The civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the county of Kings and the city of Brooklyn, N. Y., from 1683 to 1884 Volume I, Part 143

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909, ed. cn; Brockett, L. P. (Linus Pierpont), 1820-1893; Proctor, L. B. (Lucien Brock), 1830-1900. 1n
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: New York : W. W. Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1114

USA > New York > Kings County > Brooklyn > The civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the county of Kings and the city of Brooklyn, N. Y., from 1683 to 1884 Volume I > Part 143

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The act creating the department provided that its expenses were to be paid in the same manner as those of the other departments. In case of an addition to the number, or compensation of the police force or de- partment, the Comptroller of the city has power, and it is his duty, to issue certificates, bearing interest, for any sum not already raised for payment of the force or department accordingly; and a sum sufficient for the pay- ment of the certificates so issued shall be inserted in the succeeding tax levy of the city of Brooklyn, and, upon the collection thereof, said certificates shall be paid.

The Mayor of Brooklyn is invested with the powers common to mayors of cities in the State of New York, to quell riots, suppress insurrections, protect property, and preserve the public peace; and the Police Board has no authority to exereise such powers. Whenever expedient, the Board may, upon the application of any person or corporation, detail regular patrolmen of the police force, or appoint and swear any additional num- ber of special patrolmen of the police force to do spe- cial duty within the city, such special policemen to be paid as other policemen are paid, and the individuals or corporations in whose service they are detailed to pay, for the use of the city, a sum sufficient to reim- burse the salaries so paid to special policemen. The persons so appointed may be removed at any time by the Board without any cause being assigned therefor, upon notice to the person or persons who applied for their appointment. Special patrolmen may be ap- pointed in case of riot. All criminal processes issued from any court, or any justice, or judge, in the City of Brooklyn, are to be served by a member of the police force, and not otherwise. The members of the force, furthermore, possess the common law and statutory powers of constables in every part of the State (except for the service of civil process), and any warrant of search or arrest issued by any magistrate of the State may be executed in any part thereof by any member of the force.

On the 4th of August, 1873, the organization of the consolidated Department of Police and Excise was per- fected by the appointment of JAMES JOURDAN, who was the President of the Board of Police, on the 1st day of May, 1873, to be President of the Board of Police and Excise, with DANIEL D. BRIGGS, the Police Commissioner then in office, and JAMES L. JENSEN, who was appointed by the Comptroller and Auditor, under the provisions of the charter, as Commissioners. The Com- missioners then appointed Samuel Richards, Clerk, and Benjamin D. Midgeley, Deputy Clerk of the depart- ment. October 6th, 1873, JOHN S. FOLK was appointed Superintendent, to take the place of Patrick Campbell, whose office as Chief of Police was abolished by the terms of the charter. GEORGE A. WADDY, on the same day, was appointed Inspector, in place of John S. Folk. promoted. In 1875, PATRICK CAMPBELL was again ap- pointed Superintendent, and has since held the office. The Board, as organized that year, was composed of Commissioners DANIEL D. BRIGGS, President, and JOHN PYBURN and WILLIAM D. HURD. Daniel D. Briggs, the President, died July 3d, 1876. His funeral took place July 10th. The various city departments were closed, police headquarters were draped in mourning, and the entire reserves of the force attended the obsequies. On the 17th day of July, 1876, General JAMES JOURDAN was appointed President of the Board by Mayor Schroeder, and unanimously confirmed by the Common Council, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Mr. Briggs ; and, on Wednesday, July 19th, 1876, the Board was duly organized, with President Jourdan in the chair. On the 1st day of November, 1877, ROD- NEY C. WARD and THOMAS F. WHITE were nominated for the office of Police and Excise Commissioners by Mayor Schroeder, and confirmed by the Common Coun- cil on the same day, to fill the places of John Pyburn and William B. Hurd, whose terms of office had ex- pired. In 1879, Messrs. Ward and White were suc- ceeded, as Commissioners of Police and Excise, by JOHN PYBURN and O. B. LEICH.

By an act passed May 25th, 1880, the office of Presi- dent of the Board of Police and Excise was abolished and superseded by that of

Commissioner of Police and Excise, the salary remaining unchanged. Under the act, two Excise Com- missioners were appointed to act on all matters relating to excise, with the Commissioner of Police and Excise; and, in respect to all matters of excise (but not of po- lice), to possess the same power as the said Commis- sioner, who, nevertheless, should be President and head of the Commissioners of Excise, the salary of the Com- missioners to be $2,500 per annum, each.

The Commissioner of Police and Excise has discre- tionary powers, on conviction of a member of the force, for any criminal offense, or neglect of duty, or viola- tion of rules, or neglect or disobedience of orders, or incapacity or absence without leave, or any conduct

561

DEPARTMENT OF POLICE AND EXCISE.

injurious to the public peace or welfare, or im- moral conduct, or conduct unbecoming an officer, or other breach of discipline, to punish the offend- ing party by reprimand, forfeiture and with- holding pay for a specified time, or dismissal from the force; or, if he be a detective, or officer other than doorman or patrolman, by reducing him to any grade below that in which he was acting, after which his pay shall be the same allowed to officers of the grade to which he is reduced. In case of punishment by for- feiture and withholding pay, no more than ten days shall be forfeited and withheld for any offense. A writ of certiorari to reverse a determination by the Commis- sioner of Police and Excisc, or the Commissioner of the Fire Department of the city of Brooklyn, to remove a person employed on the police or fire department forces of said city, for cause, must be granted and served within thirty days after notice to him of such removal.

Under this act, JAMES JOURDAN, who had been Pres- ident of the Board of Police and Excise since 1877, was appointed Commissioner of Police and Excise; and, with RICHARD LAUER and THOMAS F. EVANS, Commissioners of Excise, constituted the Board, which, since then, has been organized as follows:

1881. James Jourdan, Commissioner of Police and Excise, and William L. B. Stears and Herman Cobell, Commissioners of Excise.

1882-'83. James Jourdan, Commissioner of Police and Excise, and Richard Lauer and Thomas F. White, Commissioners of Excise.

December 1, 1883, the business of the Department was in the hands of James Jourdan, Commissioner of Police and Excise ; Edward L. Langford, Deputy Commissioner of Police and Excise ; Richard Lauer and Thomas F. Evans, Excise Commissioners; Patrick Campbell, Superintendent of Police; Henry L. Jewett, Inspector ; William J. McKelvey, Drill Captain ; George H. Flanley, Superintendent Telegraph ; John C. Perry, Counsel.

In Police and Excise Commissioner Jourdan's report for the year ending November 30th, 1883, to Mayor Low, the police force is stated to consist of :

One superintendent, one inspector, one drill captain, thir- teen precinct captains, sixty-six sergeants, twenty-five detec- tives, thirty-four roundsmen, four hundred and eighty-nine patrolmen, and thirty-five doormen; total, 665.

The number of patrolmen detailed for duty at the courts and other places, requiring the services of police officers, is fifty-four, or about one-ninth of the whole patrol force. Notwithstanding the fact that the Board of Estimate has

provided for the payment of nineteen additional patrolmen, which increases the number to 500 for the ensuing year, the necessity for increasing the force still exists, and grows more and more urgent each year. There are 546 miles of streets within the limits of the city, the residents of which need the protecting arm of this department for the prevention of crime and the preservation of the public peace.

The various precincts are divided into day and night posts. One-quarter of the available patrol force, which is about 100 men, is used to cover the day posts, and about one-half of said force is used to cover the night posts, which is about 200 men; therefore, each patrolman on day duty is required to patrol about five and one-half miles of streets, and each one on night duty is required to patrol about two and three- quarter miles of streets. In this connection I would state that police telegraph boxes, properly placed throughout the city, would be a most valuable auxiliary to the patrol force.

Under title 11, section 36 of the charter, the Commissioner of Police and Excise is required to detail on each day of election in the city of Brooklyn at least two patrolmen to each election poll. For this service the Commissioner states that he has not a sufficient force to spare. And. as it is esti- mated, by a member of the Board of Elections, that there will be at least 240 polling places in this city next year, 480 patrolmen will be required for duty at said polling places ; and the Commissioner also recommends the establishment of a RIVER AND HARBOR POLICE, with two steam launches, as an increase of the number of posts along the water-front is not warranted by the present insufficient force.

The number of arrests during the year was 27,011; un- lighted street lamps, 15,505; persons provided with lodgings in station houses, 19,707; lost children taken charge of, 1,919; vacant houses reported for special attention during the sum- mer months, 2,086 ; fumigation of infected premises, 967; smallpox cases removed to hospital, 10 ; wells disinfected, 9 ; sanitary inspection, 137; complaints made and notices served, 53.

Estimated value of stolen and unclaimed property in cus- tody of department December 1, 1882, $924.72 ; property re- ceived during the year, $104,250.90. Total, $105,181.62.

Property delivered to persons. .$103,804.56 Balance on hand December 1, 1883 1,377.06

The telegraph lines and instruments are in good working order, and during the year 179,818 messages passed through the office. Complaints against policemen were made to the number of 467, of which 310 were sustained, 157 dismissed : 11 patrolmen were dismissed during the year. The police surgeons attended 760 cases of sickness, and made 3,852 professional visits. 558 fires were reported. Six arrests were made of persons suspected of having set fire to the premises. One was convicted and sent to the Penitentiary for two years. 2,735 steam boilers were examined, 29 con- demned. 1,463 engineers were examined, of whom 1,196 received certificates.

Abstracts of Police Statistics will also be found, under the head of the separate years, since 1855, in the History of the Consolidated City, pages 484 to 520.

562

HISTORY OF KINGS COUNTY.

HON. WM. H. MURTHA is, in every sense, a representative of the business interests and business men of Brooklyn; of the latter it is no affectation to say that in public spirit they are unrivaled by those of any other city.

He was born in Brooklyn, January 3, 1841, in that part of the city known as the Fourth Ward-in Concord street, near Jay. His father was James Murtha, born in Ireland. He came to America in 1834, and settled in the city of New York, from whence he removed to Brooklyn in 1837. His mother was also a native of Ireland. Both his parents were charac- terized by good sense, morality and industry. They were communicants of the Roman Catholic Church, in which faith Mr. Murtha was reared.

When he was nine years old his father died, leaving six children, of which he was the fourth. The early develop- ments of young Murtha's character were intelligence, love of books and a desire for education. These were enlarged and rendered practical in the public schools of Brooklyn to such an extent that he attracted the attention of that illustrious lawyer, the late Grenville T. Jenks, who invited Murtha, young as he was, to enter his office as a student. The invi- tation was accepted, and the young man, under the instruc- tions of Mr. Jenks, continued the education begun at school. With his other studies he pursued a limited course of law reading, as it was then his determination-prompted by the advice of Mr. Jenks-to become a lawyer. He remained with Mr. J. until he was seventeen years of age. In order to pursue the study of certain branches in classics, under a very competent teacher then in Brooklyn, he left the office of Mr. Jenks, as he then thought, temporarily. He remained at school until 1859, when he received a very advantageous offer to enter into mercantile business, which he accepted. Abandoning his intention of entering the legal profession, he commenced business with the eminent firm of Davidson & Co., New York city, a leading house engaged in the West India and South American trade. He remained with this firm, under the most confidential relations, until the break- ing out of the Rebellion. The business of the firm, being mostly confined to localities affected by the War, was such that it discontinued for a time. Mr. Murtha, receiving the appointment of mustering officer at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, entered the service of the Government very soon after the breaking out of the War. He continued to discharge the duties of this office until 1865. His labors while here were incessant ; his duties imposing upon him the highest re- sponsibilities. He had the care of at least 2,000 men, keeping daily details of their work; preparing and superintending the entire pay-roll of all the employees in the Navy Yard. The amount of money monthly disbursed to them averaged $450,- 000 to $600,000, and this sum for labor alone. The satisfac- tory manner in which Mr. Murtha discharged these duties sufficiently shows his capacity for administration, and the facility with which he conducts business. At the termina- tion of the War he left the Government service and com- menced business with his brother-in-law, organizing the well-known and highly respectable firm of Murtha & Boyle, wholesale and retail dealers in coal ; and, by the death of Mr. Boyle, in 1881, the firm was changed to W. H. Murtha & Son.

Mr. Murtha has always been an active and influential Dem- ocrat-influential, not as a politician, in the common accep- tation of the word, dealing in the platitudes of partisan man- agement for the sake of office, but, for his high standing as a business man, his general intelligence, public spirit and un- doubted integrity. His fealty to the Democratic party is a

matter of principle; he loves it for its traditions, for its Jef- fersonian precepts, because he honestly believes its doctrines tend to the great advantage of the masses-the greatest good to the many. In regard to upholding a man for office, he adopts the maxim of the great Father of Democracy in- volved in these questions, "Is he honest ? Is he capable ? Is he deserving ?"

In 1869, he was appointed a member of the Board of Educa- tion of Brooklyn, and served until 1872. He was elected an Alderman of the 9th Ward, in. 1876, serving by re-elections until 1878. In the fall of 1879, he was elected State Senator from the 2d Senatorial District of the State, which embraces nine wards of the city of Brooklyn, and the three towns of Flatbush, New Utrecht and Gravesend, in the county of Kings. He entered upon his Senatorial duties January 1st, 1880, where he took a prominent and influential position as a legislator. The Democratic party was largely in the minor- ity in the Senate. Mr. Hoskins, then Lieutenant-Governor and its presiding officer, in recognition of Mr. Murtha's high standing as a man, placed him upon several of the most im- portant standing committees in the Senate :- on the In- surance Committee, on that of State Prisons, on Public Buildings, Poor Laws, Public Health, and on the special com- mittee to investigate the affairs of the Binghamton Insane Asylum, and those of the Elmira Reformatory. Few members of that Senate discharged more laborious duties than Mr. Murtha. Though he did not very frequently occupy its attention as a speaker, when he did enter into the discussion of any subject, he was always listened to with the most profound respect and attention.

The important legislation of 1881-2 has passed into history. Among the important matters before that Senate was the re- vision of the Tax Laws, and a proposition to make the canals free high-ways, and to remove American Shipping property from local taxation. Mr. Murtha's district was so decidedly interested in the matter of making the Erie Canal free from tolls, that he was compelled to be aggressive in his advocacy of that measure. It was believed, and justly, that the measure would largely increase the tonnage of grain and other merchandise, which finds storage in the capacious warehouses along the water front of Brooklyn, where all the grain storage of the Port of New York, aggregating 40,- 000,000 of bushels yearly, is located; aggregating in the in- vestment of capital on the amount of property stored nearly $400,000,000. It will therefore be seen, of what vital im- portance the question of free canals was, to the city of Brooklyn. To the ability, zeal and untiring exertions of Senator Murtha, Brooklyn is largely indebted for the success of the measure. This is fully appreciated by its citizens, and the citizens of Kings county, and he is, therefore, by one ac- cord, assigned a conspicuous place in this history.

In private life, Senator Murtha is, as we have said, highly esteemed for his courteous bearing, his honorable dealing, his purity of character, for his ardent support of religious and educational interests, as well as of all measures tending to the advancement of the city of Brooklyn. He is a leading member of St. Charles Borromeo (Catholic) Church in Sidney Place. In 1869, he was united in marriage to Mrs. Mary E. Rice, of Brooklyn, a lady whose temperament accords hap- pily with that of her husband in the love of the domestic circle; for there are few men who have stronger attachment for home life than Senator Murtha. To make it happy, to embellish it with everything refining and elevating, is his ambition; and all his business cares, relations and labors are subservient to the welfare and comfort of his family.

1# Marita. A LITTLE

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.

563

THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.

BY THE EDITOR.

Brooklyn's Earlier Sanitary Provision, prior to 1854 .- Brooklyn, in its earlier village days, was not without its nuisances "prejudicial to the publie health;" but they were, for the most part, such as were easily controlled by the powers vested in the village trustees. In 1804, however, there was a slight epidemie of yellow fever in the Wallabout neighbor- hood; and, after the epidemic in New York, in 1805, foreign shipping, from infeeted ports, were no longer allowed to land at (or within three hundred yards of) the wharves of that city. Theneeforth, the Brooklyn shores were usually resorted to by sueh vessels ; as a consequence of which, the village was visited (in 1809, and again in 1823) with two similar epidemics, while New York remained totally exempt. (See History of the Medical Profession of Kings County, Part II). As the village grew to be a eity, the duties of a Health Board were fulfilled, after a fashion, by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen.

From FURMAN's Notes (p. 72), we learn that " As early as 1809, during the prevalence of the yellow fever in this town, the inhabitants met together in consequence of repeated solicitations from the Com- mon Council of New York, and after stating in their proceedings that reports prevailed that disease exists to an alarming extent in the town of Brooklyn, they appointed the following gentlemen a committee for the purpose of inquiring into the state of the health of the inhabitants of said town, and to act as the case, in their opinion, may require, viz .: William Furman, John Garrison, Burdet Stryker, Henry Stanton, and Andrew Mercein." A sum of money was raised by subscription to meet the expenses of this committee.

In the year 1819, the trustees, although not strictly invested with power, yet feeling the necessity of aet- ing with some degree of energy, in order to quell the fears of the inhabitants, arising from reports of the existence of a pestilential disease in New York, pub- lished an address, in which they state, that "during this season of alarm, they have not been unmindful of that part of their duty incumbent on them as a Board of Health for the village," and that "measures have been taken to obtain, from time to time, a report of the state of health throughout the village, that the inhabitants may be early apprised of any change af- feeting their welfare."

The Village Board of Health, created 1824. -March 4, 1824, in the Senate of the State of New York, John Lefferts, Esq., brought in a bill to estab-

lish a Board of Health in the village of Brooklyn, and also an aet, to amend an act, to incorporate the said village, botlı of which bills were passed by the Legis- lature on the 9th of April following.

By this act, the trustees of the village were consti- tuted a Board of Health, the President and Clerk be- ing (ex-officio) President and Clerk of the Board of Health. The President's salary was $150; and a health physician, appointed by the Board, received $200 per annum. The duties of the Board related to the general conservation of the health of the village.

The Health Board Organization of 1854. By the provisions of the charter of 1854, the Board of Health of the City of Brooklyn was constituted of the aldermen of the eity, or such a number of them as the Common Couneil might designate, and were invested with powers and functions, similar to those of the Board of Health of the City of New York. It was or- dained that the Mayor, or, in his absenee, or in ease of his inability to aet, the President of the Board of Aldermen, should be president of the Board of Health, and that the eity clerk should be its elerk, and keep a journal of its proceedings. It was defined to be the duty of the President of the Board of Aldermen, at all meetings of said board, when he should be informed of any matter requiring the attention of the Board of Health, to lay sueh matter before them, whereupon they should proceed to consider and aet upon it. It was provided that the Board of Health might be eon- vened at any time by notiee from the elerk, under di- reetion of the president, or any two of its members, and that the Board should designate a place to be called the Office of the Board of Health, where the president or one or more of the members should attend daily, Sun- day excepted, from the first day of June to the first day of October in each year, and that they might so attend on Sunday, if necessary; a faithful record of all trans- actions to be kept for the convenience of the Board and the inspection of the publie.

The provisions of this aet were ample and sufficient for the enforcement of the new ordinances, quarantine regulations, &e., for the sanitary welfare of a grow- ing city.

February 26th, 1866, an aet was passed ereating a "Metropolitan Sanitary District and Board of Health therein, for the preservation of life and health, and to prevent the spread of disease." The distriet, thus ereated, comprised the same territory as that embraced within the Metropolitan Police District, ercated the

564

HISTORY OF KINGS COUNTY.

same year, viz. : the City and County of New York, the County of Kings, and City of Brooklyn, Westchester and Richmond Counties, and the towns of Newtown, Flush- ing and Jamaica, in Qucens. The Board of Health was constituted of four members, nominated by the Governor, and confirmed by the Senate, all of whom were to be resi- dents of the said Metropolitan District ; three of whom were to be physicians ; and one of whom was to be a resident of the city of Brooklyn. These three, together with the Health Officer of the Port of New York, for the time being, were to be the Sanitary Commissioners of the said Metropolitan District ; and, together with the Metropolitan Police Commissioners, they formed " the Metropolitan Board of Health." These Sanitary Commissioners were to hold office respectively, for one, two, three and four years, but their respective succes- sors were to hold office for four years each.

An executive officer was created by the act to carry out the orders of this board, who was to be an cxper- ienced and skilful physician, and who was to be desig- nated as "Sanitary Superintendent ; " under him were two assistant sanitary superintendents, " one of whom was to be the acting chief officer of the Brooklyn Bureau of Sanitary Inspection ; " and a corps of sani- tary inspectors, of whom a large proportion were to be " physicians of practical skill and professional exper- ience."

It was also made the duty of the Metropolitan Board of Police, not only to execute the orders of the Metro- politan Board of Health; but to " promptly advise said Metropolitan Board of Health of all threatened dan- ger to human life or health, all matters demanding its attention, and all violations of its rules or ordinances."

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The civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the county of Kings and the city of Brooklyn, N. Y., from 1683 to 1884 Volume I, Part 143

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909, ed. cn; Brockett, L. P. (Linus Pierpont), 1820-1893; Proctor, L. B. (Lucien Brock), 1830-1900. 1n Publication date: 1884 Publisher: New York : W. W. Munsell & Co. Number of Pages: 1114

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909, ed. cn; Brockett, L. P. (Linus Pierpont), 1820-1893; Proctor, L. B. (Lucien Brock), 1830-1900. 1n
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: New York : W. W. Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1114