A history of Long Island, from its earliest settlement to the present time, Part 64

Author: Ross, Peter. cn
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: New York ; Chicago : The Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1188

USA > New York > A history of Long Island, from its earliest settlement to the present time > Part 64

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

So the agitation for a new charter was kept up with unflagging interest, and, at last, by an act which passed all the usual legislative perils, the struggle was won and Brooklyn became a city on April 10, 1834. The charter was a most comprehensive document and brought together again under one government the scattered sections of the old town of Brooklyn. It divided the city into nine wards. The first included the famous Ferry dis- trict, which had created the modern Brook- lyn and had been the legal village for some eighteen years; the second embraced what had been Olympia and to it was also given the New (Catharine) Ferry; the third was the old Breukelen ; the fourth was another part of the village territory; the fifth lay around the Wallabout; the sixth extended to Red Hook; the seventh contained Cripplebush and Bedford; the eighth reached to Gowanus; while the ninth carried the line of the city out to the territory which belonged to Flatbush. It was a comprehensive scheme, compact and well thought out. So far as could be seen it fully met all passing needs and promised plenty of scope for the future, and in its pos-

407

THE VILLAGE OF BROOKLYN.

session Brooklyn rejoiced except for the grip which New York still managed to retain on her ferry system and its feudal hold upon the river which washed with equal impartiality the shores of Long Island and of Manhattan.

The ferry interests had yearly been as- suming greater proportions. When we last referred to their history they formed quite a respectable item in the resources of the old city of New York and they had been steadily growing. For some years the Old Ferry and the New had shared the business, but the yel- low fever epidemic of 1809 having its seat near the Brooklyn t.rmini of these two water routes, a change was made and a ferry established between Joralemon street, Brooklyn, to White- hall street, New York. This inconvenient ar- rangement was abandoned as soon as public confidence was restored and we hear of no more ferry changes until 1817, when a boat was run between Little street, Brooklyn, and Wal- nut (now Jackson) street, New York. This was never a popular route and was abandoned about 1850.

Prior to 1814 the means of transit across the river were sail or row boats, the journey was long and the wind and tide and ice and snow played sad havoc very frequently with the time and tempers of the travelers. Then even in the best of times, the trip was too often uncomfortable, for the passengers were mixed up with cattle, sheep, garden and farm produce and all and sundry sorts of baggage. The ferrymen generally tried to wait for a full load before starting and that meant time wast- ed at the ferry house, which, however profit- able it might be to the tavern near by, was not conducive to the equanimity of the way- farer. Then when the weather was rough or "thick" it was impossible to say when or where the voyage might end. Perhaps the current would force the boat up to Hellgate and run it ashore on Astoria, or it might be forced into a contrary direction and give one a close look at Governor's Island or effect a landing finally at Red Hook instead of Man-

hattan Island. Upsets were of frequent oc- currence. Sometimes a horse took it into his head to suddenly change his position and so caused the loaded boat to keel over; some- times a number of sheep played the game of "follow your leader" into the river and the effort to stop them brought about disaster. Drunken boatmen were often the cause of serious accidents, and if we can credit the newspaper reports and current gossip a boat- man who was not rude and unmannerly was unknown. We are, however, inclined to dis- believe in another piece of current gossip, which had it that whenever a Long Island man made the voyage to New York (apart from dwellers at the Ferry) he invariably made his will, adjusted all his earthly affairs, and set out amid the tears and prayers of his household and friends !

In 1813, after having successfully operated two steam-ferry services between the New York and New Jersey shores, Robert Fulton made the corporation of New York the offer of a similar service between that city and Brooklyn, and on January 24, 1814, the ne- gotiations were settled and a lease signed giv- ing control of the ferry between "Old Ferry, Brooklyn," and Beekman's slip, New York (the previous landing place had been at the Fly Market), for twenty-five years to Robert Ful- ton and William Cutting. They were to pay an annual rental of $4,000 for the first eighteen years of the term, and $4,500 for the re- mainder, and on or before the 24th of May following, they were to place a steamboat on the route to run daily every half hour from sunrise until sunset and in addition were to run the full complement of barges as then was in the service. It was provided that a second steamboat was to be placed on the route by May, 1819. Under the lease the rates of ferriage were to be increased, and when this part of the arrangement became known there was a furious outcry in Brooklyn. A town meeting was held to protest against the in- crease, and New York City was roundly de-

408

HISTORY OF LONG ISLAND.

nounced. A remonstrance to the corporation of the latter produced no effect, an offer on behalf of Brooklyn to lease the ferry on the same terms and run it at the old rates was promptly rejected, and finally an appeal was drawn up and forwarded to the Legislature. . Somehow the document mysteriously failed to reach that august body. In the midst of all the din, Messrs. Fulton and Cutting pushed ahead with their plans, organized "The New York and Brooklyn Steamboat Ferry Association," and on May 10, 1814, the first steam ferry-boat on the East River, the Nassau, commenced opera- tions, making some forty trips during the day. The innovation was regarded on all sides as a complete triumph. Fulton did not long en- joy the success of this experiment, for he was laid to rest in the Livingston vault in Trinity churchyard in 1815, and his partner, Cutting, died in 1821.

It was but a short time before the service proved inadequate and a demand for increased carrying capacity arose. Instead of the ad- ditional steamboat a horse-boat (the machinery propelled by horse power instead of steam) was provided in 1818, when the fare was fixed at four cents a trip for either steam or horse boat, with certain commuting privileges. A horse boat had also been established at the New (Catharine) Ferry, but there, as soon afterward at the Old Ferry, it was found to prove an expensive arrangement, and the in- troduction of steam all round became merely a question of time. Even when the long-looked- for second steamboat was added it did not meet all the requirements, and the establish-

ment, in 1836, of a new service at the South Ferry did little to relieve the business at the foot of Fulton street. Improvements were slow, feeble and paltry, and although it had long been urged, it was not until September 28, 1827, that an all-night service was intro- duced. The great trouble was that the stock- holders were not united under any directing head or animated with any rcal view of accon- modating the public interests, especially the interests of Brooklyn, which were those most concerned in the development of the ferry service. To remedy this, if possible, most of the stock was purchased in 1835 by a com- inittee of Brooklyn capitalists, who intended to run the Fulton and South ferries until the expiration of the current leases on both in 1839, so as to promote the interests of their own city. The committee did their best and accomplished much in the way of im- provement, but lost money by their public spirit. When the time came for the leases to be renewed it was felt that the only way out of the difficulty, and the only way which the interests of Brooklyn would be conserved, was by the formation of a new company of citizens, who should run both ferries on a business basis and at the same time with an eye to the wants and requirements of their own city. The company was formed and a lease signed on May 3, 1839, giving the New York & Brooklyn Ferry Company a lease of the water routes for five years, at an annual rental of $12,000, and.under other financial restrictions and stipulations, which were soon found to be very oppressive.

CHAPTER XXXV.

THE FIRST CITY.

MAYORS HALL, TROTTER, JOHNSON, SMITH, MURPHY, AND OTHERS-DISASTROUS FIRES-BUSINESS EXTENSION-THE GRAND CITY HALL - LITERATURE AND THE PRESS.

HE act constituting the City of Brook- lyn went into effect April 10, 1834, and the elevation of the old town occasioned at first much rejoicing all over its territory, and some of it found ex- pression on April 25 in a grand procession, which wended its way through a number of the principal streets, and the inevitable ora- tion, which was delivered in the First Pres- byterian Church, in Orange street (on the present site of Plymouth Church), by Will- iam Rockwell. There was every reason for pride in the new municipality. It covered an extent of territory nearly twelve miles square, with thirty-five miles of streets, had a popula- tion of 27,854, twenty churches, three busi- ness and one savings banks, two markets, effi- cient fire and police departments and all the accessories of a well governed and progressive city, a clearly defined future, a host of public- spirited citizens and an ambition to press on- ward. Its people loved the city, honored its past and revered its memories. It was of course but as a village yet compared with New York, but then it possessed, what its big neigh- bor did not possess until many years after- ward, a sense of civic pride. Still there were a few pessimistic people, mainly those living in the outlying parts of the old town, and who had escaped the modernizing influences at work all around them. The village of Brook-

lyn, among the other modern improvements, brought as one of its contributions to the new city what seemed to many of the simple coun- try farmers like an unsurmountable load of debt, $22,000, and a lawsuit involving about as much more. The rest of the component parts of the new city had not only steered clear of such an appendage, but had brought to the new partnership some valuable real estate. The city, of course, had to assume the village in- debtedness and it was felt by those pessimist- ically inclined that this was a theme for mourn- ing. The simple-minded Dutch farmers had not become civilized enough to "regard a public debt as a blessing," nor did they appreciate any system of financiering that was not based on hard cash. But they soon had their eyes opened ; their education was not long delayed.

The first election for aldermen was held on May 5, and so far as we can see it was con- ducted strictly on local issues and with an eye to facilitating the business of the new com- munity rather, as is so common nowadays, than with any ulterior views as to the rela- tion of the candidate to state or national pol- itic. The result was the return of the follow- ing :

Ist ward-Gabriel Furman, Conklin Brush. 2d ward-George D. Cunningham, John M. Hicks.

3d ward-James Walters, Joseph Moser.

410

HISTORY OF LONG ISLAND.

4th ward-Jonathan Trotter, Adrian Hege- man.

5th ward-William M. Udall, Benjamin R. Prince.

6th ward-Samuel Smith, William Powers.

7th ward-Clarence D. Sackett, Stephen Haynes.

8th ward-Theodorus Polhemus, John S. Bergen.

9th ward-Robert Wilson, Moses Smith.

It is questionable if Brooklyn in all her history from then until now, ever rejoiced in a really abler or more thoroughly representa- tive body of City Fathers. They were all men of standing in their respective communi- ties, most of them were men of substantial means and wide business interests and all had considerable influence in local affairs. They were animated by a single desire to promote the welfare of the new municipality, and they set about doing it at once and to the best of their ability. We cannot agree with all that this first Board of Aldermen did, but that its members were devoted with rare honesty of purpose and strict fidelity to the prosperity of the young city and of their constituents, is be- yond question.

The first and most emphatic evidence of this occurred on their opening meeting, where they elected George Hall as first Mayor of Brooklyn. No man in Kings county had a more intimate acquaintance with local affairs or more practical experience in their adminis- tration. He had served as a trustee of the old village and was its last President, holding that office when the law which brought the city into being went into effect. Born in New York, September 21, 1795, of Irish parents, he grew up an American among Americans, and in time became one of the local leaders of the old Know-Nothing party, a party whose merits have been forgotten in the modern un- scrupulous rush for "votes." Whatever opin- ions he held he never concealed, and he fol- lowed the line of policy he deemed the best with the utmost zeal, regardless of personal consequences. A thoroughly brave man, as his

work during the cholera epidemic showed, he had the courage of his convictions in all his public doings. He was a stanch advocate of tectotalism and was especially proud of having been the first man in Brooklyn to sign a tem- perance pledge. · So determined was his aver- sion to intoxicating liquor that he refused to swallow a little on his dying bed, even when it was prescribed by his physician. That was a characteristic trait of the man. No one could be more determined than he upon any point after he believed it to be right. Nor was any man more generous. In business life he ac- quired more than a fair measure of success, yet his charities kept him poor. He was al- ways giving, and giving in such a way that no one, not even himself, knew the extent of his bounty. In all local institutions for help- ing the poor, the distressed, or encouraging youth, or promoting the welfare of the people, he was for years a foremost figure. His ad- ministration of the first mayoral term of Brook- lyn was a successful one in every way, and he was a candidate for the office in 1844 and again in 1845, but went down each time with. his ticket. In 1854, when Brooklyn, Williams- burgh and Bushwick were consolidated, he was the successful candidate for the votes of the united territory ,and so became the first Mayor again in another chapter of Brooklyn's history. In 1861 he was the Republican can- didate for the office of Registrar, but was de- feated, and after that took no active part in politics and spent his days quietly at the home which many years before had been presented to him by his fellow citizens, at 37 Livingston Place. There he died April 16, 1868, regretted by the entire community, and the funeral ora- tion was delivered by Henry Ward Beecher, who well knew and thoroughly appreciated the many sterling qualities of him who had served Brooklyn so faithfully and so long. Mr. Beecher on this occasion made one of his most eloquent public utterances, one of those addresses which won for him praise as a cit- izen, apart from his eminence in the pulpit.

411

THE FIRST CITY.

The other Mayors elected during this sec- thirty years, during twenty-one of which he tion of our history were: presided over its deliberations.

Jonathan Trotter 1835-1836

Jeremiah Johnson 1837-1838

Cyrus P. Smith.

1839-184I

Henry C. Murphy 1842

Joseph Sprague. . 1843-1844

Thomas G. Talmadge 1845

Francis B. Stryker 1846-1848

Edward Copeland. 1849

Samuel Smith. 1850

Conklin Brush. 1851-1852

Edward A. Lambert

1853-1854

The Mayors were chosen by the Aldermen until 1840, when a new act of the Legislature cave the people the privilege of electing their local chief executive, and so Mayor Cyrus P. Smith entered upon his second term under really popular auspices. Most of these men were of more than ordinary ability and fully deserved the pre-eminence they received at the hands of their fellow citizens. Only three of them-Johnson, Murphy and Stryker-were natives of Brooklyn. Samuel Smith was a native Long Islander. Trotter was born in England, and the others hailed from various parts of the Union. Trotter was a leather dresser and acquired considerable means, but was "caught" in the financial panic of 1837 and compelled to retire from politics to build up anew his business connections, and so con- tinued until his death, in 1865. Of the long and varied career of Mayor Johnson full de- tails have already been given. Mayor C. P. Smith was essentially a self-made man, and was graduated from Dartmouth College in 1824, after paying his way through its classes with his own earnings. He then studied law and settled in Brooklyn, in 1837, where he quickly built up a splendid practice. From 1835 until he was chosen as Mayor he was the city's Corporation Counsel. The chief feature of his whole career was, however, his devotion to the cause of popular education, and he was connected with the Board of Education for

Joseph Sprague, who was elected Mayor in 1843, was a native of Leicester, Massachu- setts, and he led a rather adventuresome and disappointing business life until, in 1811, he married a member of the Debevoise family and settled at Bedford, Brooklyn. He made considerable money during the war of 1812. From that time he became prominently identi- fied with Brooklyn and was President of the village from 1827 to 1832. He was one of those who secured a charter for the Long Island Bank and was one of the founders of the Long Island Insurance Company. In 1834 he was chosen President of the Long Island Insurance Company and carried that institu- tion safely through the panic of 1837. As Mayor he worked incessantly and honestly for the welfare of Brooklyn, and although at first he encountered strong opposition from those hostile to him in politics his sterling honesty and high administrative qualities slowly but surely overcame all factious opposition, while his action in causing the arrest of several members of the Board of Aldermen for mis- demeanor, based on their neglect of public business, demonstrated to all concerned that though a man of placid, Christian character, he was not to be trifled with. He was, almost from the beginning of his connection with Brooklyn, a worker on behalf of its religious interests, and was one of those who, in 1822, founded the First Presbyterian Church. He was also prominent in Masonic circles and in 1826 was elected Master of Hohenlinden Lodge, No. 56. He was re-elected Mayor in 1844 and may be said to have continued in public life until his death, December 12, 1854.

T. G. Talmadge, who was elected Mayor in 1845, was a native of New Jersey who set- tled in Brooklyn in 1840 and at once, seeming- ly, became prominent in its public life. Al- though successful as a business man, he was a politician clear through, a Democrat "dyed- in-the-wool," as they used to say, and he car-

412

HISTORY OF LONG ISLAND.

ried his political ideas-his party dogmas and cries-into everything he said or did. He took a most active interest in the develop- ment of the Gowanus district, in which he held considerable property and developed an en- lightened public policy as President of the Broadway Railroad Company. He acquired much influence in the national councils of his party, being at one time chairman of its Gen- eral Committee, but he was not called upon to hold any elective position outside of Brook- lyn, and he died there May 4, 1863. At the election for Mayor, in 1846, Talmadge was again a candidate, but was defeated by his Whig opponent, Francis Burdett Stryker.

Stryker was a worthy, but at the same time a curious, product of American political life. When he received the mayoralty nomina- tion he was working as a journeyman car- peuter, but had previously held the elective office of Sheriff, showing that he had built up a strong following among the people. He was re-elected Mayor in 1847, and again in 1848, each time in face of strong opposition; and although his administration of the office could not be called brilliant it was eminently safe, while his practical knowledge of the wants of the people and his devotion to them in many trying times won him hosts of supporters, in- dependent of party. Yet he was a strict party man at all times, and every office he held came to him as a reward for his political zeal and as a result of his political influence.

His successor in the Mayoralty, in 1849, was also a zealous Whig, Edward Copeland. He was a graduate of Columbia College, a scholar, a good business man, and a safe administrative official. For many years he was a member of the Board of Education and it was probably in connection with that body his best work was done. He was succeeded as Mayor by a Democrat, Samuel Smith, who, however, only served from April, 1850, to the close of that year, an amendment to the city charter making subsequent official terms begin with the calendar year. His opponent for the

civic prize was J. S. T. Stranahan, whom ire defeated only by some 300 votes. Stranahan was at that time comparatively a stranger in Brooklyn. Smith belonged to an old Long Island family, and had carried a musket dur- ing the War of 1812 as a member of the Wash- ington Fusiliers. Originally a cooper by trade, Smith had managed to acquire some real es- tate near what is now Fulton street, after- ward added to it by extensive purchases around the present Schermerhorn and Smith streets, and went into farming to hold his property together, and earn his living and pay his taxes while waiting for the rise in value, which he saw was inevitable. When it came he found himself wealthy, and all through his life he continued to be a shrewd but honest dealer in Brooklyn real estate. He was elected Mayor with the view of introducing economy in local affairs, and this he certainly succeeded in ac- complishing, as far as his limited term of service gave him opportunity.

The whirligig of politics at the following election gave him a Whig successor, in Conk- lin Brush, who held the Mayor's office for two years, and also gave the city a good business administration. To his exertions and busi- ness instinct Brooklyn was largely indebted for the successful establishment of the At- lantic Docks, of which he was elected a Di- rector at the formation of the company, in 1840; and as President of the Mechanics' Bank, of Brooklyn, he judiciously used the re- sources of that institution in furthering the commercial interests of the city at large.

At the election of 1853 politics see-sawed again and a Democrat was chosen to the ex- ecutive office. Edward A. Lambert, the last of the Mayors of the first City of Brooklyn, as it is commonly called, was a native of New York City, but removed across the East River at an early age. As Mayor he strove to re- duce the expenses of the municipality and cer- tainly succeeded in introducing several reforms in the way of economy, while at the same time, with the financial blindness of the period, he

418

THE FIRST CITY.

gladly granted charters to such organizations as street railroad companies practically for nominal considerations. Of course at that era in municipal history the value of such franchis- es were decidedly unknown quantities, and as by their bestowal the general public was sup- posed to be primarily benefited, such franchises were generally freely given away, not alone in Brooklyn, but in all other cities. Yet a little of the shrewdness shown by private citizens in buying and holding real estate might have been applied to estimating the future value of these gifts and made them of considerable practical value to the treasury of the munici- pality. Certainly in the case of the street car lines, and their multiplicity in the main arteries of Brooklyn, nothing contributed more to the upbuilding of the city outside of the ferry system, and in that way the community was benefited ; but had such public franchises been awarded from the first on a business basis, it would have saved many hard feelings and harsh words in the future. Mayor Lambert's term was distinguished by the inauguration of several public improvements, to which refer- ence will be made in the course of this chap- ter ; and it was also marked by plague and riot, the latter the result of the bitterness of po- litical feeling mainly between the citizens of Irish birth and the local Know-Nothings, both of which parties, or factions, or classes at the time proved irreconcilable as the famed Kil- kenny cats. When the rioting broke out Mayor Lambert was enjoying a trip across the ocean for the benefit of his health; but on his return he quietly put down the open turbu- lence and his firm hand guided local affairs into their usually calm current. He continued active in public life after his retirement from the City Hall, and during the Civil War was prominent in local measures undertaken on behalf of that great conflict and especially in the memorable Sanitary Fair of 1864.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

A history of Long Island, from its earliest settlement to the present time, Part 64

Author: Ross, Peter. cn Publication date: 1902 Publisher: New York ; Chicago : The Lewis Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1188

Author: Ross, Peter. cn
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: New York ; Chicago : The Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1188