ECdRD





AND   BUILDERS'   GUIDE.





Vol. VI.                       NEW YORK, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1870.                      No. 133.





Published Weekly by

THE HEAL ESTATE RECORD ASSOCIATION.

TERMS.

One year, in advance...............'.......$6 00

All communications should be addressed to

C.   "W.   SA"V"K!ItIT,

lOB Broauway. cok. of Pine Street.





THE CEOTON WATER.

The severe drought about -^vMch the AA'hole
country is complainiag, and Avhich has-caused
more sickness along many of the rlA^er toAvns
than has been known for years, has been
hardly noticed in this city, and for the first
time in years no complaints have been made
about a scarcity of Croton. Last year, when
there seemed to be no necessity, New York Avas
nearly frightened out of her wits by the orders
of the old .Croton Aqueduct Department,
which went so far as to prohibit the use of
water for sprinkling the streets, thereby caus¬
ing serious annoyance and damage to thousands
of our merchants. The following letter from
the chief enguieer of the Croton Aqueduct ex¬
plains why we have been subjected to no such
trouble during the past season:—

On returning to the city after an absence of
three days at the upper sources of the Croton
river upon official business, I find that a state¬
ment has appeared iu one or more daily news¬
papers charging Mx, Tweed, the Commissioner
of Public Works, Avith receiviag from the city
treasury $250,000 for water rights to furnish an
additional supply of water to the Croton aque¬
duct, -which rights he had bought for $25,000.
The statement is, within my knowledge, untrue
and unjust to him.

I believe it is known to many that I became
engineer of the Croton aqueduct in May last, by
appointment of Mr. Tweed, with Avhom I Avas
very shghtly acquainted, and Avithout solicita¬
tion on the part of myself or my friends. Upon
assuming the duties of the office he directed me
at once to make a thorough examination of the
sources of supply of Avater, and report it to Mm,
with the suggestion of measures which might
be necessary to prevent the possibility of a defi¬
ciency, such as was threatened during the last
year, and which would have left the city practi¬
cally Avithout water if the drought had lasted
for forty-eight hours longer than it did. I
found that a dam had been partly completed
across one of the confluents of the Croton river
-with a view to reserve the Avaters which passed
through it in floods. It was not in a condition
to be used during the present season, and, in¬
deed, if completed, could furnish no supply
until the autumnal rains should fill the reser¬
voir made by the dam. I also ascertained that
the water of several lakes in Putnam county
might be drawn into the Croton river and fur¬
nish an adequate supply for the city during any
drought that might reasonably be expected.
These were so situated that connection Avith the
Croton could be prepared with great rapidity,
and their purchase could be effected at a reason¬
able price. . I reported the facts to Mr. Tweed.
An examination was at once made to ascer¬
tain whether there were any moneys under the
control of the department which might 43e used





for the purpose. It was found that there were
none. Mr. Tweed thereupon directed me to
make the purchase of any such water rights as
I deemed necessary to insure the city a suffi¬
cient supply of water; to do it as cheaply as I
could, and he would furnish the neqessary means
to pay for them and turn them over to the city
at the price paid whenever the proper legisla¬
tion could be procured for their purchase. I
accordingly made the purchases and had the
waters turned into the Croton river above the
Croton dam. The qu.intity supplied from these
sources has for several Aveeks varied from thirty
to sixty millions of gallons per day. Without
it the city Avould for some time past have been
left without} water.

The water taken is of the very purest to be
found anyw'here. Most of the lakes are chiefly
supplied by springs, and then-waters are of very
great purity and transparency. The purchase
•at $25,000 I .suppose refers to that of thoAvater
rights of Lake Gile.id. I made the purchase,
received the money from Mr. TAveed to pay for
it, and took the deed in Mr. Tweed's name and
left it for record in the Clerk's office. He never
saw the lake, did not, and I believe does not
now know who owned it, and I know he never
saw the deed. It Avas purchased at what I
believe a reasonable price and with a vie-w to
sell it to the city at the same price, and the
result of the purchase is that the city is now
suppUed with such an abundance of Avater, as
it has only had for many years past during wet
seasons.

Edward H. Tracy,
Chief Eugineer of the Croton Aqueduct.

September 27, 1870.





THE PUBLIC DEIVE.

In the thirteenth annual report of the Board
of Commissioners of Central Park there occurs
the f olloAving :—

In regard to the work of regolating and grad¬
ing the pupHc drive from Fifty-ninth street to
One Hundred and Fifty-fifth street, hopes are
entertained that almost or qrdte the whole line
of the road wiU be regulated and considerable
portion of it open for pubhc travel on or before
January 1, 1871, but the gTeat extent of the
work, which is almo&t five miles long and one
hundred and fifty feet A\dde, requiring for its
regulation the excavation and removal of more
than 350,000 cubic yards of rock and earth,
and the finding and filling in of about 300,000
cubic yards of material in addition, necessarily
requires rdtich time. An average force of over
740 men has been engaged on it during all
working days of the year 1869. In addition to
the amount of regulating and. grading which
has been done, curbstones have been set, foun¬
dation road-bed has been prepared, and tempo¬
rary sidewalks laid in a large portion of the
space between Fifty-ninth street and Seventy-
ninth street. A large portion of this avenue
hes along an ancient and much used road, and
every reasonable effort has been made to avoid
incommoding occupants along the line Avith the
processes of the work, and constant exertion
has been made to insure the progress of the
s8Avers, gas and water pipes, by the authorities
having charge of these respective works, while
the work of Excavating and filling was in pro¬
gress.

With respect to extending the city above the
Harlem River into Westchester County, in ful¬





filment of the duty thus prescribed, the board
has commenced and is rapidly progressing Avifch
surveys over about three-foui-tiis of the terri¬
tory inchided in the terms of the law. It is in¬
tended that these surveys shall be comprehen¬
sive, accurate, and in sufficient detail to serve
as a rehabie basis for all future work of a ma¬
terial character required within this territory.
A careful examination of the sufficiency of the
existing High Bridge to sustain a carriage-way
over it has been made, and also a preliminary
examination of the sources of water supply that
are to be relied on for the loAver part of West¬
chester County. -Under the provisions of the
law, the sum of $10,000 was certified by the
board to the Super^risors of the County of New
York as necessary to be raised in the City of
New York towards defraying the expenses of
surveys, etc., in relation to bridges, tunnels and
other improvements across and in the Harlem
River and Spuyten Duyvil Creek, and such sum
has been received by the board from the Comp¬
troller of this city. The sum of $20,000 was
also, and by the same authority, certified to the
Supervisors of Westchester County as necessary
to be raised in that county towards defraying
the expenses of surveys in that county.





EEPORTED

IMPORTANT BUSINESS CHANGES.

NEW TORK CITT.

Bangs, Merwin & Co., book auctioneers; Andrew

M. Merwin deceased.
Curtis & Co., liquors, sold out and dissolved.
Flint & Co., commission, dissolved.
Goldbhrg, M.& S., fancy goods, dissolved;  M. &

E. Goldberg con-fcinue.
Prosser, Thomas & Son, boiler tubes"; Thomas Pros-

ser deceased.
Preston & Edwards, produce commission, dissolved.
.Smith, Clark & Co., brushes.





MECHANICS'   LIENS    AGAINST    BUILDINGS
IN NEW YOEK CITY.

Sept.

37 Baxter st., w. s., rear of No. 20.
Michael Newman agt. Mr. Find-
lay...............................       148 00

28 Broadavat, yv. s., Nos. 1223, 1225
and 1221. Andi-ew L. Osbom agt.
Thos. Theall.....................       650 00

24 Eighteenth st., s. s.. No. 34 W.
Louis A. Dean et al. agt. Ewen Mc-
Intyre...........................         64 50

23 First av., w. s., Nos. 58, and 583 E.
Bernard Muldoon agt. S. S. Schul-
hofer.............................       132 56

23 Fiety-third st., n. s., Nos. 19 and
21 W. I. A. Hance agt. Cornelius
^   O'Reylej'.........................       194 27

S3 Fifty-first st. and 9Tn av., n. e.
cor. John Darrow agfc. John
Schmidt..........................       786 25

26 FlFTX-SECOND   ST.,   N.   S.,   5 HOUSES

com. about 340 w. Isfc av.    Michael

Cowen agfc. Michael Murray.......         40 00

26 Same premises.   Patrick McHugh

agt. M. Mm-ray...................         18 00

26 Same premises.   P. J. Perrtman

agt. same.........................         33 00

26 Same premises.   James McElrot

agt. same........................         60 GO

26 Same premises.    Hugh   Meehan

agfc.  same........................         45 00

26 Same  premises.    James  Collins

agt. same........................         30 25

26 Fifty-second st., s. s., 3 houses

com.   175 e.   11th  av;    Mullen &

Beecher agt. John B. Ledaire.......500 00