AND   BUILDERS'   GUIDE





Vol. XI.





NEW YORK, SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 1873.





No. 261.





Piiblish.ed Weeklu by •

TiîS  REiL ESl'ATE  RECORD  ASSOOIATION

TEKMS.

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

AH cominmiicatioiiâ should he addressed to

■7 AND 0 W.VHUEM STRKUT.





No receipt for money dne the RRATi BST.\TK Rkcoru
will be acknowled.iîed nnless sii^ncd by one of our regnlar
collectors, Hkn'hy D. Smitii or Ttro.M.-vs P, CuM.MtNGS.
AU bills for collection will be sent from the office on a regu¬
larly printed form.





Spécial TSTotices.

The largely increasing business of Messrs. Gillis &
Geoghegàn has necessitated their removiil dnring the past
year to more enlarged quarters. Tiie coniraodious premi¬
ses they now occupy, 110 and IIS Wooster street, give them
much greater facilities for their business.

Mr. Abraham L. Batterson, who engaged in the fur-
niture stora.ge busine.ss in 181:J and has continued in itever
since, having been for the last 20 ye.ars in his présent loca¬
tion, has ample facilities to acconnnodate his old friends
and the public. He has a lon.g listof références from many
of our most wealthy and prominent citr/.ens, who hâve en-
truited their property to his care.





The total number of deeds recorded at the
Rsgister's office during tlie month of February,
1878, was 546, of which 46 were given for a
nominal considération, and 500 represented a
money value of $10,180,724. Thèse figures, in
comparison with those for 1872, show a slight
decrease, the totals for 1872 being 543 deeds, of
which 32 were nominal, and 511 represented a
value of $11,512,800. The market at présent
is in a good average condition, with a prospect
of a very active market for the season now at
hand. The prolonged stringency of money,
which as yet gives no sign of a let up, has had
the effect of deterring timid buyers, and has
prevented active démonstrations from the specu
lative class. Should the new Secretary of the
Treasury let loose a few millions of légal ten-
ders, thus easing up the money market, it
would undoubtedly create a new confidence,
and inure to the benefit of ail classes.





In the opening of the labor question this
spring, advantage has been taken of the man¬
ner in which the "eight-honr" point was
gained by the workingmen, to create a stroug
movement. amongst the " boss-carpenters " in
ff..or of repudiating it, and returning to the
" ten-hour " rule. This, of course, is eonsid¬
ered a menace to the whole system agreed upon
last year, and there is no scarcity of déma¬
gogues to magnify the danger, and gain
popularity for themselves. There will be
a few of the bosses who will enunciate extrême
views upon this subject, then a joint confér¬
ence will hîtnàle the matter and order be again
restored.   Por the truth is, the employers and





men will be found greatly in the majority for
the rules just as they stand now ; any inclina¬
tion on the part of either side to demand more
will be unwise. As the ultimatum of the co-
operating societies thèse rules were accepted in
good faith by the employers and will be adhered
to by them ; the contracts made for the future
were based upon them, and disaster would fol¬
low their répudiation. Notwithstanding the
display of hostility to the existing system, to
which we refer, we dare assert that the move¬
ment is without strength, and will be ig-
nored by the bosses v/hen they come to pass
upon it a.s a body. Nevertheless, they will not
permit the workingmen to use it as a pretext
for any new demands, and really they are in a
position to maintain whatever they déclare.
As with the boss-carpenters so will it proba¬
bly be with other branches' of the building
interest ; ail wiU work under the same rules.





ALBANY LETTEE.

Albany, March 14, 187.3.^
TilE rapid transit bill introduced in the
Senate by Mr. Tiemann, of New York, on Wed¬
nesday, is something fearful to contemplate.
It comes from the New York Elevated Railroad
Company, and provides for a new charter,
authorizing that company to construct lines of
elevated raUroad as follows : First, an exten¬
sion on the lower end of the présent line, from
the junction of Greenwich .street and Battery
place across to the northerly corner of the
Battery to State street, thence across the
easterly corner of the Battery and along WTiite-
hall street to the river. Second, a branch line
of elevated railroad from the présent main line
at the junction of G-reenwich and Canal streets,
along Canal street to the Hudson river.
Third, a branch from the main line at or near
the junction of Greenwich and West Tenth
streets along West Tenth street or along Chris¬
topher street to the Hudson river. Fourth, a
branch from the main line at or near the junc¬
tion of Gausevoorb street and Little Twelfth
street, along Little Twelfth street to the Hudson
river. Fifth, a branch from the junction of
Ninth avenue and West Twenty-third street
along West Twenty-third street to the Hud¬
son river. Sixth, a branch from the junc¬
tion of Ninth avenue and Thirty-fourth street
down Thirty-fourth street to the river.
Seventhly, comes the main line for the east side
of the city. This they loropose to start from
some point on or near the Battery, and runni. g
up through some street east of Broadway,
thence easterly of Fourth avenue to the Harlem
river, and thence along the shore of the river to
Kingsbridge. Eighth, a Connecting branch from
some point on the Harlem river between
McComb's Dam and the Harlem Railroad bridge
across to the main line on the west side, Con¬
necting at. some point below llOth street.
Ninth, a branch from the Hudson river at some
point between Forty-first and Forty-eighth
streets on a line through one or more streets
and avenues to the Grand Central Depot, and
thence on to the East river, terminating at
some point between East Forty-first and East
Forty-fifth streets. The bUl provides that work
shall be commenced within two months after





its passage, and that the company shall buUd
at the rate of three miles of road per year, mak¬
ing allowance for any delays on account of diffi¬
culty in obaining title to property.

The House committee on railroads hâve made
a favorable report on the bill for an elevated
railroad on what is known as the Buckman
plan. The name of the company proposing to
build this road is the New York City Central and
Westchester Elevated Railroad Company. The
route begins at South Ferry and runs np
Church and Wooster streets, through Union
square and along Broadway to Eighth avenue,
thence to Harlem Lane, St. Nicholas avenue,
and finally Tenth avenue to the river, whence
it is intended to proceed by surface road to
Yonkers.

No report has yet been received on the bill
sent hère by the We.st Side Association, which
provides for a road to be built by the city it¬
self.

The Senate on Wednesday afternoon had the
proposed charter of the New York Railroad and
Warehouse Company up for considération iu
committee of the whole. This is the biU which
proposes to give a charter to a large company
to build a railroad around the city on the bulk¬
head line, and to erect a number of warehouses
and piers as a kind of experiment, the intention
of the company being to continue the work
along both shores of the island providing the
Législature is satisfied with their first work.
The bill, after discussion, was "' progressed. "

Pétitions for the passage of the law exempt-
ing bonds and mortgages from taxation conti¬
nue to come in. A few remonstrances hâve
been received from the interior. Senator
Madden presented a pétition on Wednesday,
signed by 300 citizens of Orange county, pray¬
ing for the passage of this law. The debate on
the bill has again been postponed until Thurs¬
day, March 20.

Mr. Crary, of New York, has introduced a
bill in the Assembly to extend the area of
assessments for the opening of Lexington avenue
from One Hundred and Second street to the
Harlem river. It is asserted that the damage
to property in opening this avenue has been so
great that to assess the résidents along the line
for the whole of it would be too burdensome.
The bill of Mr. Crary authorizes the assessing
of ail the property owners between Third and
Fourth avenues.

The following bill, introduced by Mr. Deer-
ing, has been read t\vice and referred to the
committee on the judiciary, reported favorably
from said committee, and committed to the
committee of the whole.

An act to amend an act entitled "An act to'authorize the
formation of c )rporations for the érection of buildings,"
passed April fifth, eighteen hnndred and fiftj'-three.

The People of the State of New York, represented iu
Sonate and Assembly, do enact as follows :
h Section 1. The first section of chapter one hundred and
ssventecn of the Laws of eighteen hundred and fifty-three,
entitled •' An act to authorize the form.ation of corporations
for the érection of buildings," is hereby amended to read
as follows : At any time hereafter any five or more per¬
sons who may désire to form a company for the érection of
buildings or the construction or leasing of elevators and
warehouses for the storage and elevating of grain and for
the making, pnrchasing and sellin.e materials for the con¬
struction of buildings, or for the laying out and subdivision
of lands into building lots or villa plots and the improve¬
ment and sale thereof, and for the pnrchasing, holding,
leasing and conveying any improved real estate whatever,
may make, sign and acknowledge before some officer com
pétant to take the acknowledgment of deeds, and file in the
office of the clerk of the county in which the business of
the company shall be carried on, and a dupUcate thereof in
the office of the secretary of state, a certificate in writing,
in which shall be stated the ''corporate name of the said
company and the object for -which the company fihaU he