ND   BUILDERS'   GUIDE





Vol. XL





NEW YORK, SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 1873.





No. 259.





Published Weeklu bu

TIfE REIL ESFATE RECORD ASSOCIATION.

TE mes. 5

Ona year, in. advance......................gl6 00

Aîl comuiunications should be addressed to

C.   ~W.   SVi^ISElT.

7 AND S WAHHEN STRKET.





No receipt for rooney due the RKA.Ii Est.\te RKCORO
will be acknowledged unie?'' signed hy one of our regular
collectors. Hbniiy D, S.v or TilOM.iS F. GUMMl.VGS.
AU bills for collection will lie sent from the otliue on a regu-
larly printed form.





Spécial Notices.

Mb. Willis H. WABNÉii, whose steam-heiiting appara¬
tus ha.*! been naed so frequently of late year.s with gênerai
satisfaction, is now applying it to some of the finest struc¬
tures recently erected.

The Nation.al Stove Works, whose foundries at PeekskiU
were established in 18-10, are, with their customary enter¬
prise, perfecting some designs of ranges, which those
building this season are invited to inspect at their ware¬
houses, 2:19 and 241 Water street.-

Mr. William J. Coles, real estate and insurance agent,
1267 Broadway, pays particular attention to renting houses
and collecting rents, and makes up-town properly a speci¬
ally.





The Tribune ought to be asîiamed of itself
in helping manipulators of the Gilbert road to
deceive the public. There is not a tittle of évi¬
dence that this company has taken the first step
towards the construction of the line. The out¬
side roads represented in the Gilbert scheme
are practically banlcrupt, and, so far as our ob¬
servation goes, not a doUar has been subscribed
nor a contract given out. The daily press hâve
so often led the public astray respecting rapid
transit t " at they should be cautions. The only
practicable road is one built by the people for
the people, and it is to kill this enterprise that
the Gilbert people are engaged in humbugging
the public by means of an over-credulous press.

One would think, judging from the daily
reports put into circulation, that the same par¬
ties who so successfuUy managed the little
joker in connection with the Central Under¬
ground Railroad, succeeding for two years in
so befogging this great big public, which takés
so much delight in being fooled up to a cer¬
tain point, are in this scheme. We hâve
the same story of English capital, $5,000,000
almost in the treasury; and this story sic-
ceeded by another that a delay of ninety days
jhas occurred, after which everything is to be
ail right (the Législature will be adjoumed by
that time), and so on, tothe end of the chapter.

If there is anything really désirable ir' Rapid
Transit as an investment, we hâve men of
brains and capital in this country who can take





hold of it, and thus the city wiU be saved from
the mortification of having its streets controlled
by foreign capitalists.

So long as there seemed any prospect that
the Gilbert people were really in earnest we
encouraged them. But at this late stage in the
Rapid Transit movement the citizens want ac¬
tion and not talk. As far as real progress is
concerned, the Underground Railroad was much
further along a year ago than the Gilbert
affair is now.

It had six millions of hona fide capital sub¬
scribed as a basis for English money ; whereas,
the Gilbert combination can show nothing but
a lot of used-up railroads.

AVe repeat, that itis évident to capitalists that
the undertaldng would be a risky one for a
private company. Therefore, let ail sincerely
interested in the movement aid the Rapid
Transit Company and the Beach Pneumatie
Tunnel Company, which never yet had a fair
chance, but which will now be heard from, un¬
less the Governor interposes his veto, and let
the verdict be unanimous that the city should
do this work itself.





DOWN TOWN IMPSOVEMENTS WANTED.

Too much cannot be said about the necessity
of keeping the circulation free in the roots of
the Metropolitan life, by opening and widening
streets. Far-seeing property-owners should be
willing to endure almost any assessments that
will produce wider streets for the transporta¬
tion of goods. At présent the area of down
town wards is not half utilized because of the
bungling arrangement of streets. In the ap¬
parently busiest quarters there are great blocks,
the centres of which are given over to old use¬
less lookeries and perennial inertia and silence :
insomuch tliat property-holders could afford to
donate the ' ' right of way " for a street through
the middle of each block, so greatly would the
improvement increase the value of adjacent
property. Again there are narrow streets—
mère lanes in fact—lined by dingy old shops
and factories, the widening of which would
malic them thoroughfnres and cause them to
be occupied by fine stores. Unless such im¬
provements are made e.xtensively, the best pay¬
ing business wUl move up town, leaving the
narrow down-town streets to be used as similar
ones are in London. ,

Among needed street openings may be men¬
tioned the following : A diagonal cut from
Church street at the corner of Fulton across to
Collège place. This would not destroy many
fine buildings, and would form the needed
completion of a grand thoroughfare, of which
the widening of Church below Fulton, and the
construction of South Fifth av. are the pre¬





liminary steps. Another, and miich cheaper
diagonal could be made from the end of Col¬
lège Place across into Greemvich street at Vesey
street.

Again, SuUivan street should be opened from
Amity to Fourth, thus givii^ another outlet
into Fifth ave. This would only take out four
house lots to make a street ot) feet wide. The
rear of thèse lots is not occupied except by a
stable, though there are good houses on the
front. AH the streets mentioned should be
paved in the best manner.

On the east side, beside the Ann street im¬
provement, there should be openings higher up.
Centre street should be paved thoroughly, and
then Marion widened the whole length, and
either cut through to Lafayette Place, or di¬
rectly from Prince- to Fourth ave. or Astor
Place.

Before any more fine buildings are put up at
Fourth ave. and Pourteenth street, the outlet
of old Bowery should be opened there by a
widening on the west side, where there are as
yet lio valuable buildings. The street is now
only 69 feet wide.





ALBANY LETTEE.

Albany, Fébiiiary 27.

TiiE New Republican Charter for the City of
New York, has passed in the Assembly by a
strictly party vote. The entire bill of 140 large
pages was read by the Clerk on Wednesday, oc-
cupying over two hours, after which the friends
and opponents of the New Charter closed for
the final struggle. Ail day long and far into
the night the contest continued.

The Democrats were aided by a few inde¬
pendent Republicans who did not hke the biil,
and were thus enabled to make a very good
fight. The minority achieved one very impor¬
tant victory, which was in the adoption of the
amendment to increase the number of Alder¬
men to 21, and secure minority représentation
in their élection. The principal features of the
proposed charter, as it stands, are aa follows.
The Board of Aldermen nomtnate the heads of
departments, and the Mayor confirms or rejects
as he sees fit. In case the Mayor and--Alder¬
men cannot agrée the nomination can be made
over again in the Board of Aldermen, by the
s me vote (a simple majority), and the person
nominated is eonsidered appointed, the same as
if the Mayor had confirmed. The Mayor, as an
offset, holds the power to remove any officer
by consent of the Governor. The next Board
of Aldermen is to be composed of 31 mem¬
bers, three from eàch sénatorial district, and
six at large. No elector is to be allowed to
vote for more than two candidates from any
district, or more than four among the candi¬
dates nominated at large. The municipal élec¬
tion is to be held on the same day as the gêne¬
rai élection, as now. The Board of Assistant
Aldermen is extinct. The most important lég¬
islative powers are still withheld from the Alder¬
men and distributed among the departments,
as under'the présent charter. The " secta-
rian" clause is adopted. This prohibits the
appropriation of any of the city funds or real