USA > New York > New York City > Old New York : a journal relating to the history and antiquities of New York City, Vol. II > Part 22
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1818, Sept. 6. Bishop Provoost died, aged 73 years.
1819, March 26. The Bank for Savings in the City of New York, incorporated. Situated in Chambers street.
1820, May 20th. The Park Theatre destroyed by fire.
The General Theological Seminary of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States incorporated. Library 8,000 vol- umes.
Apprentices' Library founded. It is the property of the Me- chanics' Society of the city, and under the management of a com- mittee of seven.
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1821, Feb. 2. The Mercantile Library Association opened their collection of books for the use of the members at No. 49 Fulton street with 700 volumes; in June, 1826, removed to Cliff street ; Nov. 2, 1830, removed to Clinton Hall, corner of Nassau and Beekman streets. Present (1850) number of volumes in the Library 31,674; estimated worth of the collection $50,000.
Oct. 22. The corner stone of St. Matthew's Church was laid (situated in Walker street near Broadway).
1822, June 22. The Albion commenced being published at No. 37 William street. This is a weekly paper devoted to British, colonial and foreign news.
1824. New York House of Refuge incorporated ; located at the corner of Bloomingdale road and Fifth avenue, now Madison Square. In 1839 removed to the foot of 23d street and East River.
1825. April. The Merchants' Exchange began to be built, and. was finished in July, 1827. Burnt down in the great fire of 1836 ; commenced to be rebuilt with blue granite in 1838, and fin- ished in 1841.
The Lafayette Theatre, situated in Laurens, near Canal street, was opened under the management of Mr. Dinneford. Charles W. Sanford, proprietor.
1827, May. The Morning Courier and Enquirer commenced being published. In December James Watson Webb became editor and partly proprietor. The circulation was about 3,000 daily. It is the largest sheet published in the United States, and may be called the Times of America. It originally grew out of a paper entitled the Enquirer, edited by M. M. Noah.
1827, July 4. By previous acts of the Legislature of the State, slavery in New York was entirely and unconditionally abolished.
1828, May 25. Bowery Theatre burned to the ground.
1829. Harlem Rail Road Company obtained a charter for con- structing a road from New York to Albany. In 1832 a portion of the track was first opened for conveying passengers from the corner of Grand street and the Bowery to 32d street and Fourth avenue.
1831, Oct. 19. A great riot in the Park Theatre, caused by Mr. Anderson's unpopularity.
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New York Institution for the Blind went into operation.
University of the City of New York chartered and opened for the reception of students the following year.
1832, June 28. The Asiastic cholera first visited New York, On its first appearance the alarm of the citizens was beyond all ex- ample. They fled in every direction ; steamboats, sloops, stages. railroads and every method of conveyance were filled to overflowing for several days. Had the city been sacked by a barbarian con- queror the alarm could not have been greater.
Oct. 31. The first number of the New York Globe, published by James Gordon Bennett, editor and proprietor, office No. 20 Wall street. This harbinger of the New York Herald gave up the ghost with the thirty-eighth number. It was a sheet about one-half the size of the Herald at present.
Dec. 15. The Penny Post commenced being published. The first penny paper published in America. It was published weekly and reached seventeen numbers. Its size was about 18 inches by 12. S. H. Jackson, proprietor, editor and printer. Sold by Will- iam Gowans, 121 Chatham street ; Jansen's book store, and Bates & Anstice, 214 Broadway. Like all new enterprises the first at- tempt was unsuccessful.
1833, April 25. The City Hotel, corner of Broadway and Cedar streets, burnt down.
Sept. 2. The New York Sun commenced being published by Benjamin H. Day and George W. Wisner. Size, about a quarto post sheet of letter paper. Published at 222 William street. The paper subsequently fell into the hands of Moses Y. Beach, and it is understood he made a large fortune by it. This was the second attempt and the first successful penny paper in America. Circula- tion daily, 40,000.
1834. In the Spring of this year the Custom House commenced being built, under the superintendence of John Frazer, architect, and was finished in 1842 at the cost of $985,000.
July 3. A great funeral procession in honor of the memory of General Lafayette.
1834, July 10. Astor's Hotel .- The corner stone of this fine building was laid on the fourth, at five o'clock in the morning, in the presence of about a hundred spectators. A box was deposited
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beneath the stone with a silver tablet in it, containing the following inscription : " Corner Stone of the Park Hotel. Laid on the fourth of July, 1834. The hotel to be erected by John Jacob As- tor. Builders, Philetus H. Woodruff, Peter Storms, Campbell & Adams. Superintendents, Kaiah Rogers and Wm. W. Barwick. Architect, Isaiah Rogers." The daily papers of Thursday, the last number of the Mechanics' Magazine, containing a full length por- trait of Lafayette, and Goodrich's Picture of New York were also deposited in the box.
1835, May 6. The New York Herald commenced being pub- lished, the size being about one-half of what it is at present. The writer has still in his possession the first number of the Herald, purchased from the editor in his office then in a basement in Nassau street, fronting Clinton Hall. He had two barrels and a long board to form a counter, a chair and writing apparatus, which composed the whole of his furniture.
Dec. 16. The great fire by which 528 houses were burnt, valued at seventeen million of dollars-four millions in houses, and in goods thirteen millions. The fire continued to rage for twenty- four hours.
1836, May 26. Mr. and Mrs. Wood, two celebrated actors, driven from the Park Theatre by a mob.
1838. The Presbyterian Church, corner of Duane and Church streets, built.
April 22. The first steamship from Europe arrived at New York. It was the Sirius, of 700 tons burden, and 320 horse power. She made her voyage in eighteen days between Cork in Ireland, and the city of New York in North America. She was commanded by Capt. Haskins. This was the commencement of a new era in navigation.
April 23. The steamship Great Western arrived in the bay of New York, making her passage in fifteen days. This was the second steamer which arrived from Europe. She had fourteen passengers.
May 2. The steamship Sirius sailed from New York with twenty-seven cabin and twenty-one steerage passengers.
May 8. The steamship Great Western sailed from New York with seventy-one cabin passengers.
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1840, Jan. 13. The steamboat Lexington, in going up the Sound, was burnt to the water's edge, on which occasion over one hun- dred human beings lost their lives.
1841, April 10. New York Daily Tribune commenced being published. The original number of subscribers was 500. The editor states that 5,000 copies of the first number were printed, and it was with difficulty that he could give them away ; but before the year expired, he had a steady daily sale of more than 10,000 copies. April 10th, 1850, nine years after the commencement of the Tribune, the regular issue was 15,360 copies daily, 1,680 semi-weekly, and 39,720 of the weekly edition, besides a very large European and California edition. Since the gold discovery in California, it has become quite a market for the penny papers that are published in New York, and probably the one having the largest circulation there is the Tribune. The first week's expenses of the Tribune were $525, receipts $92, and the week ending April 10th, 1850, expenses $2,446, receipts $3,130, leaving a weekly balance of 8684. The paper since the commencement has been quadrupled in size as well as in matter, although only doubled in price, the original price being one cent per copy.
1842, Oct. 14. The celebration of the introduction of the Croton water into the city. The procession was grand and im- posing ; upwards of 50,000 women were spectators of the grand cavalcade.
1844, Aug. 11. The valedictory sermon preached in the Middle Dutch Church by the Rev. Mr. Knox, preparatory to its being converted into the City Post Office.
1846. The New York Methodist Book Concern printed seventy- nine million seven hundred and sixteen thousand pages of Sunday school books; in 1847, forty-seven million seven hundred and eighty-eight thousand pages; in 1848, forty-six million nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand, making the astonishing aggregate of one hundred and seventy-four million five hundred and three thousand pages of Sunday school books in three years. To this must be added the annual circulation of about eighty-five thousand copies of the Sunday School Advocate.
April 25. Bowery Theatre burnt to the ground for the fourth time.
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1846, Jan. 11. The new Presbyterian Church under the care of the Rev. Dr. Phillips, at the corner of Fifth avenue and Eleventh street (erected by the congregation lately worship- ing in Wall street), was opened this forenoon for public service. The foundation stone was laid in September, 1844.
March 7. Grace Church, at the corner of Twelfth street and Broadway, was consecrated or dedicated to the worship of God according to the rites of the Episcopal Church. The number of clergymen present was sixty-two, headed by Bishop McClaskey, the acting diocesan. The pew holders were admitted by tickets. After the service had commenced the doors were thrown open. The same congregation formerly worshiped at the corner of Rector street and Broadway.
1846, May 9. The Legislature passed an act empowering the people of New York to call a convention to revise the charter of the city. Delegates in accordance with the law were elected. The convention sat the following Summer and furnished a new charter, which was approved of by the convention October 26th, but rejected by the people at the general election, November 3, 1846.
1847, June 9. The Keying, a Chinese junk, arrived at this port from Canton. This is believed to be the first Chinese vessel that ever visited the United States. She anchored off the Cas- tle Garden, and lay there during her stay in the port of New York.
May 7. This evening there was a great illumination through- out the city in honor of the success of the American arms in Mex- ico. The City Hall looked particularly grand, every window being lighted with not less than from sixty to one hundred can- dles. Broadway and the City Hall Park were crowded with peo- ple of all ages, sexes and conditions.
Oct. 19. The foundation stone of the Washington monument laid. On the occasion there was a great procession of citi- zens, and one of the most numerous that had ever taken place in New York.
1848, March 8. A funeral procession in honor of the memory of ex-President John Quincy Adams.
March 27. John Jacob Astor, the wealthiest man in America,
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died, aged eighty-four. Mr. Astor was born in the village of Waldorf, near Heidelberg, in the Grand Duchy of Baden, Ger- many, in July, 1763, of humble parents. He came to America as a steerage passenger in a merchant ship and landed at Baltimore in March, 1784. He early commenced business as a trader in fur, and, when the State of New York was a wilderness, made fre- quent voyages up the Mohawk to trade with the Indians. As his wealth increased he enlarged his business, until by the formation of the American Fur Company he was a competitor with the great capitalists of Europe. He embarked extensively in the Canton trade, by which he realized enormous profits. During the War of 1812 he bought a vast quantity of American stock at a low price and afterwards realized nearly double his investment. He also owned a great amount of real estate both in this city and State, which probably now is on the whole worth four times the original cost. He has been estimated as worth $14,000,000 at his death.
March 29. John Jacob Astor left by his will the sum of four hundred thousand dollars for the establishment of a public library in the city of New York. The sum of $75,000 was appropriated for the erection of a building, and 8120,000 for the purchase of books and other objects connected with the library, and the remainder of the money after paying for the site was to be invested as a fund for the maintenance and increase of the library. In January, 1849, the trustees selected the site for erecting their building in Lafayette place, dimensions 65 feet front and 120 in depth. The masons' work is now finished and the whole is to be completed by the 1st of April, 1852. The number of volumes already accumu- lated in the library amounts to about 20,000. The library has been temporarily opened for the use of the public in a house situated in Lafayette place.
Sept. 11. A great fire in Brooklyn; 300 houses burnt and three churches. Many of the insurance offices in New York suf-" fered great pecuniary loss thereby.
Dec. 17. The Park Theatre burnt down. It had been got in order at considerable expense, under the new management of Mr. Thomas H. Hamblin.
1849, Jan. 27. The opening of the Free Academy, on which
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occasion Alderman Kelly delivered a long and appropriate address.
May 10. A great riot at the Astor Place Opera House. The actors were driven from the stage and the military were called out. The riot act was read, calling upon rioters to disperse, but they refused. The military were ordered out and fired into the mob. Over fifty persons were killed and wounded.
May 19. The cholera for the third time made its appearance in New York, and disappeared on the 13th of October following. The whole number of deaths during that period was 15,219; during the same period the previous year 6,362.
June 4. The Odd Fellows dedicated their new hall, situated on the corner of Grand and Center streets, on which occasion they had a very grand procession of all the city members.
Nov. 9. New York Gas Company left their old stand situated on the corner of Canal and Center streets, and have now located themselves permanently on the East River, at the foot of Twenty- first street.
Nov. 8. The Hudson River Railroad Company commenced running their trains of passenger cars from their depot at the junction of Chambers and Hudson streets to Peekskill.
Nov. 15. A very imposing funeral procession in honor of Gen. W. J. Worth, Major C. R. Gates and Col. Duncan, three officers who served with distinction in the Mexican wars, and sub- sequently died of the prevailing epidemic. John Van Buren delivered a funeral oration in the Park as a conclusion of the ceremonies.
Dec. 1. The Alida steamboat made a trip from New York to Albany in seven hours and forty-four minutes, including thirteen landings, which occupied forty-eight minutes. Running time, seven hours and six minutes.
Dec. 3. St. Bridget's Church (Roman Catholic) dedicated by Bishop Hughes, assisted by Bishop McCloskey and others.
Dec. 4. St. George's Church (Protestant Episcopal) dedicated by Bishop Chase of New Hampshire, assisted by Drs. Hawkes, Tyng, Wainwright, Balch and others.
Dec. 7. Kamehemeh III., King of the Sandwich Islands, arrived in the city of New York in the steamship Crescent City
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from Chagres. He was accompanied by his brother and G. P. Judd, Prime Minister to his Majesty. He intended visiting Washington, Great Britain and France before returning to his kingdom of islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Dec. 30. City Tract Society Statistics distributed 1,252,123 tracts, containing 5,123,571 pages ; 1,718 Bibles and 2,609 Testa- ments ; 7,735 volumes lent; 1,979 children gathered into the Sab- bath and 457 into the public schools ; 203 persons induced to unite with Bible classes, and 3,067 to attend church ; 1,710 temperance pledges obtained ; 1,398 district prayer meetings held; 37 back- sliders reclaimed ; 168 persons hopefully converted ; 117 converts united with the evangelical churches. It is estimated that 200,000 of the citizens of New York pay no attention to religion, either in a public or a private manner, and have no disposition to do so.
Dec. 30. Police statistics for the six months past: Arrests, 10,291; complaints lodged with the Corporation Attorney for violations of the city ordinances, 1,462 ; destitute persons accom- modated with lodgings, 21,621 ; lost children restored to their parents, 2,562 ; fires extinguished by the fire companies, 87 ; per- sons rescued from drowning, 65.
Dec. 31. Total amount of debt of city of New York $12,- 522,768.
The number of deaths in the city this year was 22,372; one-half of this number were children; 13,300 were native born ; 5,963 Irish ; 1,532 German and the remainder from various other parts of the world.
Number and class of vessels and tonnage built in the city of New York during the year : Ships, 17; brigs and schooners, 64 ; sloops and canal boats 155; steam boats, 21; total, 265. Ton- nage, 44,104.26.
1850, Feb. 4. A melancholy accident happened this morning by the bursting of a steam boiler in Hague street, near Pearl, on which occasion the house was blown up and seventy-three per- sons lost their lives, besides a number severely wounded. It was more than a week from the time of the catastrophe before all the bodies were got out of the ruins.
May 17. The new Jewish Synagogue in Norfolk street conse- crated with great pomp and ceremony.
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May 24. The American Arctic Expedition, in search of Sir Jolm . Franklin, consisting of the Advance and Rescue, fitted out by Mr. Henry Grinnell, in connection with the United States Govern- ment, were towed from the Brooklyn Navy Yard at noon yester- day, and moved slowly down the bay till they vanished from the sight of our city, through the Narrows.
June 8. The packet ship Southampton, commanded by Capt. E. E. Morgan, sailed from New York and landed passengers at Falmouth, England, in thirteen days and thirteen hours. This is the shortest passage that has ever been made with a sailing vessel between the New and the Old World.
July 22. The corner stone of the new Presbyterian Church, corner Fourteenth street and Second avenue, was laid.
July 23. A great funeral procession in honor of the memory of President Zachary Taylor.
Ang. 30. The foundation stone of the new Medical College in Thirteenth street was laid.
Sept. 9. Church of the Nativity, on Avenue C, consecrated by Bishop Whittingham.
Sept. 12. Amin Bey, Commissioner from the Sublime Porte to the United States, arrived in the bay of New York, in the United States ship Erie from the Levant. This is the first agent from the Turkish Government that has visited the United States.
Oct. 17. Tripler Hall, the largest concert room in America, opened for the first time, Madame Bishop singing. The house was but moderately filled, much short of expectations.
Nov. 28. This day Speaker Cobb and Genl. Cass held a public levee in the Governor's room in the City Hall. Speeches were made in favor of perpetuating the union of the States, in opposi- tion to disunion feeling, so prevalent at present throughout the country.
1850. Bloomingdale Lunatic Asylum has 103 patients ; received during the year past 95, and discharged 44. The income from the establishment was $29,980.49, and expenditure $39,914.49.
1851, Jan. 15. The six new buildings in the course of erection in Twenty-first street between Fifth and Sixth avenues, fell with a tremendous crash, covering in the ruins thirty workmen, all of whom were either killed or severely wounded.
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Feb. 11. The lot at the corner of Broadway and Wall street, fifty feet on the former and seventy-five feet on the latter, has been purchased for $110,000. The lot on the corner of Broadway and Pine street recently brought $115,000. The lot on the corner of Chatham and Duane streets, fifty feet by eighty-five, sold for $50,000. It is the site of the newly organized banking institution.
Feb. 18. The United States frigate St. Lawrence sailed from this port for Southampton, England, freighted with specimens of American manufacture for the World's Fair to be held in London in May.
Feb. 22. George Washington's birthday was celebrated with unusual pomp and ceremony. The military and civic companies paraded the streets. The corporation authorities lent their coun- tenance by illuminating the City Hall during the evening, and giving a great dinner in the evening at which were present many distinguished citizens from a distance, besides those of New York. The orator of the day was Mr. Foote from Mississippi.
Feb. 25. The congregation B'nai Jeshurun laid the foundation stone of their new Synagogue at two o'clock P. M. This is the oldest congregation of Jews in New York adhering to the German and Polish ritual. They have held their services for the last quarter of a century at their Synagogue in Elm street, but the altered condition of that once quiet locality has driven them out. The new Synagogue is between Bleecker and Houston, on Greene street.
Feb. 28. The first steamboat for this season arrived from Albany, after passing through the floating ice with some diffi- culty.
March 1. About 12 o'clock at night St. Thomas's Church, corner of Broadway and Houston street, caught fire, and the wooden work completely consumed, leaving the walls a naked ruin.
March 22. The Legislature of the State, headed by the Lieuten- ant Governor, arrived on a visit to the city by invitation of the Common Council. Having devoted three days to visiting the prisons, almshouses, orphan asylums, deaf and dumb, blind and insane asylums and other public institutions, they returned to Albany.
May 14. The Erie Railroad opened for the running of trains
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from Jersey City to Dunkirk on the shores of Lake Erie, a dis- tance of 462 miles. An event of more importance to the city than any that have heretofore taken place. It will be the means of throwing millions into her lap.
THE BAPTIST CHURCH IN GOLD STREET.
Preaching by the Baptists has been heard here at intervals since 1709, and perhaps earlier. In 1724 a church was organized which lasted ten or a dozen years, but was then dissolved. On the 19th of June, 1762, another church was organized, which was continued to the present time. "For more than fifteen years previous to this," writes Greenleaf, " some few persons who were Baptists in sentiment had maintained prayer meetings, with occasional preach- ing, first in private houses and afterwards in a rigging loft standing on William street, then known as Cart and Horse street, from a con- spicuous sign of that kind which hung in it. The nearest Baptist Church at that time was at Scotch Plains, New Jersey, and to this those persons were attached. They were considered a branch of the Scotch Plains Church, and the pastor of that church, Elder Ben- jamin Miller, used to preach in New York as he found opportun- ity, coming regularly once in three months to administer the Lord's Supper. Such was the arrangement in 1753, and so it continued until the organization of the church. In 1759 a lot of ground was purchased on Gold street, between Fulton and John streets, and a small meeting house was built, which was opened for worship March 14th, 1760." Two years after those members of the Scotch Plains church who lived in New York, twenty-seven in number, perfected an organization, the Rev. John Gano becoming pastor. He built up a strong church. The following are the deeds relat- ing to the church :
Recorded for and at the Request of Mr. Samuel Edmunds of the City of New York, this 25th day of October, Anno Dom., 1766.
Know all men by these presents that Whereas in and by Certain Indentures bearing date the Tenth day of February in the year of
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our Lord one thousand Seven hundred and fifty nine and made or mentioned to be made Between Elizabeth Killmaster of the City of New York Widow of the one Part and John Carman, Samuel Edmunds and Samuel Dodge all of the same City and Trustees of the Baptist protestant dissenting Congregation in the said City of New York of the Other part the said Elizabeth Killmaster for the Consideration therein mentioned did Grant, Bargain and Sell unto the said John Carman, Samuel Edmunds and Samuel Dodge, their heirs, Executors, Administrators and Assigns forever, All that Certain parcel or Lott of Ground lying in said City of New York fronting Gold Street Containing in Breadth Twenty six feet and in Length One hundred and Four feet Dutch measure as Refference to the said Indenture being had may more at large appear Also by one Other Indenture bearing the same Date as ye Above made Between Nathaniel Sloo of the City of New York, Mariner and Elizabeth his wife of the one part and the said John Carman, Samuel Edmunds and Samuel Dodge all of the said City of New York Trustees and Overseers of the Baptist protestant Dissenters in said City of the Other part, the said Nathaniel Sloo and Elizabeth his wife for the Consideration therein mentioned Did Grant, Bar- gain and Sell unto the said John Carman, Samuel Edmunds and Samuel Dodge and to their Successors and Assigns forever, All that certain lott piece or parcel Situate lying and being in the said City of New York in the East ward of the City on the Northermost side of Golden Street Adjoining to the above men- tioned Lott, Containing in Breadth twenty five feet and in length One hundred and five feet as Reference to the said Indenture being had may more largely Appear In Both which said indent- ures We the said John Carman, Samuel Edmunds and Samuel Dodge, the Grantees above mentioned Do hereby Acknowledge and declare that our names was only used in Trust for, and in Behalf of Baptist Church in the said City; and on Which said Lotts of Ground the said Church or Congregation have Since Erected a Meeting house for Public Worship Now be it known that we the said John Carman, Samuel Edmunds and Samuel Dodge in discharge of the Trust in us reposed as Aforesaid, and at the Request of the said Church the Male members of which are hereafter named who in this respect act for and in behalf of
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