USA > New York > New-York as it is, in 1833; and citizens' advertising directory. Containing, a general description of the city and environs, list of officers, public institutions, and other useful information; for the convenience of citizens, as a book of reference, and a guide to strangers. > Part 2
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An alphabetical list of the streets of the City is given, at page 184. Broadway is the principal thoroughfare, and most fashionable promenade. It is 80 feet wide, and extends about three miles from north to south, termina- ting at the Battery. From this street there is a gentle slope, east and west, to the riverz. Greenwich-street is wide and elegant, and runs parallel with Broadway, be- tween that street and Washington-street, which last is a fine avenue, next to West-st., extending along the North River. Pearl-street, between Broadway and the East River, is over a mile in length, and its course is nearly in the form of a crescent, containing numerous spacious warehouses, and is the principal seat of the dry goods
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DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY AND ENVIRONS.
and hardware business. Front and Water streets, be- tween Pearl-street and the East River, are occupied principally by the wholesale grocers, commission mer- chants, and mechanics connected with the shipping busi- ness. South-street, running along the East River, con- tains the warehouses and offices of most of the principal shipping merchants. Wall-street runs from Broadway to the East River, and is occupied by the Banks, In- surance Companies, Merchants' Exchange, Newspapers, and Brokers' offices, being the seat of heavier moneyed transactions than any other place in America. Canal- street, running across Broadway to the Hudson River, near the centre of the City, is a spacious street, princi- pally occupied by retail stores. The Bowery is a wide and extensive street, running directly north and south, east of Broadway. The Third Avenue, extending from the Bowery to Harlæm, is Macadamized, and is the principal avenue to the City from the east. Chatham- street, East Broadway, Nassau-street, Maiden-lane, Broad, Fulton, Cortlandt, William, Hudson, Division, Grand, and Broome streets, deserve particular notice, as among the principal streets and avenues. The streets are generally well paved, with stone or brick side walks, ighted at night with lamps, and some of them supplied with gas lights.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
In enumerating the public buildings which are not escribed under their appropriate heads, we shall first ame
THE CITY HALL,
Situated in the Park, about half a mile from the attery, and equi-distant from the East and North ivers. It is 216 feet in length, by 105 in breadth ; the ont and ends built of white marble, and the rear of free one, and is considered one of the most beautiful edifices the United States. It consists of a centre building id two wings, principally of the Ionic and Corinthian ders. This edifice was commenced in 1803, and finish-
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DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY AND ENVIRONS.
ed in 1812, at the cost of $538,734,, and is occupied as follows :
City Hall, proper.
Basement.
51. City Inspector's Office.
18 Mechanics' Institute. First Floor.
5. Mayor's Office.
6. Clerk of the Board of Assistants.
7. Circuit Judge.
8. Clerk of the Board of Aldermen.
4. Recorder's Office.
9. Keeper's Room.
17. First Judge's Office.
19. Clerk Supreme Court.
20. Clerk City and County.
21. Sheriff's Office.
123. Chamber Judges Supe- rior Court.
24. Court of Chancery. 22. Law Institute. Second Floor.
13. Com'n Council Cham- ber.
11. Governor's Room. Register in Chancery.
27. Chamber of Board of Assistants.
26. Circuit Court.
25. Court Cominon Pleas.
14. Superior Court.
15. Superior Court Clerk's Office.
NEW CITY HALL,
In the rear of the City Hall, is an extensive bric] building, formerly the Alms House, which, with th buildings formerly the Rotunda and Debtor's Prisor is now occupied as follows :
City Hall No. 2.
West End.
Basement, Watch House. First Floor.
Police Office.
Office of the Clerk of the Court of Sessions.
District Attorney's Office. Second Floor.
Sessions Court Room. Grand Jury Room.
Centre Door.
Office, of Commissioners the Alms House. Committee Room, &c. East End.
U. S. Court Rooms. Clerk's Office. Marshal's Office. Judges' Chamber. Third Floor.
Witnesses' Room and Petit Keeper's Room. Jury Room.
C
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DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY AND ENVIRONS.
Hall of Records, (formerly Debtor's Prison.) First Floor. Register's Office. Collectors of Assessments. Surrogate's Office.
Second Floor.
Street Commissioner's Of- fice.
Comptroller's Office.
Water Commissioners' Of- fice.
ALMS HOUSE.
The new Alms House is situated at Bellevue, on the East River, two and a half miles from the City Hall, and is a spacious edifice of stone, with numerous buildings as appendages. The location is remarkably salubrious and pleasant. There are several farms on Long Island, at- tached to the Alms House establishment.
(For other Public Buildings, see Index.)
GAS WORKS.
The New-York Gas Light Company have their works located at the corner of Canal and Centre streets, and have at present laid down, in the principal streets, about 26 miles of iron pipes. The public buildings and stores, which are supplied with gas by this Company, pay for the same at the rate of 70 cents per 100 cubic feet con- sumed. The expense of gas for a store with four lights, is about $60 per year. (For capital, &c., see page 116.)
HARLEM RAIL ROAD.
The New-York and Harlem Rail Road Company are now constructing a Rail Road to extend from Prince- street, in the Bowery, along the line of the_ Fourth Avenue, 7} miles, to Harlæm. The work will be soon completed, and the ride will doubtless be a favourite re , creation for citizens and strangers. (For capital, direc- tors, &c., see page 116.)
SUPPLY OF WATER.
The City is destitute of a supply of good and whole- some water, and various plans have been proposed, at different times, for obtaining an adequate quantity of an element so essential to the health, convenience, and comfort of the citizens. The Bronx and Croton rivers
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DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY AND ENVIRONS.
have been suggested as sources of supply ; also, the Pas- saic, at Paterson, New-Jersey. The quantity of water required for the supply of the City, is estimated at over four millions of gallons per day, or 20 gallons for each person, including manufactories, stables, &c. At an early period of the history of the City, it was found that the well water was deteriorating in goodness. The fact is noticed in an able report made by Mr. Weston, in 1799. There are numerous wells, with pumps, in all parts of the City ; but the pump water is generally con- sidered bad and deleterious in its character, south of a line from the Hudson River through Spring-street, to the Bowery and Third Avenue, and thence to Thirteenth-street and the East River. In the remaining parts of the City, it is generally indifferently good; but it is also annually losing its purity.
For washing, rain water is generally used by the citi- zens, most of the houses being provided with good cis- terns. Many parts of the City are now supplied with water, for the table, brought from the upper wards in casks. On the East and North Rivers, in some instances, it is pure, and in others, its goodness is but little better than the present well water. The tables of the wealthy are supplied from this source, while the poorer classes have to resort to such wells and pumps as are in their neighbourhood. It has been ascertained that there are now brought to the City daily, by drays or water carts, 600 hogsheads, for which there is paid one dollar and twenty-five cents for each hogshead, (or about one cent per gallon,) amounting to $750 per day, or $273,750 per annum, for water from that source. The sum paid for water is annually increasing, owing to wells and springs constantly losing their purity. Many of the large hotels pay from $200 to $450, annually, for water, and the smaller classes of boarding and private houses pay from $15 to $50, annually, for the same.
The shipping in the port are principally supplied with water from Brooklyn, Long Island, and a small quantity from New-Jersey and Staten Island. The supply re- quired for the shipping is estimated, from careful in-
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DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY AND ENVIRONS.
quiries, to amount to 415 hogsheads per day, or 129,895 hhds. per year, (8,183,895 gallons,) which at 31 and 50 cents per hogshead, is $160 per day, or $50,080 paid per year.
MANHATTAN WATER WORKS.
In 1799 the Manhattan Company was incorporated, with a view to supply the City with pure and whole- some water. The charter is perpetual, and the capital over two millions of dollars, (see page 160,) the surplus funds being employed in banking.
The Company have, by the charter, the control over the streams and springs on New-York Island, and the county of Westchester, for the above object.
Their works are situated in Reed-street, a short dis- tance north of the City Hall. The water is raised by two steam engines, from a well in Cross-street, twenty-five feet in diameter, to a reservoir in Chambers-street, eleva- ted 15 feet above Broadway, from whence the water is distributed in iron and wooden pipes to the lower parts of the City. In 1823, the steam engines worked 16 hours per day, and raised in 24 hours, 691,200 gallons. 25 miles of pipes were then down, and 2000 houses, besides ma- nufactories, &c., were supplied by the Company, who had expended $400,000 in constructing the works. The well, from which the water is obtained, was the old Tea Water pump, and the water was formerly considered the best on the island. That it has greatly deteriorated in quality, appears from the following analysis, made in 1831, of a gallon of the Manhattan water :
Muriate of Soda, 45.20
Muriate of Magnesia,.
40.00
Sulphate of Magnesia,. 6.00
Carbonate of Lime, with a little Carbo- nate of Magnesia, ..
12.80
Sulphate of Lime,.
4.00
Extractive matter, combined with water,. 17.80
Mass in a gallon of water, 125.80 The Manhattan Company, since 1823, have employed Mr. Disbrow to construct a well near the corner of 2
18
DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY AND ENVIRONS.
Bleecker-street and Broadway. Its diameter is 8 inches, and its depth is 442 feet, containing 1154 gallons.
WATER COMPANIES NOT IN OPERATION.
The following companies have been at different times incorporated by the Legislature of this State, for the purpose of supplying the City with water, but are neither of them in operation , namely-The Sharon Canal Com- pany, incorporated in 1823; The New-York Water Works, incorporated in 1825; Harlæm Spring Water Company, incorporated in 1827.
CITY RESERVOIR.
The Corporation of the City, in order to provide a supply of water for a part of the City, for the extinguish- ment of fires, have recently caused the construction of an ·extensive reservoir, which is situated in Thirteenth- street, near the Bowery.
The diameter of the well, from which the water is pro- cured, is 16 feet ; its depth is 112 feet, 97 of which are ex- cavated in solid rock ; its bottom is 62 feet below common high tide. On the east side, and within 12 feet of the bottom of the well, there is a horizontal passage, 4 feet by 6, extending into the rock 75 feet; and on the west side, a similar passage, 75 feet long, with a branch 25 feet. The object of these excavations, is to increase the quantity of water, which rises in the well to within' 12 feet of the surface of the ground, and the whole contains 175,170 gallons.
From the well, the water is raised by a steam engine of 12 horse power, into an iron tank in a building of an octagonal form. The bottom of the tank is 83} feet above tide. It is 44 feet in diameter, 20} feet high, and will contain 233,169 gallons. From the tank, the water is conducted into the mains by curved pipes, of 20 inches diameter. The total cost of the works, exclusive of pipes, was $42,233; and the annual expense is $3,165. From the reservoir, iron pipes, from 6 to 12 inches in diameter, have been laid down through many of the principal streets, to the extent of over 9 miles, or 47,066 feet, at an average expense of about two dollars per foot.
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DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY AND ENVIRONS.
(The cost of one mile of pipe, of 12 inches diameter, is $11,345.)
By an experiment which has been made, it is ascer- tained that water from the City Reservoir can be thrown from the fire plugs over the houses in any of the lower parts of the City, or south of the reservoir, or in its vi- cinity.
CEMETERIES AND MONUMENTS.
In 1823, a law was passed to prevent interments south of Grand-street, and a penalty of $250 fixed for each violation of the same.
Many of the churches have burying grounds and vaults in the upper part of the City, belonging to congregations of different denominations. An extensive cemetery has been laid out on the Fifth Avenue, near the three mile stone, containing 10 acres of ground. Occasional inter- ments take place in the vaults belonging to families at- tached to churches in the lower part of the the City, the friends of the deceased paying the penalty of $250. An ordinance has been recently adopted, directing the ex- tension of Pine-street across Broadway, through Trinity Churchyard, one of the most ancient cemeteries in the City.
Among the numerous monuments in churches and churchyards, we may name the following. The monu- ment to Bishop Hobart, in Trinity Church ; to Thomas Addis Emmet, (an obelisk 30 feet high,) in St. Paul's Churchyard, where are also the monuments to Major Gen. Montgomery, and George Frederick Cooke, the celebrated tragedian. In Trinity Churchyard is the monument to Capt. James Lawrence, who fell in the contest between the U. S. frigate Chesapeake, and the British frigate Shannon, during the last war.
POPULATION OF THE CITY OF NEW-YORK,
At different periods during the last 100 years.
In 1731
8,628
In 1810. 96,373
1756
10,381
1820.
123,706
1773
21,876
1825
1790
33,131
1830
166,086 202,589
1800
60,499
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DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY AND ENVIRONS.
ENVIRONS.
Among the places, within 30 miles of the City, which are frequently resorted to for health or pleasure, we can only name a few of the most prominent. Hoboken, and some others, are described under other heads. See Index.
Perth Amboy, New-Jersey, is pleasantly situated on a fine harbour, 13 miles from New-Brunswick, and 23 south-west of New-York. At South Amboy, on the op- posite side of the harbour, the Camden and Amboy Rail Road commences. This has now become the principal thoroughfare between New-York and Philadelphia.
Long Branch, 30 miles south of New-York, is a fashionable resort for sea bathing, in summer, from New- York and Philadelphia. An extensive view of the At- lantic Ocean is here obtained.
Elizabethtown, 15 miles, and Newark, 9 miles, from the City, are pleasant towns in Essex county, New-Jersey. Paterson, at the Passaic Falls, is in the same county, 15 miles from the city, and is noted for its extensive manu- factories. A Rail Road, from Hoboken, opposite the City, to Paterson, is nearly completed.
Orange Springs are delightfully situated 4 miles from Newark, and 13 from New-York, and are much fre- quented, during summer, by numbers, for the benefit of the mineral waters, and the enjoyment of the beauties of the romantic scenery in the vicinity.
Of the steam-boat excursions, among the most pleasant, are those to Staten Island, Shrewsbury, and Amboy, on the south-west ; Flushing, New-Rochelle, and Sands' Point, on the East River; Sing Sing, and Tarrytown, on the North River.
Brooklyn is situated on the East River, opposite New- York, and is the third place, in point of population, in the state. It is in the town of the same name, in Kings county, on the extreme west end of Long Island. The town is bounded north by the city and county of New- York; east by the township of Bushwick; south by the townships of Flatbush and New-Utrecht; and west by New-York bay; and contains the village of Brooklyn, which is about a mile square.
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DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY AND ENVIRONS.
The communication between Brooklyn and New-York is by three steam ferries, where boats cross the East River at intervals of about ten minutes, viz : one from the foot of Fulton-street, New-York, to the foot of Fulton- street, Brooklyn ; one from the foot of Catharine-street, New-York, to Maine-street, Brooklyn; and one from Walnut-street, New-York, to Jackson-street, Brooklyn.
It is also contemplated to establish another ferry from near the foot of Joralemon-street, Brooklyn, to Old-slip, New-York.
The village of Brooklyn, comprising about one square mile, contained at different periods, the following popu- lation, viz :
In 1820, 5,210; in 1825, 8,800; in 1830, 12,403.
First District, in 1830. 1,452
Second District, 66
2,801
Third District, 66
2,191
Fourth District,
3,557
Fifth District, 66
2,301
Total,. 12,403
That part of the town which is not included in the village, contains 2,993 inhabitants.
Jamaica, on Long Island, is a very pleasant village, 12 miles from Brooklyn ; and from thence to Rockaway, on the Atlantic Ocean, is 9 miles farther, or 21 miles from the City. Here is a fine beach, affording great advantages for sea bathing ; and a splendid public house is now being erected, by a company of gentlemen, for the ac- commodation of visitors. The building is to be 230 feet in front, with proportionate wings and Ionic perestyles, the front being ornamented with 28 beautiful Grecian columns. The hotel will be completed, and open for company, in May, 1834.
Bath, on Long Island, 8 miles south of Brooklyn, is also a favourite place of resort for sea bathing. Here is a well kept public house, with a lawn fronting the bay, well shaded with trees, where the breezes of the ocean may be enjoyed during the heat of summer.
At Coney Island, which is 2 miles from Bath, and is
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AMENDED CHARTER OF THE CITY.
joined to Long Island by a bridge across a narrow inlet, is a fine beach for bathing, with a public house and other conveniences.
Flatbush, 4 miles from Brooklyn; Newtown, 6 miles; Oyster Bay, 25 miles, are all pleasant and healthful re- treats on Long Island.
The Linnæan Garden, at Flushing, is described in another place. (See Index.)
Williamsburg, as laid down on the accompanying map, is situated on the East River, opposite Corlaer's Hook, and has intercourse with the City by a ferry, from the foot of Grand-street.
Jersey City, or Powles Hook, is becoming a pleasant place of resort, being approached from the City by steanı ferry boats, which are constantly running from the foot of Cortlandt-street. The distance across the river is one mile.
AMENDED CHARTER OF THE CITY.
(Passed April 7, 1830.)
The people of the State of New-York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows :-
1. The legislative power of the Corporation of the City of New-York, shall be vested in a board of Alder- men, and a board of Assistants, who together shall form the Common Council of the City.
2. Each Ward of the City shall be entitled to elect one person to be denominated the Alderman of the Ward, and the persons so chosen, together shall form the board of Aldermen; and each Ward shall also be entitled to elect one person to be denominated an Assistant Alder- man; and the persons so chosen, together shall form the board of Assistants.
3. The Aldermen and Assistant Aldermen shall be chosen for one year; and no person shall be eligible to either office, who shall not at the time of his election, be a resident of the ward for which he is chosen.
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AMENDED CHARTER OF THE CITY.
4. The annual election for Charter Officers shall com- mence on the second Tuesday in April, and the officers elected shall be sworn into office on the second Tuesday in May thereafter; and all the provisions of law now in force, in regard to the notification, duration, and con- duct of elections for Members of Assembly, and in regard to the appointment, powers and duties of the inspectors, holding the same, shall apply to the annual election of Charter Officers.
5. The first election for Charter Officers, after the passage of this law, shall take place on the second Tuesday in April, one thousand eight hundred and thirty- one; and all those persons who shall have been elected under the former laws regulating the elections of Charter Officers, and shall be in office at the time of the passage of this law, shall continue in office until the officers elected under the law shall be entitled to be sworn into office.
6. The board of Aldermen shall have power to direct a special election to be held, to supply the place of any Alderman whose seat shall become vacant by death, re- moval from the City, resignation, or otherwise; and the board of Assistants shall also have power to direct a special election to supply any vacancy that may occur in the board of Assistants; and in both cases, the person elected to supply the vacancy, shall hold his seat only for the residue of the term of office of his immediate pre- decessor.
7. The boards shall meet in separate chambers, and a majority of each shall be a quorum to do business. Each board shall appoint a President from its own body, and shall also choose its Clerk and other officers ; deter- mine the rules of its own proceedings, and be the judge of the qualifications of its own members. Each board shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and the doors of each shall be kept open, except when the public welfare shall require secrecy ; and all resolutions and reports of Committees which shall recommend any specific im provement involving the appropriation of public moneys, or taxing or assessing the citizens of said City, shall be
24
AMENDED CHARTER OF THE CITY.
published immediately after the adjournment of the board, under the authority of the Common Council, in all the newspapers employed by the Corporation : and whenever a vote is taken in relation thereto, the ayes and noes shall be called and published in the same manner.
8. Each board shall have the authority to compel the attendance of absent members; to punish its members for disorderly behaviour, and to expel a member, with the concurrence of two thirds of the members elected to the board ; and the member so expelled, shall, by such expulsion, forfeit all his right and powers as an Alder- man or Assistant Alderman.
9. The stated and occasional meetings of each board of the Common Council, shall be regulated by its own ordinances ; and both boards may meet on the same or on different days, as they may severally judge expedient.
10, Any law, ordinance, or resolution of the Common Council may originate in either board, and when it shall have passed one board, may be rejected or amended by the other.
11. No member of either board shall, during the period for which he was elected, be appointed to, or be compe- tent to hold any office, of which the emoluments are paid from the City Treasury, or by fees, directed to be paid by any ordinance or act of the Common Council, or be directly or indirectly interested in any contract, the ex- penses or consideration whereof are to be paid under any ordinance of the Common Council; but this section shall not be construed to deprive any Alderman or Assistant of any emoluments or fees which he is entitled to by virtue of his office.
12. Every act, ordinance, or resolution, which shall have passed the two boards of the Common Council, before it shall take effect, shall be presented, duly certi- fied, to the Mayor of the City, for his approbation. If he approve, he shall sign it; if not, he shall return it, with his objections, to the board in which it originated, within ten days thereafter; or if such board be not then in session, at its next stated meeting. The board to which it shall be returned, shall enter the objections at large
25
AMENDED CHARTER OF THE CITY.
on the journal, and cause the same to be published in one or more of the public newspapers of the city.
13. The board to which such act, ordinance, or resolu- tion, shall have been so returned, shall after the expiration ot not less than ten days thereafter, proceed to reconsider the same. If after such reconsideration, a majority of the members elected to the board shall agree to pass the same, it shall be sent, together with the objections, to the other board, by which it shall be likewise recon- sidered ; and if approved by a majority of all the mem- bers elected to such board, it shall take effect as an act or law of the Corporation. In all such cases the votes of both boards shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the persons voting for and against the passage of the measure reconsidered, shall be entered on the journal of each board respectively,
14. If the Mayor shall not return any act, ordinance, or resolution, so presented to him, within the time above limited for that purpose, it shall take effect in the same manner as if he had signed it.
15. Neither the Mayor nor Recorder of the City of New-York, shall be a member of the Common Council thereof, after the second Tuesday of May, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-one.
16. Whenever there shall be a vacancy in the office of Mayor, and whenever the Mayor shall be absent from the City, or be prevented by sickness, or any other cause, from attending to the duties of his office, the President of the board of Aldermen shall act as Mayor, and shall possess all the rights and powers of the Mayor, during the continuance of such vacancy, absence, or disability.
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