. W. McLean, Thomas J. Crom- 
 bie, and William W. Xiles. These Commissioners served w ith- 
 out pay and generously gave their time, energy and experi- 
 ence for the benefit of the people. The Secretary of the Com- 
 mittee was John Mullaly, td w hose untiring efforts much of 
 the credit was due for the successful accomplishment of the 
 work of the Commission. 
 
 The limits of this article will not permit an extended de- 
 scription of the efforts which follow ed. Nor will it be possible 
 to tell at length of the devotion to their work of such men as 
 the President of the Commission, Luther R. Marsh, and of the 
 resident members, Waldo Hutchins and William W. Xiles; 
 of the indifference and even active opposition of those in 
 high places and the apathy of the general public; of the 
 large amount of territory carefully inspected and the various 
 interests which had to be considered in reaching a determina- 
 tion. 
 
 Suffice it to say that the work was finally accomplished, 
 and that, too, within the astonishingly short period of less than 
 one year. A report was made to the next Legislature. The 
 report was approved by the Legislature. The lands were 
 duly condemned and finally paid for and the city entered into 
 the possession of three thousand acres of land as finely adapted 
 
L92 
 
 The ( iivat North Side. 
 
 to park purposes as any oil the Continent. The new parks 
 with their acreage are as follows: 
 
 Van Cortlandl Park 1131.35 acres 
 
 Bronx Park 661.60 M 
 
 Pell. at. i Bay Park 175& 
 
 Crotona Park L41.65 " 
 
 St. Mary's Park 28.7Q " 
 
 Claretnonl Park 88.05 M 
 
 The size of these parks can perhaps he better appreciated 
 when it is home in mind that Central Park, the largest on 
 Manhattan Island, contains s.4<> acres. The parkways eon- 
 necting these parks contain in round numbers 4 200 acres more. 
 Cedar Park, which was acquired before the kk New Parks, n 
 contains 17.47 acres; several smaller parks or public places 
 have also recently been acquired at Cromwell's ( Jreek, Tremont, 
 Ford ham, and Universitj Heights. 
 
 Of the value to the City at large and especially to the 
 North Side of these new parks, little need be said. Any one 
 who lias visited Van Cortlandl Park on a clear, bright, winter 
 day and seen the thousands of happy skaters Hitting hither 
 and thither on Van Cortlandt Lake, or attended one of the 
 annual reviews and witnessed with many others the evolu- 
 tions of our citizen soldiery ; or who has wandered amid the 
 shady dells of Bronx Park on a quiet Sunday afternoon and 
 seen the troops of children, the young men and maidens, and 
 even the old folks enjoying the fresh air and the beautiful 
 scenery of that most beautiful of parks, has had an argument 
 presented to him so convincing that nothing further is needed. 
 
 In the summer time concerts are now giyen in Bronx, Cro- 
 tona, St. Mary's, Cedar, Claremont, and Van Cortlandt parks and 
 these are rapidly becoming an essential feature of life on the 
 North Side. On the Saturday afternoons when the band plays 
 in any of the above-named parks the people congregate in large 
 numbers aud the scene is as animated and attractive as any 
 furnished by Hyde Park or the Bois de Boulogne. Every 
 
193 
 
194 
 
 The < rreat North Side 
 
 one is in holiday attire and all classes and conditions are rep- 
 resented, from the laborer, enjoying his half-holiday with hifl 
 wife and children, to the millionaire in his stately victoria 
 
 The scenery in the various parks is highly diversified. In 
 I VI ham Bay Park there are wide stretches of green meadow, 
 with occasional bits of woodlawn, where in places the trees 
 are so large one might almost fancy one's self in the primeval 
 forest ; and there right at hand is the Sound with its beautiful 
 bine waters, and the distant view of Long Island, and inlets 
 and bays w ith unparalleled opportunities for boating, bathing 
 and fishing in broad or protected w aters w ithout end, and some 
 (piaint old houses that take one back to Revolutionary .times 
 along its short s. 
 
 The visitor to Bronx Park finds it hard to convince him- 
 self that he is actually within the limits of the largest City in 
 America and only half a mile from a railway station. Follow- 
 ing the winding foot-paths he passes great masses of granite 
 that recall New Hampshire, and in one place under a forest of 
 evergreens that one would hardly expect to find this side of 
 Norway. Through a rock-cut chasm i nns the Bronx River, a 
 pretty stream forming quite a lake above the dam, and then 
 rocky rapids below, where the water i< so shallow that the 
 children can go in wading in the pools. In this park is a great 
 stone mansion, the former residence of the Lorillards, who, at 
 their mills just below, started the making of their great for- 
 tune. The house recalls one of the old castles of the Conti- 
 nent, so solidly is it built, and lends not a little romance to 
 the charms of the park. Many very interesting natural curi- 
 osities are found in Bronx Park. Among them are the u Bear's 
 Den," a natural cave in the rock ; the "Indian Burying Ground," 
 a curious collection of upright stones recalling the headstones 
 of a cemetery ; and most wonderful of all, the great " Rocking 
 Stone " in South Bronx Park. This is a great bowlder weigh- 
 ing several tons, and so nicely balanced that a very slight ex- 
 ertion will rock it upon its base. 
 
195 
 
196 
 
 Fhc ( iruat North Side. 
 
 A large part of Van ( 'ort land t Park is a great parade ground 
 where the whole First Brigade can be reviewed at once and 
 leave room beside for a small army to manoeuver in. Adjoin- 
 ing the parade ground ifl a pretty lake where thousands of 
 skaters congregate in winter and where boats cat] be had in 
 summer. 
 
 Beyond the lake the park rises rapidly, until from the 
 highest point a magnificent panorama can be had including the 
 Palisades, the hills of Westchester County and the growing 
 city to the south. The old Van Cortlandt man-ion in this 
 park dates from 1 748, and was occupied for a time during the 
 Revolutionary war by General Washington when he was 
 watching the British troops under the command of General 
 Howe in New York, and again for a few days at that glorious 
 period when, the trials, hardships, and defeats of the Revolu- 
 tionary struggle being ended, he rested there prior to enter- 
 ing the city on the evacuation of the British army. 
 
 The house is still in good condition and was occupied by 
 the Van Cortlandt family until the property was acquired by 
 the city, and is now used as a museum of Revolutionary relics 
 by the Colonial Dames. It alone is worth a visit to the park, 
 not only for its history and the part itplayed in the events 
 which preceded the foundation of our Republic, but for its 
 shapely architecture and quaint furnishings. Much could be 
 said about the smaller parks did space permit. Suffice it to 
 .say that Crotona Park contains in Bathgate woods one of the 
 finest pieces of woodland in New York, short of the Adiron- 
 dack Mountains ; that St. Mary's Park with its miniature lake 
 fed by natural springs, its hills, vales, and woods, and beauti- 
 ful view of the Sound and East River is one of the most charm- 
 ing spots near the city ; that Clareniont Park with its wide 
 stretches of meadow-land recalls the beautiful farming country 
 of the Berkshire Hills. 
 
 But it is more the practical side of the question which it 
 is desirable to treat of here. 
 
StJWay'sPark 
 
198 The Great North Side. 
 
 The father of a family looking for a house or the investor 
 seeking a profitable investment may perhaps say what is all 
 this worth practically ; and here are some of the answers. 
 
 The two smaller parks are situated in localities which are 
 already quite thickly populated and their value in BUch a sec- 
 tion will undoubtedly be conceded. But the large parks are 
 equally valuable to the resident. 
 
 Bronx Park is soon to be the site of one of t he finest Botani- 
 cal Gardens in the world. Some of tin 1 wealthiest men in the 
 City are interested in the project and the money is already Bub- 
 scribed to enable them to commence operations. While it is 
 building the operations will give employment to hundreds of 
 men and many skilled mechanics and when it is completed the 
 Garden will furnish one of the most attractive sources of amuse- 
 ment- and instruction in the city. The Botanical Garden will 
 soon be supplemented by a Zoological Garden which will un- 
 doubtedly be the finest in the United States and which will 
 be free to the public on four days of the week. 
 
 These two features alone will add very greatly to the de- 
 mand for, and to the desirability of, residences in their imme- 
 diate vicinity. 
 
 Crotona Park is the site of a splendid building which will 
 be the Borough Hall of the North Side. 
 
 Van Cortlandt Park is already used for military reviews, 
 which bring thousands of visitors from all over the City, who 
 thus become acquainted with the locality and with its desir- 
 ability for residential purposes. Between and connecting the 
 parks are wide parkways which largely extend the amount of 
 park border. These are to be improved by driveways along 
 their outer edge sixty feet in width, which will permit of an 
 extended residence section facing a parkway and having ac- 
 cess thereto, and this without an assessment for street pur- 
 poses, for the improvement of the parks is a charge upon the 
 general tax levy. 
 
 Already improvements have been made in the park area, 
 
200 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 and more are in progress. Bronx and Pelham parks contain 
 beautiful drives, and a macadamized road connects Bronx and 
 Van Cortlandt parks; and within a few years there will be 
 some ten miles of drives in the three larger parks and park- 
 ways. 
 
 In conclusion, a word should he said as to how to reach 
 these various pleasure grounds from the lower part of the 
 city. 
 
 Van Cortlandt Park can he reached by the New York & 
 Putnam R. R., which runs half-hourly trains from the 155th 
 Street station of the 8th Ave. Elevated Road. 
 
 Bronx Park has w ithin its borders a station of the Harlem 
 R. R. called Bedford Park, which can he reached by Frequent 
 trains from the Grand ( Centra! Station, and it can also be reached 
 by trolley from L29th Street and 3d Avenue or L35tb Street 
 and 8th Avenue. Pelham Park is accessible either by land 
 or water, as it is only a short distance from Starin's Glen [si- 
 and, to which boats run during the summer months. It is 
 more conveniently reached, however, by the Portchester 
 branch of the N. Y. <fc N. II. R. K., whose trains connect with 
 the elevated trains on the 3d and 2d Avenue lines at 129th 
 Street. 
 
 Crotona Park can be peached by the Harlem R. R. to Tre- 
 mont, or directly by the 3d Avenue trolley line, which starts 
 from 3d Avenue and 129th Street and skirts the park for a con- 
 siderable distance ; or by the Suburban Elevated for one fare, 
 connecting directly with the elevated roads. 
 
 Claremont Park can also be reached by the Harlem R. R., 
 the park giviug its name to the station. 
 
 St. Mary's Park is only a short distance from the Subur- 
 ban Elevated and the 3d Avenue trolley roads. 
 
 It is to be hoped that all who read this article, whether 
 investors, home-seekers, or pleasure-seekers, will, on the first 
 fine day, take one of the various means of transit mentioned 
 to one or more of these beautiful parks ; and they may rest 
 
201 
 
202 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 assured that they will be amply repaid for tln-ir trouble, and 
 surprised and delighted at the discovery of t lit* wonderful 
 domain which is the property of the City, and we trust grate- 
 ful to the men whose wisdom and foresight resulted in this 
 acquisition of park territory. 
 
 . From Pen Drawing by Albert E. Davis. 
 
203 
 
GENERAL ADVANTAGES. 
 
 To write an article upon the subject of the general 
 advantages of the North Side, for insertion in a work which 
 may be supposed to contain separate articles upon almost 
 every subject of interest, written by men specially qualified 
 upon the particular matters treated by them, may be said to 
 somewhat resemble what we were taught at school to call 
 re-capitulation ; but as the advantages of our great trans- 
 Harlem section are so many and so manifest it may be that 
 some of them have been passed over in the division of sub- 
 jects. I shall, therefore, endeavor to touch but lightly upon 
 matters which I know have been separately assigned ; and 
 to call attention to some which are to my mind of equal 
 importance, although not so apparent as the subjects before 
 alluded to. 
 
 205 
 
20b' 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 An important feature to be considered, ifi our police pro- 
 tection, and although some of our people have do! always 
 been satisfied with the number and location of the police 
 station houses, or the number of officers assigned to our 
 district, it is quite safe to say that few suburban cities 
 are as well protected. We have the 31ei Precinct, located 
 at Sedgwick Avenue and Depot Place, High Bridge; 33d 
 Precinct, 160th Street and Third Avenue; 34th Precinct, 1925 
 Bathgate Avenue, Tremont : 35th Precinct, at KingBbridge : 
 37th Precinct, at 138th St. and Alexander Ave.; 38th Pre- 
 cinct, at Westchester Village, and Bub-precincts at Wake- 
 field and City Island. The City Magistrates' Court for the 
 District is located at 15sth Street and 3d Ave., and is pre- 
 sided over by the city magistrates in turn. All arrests by 
 the police in the District are primarily disposed of in that 
 court. The total number of officers and patrolmen assigned 
 to the precincts named is as follows: 4 captains, 29 sergeants, 
 24 roundsmen, 505 patrolmen, and 18 doormen ; making a 
 grand total of 575 men of all ranks. 
 
 In addition to this force there are a number of park 
 policemen, located in, or assigned to, the different parks of 
 the North Side, who are now under the direct supervision 
 and control of the Department of Public Parks, but soon to 
 be merged into the regular force, and whose sole duty is to 
 protect the parks, and keep proper order within their bounds. 
 
 It will thus be seen that we are not without an efficient 
 police force to protect the people and enforce the law, and 
 I know of no interior city of the State, of equal population, 
 which has so large a police force at its command, and certainly 
 no such city has a better-drilled or more efficient force for 
 the speedy suppression of lawlessness and disorder. 
 
 The Fire Department of the North Side has fairly kept 
 pace with that below the Harlem, and has done its full share 
 to earn for the Department in the City of New York the 
 proud but well-deserved title of the best drilled and organ- 
 ized fire force in the world. 
 
Hire Efi<uNeCoMo6o 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 1*' 
 
 
 V 
 
 
 I 
 
 207 
 
2'>8 The Great North Side. 
 
 years ago, before we bad the benefit of this splendid equip- 
 ment, fires were of almost daily occurrence, and as our build- 
 ings were for the most part of wood the destruction was 
 great, and a fire, particularly at night, was considered almost 
 tantamount to a total destruction, and insurance rates were 
 correspondingly high. 
 
 Now our people sleep in peace, assured of the never-ceas- 
 ing watchfulness of these guardians against the dungersof the 
 night, and feeling that if a fire happens it will he speedily 
 suppressed before it becomes a calamity. 
 
 The best evidence of the existence of a perfect fire depart- 
 ment is the low rate of fire insurance, and the small ratio of 
 loss; and DOW, although a large part of our district is occu- 
 pied with frame buildings, and there are few, if an)', entirely 
 fire-proof, the fire losses have been less and the insurance 
 rates lower than in almost any place of equal size and density 
 of population in the country. Tie profits of underwriters 
 have been great in this district and it is considered one of 
 the best and most profitable fields in their business; rates 
 have been correspondingly low : this is entirely owing to 
 our abundant water supply and perfectly organized fire 
 service. 
 
 The force on the North Side consists at present of nine 
 engine companies, each supplied with a steam fire-engine of 
 the latest and most perfect design, and a hose tender; two 
 engine companies with hose wagon, and two hook and ladder 
 companies; and there are also three hook and ladder trucks 
 with full equipments connected with the engine companies. 
 
 The uniformed force consists of 22 officers and 94 men, 
 making a total of 116 of all ranks. New companies are soon 
 to be established and buildings erected at Forrest Avenue 
 near 163d Street ; 159th Street and Railroad Avenue ; Grand 
 Avenue, Woodlawn Heights ; Scofield Avenue, City Island ; 
 and proceedings are under way for a new site for Engine 
 Company No. 61, in the village of Westchester. 
 
2og 
 
210 The Great North Side. 
 
 The quarters of fche different companies are well located, 
 and contain every accessor} for the comfort of the men, an 
 well as the newest and most perfect equipment for rapid and 
 capable service. 
 
 Of perhaps quite as great importance to our mercantile 
 growth and progress is fche postal service^ and of that we are 
 justly proud : within fche memory of many even of our young 
 men, that service consisted of a single postal station in the 
 23d W ard, located in L67th Streel near Vanderbill Avenue, 
 having a single postmaster with no assistant, and a single 
 carrier who was a free lance, not in government employ, but 
 who collected two cents from fche recipient of each letter de- 
 livered. The transformation has l>een gradual hut notable, 
 until we now have, if not the best service in the country, one 
 w hich is rapidly reaching that position. Without entering into 
 too great detail w e have seven branch post-office stations. kk R, ,, 
 
 located at 1 50th Street and Third Avenue, having a superin- 
 tendent, 10 clerks, and 19 earners; 5 daily deliveries of mail 
 matter and 12 collections on w eek day-, and 4 on Sundays. 
 
 Station "S" at Kingsbridge with 1 superintendent* 4 
 clerks, and 14 carriers; f> deliveries daily and f> collections. 
 
 Station "T" at 71 ( .> Tremont Avenue (177th Street). 1 
 superintendent, 4 clerks, and 17 carriers; 4 deliveries daily, 
 and 5 collections. 
 
 Station " N," at Williamsbridge ; 1 superintendent, 3 
 clerks, and 6 carriers. 
 
 Station " X," at Westchester ; 1 superintendent, 3 clerks, 
 and 5 carriers. 
 
 Station " Z," at City Island ; 1 superintendent, 2 clerks, 
 and '2 carriers. 
 
 u High Bridge," 2 clerks, 3 carriers ; 4 deliveries, and 4 
 collections daily. 
 
 These branch stations do all classes of regular post-office 
 business which are done at the main office. 
 
 In addition to these branch offices there are sixteen sub- 
 
ENGINE CO. NO. 52, RIVERDALE AVE. 
 
 211 
 
212 The Great North Side. 
 
 stations conveniently located, for the sale of stamps, register- 
 ing of letters, and issuing and paying money orders ; and 
 numerous agencies for the sale of stamps alone, which latter 
 are so well located as to afford all Deeded convenience. Tin* 
 district is well supplied with mailing boxes affixed to the lamp 
 
 posts, and from which collections arc made as before stated, 
 and they are so numerous that it is seldom necessary to go 
 more than a block to deposit mail matter. 
 
 The improvements in our postal service are continual and 
 at all times meet the steadily increasing demands of trade. 
 There is now in contemplation for the immediate future the 
 continuation of the service now performed by the .'id Ave. 
 cable road postal cars, to the trolley roads north of the 
 Harlem. 
 
 No description of our postal facilities would be complete 
 without at least a brief allusion to the building now occupied 
 by Branch "R" at 150th Street and Third Avenue, which 
 has lately been completed, and was specially designed for this 
 branch. It is an ideal building for the purpose, and is of 
 striking architectural beauty. Its broad, arched portals form 
 a fitting entrance to a most perfect interior. 
 
 It is complete in every detail, both for the employes and 
 the public, and there is no branch station in the city at all to 
 be compared to it for elegance of design, finish, or convenience. 
 
 Many miles of our principal streets and avenues are per- 
 fectly paved and sewered, and the work of completing all the 
 streets in the District is going on with unexampled rapidity, 
 and is keeping pace with the continual demand for improved 
 building sites. 
 
 The system of lighting the streets by gasdamps has been, 
 in a large measure, superseded by the latest and most improved 
 electric lights, and many of our manufacturers and store-keep- 
 ers, particularly on the main thoroughfares, are substituting 
 electric lights in place of oil or gas. 
 
 Our water supply is most abundant, and of great purity ; 
 
STATION R, NEW YORK POST-OFFICE, 3D AND WESTCHESTER AVES. 
 
214 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 it is drawn from the upper Bronx River at Kensico, and car- 
 ried by a pipe line to the reservoir <>n Gun Hill at Williams- 
 bridge, the altitude of which is sufficient to can 1 }' the supply 
 into the highest buildings. 
 
 The clubs of the North Side are so numerous that the 
 space; allotted to this article will only allow the mention of a 
 few of the more prominent. 
 
 The Mollis Club, so named in honor of the Morris family, 
 the former owners of a large part of the North Side, located 
 in East 136th Street, is entirely social and non-political, having 
 an active membership of about three hundred, all of them con- 
 genial spirits,\vho are proud of their club and its record. 
 
 The Schnorer Club, located at lh'.'id Street near Third 
 Avenue, has the largest membership of any in the North Side. 
 Composed largely of the best German element, it is noted for 
 its entertainments, and has been brought prominently before 
 the public upon many pleasant occasions. A large part of 
 the work preliminary to securing a separate Street Department 
 for the North Side was accomplished in this club, and the 
 first commissioner elected to preside over that department was 
 a president of the club. 
 
 The Suburban Club is one of Tremont's foremost clubs, 
 one of its special features being its baseball team. 
 
 The Tremont Club is pleasantly located on Tremont 
 Avenue, and has a large and growing membership ; many of 
 the most prominent residents of the 24th Ward are among its 
 members. 
 
 The West Morrisania Club was organized several years 
 ago and has been a success from the beginning. Its member- 
 ship comprises all the best class of young men in the section 
 where it is located, and many pleasant entertainments have 
 been enjoyed within its cosey home. 
 
 The Fordham Club, located on High Bridge Road, is one 
 of the few which has built and owns its own home ; from its 
 inception to the present time it has been a recognized factor 
 
216 The Great North Side. 
 
 in every project for the improvement of tbe great North Side. 
 Every clllbable man in the district deems it a necessity to 
 he of its membership, and everything which can be famished 
 by a club in the way of rational entertainment for its mem- 
 bers lias been supplied. Its annual dinners, always held on 
 the eve of Washington's birthday, are notable events on the 
 North Side and our State and city magnates have a high ap- 
 preciation of an invitation to those veritable feasts. 
 
 Its grand, colonial club-house is by far the finest in the 
 district, and its location on the crest of a stately hill is unsur- 
 passed for beaut\ and natural advantages. 
 
 The Bedford Park Club is pleasantly located in that 
 suburban paradise, and has among its members many of the 
 happy residents of that locality, as well as other parts of the 
 district. It is noted chiefly for the quiet and enjoyable 
 amusements which it furnishes bo its members. 
 
 This entire article might be taken up with an enumeration 
 and description of the clubs of the North Side, but the fdfe- 
 going are only a sample of the many located in our midst, and 
 which furnish amusement and entertainment to those who ap- 
 preciate club life in its best aspects. 
 
 It is quite impossible to even mention the innumerable 
 political clubs, church clubs and associations, bowling 
 clubs, citizens' and taxpayers' clubs, each of which fills a 
 position of usefulness and profit to the members and the com- 
 munity at large, and their influence is felt in the improvement 
 and development of our section. 
 
 The spiritual needs of our people are provided for by the 
 many churches of every denomination which are to be found on 
 the North Side. "While we cannot boast of any cathedrals, 
 some of our church edifices are quite imposing and most of 
 them present attractive exteriors and inviting interiors. 
 
 Our street-cleaning system is a part of the great depart 
 ment of the city, and without going into details it will suffice 
 to say that our many miles of paved streets are cleaned and 
 
2I 7 
 
2 1 8 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 kept clean, and the removal of ashes and waste is regular and 
 perfect. 
 
 Recently the North Side has had added to its attractions 
 a handsome and attractive theatre. 
 
 Our territory contains one of the great defences to New 
 York Harbor. The works at Fort Schuyler, and on the 
 opposite shore at Willets Point, although not quite up to date 
 as fortresses, present by their magnificent torpedo Byetem an 
 impassable barrier to an enemy from abroad, and can easily 
 be maintained as a safe and suit protection to our city from 
 the eastward. 
 
 Van Cortland t Park parade ground is the largest and best 
 laid out in the State, and furnishes ample and convenient ac- 
 commodation for the maineuvres and drill of our militia 
 regiments, troops and batteries. 
 
 The foregoing are submitted as a very crude statement of 
 some of the general advantages of the North Side, and taken 
 together with those which are specifically described in th^se 
 pages, it must be conceded that we can offer health, free air, 
 and every convenience which can be desired for the enjoy- 
 ment of comforts or luxuries of life. 
 
 Un/ve^s/ty Post Off /cs. 
 
 Cedar A va 
 
2ig 
 
OPPORTUNITIES. 
 
 If Father Knickerbocker could be transported from his 
 realms of eternal bliss to the top of one of our sky-scraping 
 buildings, and thus be given a bird's-eye view of the now- 
 great City of New York, how amusing it would be to the be- 
 holder to watch his countenance change expression — first fear, 
 then wonder, followed by admiration at the wonderful sight 
 that would arrest his vision. 
 
 Naturally, his eye v ould first look at the grand harbor. 
 He would observe that where once was a small barren island 
 in his day, there now rises in mighty grandeur the Statue of 
 Liberty, with its iron arm and hand pointing heavenward, 
 holding within its grasp the torch enlightening the world. 
 
 In the dim distance, looming up on the southern horizon, 
 
 lies the beautiful Staten Island, with its thriving manufacto- 
 
 220 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 221 
 
 ries and palatial residences. Coming up through the Narrows, 
 and just entering the Bay, the good old Father beholds one 
 of our ocean steamers (greyhounds of the deep) majestically, 
 yea, triumphantly, closing a less than six-day trip from the 
 Old World. 
 
 Turning his vision a little eastward, the man of the six- 
 teenth century now beholds the great city of Brooklyn, con- 
 nected with its mother city by one of the grandest suspension 
 bridges in the world. He beholds the once feared, scarcely 
 navigable waters of the East River, without turbulence or 
 commotion as of yore, pass placidly and smoothly through 
 the once almost impassable Hell Gate, now made easy to the 
 navigator by the skill of one of the greatest engineers of the 
 nineteenth century. 
 
 With astonishment, the old Father, as he turns his vision 
 northward, beholds the wonderful growth of the little " New 
 Amsterdam." The great brick walls of the city's buildings 
 are not stopped by the " Haarlem." From its southern side 
 of solid blocks of buildings it has leaped across the beautiful 
 little Haarlem, and the beholder sees a city of grand magnifi- 
 cence on the other side, and the once marshy stream now 
 spanned by bridges for travel, commerce, and pleasure. 
 
 His eye suddenly catches sight of the Chicago express- 
 train of sleeping and buffet, vestibuled coaches drawn by 
 engine 999, " Empire State Express," which, with lightning- 
 like rapidity, is speeding on its eigh teen-hour trip between 
 New York and Chicago. (The locomotive ! — wonderful piece 
 of mechanism, that can thus annihilate time and space.) 
 
 The panorama still continues to pass before the vision of 
 the old Father in knee-breeches. He now beholds the solid 
 granite arches of the " High Bridge " spanning the Haarlem, 
 supporting the greatest aqueduct of the world, conveying the 
 purest water to the millions of inhabitants of this, long since, 
 the largest city on the American Continent. 
 
 It is no wonder that the old Father beholds with amaze- 
 
H^BLE HILL 
 
 222 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 223 
 
 ment the wonderful changes, the rapid strides taken along all 
 the lines of industry, the phenomenal growth of the once small 
 hamlet that covered but a small portion of the island north 
 of the Battery walls. 
 
 When we consider the difference between " then " and 
 " now," were not seeing believing, we would all exclaim, " Im- 
 possible ! " 
 
 Two huudred and seventy-eight years ago the site of New 
 York was a rocky, wooded, canoe-shaped island, thirteen miles 
 long. 
 
 The first trading charter was drawn up in 1615, recording 
 the first use of the name u New Amsterdam. 1 ' 
 
 On January 1, 1618, the trading charter expired. May 6, 
 1626, the site of New York was bought by Peter Minuet, 
 agent for the West Indian Trading Company, for $24. In 
 1695, New York extended to Wall Street, May 6, 1697, 
 charter was granted for building Trinity Church. In 1699, 
 corner-stone was laid for new City Hall, on the present site 
 of the Custom House, by William Bradford. 
 
 In 1693, Oct. 16th, the first newspaper was published. It 
 was haif a sheet of foolscap named the New York Gazette. 
 Before the end of the year it was enlarged to a full sheet of 
 foolscap. 
 
 In 1704 the streets were paved ten feet from the front of 
 the houses, the centre to serve as gutter and sewer. There 
 were shade trees along Broadway. 
 
 In 1728 the first map of New York City was engraved by 
 " Bradford," the founder of the newspaper mills. 
 
 In 1730 a new charter was given to the city, with increased 
 power. 
 
 In 1734 the first poor-house was built on the Common 
 (City Hall Park), size 46 x 24, and two stories. 
 
 In 1786 the first directory was issued, having eighty-two 
 pages and nine hundred names. 
 
 In 1794 Duane and Reade Streets were opened. 
 
23^ Ward Bank 
 
The Great North Side. 225 
 
 In 1800 Gouverneur Morris built his mansion in old Mor- 
 risania. 
 
 In 1805 the question of common, or free, schools was dis- 
 cussed. Up to this date there were 141 teachers employed in 
 the various church schools. 
 
 In 1807, April, Col. Henry Rutgers donated the first site 
 for a free school in Henry Street. The first school opened 
 the next month with forty scholars. 
 
 The City presented a plot on Chatham Square for a brick 
 building for five hundred pupils, in one room. The building 
 was founded Dec. 1, 1809. 
 
 In 1807 there were nineteen newspapers. 
 
 In 1825 the one free school had increased to six. 
 
 In 1825 Samuel Leggett introduced gas below Canal 
 Street, 
 
 In 1831 the population was 202,000. In 1841 the New 
 Yoi'k & Harlem R. R. was built. In 1842, July 4th, Croton 
 water was introduced. 
 
 It seems impossible for any other city in the world to 
 show records of such a growth, within the limits of the same 
 time. 
 
 From 1830 to 1860 (30 years time) the growth in popula- 
 tion more than quadrupled; and from 1860 to 1880 (just 20 
 years) the net increase was 401,500. From 1880 to 1892 
 (twelve years time) the wonderful addition of 594,391 is re- 
 corded, making the grand total of population for 1892, 1,800,- 
 891. And to-day with our area expanded to more than 300 
 square miles it is estimated to be 3,000,000. 
 
 The rapid growth of the city's population forced the 
 building northward, and the bonds were broken, formerly 
 confining the limits of the city below 42d Street, and north- 
 ward the course of Empire took its way. 
 
 Haarlem, a city of itself, sprang up, as if by the touch of 
 " Aladdin's Lamp." 
 
 The growth was not confined here. Another city across 
 
Rl:SIDliNCLS ON SEDGWICK AVE., MORRIS HEIGHTS. 
 Mk. Perry P, Williams. Mrs. John L. Kirki and. 
 
 RESIDENCE OF HON. WM. W. NILES, BEDFORD PARK. 
 Built 1869. photo - b >' W. W. Niles, Jr. 
 
 226 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 227 
 
 the Haarlem, with grander, larger possibilities has also been 
 added, and shares the wonderful prosperity of this our 
 " Empire City." 
 
 In the future the growth of population and real estate 
 values of this city must be found mainly north of the Harlem 
 on the east, and north of 138th Street on the west. No- 
 where in the w 7 ide world are such " opportunities " offered to 
 the manufacturer as are now presented to capitalists, by the 
 " North Side." 
 
 From the water fronts on the north where the Bronx 
 mingles its w T aters with that of the Sound on the east, to 
 where the Spuyten Duyvil is absorbed by the waters of the 
 North River on the west, there are miles in length of excellent 
 water fronts, with the best of navigable waters on the one 
 hand, and the New York Central and Hudson River Rail 
 Road and the New Haven, and Putnam Rail Roads on the 
 other hand. 
 
 These are the chief routes (Erie Canal included) which 
 comprise the vast domestic commercial facilities wmich the 
 North Side now offers. 
 
 Let the reader reason for himself a moment, and consider 
 that if the population of the city was increased below the 
 Harlem 594,391 in 12 years, what must it be in the next 10 
 years, with these advantages offered by the North Side (and 
 here is where the growth must come) ? Can we not readily 
 suppose that the growth will not be less than in the last 
 decade. Then let me ask when could there be a better time 
 for investments for factories, homes, etc., than now ? 
 
 Already has the emigration of some of our public institu- 
 tions from the lower portion of the city begun. The old 
 time-honored University of the City of New York, which has 
 outgrown its bounds at University Place & 8th Street, has 
 erected new and magnificent buildings on its capacious, beauti- 
 ful grounds on University Heights, overlooking the Harlem 
 River. 
 
228 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 For healthful ne88, pure air, and picturesque views, tliis 
 site of the new University cannot be excelled in the State. 
 
 A little north of the new University, stands the beauti- 
 fully designed "Academy for Ship Builders" erected by 
 W. IT. Webb, the philanthropist. 
 
 Further north still, where the Harlem River is immerged 
 into that of the Spuyten Duyvil, is the grand ornamental iron 
 bridge (spanning the new government canal) built at a cost of 
 about $400,000. 
 
 The canal was formally opened on the 17th of June, 181)5. 
 It connects the two streams already mentioned by depth of 
 water sufficient to float an ocean steamer. This opens a <jreat 
 artery of commerce to the shippers of the world. 
 
 Our boats carrying the grain of the vast fields of the Wesl 
 can enter this canal at the Hudson River draw bridge and 
 discharge their loads of cereals to the elevators that will he 
 erected along the hanks of the Harlem. Vessels hound from any 
 point on the Hudson to the Kastern States can pass through 
 th is canal to the "waters of the Sound, thereby shortening the 
 distance from around the Battery by at least 25 miles or more. 
 
 The great shipping interests of the city must gradually 
 be drawn this way. With the large warehouses and grain 
 elevators that are already in embryo, the commercial business 
 with foreign ports w r iil eventually largely be done from the 
 North Side. 
 
 There have been about 50 fine residences erected on Mar- 
 ble Hill and its vicinity recently, all over-looking the Canal, 
 the new bridge, and the Harlem River, and the building still 
 continues. 
 
 Cannot the reader already catch a glimpse of the new- 
 business era that must be established on the North Side and 
 take advantage of opportunities which are rarely presented to 
 those seeking investments? This large territory, with all 
 these facilities for business and residence purposes is now 
 awaiting the investor. It invites you to come. The North 
 Side Board of Trade invites you to come. 
 
WEBB ACADEMY AND HOME FOR SHIP-BUILDERS, 
 SEDGWICK AVE., FORDHAM HEIGHTS. 
 
 229 
 
RESIDENCE OF ISAAC JOHNSON, SPUYTEN DUYVIL. 
 230 
 
OUR FUTURE. 
 
 " No pent up Utica contiacts our powers. 
 For the whole boundless Continent is ours." 
 
 I have been asked to write my views as to the future of 
 the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Wards of the City of 
 New York. The attempt to describe the future of this 
 portion of our great city is a task which only a bold man would 
 undertake and I do not hesitate to say I approach it with a 
 certain amount of trepidation. 
 
 That those who read this article may better comprehend 
 the scope of our expectations on this subject, and the reasons 
 for them, we present herewith for their consideration a few 
 undeniable facts that exist to-day. 
 
 Old New York, or to be inore exact Manhattan Island, con- 
 tains 12,576 acres of land. Almost all of this land is already 
 covered with buildings, so that it is now difficult to obtain a 
 
 large tract for subdivision and improvement, except on the ex- 
 
 231 
 
232 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 treme upper end of the island, and each year increases this 
 difficulty. The island has at the present time a population 
 of about 1,800',000, the two new wards 150,000, iu all 1,950,000 
 people. 
 
 This grand city, with its great population, has one of the 
 best systems in the world f<>r an abundant supply of pure 
 water, and washed as it is, by two magnificent arms of the sea, 
 possesses most perfect drainage to relieve us twice each day 
 of our refuse sewerage. 
 
 The never-failing supply <>f pure water which by its own 
 force, and without the use of pumps or engines, flows into our 
 dwellings, furnishes to every person, rich or poor, all the water 
 that can be required for any purpose. This abundant supply 
 is now being largely increased ; new reservoirs are now iu 
 process of construction, which when completed will furnish 
 over one hundred gallons a day to each inhabitant of New 
 York, and the same allowance will be available when it shall 
 have become a city of 4,000,000 of people. Such a supply as 
 this is almost unknown, outside of the United States. In some 
 cities of Europe only 25 gallons a day are allowed to each 
 person and in the most favored not over 60 or 70 gallons a 
 day. There have already been expended not far from $50,- 
 000,000, and Sl(),000,0<M> will be added to this sum in perfect- 
 ing our water supply. 
 
 Prior to 1884, we were behind many cities of Europe, and. 
 in fact, of our own country, in the number of acres devoted to 
 park purposes. There was Central Park, containing 900 acres, 
 which was, and still is, the most beautiful and well-kept park 
 in the world, and we had a number of others, but all small. 
 Since 1884, there has been a most decided advance in this 
 matter and to-day we possess not far from 7000 acres set apart 
 forever as public pleasure grounds of our citizens. These 
 parks are well distributed and meet the requirements of all. 
 
 Besides our parks, our people have the advantage of our 
 magnificent river fronts on both the North aud East Rivei b. 
 
1st Reformed Church KimmocEsb 
 
 ^ NEAR JEROME. AVE. 
 
 233 
 
234 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 These are many miles in extent and are a never-failing, never- 
 ending source of pleasure and comfort to the toiling masses 
 who inhabit the east and west sides of our metropolis. 
 
 The Fire Department of our city has few, if any, equals, 
 and it has always been managed with great care and efficiency. 
 
 Our public charities are most ample and liberal in their 
 scope, and while we cannot assert that they are perfect, we do 
 claim that they compare favorably with those of any city in 
 the world. No city treats its poor and infirm with greater 
 generosity. 
 
 Our private charities, which are supported almost wholly 
 by the beneficence of our citizens, with very little aid from 
 the treasury of the city, we are justly proud of. Our hos- 
 pitals are numerous and are especially adapted for the various 
 diseases with which humanity is afflicted. They are all liber- 
 ally equipped with every appliance that modern ingenuity 
 has invented for the amelioration of suffering man or woman. 
 The many institutions for the care of the blind, the insane, the 
 orphaned, the friendless, and the crippled, all supported by 
 private beneficence, are monuments to the Christian liberality 
 of the citizens of our city. 
 
 Our churches deserve especial mention. Few cities in the 
 world can boast of finei church edifices. Some are beautiful 
 examples of architecture — such for instance as " Trinity," 
 "Grace," "St. Bartholomew's," and "St. Patrick's Cathedral." 
 
 AVhen the Cathedral of "St. John," now being erected, is 
 finished, we shall equal most of the cities of the world and be 
 surpassed by none in this respect. 
 
 Our public schools are most excellent and furnish accom- 
 modation for some 125,000 children. Every year our school 
 facilities are increased, and our old school-houses made more 
 in accord with the demands of the day, so that every child 
 within our city has, free of cost, the advantage of a first-class 
 education. 
 
 Columbia College whose future is now doubly sure by the 
 
CHRIST CHURCH. RIVERDALE AND ALAMO AVES. 
 
 ST. PAUL'S P. E. CHURCH, WASHINGTON AVE. AND ST. PAUL'S PL. 
 
 235 
 
230 The Great North Side. 
 
 magnificent benefaction of its President; "The University of 
 New York," with its forty acres of land in the upper part of 
 the city, "St. John's College " at Fordbam, the " College of the 
 City of New York," the "Normal College," the " Womens' 
 College," and the "Barnard/ 1 together with the many first- 
 clasa private schools for both sexes, give New York a most 
 excellent position as an educational centre almost equalling 
 many of the seats of learning in Europe. 
 
 Among the many improvements of which we can boast, 
 are the numerous bridges which span the East and Harlem 
 Rivera. The East River Bridge which cost some $18,000,000, 
 is a marvel of beauty and strength, and the same can be said 
 of Iliirh Bridge, Central Bridge, and Washington Bridge. 
 
 One of the great features of our city, one that lias attracted, 
 and will always attract, strangers to it is our clubs. The 
 clubs of New York are among the best in the world. They 
 are the homes of the proverbially hospitable and generous. 
 
 Almost every sort of club life is found among us, and al- 
 most every element of this community has its club or clubs. 
 Whatever club speciality may be desired can be found. The 
 chief cities of the world may well envy us in this respect. 
 
 In matters of art we have many advantages. 
 
 Our Metropolitan Museum of Art, is fast becoming one of 
 the finest institutions of the kind in the world. Considering 
 the youth of this institution, its growth has been remarkable. 
 The fact that it is, and has been from its beginning, carried on 
 by private liberality, and that its vast accumulations of mil- 
 lions of dollars 1 worth |f precious art work are entirely the 
 result of private donations, speaks volumes in favor of the 
 generosity of our people. 
 
 The Museum of Natural History is another institution 
 worthy of all praise, and as an educational factor, is a most 
 valuable adjunct to our schools and colleges. 
 
 The Historical Society is a vast store-house of most valu- 
 able historical information. The Lenox Library has some of 
 
238 The Great North Side. 
 
 the most valuable books to be found in the world. The Astor 
 Library is full of books of rare value. The Mercantile Library 
 and the Free Circulating Libraries offer advantages to the 
 student in whatever line he or she may be especially inter- 
 ested. 
 
 New York has been behind other cities in not having a 
 Zoological Garden commensurate with its wants, and in hav- 
 ing no Aquarium or Botanical Garden, but in tliis matter we 
 are now placing ourselves alongside the best equipped cities 
 of the world. This Aquarium w ill be forever free to the pub- 
 lic. Already #250,000 has been subscribed by a few gener- 
 ous, public-spirited people towards a fund to establish a 
 Botanical Garden. This with #250,000 and 250 acres of land 
 in Bronx Park which the city will contribute makes a Botani- 
 cal Garden a certainty in the very near future. 
 
 A law has recently been enacted by the Legislature estab- 
 lishing a Zoological Garden in the city above 1 55th Street. 
 The gentlemen connected with this enterprise, are such as will 
 make it certain, -that very soon we shall be in possession of one 
 of the finest Zoological Gardens in the world. 
 
 With such a city as we have to-day on the Island of Man- 
 hattan, what may we nol daim in the future for the new part 
 above the Harlem. If the old city which had a population of 
 about 300,000 in 1840, and which in 50 years up to 1890, had 
 increased to 1,600,000, an increase obtained without the aid of 
 such forces, as by the aggregation of nearly 3,000,000 people 
 within a radius of 10 miles, are now in operation among us, 
 what may we not claim, and justly claim, too, for our wards in 
 the future ? 
 
 The new wards contain 12,317 acres, 1 almost as many 
 acres as Manhattan Island. They are washed on the west by 
 the majestic Hudson, on the east by the East River and Long 
 Island Sound with the Harlem River between, thus giving the 
 two wards an immense water front. Two or three ridges of 
 
 1 Since increased to about 26,800 acres. 
 
239 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 land run nearly north and south, which make it possible to 
 have the most perfect system of drainage for all this great ter- 
 ritory; hence, if it should be that we ever have a population 
 of even 2,000,000 the two subjects, of water supply and per- 
 fect drainage will have been already provided for. The land 
 on these ridges lies exceedingly well for residential purposes, 
 commanding, as it does, magnificent views of both landscape 
 and water. The low lands on and near the banks of the Hud- 
 son, the East, and the Harlem Rivers, and on the Sound, offer 
 most valuable sites for business of all kinds, and especially for 
 manufacturing purposes, not only so because of the low prices 
 now ruling as compared w ith those on the Island, but because 
 of their accessibility by both water and rail from all parts of 
 the world. The low price of land in these two wards will 
 certainly make this part of our city, most desirable for manu- 
 facturing establishments, and make it a centre for many impor- 
 tant industries. 
 
 A\ nen we reflect upon what we possess to-day in various 
 ways, in our two wards, coupled with the magnificent Island 
 of Manhattan, and all it contains, why are we not equipped 
 with every essential to make it one of the most delightful and 
 desirable cities in the world to live in, and to do business in ? 
 Why are we not justified in the belief, that the future of our 
 two wards is most brilliant and encouraging? 
 
 Is it saying too much, or claiming too much, to claim that 
 our population of to-day of 150,000, will be 200,000 by 1900? 
 
 Is it claiming too much to predict that a child born in 
 1895, will, if he lives to the age of 70 years see a population 
 of 1,500,000 in our wards? 
 
 Is it too much to claim, even if we do not annex any ad- 
 ditional territory that the City of New York, will in 70 years 
 contain not far from 6,000,000 of people ? 
 
 If we shall in the future make a Greater New York, why 
 may we not claim a population of 8,000,000 or 9,000,000 by 
 1965? 
 
241 
 
242 The Great North Side. 
 
 In a word, what may we New Yorkers not claim for our 
 beautiful city, with such a heritage as we have to-day ! 
 
 Let us all determine that no effort shall be wanting on 
 our part, to do whatever we can do, to make it the best gov- 
 erned, most delightful, and favorite city of the world, for the 
 students, the man of letters, the lover of art, the man of leis- 
 ure, the business man, and the laborer, to live in. 
 
243 
 
AN INVITATION. 
 
 After a busy life of toil, favored with some degree of suc- 
 cess, and having reached that time in life, when the thoughts 
 of home and home comforts should be recognized and obeyed, 
 I thought there was no better spot in this fair city of ours to 
 enjoy the same than on that lofty peak on Morris Heights, 
 which so enchanted me by its topographical situation that I 
 made it my home. I realized for the first time, that it was 
 possible in this city of ours, to enjoy in some measure, the 
 home life of my early days, and I thought that here I could 
 find rest and the realization of the dreams of my toil. But it 
 was not to be my lot, for I had not pitched my camping tent 
 there for more than the rising and setting of two moons, when 
 my friends and neighbors asked me to attend a meeting to 
 organize the " North Side Board of Trade," and from that 
 
 244 
 
245 
 
246 The Great North Side. 
 
 moment until the present, that happy lot of retirement which 
 I Lad pictured to myself, has never been realized ; for in no 
 time in my life have I given more thought or study to the 
 welfare and growth of our great city than from that period to 
 the present. 
 
 It opened up to me the possibilities which now occupy 
 every active mind, and are worthy of our best thoughts as ex- 
 pressed in the term " Greater New York " and all that goes 
 to make it such. 
 
 Every fair minded student of the progress of our city will 
 concede that there is but one way in which to accomplish this 
 great end, and that is, in the building up of all the territory 
 that she now owns. 
 
 The great cities of the past as well as of the present have 
 had much to boast of as to situation, on which to lay claim to 
 their Divine right to pre-eminence: but in what respect can 
 any of them boast of greater natural advantages than are pos- 
 sessed by New York, which stands second to none in the great 
 possibilities which are hers of becoming the greatest city in 
 the world. 
 
 Surrounded by a tide which ebbs and flows twice in 
 twenty-four hours, with a depth of water that any harbor in 
 the world might covet ; a rock-bound coast, that only a Di- 
 vine Architect could design and construct, salt water on all 
 sides ever ready to supply that sanitary need of a great city, 
 is it any wonder that a New Yorker may boast, and does 
 boast of this fail 1 city of ours '( Who can foretell her great- 
 ness ? AVho can foretell her worth, and who her power ? 
 
 If she would grow in ail the Divine rights of her majestic 
 situation, must she not grow northward ? And has not science 
 and skill, and constructive genius made this an easy problem 
 through the elevated road, the trolley system, the telephone 
 and many other arts and improvements that are ours to make 
 use of ? 
 
 With these aids to a more rational development there 
 
248 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 should be no centralization of growth in any pari of our city 
 compelling it to do more than its just share. 
 
 Whence conies the need of the tall sky-scraper and wli\ 
 
 should the earth groan under such an unjust burden? Win 
 should one lot of ground do the work of three lots, thereby 
 shutting the sunlight from the streets and avenues thai sur- 
 round it, leaving the air dead and impure] Has not the 
 pedestrian certain tights that must be respected i Musi he 
 be forced by the monster greed to breathe an air that sunlight 
 never touches I 
 
 Now taking all these facts into consideration, can we not 
 with just propriety invite the growth of our city to come 
 northward and you who ate not yet one of US to share a part 
 of its many advantages? For well might it be said, with 
 knob and crest, ravine and plain, we have here the site for 
 workshop, office, home, and mansion, on this our fail- domain. 
 
 beginning on the east, have we no! the finest harbor in 
 our country, sufficient for all our business demands? And on 
 the west by the Harlem ship-canal shall we not share a like 
 advantage % 
 
 From our many peaks and heights the sites of colleges 
 and institutional homes, bear evidence of the wise judgment 
 of their founders. The many cottage homes in our midst, of 
 rare design and skill, be.*r evidence of the taste and refine- 
 ment of our population. 
 
 The attendance at and respect for the church, bear evi^ 
 deuce of our moral worth and the respect we have for the 
 Sabbath ; the attendance in our schools and seminaries is liv- 
 ing proof of the intelligent >vorth of our community. 
 
 Now possessing all these and many other possibilities for 
 the making of a great city of homes, can we not say to you, 
 come and be one of us, buy and build with us, and share with 
 us all that is ours and may be yours ? 
 
249 
 
ADDENDA. 
 
 i 
 
THE GROWTH OF THE NORTH SIDE. 
 
 The remarkable development of the North Side, especially 
 during the past seven years, has attracted general attention. 
 
 What will be the growth of this portion of our City in the 
 future ? 
 
 If I were to answer this question without any preliminary 
 statement of the basis of historic facts upon which I rest my 
 forecast, pessimistic persons, at least, would think me over- 
 sanguine. 
 
 Let us look, then, at what has been accomplished during 
 the past few years in this part of the City. First let us look 
 at the increase in population. 
 
 The following table will show it : 
 
 YEAR. POPULATION. 
 
 I860 17,000 
 
 1865 20,641 
 
 1870 28,981 
 
 1875 (one year after annexation) 36,191 
 
 1880 42,898 
 
 1890 (United States Census) 74,085 
 
 1890 (Police Census) 81,255 
 
 1892 (State Census) 86,757 
 
 1897 (estimated) 200,000 
 
 Since 1892 there has not been any official census. In 1895 
 the territory east of the Bronx was annexed to the City and 
 made a part of the Twenty-fourth W ard. 
 
 Taking, then, the recent registration of voters as a basis of 
 calculation, it is reasonable to estimate that the present popu- 
 lation of the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Wards is about 
 
 iii 
 
iv 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 200,000 as above stated. This shows an increase of about 
 three hundred and >i\ty -five per cent, in the last seventeen 
 years, and an increase of about one hundred and thirty per 
 cent, in the last seven years. 
 
 The greater part of this wonderful increase in population 
 has taken place since the acquisition of our beautiful parks 
 and parkway-, the establishment of our Department of Street 
 Improvements, the substitution of electricity for animal power 
 in the operation of our street cars, and the cheapening of trans- 
 portation by the compulsory fixing of a single five-cent fare on 
 the elevated railroad from the Battery to Tremont. 
 
 If the increase continues proportionately in only the same 
 ratio as in the recent past, the population of the section of the 
 city above the Harlem River should, in 1 ( J10, be about 330,000. 
 In 1920 it should be C.immkmi. In p.»:;o it may reasonably be 
 expected to be 1,300,000. 
 
 It is beyond question that this growth will be attained if 
 additional rapid transit railroads are constructed as is now 
 proposed. 
 
 The foregoing estimates of the future population of the 
 23d and 2-ith Wards do not seem so strange when we recall 
 the fact that there are people now living and who have not 
 yet reached the proverbial "three score years and ten n who 
 were born at a time when Manhattan Island contained fewer 
 inhabitants than there are now in the North Side. The fact 
 should also be realized that in point of population the 23d and 
 24th Wards already constitute the fourth city in the State, 
 leaving out New York of course, and that of the sixty counties 
 in our State, this section contains more inhabitants than any 
 one except Erie, Kings, Monroe, and New York. 
 
 With additional rapid transit to assist in the development 
 of the North Side, it will be but a few years, comparatively, 
 until this section will rank second in population with the ag- 
 gregation of humanity on Manhattan Island. 
 
 It need not be feared that there is not room enough in this 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 V 
 
 territory for such a large population. This portion of the 
 city is double the size of that below the Harlem River. If 
 two millions of people can be accommodated on Manhattan 
 Island, it is certain that there is room for a million and a half 
 in twice as much space. 
 
 Another evidence of the rapid growth of the North Side 
 is seen in the enormous increase in the number of passengers 
 carried on the surface and elevated railroads now operated in 
 this section of the city. 
 
 Up to the time the modern trolley-cars took the place of 
 the horse-cars of the old, so-called " Huckleberry line," the latter 
 never carried more than 3,500,000 passengers in any year. 
 The first year the trolley-cars were in operation, (1893), they 
 carried 6,500,000 passengers. The increase has gone on stead- 
 ily ever since, until now it has reached a point where it is dif- 
 ficult to find out just what it is. 
 
 The Suburban Branch of the elevated railroad was opened 
 in 1886. In that year it carried only 160,000 passengers. 
 The next year it carried 856,383 passengers. The five-cent fare 
 bill went into operation in the spring of 1894. The preced- 
 ing year, 1893, the road carried 5,867,848 passengers under 
 the double fare system. In the year ending Sept. 30, 1897, 
 the elevated road carried on the Suburban Branch 11,145,134 
 passengers. This number is nearly 2,000,000 more than were 
 carried by the elevated railroads on Manhattan Island in the 
 year 1878. It is a fact also that the Suburban Branch was the 
 only line of the Manhattan Elevated System that in 1897 
 showed an increase in its passenger travel over the preceding 
 year. 
 
 These figures clearly demonstrate that it is hardly possible 
 to lay too much stress upon the importance of ample and 
 cheap transportation in promoting the growth of the North 
 Side. They also show that additional rapid transit railroads 
 can at once be made profitable. The territory can easily 
 accommodate a population ten or even fifteen times as great 
 as it has at present. 
 
vi 
 
 The ( ,1 rat North Side. 
 
 The wonderful growth of the North Side is also shown in 
 the building operations of the past few years. Observe the 
 progress recorded in the following tabulated statement, taken 
 from the official records of the number of building plans filed 
 and the estimated cost of new buildings year by year in the 
 Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Wards. 
 
 i <';ir. 
 
 XT 
 
 No. of Plans. 
 
 Estimated < ost, 
 
 Average ('ost. 
 
 1 K.Kl 
 
 
 
 >.».»>.(.> 
 
 1882 
 
 843 
 
 L,409,913 
 
 4,110 
 
 lss:; 
 
 406 
 
 1 . 128,967 
 
 3,529 
 
 1884 
 
 635 
 
 L,688,736 
 
 2,680 
 
 
 r>s6 
 
 L 927.274 
 
 3,288 
 
 1886 
 
 703 
 
 2,407,421 
 
 3,424 
 
 1887 
 
 1033 
 
 4,733,305 
 
 4,681 
 
 1888 
 
 s.si; 
 
 3,826,788 
 
 4,819 
 
 
 SSi) 
 
 4,840,337 
 
 5,441 
 
 1890 
 
 MM) 
 
 4,208,861 
 
 6,261 
 
 1891 
 
 765 
 
 3,746,048 
 
 4.900 
 
 1892 
 
 S57 
 
 5,092,823 
 
 5,942 
 
 
 698 
 
 3,285,676 
 
 4.722- 
 
 1894 
 
 
 4,809,328 
 
 5,100 
 
 1895 
 
 1418 
 
 8,148,459 
 
 5,746 
 
 1896 
 
 L617 
 
 Ll,009,625 
 
 6,808 
 
 1897* 
 
 1448 
 
 11,621,600 
 
 8,640 
 
 It will be seen fiom these figures that during the seven 
 years preceding the establishment of the Department of Street 
 Improvements of the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Wards, 
 that is, from 1884 to 1891, the total number of building plans 
 filed was 5532, the total estimated cost of new buildings was 
 $23,582,722, and the average cost of each building was §4127. 
 During the succeeding six years and eleven months, that is, 
 from 1891 to December 1, 1897, the total number of building 
 plans filed was 7746 or forty per cent, greater, the total esti- 
 mate and cost of new buildings was §47,713,459, or more than 
 
 * For 11 months only. 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 Vll 
 
 one hundred per cent, greater, and the average cost of each 
 building was §5965, or about forty-live per cent, greater. 
 
 These results are extraordinary, when we consider the 
 " hard times " which have prevailed during the past four 
 years. 
 
 A still further evidence of the phenomenal growth of this 
 section of the city is demonstrated by the increase in the tax- 
 able value of real estate. 
 
 In 1874, when the old towns of Morrisania, West Farms, 
 and Kingsbridge were annexed to the City of New York, the 
 total assessed value of the real estate amounted to about $23,- 
 000,000. In 1890, the year preceding the establishment of 
 the Department of Street Improvements, it was 844,396,534. 
 It is now about si 00,000,000. If our growth continues for 
 the next ten years in the same ratio as at present, the taxable 
 value of the real estate of the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth 
 Wards will amount to nearly §300,000,000. 
 
 These are some of the evidences of the growth of the North 
 Side. From them we may fairly judge the future. On New 
 Years day we become the Borough of the Bronx — in point of 
 population the third largest political subdivision of Greater 
 New York. We were never before better prepared to meet 
 the exigencies of the situation than at present. We occupy a 
 superb position geographically between the Hudson and the 
 Sound. The section is renowned for its salubrity and mag- 
 nificent scenery. Our principal streets and avenues are 
 sewered, paved, and asphalted. An admirable sewerage sys- 
 tem is general, and consequently a large expanse is ready for 
 immediate building and the comfortable occupancy of homes. 
 Our educational advantages are unsurpassed. Our public 
 parks are among the most beautiful in the world. Our manu- 
 facturing and business enterprises are extensive and pros- 
 perous. Our new bridges across the Harlem and the Bronx 
 are all under way. The Grand Concourse has been acquired 
 and the preliminary work begun. Liberal appropriations for 
 
viii 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 our public works Lave been made. In every respect we are 
 in a better position than ever before to invite population and 
 business. Besides, the section is now better known, better 
 appreciated, and more attractive in every way, and is in a 
 condition to afford to the overcrowded inhabitants of the 
 lower wards facilities for obtaining such healthful, cheerful, 
 economical, and easily accessible homes as they have never 
 before known. 
 
 James L. Wells. 
 
THE NORTH SIDE BOARD OF TRADE. 
 
 Not the least of the many possessions of the Borough of 
 the Bronx which contribute to its progress is its organization 
 of public-spirited citizens, the North Side Board of Trade. 
 
 Organized on the 6th day of March, 1894, by the charac- 
 ter, energy, and well-directed efforts' of its membership, it has 
 contributed immeasurably to the wonderful development which 
 has taken place in the section of the City north of the Harlem 
 in the last few years. 
 
 The North Side Board of Trade aims to diffuse informa- 
 tion as to this Borough's many advantages as a business and 
 commercial centre, as well as a district of homes ; to attract 
 capital, manufacturing interests, and desirable residents; to 
 promote the development and patronage of local business en- 
 terprise ; to advance public improvements ; and to encourage 
 public spirit and a local community feeling. 
 
 The Board occupies a three story and basement brick 
 building at No. 278 Alexander Avenue near 139th Street 
 where the Secretary may be seen day or evening, and where 
 information concerning this Borough will be cheerfully given. 
 
 Its organizer was Albert E. Davis. The Committee of 
 Seven, who issued the call for permanent organization, con- 
 sisted of John C. De La Vergne, Jas. L. Wells, William R. 
 Beal, Clement Gould, Albert E. Davis, Matthew Anderson, 
 John De Hart, and John W. Hotaling. Two of these, Messrs. 
 De La Vergne and Gould, have since died. Its first president 
 was John C. De La Vergne. Its present officers and com- 
 mitteemen are as follows : 
 
 ix 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 OFFICERS. 
 
 President, JAMES L. WELLS 
 Secretary, Otho G. Angle. Treasurer, Chas. W. Bocart 
 
 VICE-PRESIDENTS : 
 L'irst Vice-President, Fordham Morris. 
 Ernest Hall, Henry A. Gumbleton, Henry Lewis Morris, 
 
 Seward Baker, Jordan L. Mott, 
 
 John Claflin, De Witt C. Overbaugh, 
 
 William R. Beal, 
 Albert E. Davis. 
 
 James L. Wells, 
 Albert E. Davis, 
 Olin J. Stephens, 
 Dr. S. H. Mcllroy, 
 Wm. R. Beal, 
 J. C. Julius Langbein, 
 Chas. W, Bogart, 
 
 E X EC U T I V E COM M I T T E E 
 
 Louis Eickwort, 
 I lenry L. School, 
 Henry A. Gumbleton, 
 John De Hart, 
 Louis A. Risse, 
 Sam'l MacMillan, 
 Martin Walter, 
 
 Matthew Anderson, 
 Ernest Hall, 
 John H. Knoeppel, 
 Chas. W. Stoughton, 
 J. Homer Hildreth, 
 De WittC. Overbaugh, 
 Lord ham Morris. 
 
 FINANCE COMMITTEE. 
 
 D. C. Overbaugh, 
 
 Wm. R. Beal, 
 
 A. L. Lowenstein. 
 
 LITERATURE & PUBLICATION. 
 
 Albert E. Davis, 
 Louis A. Risse, 
 A. E. Lickman. 
 
 LEGISLATION. 
 
 J. C. Julius Langbein, 
 
 Ernest Hall, 
 
 J. Homer Hildreth. 
 
 PARKS AND PARKWAYS. 
 
 Chas. W. Stoughton, 
 Peter J. Stuyvesant, 
 John H. Scardefield. 
 
 RAILROAD EXTENSION 
 AND RAPID TRANSIT. 
 
 John De Hart, 
 Henry A. Gumbleton, 
 J. A. Goulden. 
 
 ST AN PINO COM M ITT E E S 
 MEMBERSHIP. 
 
 C. H. Stonebridge, 
 Richard H. Deeves, 
 Robert Wallace. 
 
 COMMERCE & WATERWAYS. 
 
 Fordham Morris, 
 Olin J. Stephens, 
 John G. Borgstede. 
 
 ARBITRATION. 
 
 Peter T- Stuyvesant, 
 W .i. H. Zeltner, 
 Chas. H. Cronin. 
 
 TAXES AND ASSESSMENTS. 
 
 John H. Knoeppel, 
 Anthony McOwen, 
 Edward Rowell. 
 
 POLICE, FIRE PROTECTION, 
 AND PUBLIC HEALTH. 
 
 Dr. S. H. Mcllroy, 
 Dr. I. C. Jones, 
 Dr. Emil Heuel. 
 
 BRIDGES. 
 
 Wm. R. Beal, 
 Seward Baker, 
 Peter J. Stuyvesant. 
 
 TRANSPORTATION. 
 
 Franklin A. Wilcox, 
 William Ebling, 
 Henry L. School. 
 
 REAL ESTATE. 
 
 J. Clarence Davies, 
 Martin Walter, 
 Chas. M. Kaeppel. 
 
 HOUSE & ENTERTAINMENT. 
 
 Matthew Anderson, 
 Arthur L. Sturz, 
 John J. Fox. 
 
 STREET OPENINGS & SEWERS. 
 
 Henry A. Gumbleton, 
 
 Robert Wallace, 
 
 J. C. Julius Langbein. 
 
 EDUCATION. 
 
 Louis Eickwort, 
 Morgan Washburn, 
 E. D. Clark. 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 xi 
 
 Its membership is as follows, those in heavy type being 
 charter members : 
 
 MEMBERS. 
 
 Adams, Chas. L., Lumber 
 Amory, John J., Naphtha Launches 
 Amundson, John A., Lawyer . 
 Anderson, Matthew, Real Estate 
 Angle, O. G , Secretary 
 Anderton, Ralph L., Metals . 
 
 Gas 
 
 M 
 
 Baron, Louis, Secretary . 
 Beal, Wm. R., Pres't Central Union 
 Bell, Chas. T., . 
 Bertine, Edward D., Builder . 
 Birchall, Wm. H., Dyer, . 
 Bogart, Chas. W., Bank President 
 Bolton, Thos., Jr., Dyer . 
 Borgstede, John G., Real Estate 
 Brady, John J., Lawyer . 
 Briggs, Josiah A., Civil Engineer 
 Brown, Wm. Reynolds, President ] 
 Brugman, A. F., Physician 
 Buckhout, James, Teacher 
 Burton, Myron C, Real Estate 
 Bush, John S., Pres. North'n Union Gas I 
 Booth, Wm. H., Carriages . 
 Bell, John J., Building Materials 
 Bell, Harry W., Drain Pipe . 
 Barnard, H. H., Lumber 
 Baker, Seward, Lawyer 
 Butler, Isaac, Undertaker 
 Brown, J. Romaine, Real Estate 
 Berrian, Chas. A., Real Estate 
 Berrian, Samuel, Builder 
 Barry, John J., Builder 
 
 Camp, Frederick E., Cement 
 Carvalho, J. S., Lumber . 
 Claflin, John, Dry Goods . 
 Clark, Elijah D., School Principal 
 Caterson, Robert, Monuments 
 
 49th St. and Harlem River 
 Morris Heights 
 146 Broadway 
 2632 Third Ave. 
 278 Alexander Ave. 
 210 Grand St. 
 
 . Foot E. 138th St. 
 ight Co., 350 Alexander Ave. 
 
 665 E. i42d St. 
 . 670 E. 136th St. 
 remont Ave. and Bronx River 
 Twenty-third Ward Bank 
 108 Worth St. 
 . 968 Trinity Ave. 
 99 Nassau St. 
 St. James St., Fordham 
 L. Co. . 59 Liberty St. 
 
 . 1043 Boston Ave. 
 178th St. and Burnside Ave. 
 
 Woodlawn Heights 
 ight Co., 1845 Vanderbilt Ave. 
 
 . West Farms 
 . Foot of Lincoln Ave. 
 Third Ave. and 136th St. 
 
 20 W. 130th St. 
 150 Nassau St. 
 
 Y. C. 
 
 614 W. i52d St. 
 59 Liberty St. 
 . Kingsbridge 
 169 Boston Ave. 
 
 Westchester, N 
 
 55 Liberty St. 
 149th St. and Harlem River 
 . Church and Worth Sts. 
 . 855 E. 165th St. 
 Woodlawn, N. Y. C. 
 
xii 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 Carter, Wm. H. H., Iron Works . 
 Campbell, Rev. J. I\, Pres. St. John's College 
 Constable, Stevenson, Sup't of Buildings 
 Cooney, Peter J., Sashes and Blinds 
 Crawford, Ellison, Lawyer . 
 Cronin, Chas. H., Real Estate 
 
 Davis, Albert E., Architecl 
 Davies, J. Clarence, Real Estate- 
 Danzig, Simon, Broker 
 Decker, John W., Real Estate 
 Deeves, Richard H., Builder . 
 De Hart, John, An hiteel . 
 Depew, Chauncey M., Pres N \ 
 Devoe, Fred. W., Paints . 
 
 Dienst, Adam P., Hardware 
 Diekson, James, Publisher . 
 
 Ebling, William, Retired 
 Eickwort, Louis, Druggist 
 
 Eustis, John E., Lawyer . 
 
 Faile, Thos. H., Coffee 
 Faircbild, Pen. L., Lawyer . 
 Fairchild, Samuel W., Chemist 
 Fernchild, Geo. J., Builder 
 Fensterer, Gabriel, Importer 
 Fitch, Ashbel P., Comptroller 
 Folz, Frederick, Brewer . 
 Fox, John J., Undertaker . 
 Francis, Joseph F., Printer . 
 Frank, Adam, Lawyer . 
 Fraser, James M., Builder . 
 
 Gass, Frank, Real Estate 
 Gillings, Peter, Builder . ^ . 
 Goldwater, A. L., Druggist . 
 Goulden, Jos. A., Insurance 
 Gumbleton. Henry A., Lawyer 
 Guy, Chas. L., Lawyer 
 
 HafTen, Louis F., Civil Engineer 
 Haffen, John, Brewer, 
 
 . 462 E. 136th St. 
 Fordham, N. Y. C. 
 Fourth Ave. and 1 8th St. 
 . 771-775 E. 165th St. 
 
 150 Nassau St. 
 59 Liberty St. 
 
 . 2558 Third Ave. 
 149th St. and Third Ave. 
 
 5 1 Exchange Place 
 161st St. and Third Ave. 
 . 853 E. 135th St. 
 . 1637 Fox St. 
 < Co., Grand Central Depot 
 . P. O. Box 460, N. V. C. 
 140th St. and Third Ave. 
 • 33°9 Third Ave. 
 
 Prospect Ave. and 163d St. 
 176th St. and Anthony Ave. 
 
 Morris Heights. 
 
 . 45 South St. 
 Pelham Heights. 
 . Kingsbridge 
 . 10 13 Boston Ave. 
 . 928 E. 137th St. 
 15 Stewart Building 
 1395 Washington Ave. 
 .720 Tremont Ave. 
 41st St. and Third Ave. 
 
 580 Mott Ave. 
 . 531 Trinity Ave. 
 
 Westchester, N. Y. C. 
 Williamsbridge, N. Y. 
 . 2671 Third Ave. 
 eston Ave. and 183d St. 
 
 . 850 E. 134th St. 
 Mott Ave. and 165th St. 
 
 647 Courtland Ave. 
 644 E. 1 5 2d St. 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 xiii 
 
 Hall, Alfred, Engraver 
 Hall, Ernest, Lawyer 
 Hall, Henry B., Jr., Engraver 
 Hand, Wm. H., Builder 
 Heintz, John C, Brewer 
 Heuel, Emil, Physician 
 Hildreth, J. Homer, Lawyer 
 Hillman, Caleb M., Lawyer 
 Hirtzler, Albert, Provisions 
 Huber Co., Henry, Plumbers' Suppl 
 Hupfel, Adolph G., Brewer 
 Hurd, Edward F., Physician 
 
 Janes, Henry E., Iron Works . 
 Jefferson, John J. ... 
 Johnson, Isaac G., Foundry . 
 Jones, Israel C, Physician . 
 Jones, B. F., Contractor 
 
 Kaeppel, Chas. M., Real Estate . 
 Kahn, Herman, Merchant 
 Keating, Wm. H., Commissions . 
 Keil, Francis, Hardware Manufacturer 
 Knoeppel, John H., Upholsterer 
 Kountze, Luther, Banker 
 
 Langbein, J. C. Julius, Lawyer 
 Lawton, Newbury D., Lawyer 
 Leahy, Michael J., Contractor 
 Levey, Augustus A., Lawyer 
 Levi, Emil S., Laces 
 Levy, Ephraim B., Real Estate 
 Lickman, Albert E., Photographe 
 Lindsay, John L., Lawyer . 
 Lipps, Martin, Contractor 
 Livingston, Philip, Lawyer . 
 Lomas, Robert I., Jr., Real Estate 
 Lowenstein, Albert L., Executor 
 Lyons & Chabot, Dry Goods 
 Lyons, Edward H., Real Estate 
 
 MacCracken, Henry M., Chancellor N 
 MacMillan, Samuel, Builder . 
 
 Crimmins Ave. and 141st St. 
 
 . 1087 Boston Ave. 
 . 990 Trinity Ave. 
 R. R. Ave. and 140th St. 
 . 3582 Third Ave. 
 
 350 Willis Ave. 
 . 719 E. 138th St. 
 2084 Washington Ave. 
 . 1992 Arthur Ave. 
 les . . 481 E. 136th St. 
 
 161st St. and Third Ave. 
 176th St. and Anthony Ave. 
 
 . 1 10 Beekman St. 
 Asbury Park, N. J. 
 Spuyten Duyvil, N. Y. C. 
 
 Fordham, N. Y. C. 
 Third Ave. and 130th St. 
 
 . 3160 Third Ave. 
 . 2188 Third Ave. 
 Williamsbridge, N. Y. C. 
 163d St. and Brook Ave. 
 . 1066 Forest Ave. 
 120 Broadway 
 
 1424 Washington Ave. 
 . 40 Wall St. 
 Denman Place 
 20 Nassau St. 
 514 Broadway 
 7 Astor Place 
 . 2683 Third Ave. 
 
 132 Nassau St. 
 . 2558 Third Ave. 
 37 Liberty St. 
 Morris Ave. and Ash St. 
 
 . 341 W. 58th St. 
 50th St. and Third Ave. 
 . 2778 Third Ave. 
 
 Y. University, University Heights 
 Morris Heights 
 
XIV 
 
 The Great North Side. 
 
 McCrea, Wm. G., Lawyer .... 
 Mcllroy, S. H., Physi< Lac .... 
 McOwen, Anthony, Deputy < ommissioner 
 Mack, Michael J., Civil Engineer 
 Maher, Edward A., Jr., Electric Lights 
 Mapes, Daniel, Jr., Coal .... 
 Matthewson, Douglas, Lawyer 
 Meyers, John H., Teacher .... 
 Miller, Edward F., Pharmacist 
 Morris, Arthur H. 
 
 Morris, David H. ..... 
 
 Morris, Fordham, Lawyer 
 Morris, Henry Lewis, Lawyer 
 Mott, Jordan L., Iron Works . 
 Mott, Frank P., Sup'l Station u R 
 Morris, William H. . 
 
 92 West Broadway 
 330 Alexander Ave. 
 515 Wales A \ e. 
 Hull Ave. and Suburban St. 
 140th St. and Rider Ave. 
 1920 West Farms K<1 
 Franklin Ave. and 175th St. 
 
 1 26 1 Clover St. 
 7 1 2 Tremont Ave. 
 WcsU hester, N. V. C. 
 W estchester, N. Y. C. 
 16 Exchange Place 
 16 Exchange Place 
 Third Ave. and So. Boulevard. 
 
 760 E. i62d St. 
 ECingsbridge Rd. near Jerome Ave. 
 
 Niles, W. W., Jr., Lawyer 
 
 Ogden, James W., Builder . 
 O'Gorman, Real Estate 
 Oliver, Francis V. S., Lawyer 
 O'Reilly, Dominic .... 
 Osborn, John, Dep't Street Improvements 
 Overbaugh, De Witt C, Building Materials . Kingsbridge, N. Y. C. 
 
 Bedford Park. 
 
 Prospect and Leggett Aves. 
 
 252 Willis Ave. 
 220 Broadway 
 . 208 E. 119th St. 
 Tremont and Third Aves. 
 
 Peck, Wm. D , Lawyer 
 
 Perlhefter, John R. 
 
 Pritchard, E. M., Moulding Milt 
 
 Randall, Rufus R., Real Estate 
 Raymond, Geo. W., Drain Pipe 
 Reichelt, A. F., Secretary 
 Reinhardt, Geo. N., Grain 
 Reinhardt, Philip .... 
 Rieger, Christian, Manufacturer . 
 Risse, Louis A., -Civil Engineer 
 Robitzek, Gustavus, Coal 
 Roehrs, Theo. .... 
 Rowell, Edward, Insurance . 
 
 Mott 
 
 314 W. 104th St. 
 2785 Third Ave. 
 Ave. and 138th St. 
 
 721 Tremont Ave. 
 484 E. 139th St. 
 350 Alexander Ave. 
 i62d St. and Harlem R. R. 
 
 153 E. 123d St. 
 702 E. 148th St. 
 599 Mott Ave. 
 Rider Ave. and 136th St. 
 
 494 E. 176th St. 
 45 Pine St. 
 
 Saward, F. E., Editor 1637 Washington Ave. 
 
 Scardefield, John H., Gold Beater . . . . 457 E. 134th St. 
 
The Great North Side. 
 
 Schaeffeller, Joseph, Builder 
 
 Kingsbridge Rd. and Monroe St. 
 
 Schrader, Henry C. 
 
 . 2687 Third Ave. 
 
 Schilling, Francis A 
 
 . 592 E. 137th St. 
 
 School, Henry L 
 
 563 E. 141st St. 
 
 Seitz, William, Builder .... 
 
 173 E. 94th St. 
 
 Shipway, John, Marble Works 
 
 . 136th St. and E. River 
 
 Sias, Arthur W 
 
 Williamsbridge 
 
 Sigel, Franz, Publisher 
 
 563 Mott Ave. 
 
 Smith, Wm. Stebbins, Lawyer 
 
 . 743 E. 167th St. 
 
 Spears, Joseph, Builder, 
 
 . 2281 Third Ave. 
 
 Stahl, Jacob, Jr., Cigar Manufacturer 
 
 . 3489 Third Ave. 
 
 Steers, Edward P., Bank President 
 
 Lexington Ave. and 125th St. 
 
 Steeves, J. F., Lumber 
 
 .- Mott and R. R. Aves. 
 
 Stephens, Geo. W., Lawyer . 
 
 . Kingsbridge. 
 
 Stephens, Ohn J., Coal . 
 
 . 444 E, 138th St. 
 
 Stolz GeorfTP Plumber 
 
 2066 Third A vp 
 
 Stonebridge, Chas. H., Insurance 
 
 . 2656 Third Ave. 
 
 Stoughton, Chas. W., Architect 
 
 1665 Washington Ave. 
 
 Strong, Wm. L., Mayor 
 
 City Hall, City 
 
 Sturz, Arthur L., Pianos 
 
 . 142 Lincoln Ave. 
 
 Stuyvesant, Peter J., Lawyer 
 
 . 154 St. Ann's Ave. 
 
 Ten Eyck, William H., Clerk Common Council . 679 E. 135th St. 
 
 Theise, M. M., Manager 
 
 Metropolis Theatre 
 
 Tiffany, Henry D., . 
 
 Fox Hurst, Westchester Ave. 
 
 Wallace, Robert, Real Estate 
 
 . W T illiamsbridge, N. Y. 
 
 Walter, Martin, Real Estate. 
 
 735 Tremont Ave. 
 
 Washburn, Morgan, Teacher 
 
 Westchester, N. Y. 
 
 Wells, James L., Real Estate . 
 
 267 Alexander Ave. 
 
 White, Joseph J., Builder 
 
 816 Eagle Ave. 
 
 Wiener, Alphonse, Jeweller . 
 
 2693 Third Ave. 
 
 Wilcox, Franklin A., Lawyer . 
 
 . 1 Broadway 
 
 Young, J. Hamilton, Stone Yard 
 
 R. R. Ave., near 138th St. 
 
 Zeltner, William H., Brewer, . 
 
 178th St. and Third Ave. 
 
Capital, 
 $100,000. 
 
 Authorized Capital, 
 8500,000. 
 
 Twenty =third Ward Bank, 
 
 OF NEW YORK CITY. 
 COR. THIRD AVE. AND 135th STREET. 
 
 CHAS. W. BOGART, Prest. JOHN HAFFEN, Vice-Pres. 
 
 GEO. E. EDWARDS, Cashier. 
 
 DIRECTORS. 
 
 JOHN HAFFEN, 
 HENRY L. SCHOOL, 
 DAVID B. SICKLES, 
 JAMES L. WELLS, 
 GEORGE M. MACKELLAR, 
 
 ANTON RINSCHLER, 
 ALFRED E. FOUNTAIN, Jr. 
 BRIAN G. HUGHES, 
 WILLIAM S. BECKLEY, 
 CHAS. W. BOGART, 
 
 GEO. E. EDWARDS. 
 
 Business and Individual Accounts Solicited. 
 
CAPITAL, $200,000. 
 
 SURPLUS, $140,000. 
 
 EDWARD P. STEERS, President. F. B. FRENCH, Cashier. 
 
 ISAAC A. HOPPER, Vice-President. 
 CHAS. W. DAYTON, Counsel. 
 
 ■ 
 
 Corjwration, Finn, Individual and Family Accounts 
 
 Solicited. 
 
 Drafts issued on all parts of Murope. 
 
 Offices and Lodge Rooms to let with all modern conveniences in 
 
 The Twelfth Ward Bank BuildiRg, 
 
 Corner 125th Street and Lexington Avenue, 
 
 NEW YORK CITY. 
 
 3 
 
CENTRAL 
 UNION 
 GAS 
 COMPANY. 
 
 Wm. R. Beal, President. 
 
 A. F. Reichelt, Secy and Treas'r. 
 
 Thaddeus R. Beal, Supt. 
 
 OFFICE : 
 
 Alexander Avenue Cor. East 142CI Street. 
 
 WORKS : 
 138th Street and East River. 
 
 4 
 
John G. Borgstede. 
 
 Horatio C. Klenke. 
 
 J. Henry Borgstede, Jr. 
 
 BORGSTEDE & KLENKE, 
 §Ual Instate & Insurance lookers, 
 
 MANAGERS OF ESTATES, 
 
 3 2 73 3d Ave. and 20J-20Q East 54th St., 
 
 YORK. 
 
 r n rrUo R „1oo: a L,a. XChanee (TELEPHONE) 
 
 At 3273 3d Ave. we make a specialty of 23d and 24th Ward Lots, Houses and In- 
 vestment Properties. 
 
 At 207-209 E. 54th St. we sell Manhattan Island Investment properties ; flats and 
 tenements and store property. 
 
 Owners are requested to send particulars of any New York City property they have 
 for sale or exchange. 
 
 A postal card will bring one of us to you. 
 
 Commenced business Jan. 6, 1890. 
 
 TWELFTH WARD SAVINGS BANK 
 
 23I WEST I25th STREET. 
 
 OFFICERS : 
 
 Isaac A. Hopper, 
 
 President. 
 
 George B. Brown, 
 John Boulton Simpson, 
 
 Vice-Presidents. 
 
 Arthur T. Timpson, 
 
 Secretary. 
 
 Charles W. Dayton, 
 
 Counsel. 
 
 TRUSTEES: 
 
 Simon Adler, 
 
 Henry H. Barnard. 
 John Beaver, 
 
 George B. Brown, 
 George H. Burford, 
 
 Charles W. Dayton, 
 Bradley L. Eaton, 
 
 Isaac A. Hopper, 
 H. C. F. Koch, 
 John II . Loos, 
 
 B. G. Mitchell, 
 William Moores, 
 Antonio Rasines, 
 
 John B. Simpson, 
 Edward P. Steers, 
 George W. Thompson. 
 
 Deposits from $1.00 to $3,000 Received. 
 
 5 
 
OVERBAUGH & CAMP, 
 
 WHOLKSALK AM) l< MI All, DI AI.KKS IN 
 
 Lumber, Coal, Brick, Cement, Plaster and Lime, 
 
 Building Materials Generally. 
 
 Yards at Kingsbridge — Main Office, / 
 " Morris Dock Branch Office, \ 
 
 .... NEW YORK CITY. 
 
 VLI. ORDERS RECEIVED AT EITIIKR YARD PROMPTLY FILLED. 
 
 Wm. H. Swift. 
 
 lis T AHLISHED 1B54. 
 
 1 KI.H'lluNh . MKI.ICJSh. 
 
 Peter Gillings, j<»».a.york. 
 
 CONTRACTOR. 
 Dealer in . . . 
 
 North River Blue Stone; YORK & SWIFT, 
 
 UNDERTAKERS. 
 
 of Every Description at Lowest 
 ' Maiket Rates. 
 
 Office and Yards 155th St., Cor. Elton Ave. 
 Branch Office, Williamsbridge 
 
 P. o. iu,x <. ? , WHHanisbridge. 
 
 charter member 
 
 North sujk Board of tkadh 
 
 Rufus R. Randall, 
 
 BRONX BOROUGH 
 
 Real Estate Office. 
 
 721 Tremont Avenue, 
 (177th Street.) New York City. 
 
 Telephone 29 Melrose. 
 
 606 East 145th Street, 
 
 Near Third Avenue. NEW YORK. 
 
 J 
 
 ,OHN E1CHLER 
 
 BREWING CO. 
 
 BOTTLING DEPARTMENT. 
 
 169th Street and Third Avenue, New York. 
 
 51, 
 
 #256 3 
 
 U*° 1,c "%4 T RD 
 REAL ESTATES ^ 
 
 1 N 
 
 J. & M. HAFFEN, 
 
 LAGER 
 
 BEER j$ 
 BREWERS. 
 
 632=644 East . S 2d Street » 
 
 Between 3d and Courtlandt Aves. ) l^C W I UI IV. 
 
Scbieffelin & Go. 
 
 Importers, Exporters, Jobbers and Manufacturers of 
 
 DRUGS, CHEMICALS, 
 
 and PHARMACEUTICAL PREPARATIONS. 
 
 Manufacturers of STANDARD PHARMACEUTICAL PREPARA- 
 TIONS, including Fluid and Solid Extracts, Elixirs, Syrups, Ointments, 
 Hypodermic and Compressed Tablets, and SOLUBLE COATED PILLS, 
 comprising all the Officinal Pills of the Pharmacopaeia. 
 
 Unequalled in regard to Purity of Composition, Solubility of Coating, Uniformity in 
 Size, and Perfection of Form and Finish. 
 
 Office and Warehouse, 170 William St., Cor. Beekman. 
 
 Laboratory and Drug Mills, 
 St. Ann's Avenue, Cor. So. Boulevar 
 
 GEO. N. REINHARDT & CO., 
 
 Elevator, Mill and Hay Warehouse, 
 i62d to 163d Sts. N. Y. C. & H. R. R. Co. 
 
 NEW YORK. 
 
 K2T0 16355 ST. HARLEM RAILROAD 
 
 ^MORRIS BRANCH) 
 
 Write, telephone or wire us for prices, quotations, 
 or any information in regard to HAY, GRAIN or 
 FEED. We will cheerfully furnish the above. 
 
 . . . . Telephone, 61 Melrose. 
 
 J. HAMILTON YOUNG, 
 
 Contractor for Cut Stone, 
 
 Railroad Avenue, 
 Near 138th Street. 
 
 MOTT HAVEN. 
 
 A partial list of the buildings for which I 
 have furnished the Cut Stone: 
 
 Hall of LANGUAGES, University Heights 
 Physics Building. Columbia College 
 
 SCHF.rmerhorn Hall, Columbia College 
 
 MANHATTAN ATHLETIC CLUB 
 
 Bradley Building 
 
 Colby House 
 
 Roosevelt House 
 Municipal Building, Crotona Park 
 
 N. W. Cor. Greene and Bleecker Streets 
 R. C. Orphan Asylum 
 
 Salvation Army Building 
 SCHOOL— 138th Street and Willis Avenue 
 
 SCHOOL— Union Avenue and 149th Street 
 
 SCHOOL— Fox and 167th Streets 
 
 Telephone Call, 505 Hanem. 
 
Telethons Call, ; Mklkc i 
 
 C. Rieger's Sons, 
 
 Design en and M;ikcrs of 
 
 Office, Bank and Bar Fixtures 
 
 Designs and Estimates Furnished. 
 
 Office unci Factory, 702 and 704 B. 148th St. 
 near Third Avenue, New York. 
 
 STEPHEN J. EGAN, 
 
 BUILDER, 
 Crimmins Ave. and 141st St. 
 
 lias contributed largely to the growth of 
 the North Side, his specialty being g-etory 
 flats, of which he has built about thirty in 
 the vicinity of Willis and St. Ann's Avenues 
 and 138th St. The buildings which Mr. 
 Egan erects contain every improvement. 
 The very latest plumbing improvements 
 are always included. 
 
 DEALER IN gm, 
 DIAMONDS liP 
 
 A. WEI NER 
 
 J-1WELER 
 
 2693 Third Ave. 
 
 143d St. 
 
 New York. 
 
 JOHN W. RAPP 
 
 COMPLETE SYSTEM FIRE PROOF 
 CONSTRUCTION 
 
 Patent Fire Proof Arches, Steel 
 Stud Wire Lath Partition, Metal 
 Covered Doors and Shutters 
 
 OFFICE AND WORKS: 
 
 311 to 327 East 94th St., N. Y. City 
 
 TEL., 285-7gth St. 
 
 OFFICE OF 
 
 The 
 
 Northern 
 Gaslight 
 Compay 
 
 m 
 
 si 
 
 NKW YORK CITY 
 
 1845 Vandhrbilt Aye. 
 
 Near 176 Street. 
 
 Paul G. Decker 
 
 Sanitary Plumber and Gas Fitter 
 
 STEAM AND HOT WATER HEATING 
 
 3204 Third Avenue, near 161st Street 
 NEW YORK 
 
 Residence, 875 Cauldwell Ave. 
 
 TELEPHONE, 49 MELROSE 
 
 JOHN DeHART 
 
 ARCHITECT 
 
 Real Estate, Insurance, Loans, 
 Etc. 
 
 1637 FOX STREET, near Westchester Ave. 
 NEW YORK 
 
 Telephone Call, 37 Melrose 
 
APPRAISEMENTS IN STREET OPENING PROCEEDINGS A SPECIALTY. 
 
 LOANS, 
 
 INVESTMENTS 
 
 ESTATES 
 MANAGED. 
 
 (Bronx Borough Hall.) 
 
 Charles M. Kaeppel, 
 
 Bronx Borough Real Estate Dealer and Appraiser, 
 
 THIRD AVENUE AND 161st STREET. 
 
 William j£. filbert 
 
 BUILDER 
 
 2281 Third Ave. 
 
 New York 
 
 Telephone, 20 Harlem 
 
 Established 1883 
 
 MATTHEW ANDERSON 
 
 Notary Public 
 
 Real Estate & Insurance Broker 
 
 AND APPRAISER 
 
 Member North Side Board of T rade 
 
 No. 2632 Third Ave. 
 
 Below 142a St. 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 TELEPHOXE. /,"o MELROSE 
 
 Entire Charge taken of Houses, Rents Collected, 
 Loans Effected, etc. 
 
 23d and 24th Wards Real 
 Estate 
 
 W. C. RULE 
 
 APPRAISER 
 
 1006 Westchester Avenue, 
 
 AND 
 
 3d Avenue and 149th Street 
 
 Established 1874 
 
 JOHN J. FOX 
 
 720 TREMONT AVENUE 
 NEW YORK 
 
 Established 1874 
 
 TREMONT STABLES 
 
 Coaches furnished for Funerals, Weddings, 
 Receptions, &c. 
 
 1888-1890 WASHINGTON AVENUE 
 
 Tel. Call, Xo. 8 Tremont 
 
MARTIN LIPP5 
 
 CONTRACTOR. 
 
 Office, 2558 Third Ave. Yards, 897-901 E. 149th Street. 
 
 WATER AND CAS SYSTEMS A SPECIALTY. 
 
 Refers by permission to 
 
 G. W. Birdsall, Chief Engineer Croton Aqueduct. 
 W. R. Hill. Chief Engineer Syracuse Water Works. 
 RoBEK-r F. Cairns, City Engineer, Waterbury, Conn. 
 Frank H. Davis, Superintendent New Rochelle Water Co. 
 W. R. Beal, President Central Union Gas Co. 
 JNO. S. Bush, President Northern Gas Light Co. 
 
 Have as good if not the best plant for Heavy Pipe Laying 
 in the United States. 
 
 10 
 
Established 1854 
 
 A. Hupfel's Sons, 
 
 REWERS 
 
 1 6 1st STREET 
 
 AND THIRD AVENUE 
 
 C 
 
 New York 
 
FRED M( CARTHY, 
 
 Builder . . . 
 
 and Real Estate Broker, 
 
 1044 E. 156th St. 
 
 Residi 
 
 IOIQ E. 1 62(1 St. 
 
 J ROMAINE BROWN & CO. 
 
 BROKERS— APPRAISERS, 
 
 TO ARCHITECTS 
 AND BUILDERS. 
 
 A Long-felt Want now Supplied 
 
 Holies patent revolving window sash, perfect in 
 every way, can be turned inside-out and outside-irr 
 with perfect ease, whereby your windows can be 
 cleaned on both sides and stand in the room. No 
 more reaching out, no more danger to life or limb. 
 I he cost is trilling ( on |iar« d t 1 the < omfort and se- 
 curity. Air-tight in winter and thorough ventilation 
 in summer. Warranted absolutely safe. No dwell- 
 ing or office should be without them. 
 
 Full particulars obtained from 
 
 J. J. BRIERLY 
 
 1760 Broadway New York City 
 
 Edwin Shuttleworth, 
 
 STONE WORKS. 
 
 MANAGERS OF ESTATES. ^ Stoo*Workii« Machinery. 
 
 59 West 33d St., cor. Broadway. 
 245 Columbus Ave., (j2d St.), 
 
 J. ROMAINE BROWN A. I\ W. RINNAN 
 
 Contractor for all kinds of Free Stone and Lime 
 Stone. 
 
 Estimates promptly furnished. 
 
 105th STREET & EAST RIVER. 
 
 Telephone, 67o-79th St. New York. 
 
 J. Leitner. 
 
 LYONS & CHABOT, 
 
 Real Estate. 
 
 Houses and Lots 
 
 For Sale and Exchange. 
 
 Money to Loan 
 
 On Bond and Mortgage. 
 
 156th St. and Westchester 
 Avenue. 
 
 Goods Department 
 Store. 
 
 Third Avenue and 150th Street, 
 New York. 
 
 Housefurnishing Goods, Shoes, Furniture, 
 Bedding, Etc. 
 
 W. C. DICKERSON, 
 
 Architect. 
 
 The Suburban Building, 
 
 3d Ave. and 149th Street. 
 
 Opposite 
 Elevated R. R. Depot. 
 
 New York. 
 
The Port Morris Land & Improvement Co. 
 
 OFFERS FOR SALE 
 
 EAST RIVER WATER FRONTS 
 
 WITH OR WITHOUT BULKHEADS. 
 
 Sites for Factories, Lumber, Stone and Coal Yards. 
 
 FRONTING UPON NEW HAVEN BRANCH RAILROAD AND UPON 
 STREETS SEWERED, GRADED AND FLAGGED. 
 TWO TROLLEY LINES RUN THROUGH PROPERTY. 
 
 APPLY, 
 
 59 Liberty Street, NEW YORK. 
 
 <$><$><$><$><«>^<$><5><J><$><$><5><$><^ 
 
 <S> t j. 7 7 j. ❖ 
 
 <$> 
 
 I In the General Contracting % 
 and Building Line 
 
 <•> 
 
 <♦> 
 
 <$> 
 
 ❖ 
 
 «> No man is. perhaps, better known up-town than J> 
 
 Mr. Isaac A. Hopper, whose office is at 219 W. 125th St. % 
 
 % Mr. Hopper's work is to be found all over New York City. ^ 
 
 // is not confined to any particular class of work, and some ❖ 
 
 4 of the handsomest and best constructed buildings in the % 
 
 % Metropolis stand as monuments to his constructive genius. ^ 
 
 J The Hotel Norm an die, Emigrant Savings Bank, yd and ^ 
 
 lot/i Avenue Power Houses, Monte /lore Home, 8th Regi- % 
 
 I ment Armory, store of H. C. F. Koch & Co., Lodge, Wall | 
 
 ^ and Vault, Trinity Cemetery, Carnegie Music Hall. New j> 
 
 Netherland Hotel, St. Michael's <P. E. Church, Hotel Marie I 
 
 % Antoinette, Spingler Building, and numerous commercial % 
 
 I and residence buildings throughout the city testify to his | 
 
 4 experience and ability. 4 
 
 One of Mr. Hopper's latest achievements is the new 3d Avenue Bridge across the Harlem ^ 
 
 ^ River, the main artery of travel between the Boroughs of Manhattan and of the Bronx. ^ 
 
 13 
 
Fredenburg & Lounsbury, 
 
 SOLE AGENTS FOR 
 
 HYDRAULIC-PRESS BRICK COMPANIES. 
 
 Front and Ornamental Bricks. 
 
 Telephone, 903 Metropolitan Building, \ /'ir \- )/»/' 
 
 . i 9 -i8th St. 23d st . & Madison Ave . • W; ' ' YUKK. 
 
 ROBERT F. SEIFFERT, 
 
 PLUMBER AND GAS FITTER, 
 
 Melrose Avenue, 
 
 S. W. Cor 158th Street, NEW YORK. 
 
 Fine Plumbing a Specialty. Personal attention given to all work. 
 
 . . E. M. PRITCHARD. 
 
 E. M. PRITCHARD & SON CO. 
 
 Manufacturers of 
 
 Window Frames, Sash, Doors and Blinds, 
 
 WOOD MOULDINGS AND INTERIOR TRIMMINGS, HARDWOOD DOORS, 
 MANTELS, CHURCH WORK, ETC. 
 
 E. M. P pitch and' s Patent Fire Proof Doors and Shutters. 
 
 Patented Jan. 23d, 1894. 
 
 Estimates Furnished. 
 138th Street and Mott Avenue, New York. 
 
 Opposite Mott Haven Station. Telephone 277 Harlem. 
 
 14 
 
AND 
 
 GAS ENGINE AND POWER CO. 
 CHAS. L. SEABURY & CO 
 
 (CONSOLIDATED). 
 
 High=class Steam Yachts 
 
 Builders of ]V J t J t t 
 
 the only [Naphtha Launch. 
 
 Over 2,500 in successful use. 
 Operated without services of Licensed Engineer and Pilot. 
 
 No pleasure craft is more widely or favorably known than the Naphtha l aunches made by this 
 company. They are safe, simple, and economical of power. Also Builders of 
 
 Pleasure Boats of every description. 
 
 Sail Yachts, Electric Launches, Dinghys, Gigs and Yacht Tenders, 
 Seabury's Water-Tube Boilers, and Marine Engines. 
 
 Storage Basin and Ship's Ways. Overhauling of all kinds promptly done. Charters and 
 Insurance. Boats Bought and Sold on Commission. Correspondence Solicited. 
 
 Send 10c. in stamps for Catalogue to Down-town Office, 50 BROADWAY, 
 or to Factory at MORRIS HEIGHTS, NEW YORK CITY. 
 
 15 
 
Crawford Building Co. 
 
 1 19 West 127th Street 
 
 Some of the buildings erected by this 
 Company are illustrated in 
 this publication. 
 
 PITTSBURGH, PA. : 
 THE UNITED STATES FIRE CLAY CO.. 
 THE OHIO SEWER PIPE CO. 
 
 ( Jersey City Yard, 407 A Jersey City. 
 
 CHAS. H. COLMAN & CO. 
 
 OFFICES : 
 BEDFORD PARK, N. Y. 
 AND NO. 207 BROADWAY, N. Y., COR. FULTON STREET. 
 
 OHIO FIRE CLAY PRODUCTS" 
 
 Vitrified Salt Glazed Sewer Pipe, Vitrified Fire Clay Wall Coping, 
 Fire Clay Flue Lining, Fire Clay Fire Brick, Chimney Tops, Fire Clay 
 Paving Bricks. 
 
 ARTIFICIAL STONE- 
 
 For Side-Walks, Areas, Yards, Cellars, &c. Concrete Fire-Proof 
 Floors. Concrete Work of Every Description. 
 
 Estimates Made. 
 
 16 
 
 Contractors Supplied. 
 
(jJoMpitcjmc (jSaicrate fltatisatlatttiqnc 
 
 (French Line Mail Steamships.) 
 
 STEAMSHIP " EA TOUKAI NE.* 
 
 THE COMPAGNIE GENERATE TRANSATL ANTIQUE, (French Line of 
 Steamers), the direct line to France, and the shortest route to all principal points 
 on the continent of Europe, is one of the greatest shipping Companies in the 
 world. The fleet includes no less than 75 steamers, with a total tonnage of 
 181,278, and a total horse-power of 185,690. Last year this Company carried 306,975 
 passengers, 871,436 tons of freight, and 12,701,706 packages of merchandise, covering in 
 transit 2,500,000 miles. A good many of the boats included in the fleet are used in the 
 Company's Mediterranean and West India mail services, but the largest and newest con- 
 stitute the splendid mail line, under postal contract with the French Government, plying 
 between New York and Havre, and leaving those ports every Saturday. The Atlantic 
 fleet includes the splendid new express Steamers "La Touraine" (10,000 tons, 12,000 
 h.-p.), " La Bourgogne," " La Bretagne," " La Champagne" and " La Gascogne," each 
 8,000 tons and 9,000 h.-p., " La Normandie" (7,000 tons, 8,000 h.-p.), and others. 
 These steamers are magnificently fitted up in every respect, and are unsurpassed as re- 
 gards speed and comfort combined. " La Touraine," which is one of the finest boats 
 crossing the Atlantic, holds the record for the fastest trip from New York to the Conti- 
 nent of Europe direct, viz : 6 days, 22 hours, and the fastest trip from the Continent di- 
 rect to New York, viz : 6 days, 17 hours. American travellers going by this line avoid 
 transit by English railroads, and the trouble of crossing the Channel, thus saving time 
 and expense. 
 
 This Company will build three new steamers for the New York-Havre service having 
 a speed of 22 knots per hour on trial. The first of these new steamers will enter into 
 service in April, 1900, and be ready for the Exposition to be held in Paris during that 
 year, and a second in April, 1901, and the third in April, 1902, to be followed by a fourth 
 new steamer. In order to facilitate travelling by this line during the Exposition in Paris, 
 the Company intends to make such alterations in the Steamer "La Touraine" as will 
 give her more speed. In this way the Company's service in 1900 will be in a very good 
 condition, with one of the new steamers in service, and the alterations made in " La 
 Touraine," in addition to the other steamers of the fleet. 
 
 Mr. Augustin Forget is the General Agent for the United States and 
 Canada, Office No. 3 Bowling Green, New York City. 
 
 '7 
 
Bronx Borough Bank 
 
 (Formerly Bank of Westchester) 
 
 731 Tremont Avenue, New York 
 
 Surplus and Profits (Sept. 1897i, $13,000 
 
 A safe; and convenient depository for up-town residents 
 and business men. 
 
 All business entrusted to us will be handled with strict 
 fidelity and the interest of our patrons carefully 
 guarded. 
 
 We offer most liberal terms consiste nt with the principles 
 of sound banking. 
 
 DEPOSITS 
 
 Nov. 7th, 1896 ... $ 96,499.26 
 
 Feb. 6th, 1897 . . . 161,186.59 
 
 May 8th, 1897 . . 193,129.86 
 
 Sept. 9th, 1897 . . . 213,505.69 
 
 DIRECTORS 
 
 W. H. Birciiall, President 
 
 S. R. Smith, Vice-President 
 
 M. J. McDermott William Henderson 
 
 C. A. Becker, M.D. M. M. Corwin, Cashier 
 
 is 
 
Homes mmomtm®® 
 
 156th St. and Dawson St. a£ 
 
 Three Blocks East of Westchester Avenue 
 
 People ^mm&mm 
 
 A personal examination will satisfy yon that 
 we can sell yon a first-class Modern Dwelling 
 at least one thousand dollars lower than you 
 can build the same house for. 
 
 Sixteen Brick and Stone Dwellings just completed are partially de- 
 scribed as follows : 
 
 1. Arranged for either t wo families or one. 
 
 2. Each lot is 25 x 100. 
 
 3. Each Dawson Street house is 20 x 56, two stories and cellar. 
 
 Each 156th Street house is 20x50, two stories, basement and cellar. 
 Dawson Street houses contain thirteen rooms; 156th Street houses 
 fifteen rooms ; two corner houses eighteen rooms each. 
 
 4. Every house has a courtyard ten feet wide between it and the next 
 
 house on one side running from front line of building to rear, open 
 at both ends, insuring perfect light and air. 
 
 5. The houses are all finished in hardwood cabinet trim throughout, 
 
 decorated and gas fixtured, plumbing open nickel-plated. 
 
 6. The Streets, Sewers, etc., are put in at owner's expense, 
 
 for which there are positively no assessments. 
 
 7. The prices are very low and the terms very easy ; a purchaser can 
 
 rent the upper apartment to such advantage that his own rent will 
 be less than $100 per annum. 
 
 8. Owning a plot of about 1,200 lots we have fully protected the prop- 
 
 erty against nuisances, and as we intend to improve the entire 
 property with similar dwellings, each purchaser at present prices 
 is certain to be greatly benefitted. 
 
 9. We will build a house to order from your own plans and ideas. 
 
 GEORGE F. JOHNSON & SONS, 
 
 Owners and Builders, 
 156th Street and Dawson Street 
 
 Can be reached by Southern Boulevard and Westchester Avenue cars 
 from Harlem Bridge. 
 
 h 
 
 for the 
 
Otis K. Dimock, 'Tit s. 
 
 Maktin D. Fink, Trias. 
 
 A. L. Perkins, Secy. 
 
 Dimock & Fink Co. 
 
 WROUGHT AND CAST IRON PIPES AND FITTINGS, 
 
 SUPPLIES FOR PLUMBERS, 
 STEAM AND GAS FITTERS, ENGINEERS, MILLS, FACTORIES, ETC. 
 
 Sole Manufacturers of C. H. Moore's Sanitary Specialties. 
 
 UP-TOWN STORE 
 
 214 and 216 East 125th Street, 
 
 Near Third Avenue. 
 
 DOWN-TOWN STOKE : 
 
 80 JOHN STREET. 
 
 NEW YORK, 
 
 There are 
 Always a few Men 
 
 <3> 
 
 ^ In every community who have the 
 
 <S> wisdom and foresight to do, while 
 
 y others are thinking of doing. These 
 
 ^ are the men who have made possi- 
 
 |> ble the wonderful development of 
 
 <$> the North Side. One of the ent-T- 
 
 ^ prising builders who have contrib- 
 
 ^ uted to the growth of the lower 
 
 ^ section, or North New York, is 
 
 ^ Mr. Edward D. Bertine, of No. 
 
 <$> 670 East 136th Street, who has 
 
 ^ built some of the handsomest pri- 
 
 <$> vate residences North of the Har- 
 
 ^ lem, artistic in design and substan- 
 
 ^ tial in construction. Purchasers for 
 
 ^ this class of property would do well 
 
 ^ to consult Mr. Bertine. Mr. Ber- 
 
 <$> tine has for sale a number of first- 
 
 ^ class houses, built for one, two and 
 
 <» three families each. 
 
 Thomas 
 Morgan 
 
 Dumb # 
 Waiter %> 
 Man ufac-% 
 
 turer 
 
 20 
 
 Estimates given 
 on all kinds of 
 Elevators, % % 
 Repairing% % 
 Promptly At-% 
 tended to. Q fpj 
 OFFICE, 
 
 493 E. 139th St. 
 
 Residence and Factory, 
 
 1428 Vyse Av. 
 
ESTABLISHED 1828. 
 
 THE- 
 
 J. L. Mo tt Iron Works 
 
 Nos. 84 to go Beekman Street , 
 
 NEW YORK. 
 
 BRANCHES: 
 
 BOSTON, CHICAGO, 
 PHILADELPHIA, ST. LOUIS, 
 SAX FR AX CI SCO. 
 
 Manufacturing Departments 
 
 MOTT HA VEX, X. Y. 
 TREXTOX, X. J. 
 
 Established 1835. 
 
 WOOMJUW 
 
 A. & M. ROBBINS, 
 
 DEALERS IN 
 
 POULTRY 
 aw GAME, 
 
 93 to 108 Fulton Country Market 
 and 217 Front Street, 
 NEW YORK. 
 
 P. 0. Box, 6 74 . Te '^ ortland , 
 
 WOODLAWN STATION 
 
 (TWENTY-FOURTH WARD) 
 
 N. Y. & HARLEM RAILROAD 
 
 CITY OFFICE 
 
 20 East 23d Street 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 2 1 
 
Warren=Scharf 
 Asphalt Paving Co. 
 
 Contractors for Trinidad Pitch Lake 
 Asphalt Pavements 
 
 The experience of twenty years has proved that Trinidad Pitch Lake Asphalt 
 Pavement approaches the ideal street pavement more nearly than any 
 other pavement yet laid. The following are its advantages 
 
 DURABILITY AND ECONOMY. The price for laying and 
 maintaining it for a period of years is less than that of any 
 other permanent pavement, granite not excepted. 
 
 QUIETNESS. It is practically a noiseless pavement. 
 
 COMFORT. No other pavement contributes so greatly to the 
 comfort of those using it or living along it. 
 
 CLEANLINESS. In this respect it stands without a rival. 
 
 HEALTHFULNESS. It is acknowledged to be the most 
 perfect sanitary pavement. 
 
 EASE OF TRACTION. Heavier loads can be hauled over it 
 with greater ease than over any other pavement. 
 
 IT ENHANCES VALUES. The actual and rental value of 
 real estate is increased by it more than by any other pave- 
 ment. 
 
 See view of Willis Ave. This avenue was paved by us in 1895. 
 For further information and specifications apply to 
 
 81 Fulton Street, New York. 
 
 22 
 
Hamilton B. Tompkins, President. 
 
 Established 1873. 
 
 William C. Morton, Secretary. 
 
 THE 
 
 F AC-SIMILE OF BAKREL AND LAKEL. 
 
 11 Brooklyn Bridge 
 Brand" 5 
 
 Specified and being used on New Astor Hotel 
 and Waldorf Hotel Extension, Brooklyn Institute 
 of Arts and Science, Washington Bridge, Columbia 
 College, New Buildings, Bowling Green Office 
 Building, New York University Buildings, Central 
 Gas Light Co. Plant. And largely used by the 
 United States Government at Fort Monroe, Va.; 
 Fort Washington, Md.; Fort Preble, Portland, Me.; 
 Fort Morgan, Mobile, Ala.; Fort Wadsworth, and 
 at Plattsburgh, New York. 
 
 CEMENT. 
 
 « ^ CO 
 
 * 9 £ 
 £ < a 
 
 Specified and Used by the Leading Architects, 
 Engineers and Builders. This cement is absolutely 
 hydraulic, dark, finely ground, uniform ; stands the 
 highest tests, and will take more sand than any 
 Rosendale Hydraulic Cement. Especially adapted 
 for heavy masonry and concrete work. Net weight, 
 300 lbs. per barrel. Call for and insist on this 
 Brand being delivered. The best is the cheapest. 
 N. B. — For Sale by all Masons' 
 Material Dealers. 
 
 TRADE 
 
 RARITAN 
 
 FRONT BRICK. 
 HEARTH TILE. 
 FIRE PROOFING. 
 
 MANUFACTURED BY 
 
 MARK. 
 
 RARITAN HOLLOW AND POROUS BRICK CO. 
 
 Henry M. Keasbey, Vice-Prest. Office j 874 Broadway^ Rowland P. Keasbey, Sec. and Treas^ 
 
 As a means 
 
 Of ascertaining whether the issuance of such a publication 
 as this is productive of PRACTICAL RESULTS TO 
 THE COMMUNITY the NORTH SIDE BOARD 
 OF TRADE would esteem it a favor if anybody who 
 has been influenced by it to move into this borough, or 
 to purchase property here, or to establish a manufactur- 
 ing or other business enterprise here, will communicate 
 that fact to the Committee on Literature and Publication. 
 
 Albert E. Davis, Chairman, 
 
 278 Alexander Ave. 
 
 23 
 
The Union ( 
 Railway** 
 
 The Only 
 North Side 
 Surface Line 
 
 NEofthc most important, if, indeed, not 
 
 city is the railway. It is absolutely necessary 
 for the health}' growth of a community that it 
 should be provided with safe, speedy, and com- 
 fortable means of inter-communication between 
 its different sections, and especially betw een its 
 residence and business sections — between its 
 urban and suburban districts. For there is an 
 innate desire in the city man to live at a distance 
 from his work. Perhaps no section of our city 
 was worse off for surface railway transit facilities 
 than was the North Side prior to the advent of 
 the Union Railway, the old Harlem Bridge, 
 Morrisania and Fordham, horse-car line having 
 too much to contend against in the shape of un- 
 settled grade lines, etc. 
 
 pre-eminently the most important, of 
 all factors in the development of a 
 
 24 
 
<I> <CI> <d> <T> <I> <0 <I> <S> <I> <I> <I> <S> <SJ <D> <2> <I> <0 <I> <T> <I> <S> <I> <I> <I> <£3 <> 
 
 The officers of the Union Railway have shown W 
 
 themselves to be alive to the necessities and S 
 
 possibilities of the North Side, and there are <A> 
 
 now no less than eight different lines operated & 
 
 by this Company, starting from 3d Avenue and Jffi 
 
 129th Street, and 8th Avenue and 135th Street « 
 
 and extending east, northeast, north, and north- j|| 
 
 west. A line on Jerome Avenue is the latest <■¥ 
 
 addition, and a cross-town line from Morris || 
 
 Heights on the Harlem through Burnside and jKt 
 
 Tremont Avenues to West Farms on the Bronx S. 
 is likely to be in operation early next year. In 
 
 fact the Company is ever ready to extend its ?| J > 
 
 lines or open up new ones as fast as the growth § 
 
 of the district will warrant. Its cars are operated ||* 
 
 by the overhead trolley electric svstem from f| 
 
 a well-equipped power-house at West Farms, *jp 
 
 The cars are new and attractive. In summer || 
 
 they can be chartered for evening parties, bril- "'$1 
 liantly illuminated with colored lights. To show 
 the wonderful growth of passenger traffic on 
 
 North Side surface lines it might be stated that *k 
 
 in 1873 the H. B. M. & F. R. R. carried less ; ;| 
 
 than a million and a quarter, while for the year S 
 
 ending June 30, 1897, the Union Railway car- # 
 
 ried over ten million passengers. || 
 
 <Z> ■<!> <0 <2> <S> <G>- <D> <0 <D> <0 <0 <I> <C> <D <D> <£><0 <0 <S> <1> <0 <£> <0 <L> <S 
 
 <fV> 
 
sfti 
 w 
 
 I The Third Avenue 
 Railroad Co. 
 
 aft 
 aft 
 aft 
 
 aft 
 aft 
 aft 
 aft 
 aft 
 aft 
 aft 
 
 at 
 aft 
 aft 
 aft 
 aft 
 aft 
 aft 
 aft 
 aft 
 
 I 
 
 S the main surface line of the 
 Borough of Manhattan to which 
 the North Side or Borough of the 
 Bronx is tributary. It is one of the 
 oldest surface lines in the city, its 
 charter dating from 1853. It operates 
 twenty-eight miles of track on the 
 cable system, its main line starting 
 at City Hall and running up the 
 Bowery and Third Avenue to Harlem 
 Bridge. It also has branches running 
 through 125th Street, Harlem's great 
 
 26 
 
The Third Avenue 
 Railroad Co. 
 
 business thoroughfare, from the East 
 River to Manhattan Street to the Fort 
 Lee Ferry on the Hudson River, 
 just North of Riverside Park and 
 Grant's Tomb ; and up Amsterdam 
 Avenue to Fort George, a favorite 
 summer resort at the upper end of 
 Manhattan Island. A projected branch 
 will run up the Kingsbridge Road to 
 the end of the Island, in anticipation 
 of which an immense station has been 
 erected at or near Kingsbridge. 
 
 « 
 
 8?S 
 
Hon. WILLIAM H. SCIIOT1 
 
 The subject of this sketch was horn in this city in isf>l, 
 and, having graduated from the public school, subsequently 
 obtained employment in the Havre Steamship Company. He 
 rose step by step, filling each successive position with ability, 
 and when the company changed administration and was merged 
 into the French Line Steamship Company, he was the only 
 employee retained from the stall' of the old company. In L885 
 he w as appoint- 
 senger agent, 
 that position, 
 property owner 
 Ward, and has 
 
 mont for the 
 years. During 
 been actively 
 all public un- 
 represented the 
 the joint corn- 
 Tax Payers' As- 
 23d and 24th 
 prepared t lie 
 or Peoples' hill 
 every way, here 
 in securing its 
 
 .1 
 
 ed general pas- 
 and is still filling 
 lie is a large 
 in the LM t h 
 reside* 1 in Tre- 
 past eighteen 
 that t ime he has 
 identified with 
 provements. 1 [e 
 24th Ward in 
 mittee of the 
 sociation of the 
 Wards, which 
 ( ommissioner 
 and aided in 
 and at Albany, 
 
 Mr. Schott represented the 24th Ward as Alderman in 1892, 
 '93 and '94. lie is a memher of the Produce Exchange, Mari- 
 time Exchange, Old Guard, and such well known associations 
 as the Schnorer Club, Washington Club, Bedford Park Club, 
 Kidney Stew Club of Fordham, Tremont Club, Railroad and 
 Steamship Ass^i of X. Y., also member of Tammany Hall 
 General Committee of 35th Assembly District, Ranaque Tribe 
 of Red Men No. 346, Tremont Taxpayers 1 Alliance Association, 
 32° F. and A. M., and Mecca Temple of Mystic Shrine. 
 
 28 
 
TRADE MARK 
 
 In=door and Out=door Photography 
 In Every Size and Style 
 
 HEHBER NORTH SIDE BOARD OF TRADE 
 
 THE LARGEST 
 Musical Instruments Factory in the East 
 
 . . IS THAT OF . . 
 
 The Ricca Manufacturing Co. 
 
 . . . WHO MANUFACTURE . . . 
 
 Ricca Mandolins ^ Guitars 
 
 .... AT ... . 
 
 886 and 888 East 134th Street, N. Y. 
 
David Mayer 
 Brewing Company 
 
 BREWERS AND BOTTLERS OF 
 
 ALES 
 
 . . AND . . 
 
 LAGER BEER 
 
 BREWERY : 
 i68th=i69th Streets, Third and Fulton Avenues 
 
 ISTEW YOltlv 
 
 Three Awards, World's Fair, 1893 
 
 30 
 
 Gold Medal, Atlanta Fair, 1896 
 
$i,ooo Reward!] 
 
 In our advocacy of the JPure Beer bills ♦ 
 
 before the Legislatures of the States of % 
 
 New York and Connecticut tee claimed ♦ 
 
 to use in the manufacture of our beer J 
 
 Hops, Barley=Malt, | 
 Yeast and Water only, ^ ♦ 
 
 We will pay $1,000 to 
 any person proving 
 the contrary. 
 
 ♦ 
 ♦ 
 
 A MOST UNUSUAL OFFER IN X 
 ♦ 
 
 THESE DAYS OF SUBSTITU= J 
 
 TION AND ADULTERATION. 
 
 >•»*<:« 
 
 ^©16 3fasbione6 : 
 
 LACE R BEER ♦ 
 
 ♦ 
 
 IS ABSOLUTELY PURE ♦ 
 
 ♦ 
 
 t HENRY ZELTNER BREW. CO. | 
 
 ♦ 
 
 170th STREET AND THIRD AVENUE ♦ 
 NEW YORK CITY ♦ 
 
A. P. DlENST & CO. 
 
 N. R. Cor. Third Ave. and 140th St. 
 
 ENGINEERS, CONTRACTORS AND FACTORY 
 SUPPLIES OF EVERY DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Hardware and Tools of all Kinds. 
 
 The only house of its kind in upper New York City. Note our address. In case 
 of a break down or other emergency, it may be of service to you. as you will find almost 
 anything required for tepairs in stock 
 
 Contractors for Complete Power and Heating Plants. 
 
 TELEPHONE NO. 439 HARLEM. 
 
 Have you 
 
 $500 7 1 1 1 
 
 To Spare ♦ 
 
 Invest it in 23d or 24th Ward Real Es- 
 tate where it is increasing in value. 
 
 J. Clarence Davies & Co. 
 
 140th St. and Third Avenue. 
 
 Telephone 62 Melrose. 
 
 Henry C. Schrader, 
 Oyster and Chop House. 
 
 WINES AND LIQUORS 
 WHOLESALE AND RETAIL. 
 
 2687 Third Ave. Corner 143d Street. 
 
 NEW YORK. 
 
 Telephone Call, 717 Harlem. . . . 
 
 E. H. LYONS CO. 
 
 REAL ESTATE. 
 
 2778 Third Avenue, near 147th Street. 
 
 Branch Cor. Southern Boulevard and 
 Freeman Street. 
 
 23d and 24th Ward 
 Property a Specialty. 
 
 Write for List of Properties for Sale. 
 
 TELEPHONE 
 115 Melrose. 
 
 NEW YORK. 
 
 Peter Duffy, Pres. 
 M. A. Duffy. Treas. 
 T. HARTY. Sec'y. 
 
 ESTABLISHED 1880. 
 INCORPORATED 1885. 
 
 <$><$> 
 
 THE 
 
 Schubert Piano Co. 
 
 Manufacturers of 
 
 UPRIGHT PIANOS. 
 
 Office and Factory : 535, 537, 539 and 541 
 East 134th Street. 
 
 WAREROOMS : Vour V r\r\r 
 
 Broadway, bet. 39th and 40th Sts. 1> C W 1 OIK.