Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

Real estate record and builders' guide: v. 43, no. 1096: March 16, 1889

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March 16,1880 Record and Guide. 363 auctioneers wbo do tbe largest business and di-aw the largest crowds, but this fact was evidently only recognized by a few of the successful bidders. Below is a list of tbe lessees, with tbe stands chosen by them, and the auctioneers neai'est to whom their signs are secured. The second row of signs aucfcioned off on Monday are not directly over fche old auctioneers but adjacent to them, or between the spaces some four or five feet above them, and this bas tended to allay much of tbe irritation and opposition at first displayed against the innovation. The price iu each case named below includes the annual rent of $100 and the premium paid : Adjacent to sign of Browu & Leviness. do James L,Wells. Wm. Kenneliy. do L. J. & I. Phillips. Gueriueau & Drake. J. Thomas Stearns. Telephone Box, Lespinasse & Friedman Scott & Myers. do Wm, Reynolds Brown, Ent. to Mauager's room. .Tohn T. Boyd. Jere. Johnson, Jr. T. S. Clarkson & Co. John F. B. Smyth. Ricliard V, Haruett & Co. Bernard Smyth. S. De Walltearss. Total,.S3,080 . The four signs unsold are all applied for, and the amount I'eaUzed will be equal to about one-half of 1 per cent, on the capital stock. Mo. Price. Lessee. 1 ...... $110 W. S. Anderson....... a...... 150 F, de R. Wissmann.,: a....... 145 Geo, B. Read........■,. 4...... 110 Horaces. Elv........ 105 H, H. Cammann...... 6....... 105 7....... 120 fl..... Unsold............... il....... 10....... 115 L. J. Carpenter....... Thos. C, Smith....... 11..... 115 12....... 125 J. Romaine Brown.,.. 13...... 115 E. A. Cruikshank..... 14....... Unsold................ Ifi....... 115 .Terc B .foiinson 10 ...... 200 Jere. Johnson, Jr___ 17....... Unsold............. 18....... 115 J. Edgar Leaycraft... John R.Foley........ IB....... 115 30..... 115 Fairchild iSrYorau.... 31....... 105 Johu M. Gibson..... Legislation Affecting New York Oity. Albany, March 15, 1889. Tbe Court of Appeals decision declaring the Arcade Raih-oad charter unconstitutional, after nearly twenty years of legislation and legal strife in tbe courts, caused considerable consl>eruation in tbe Legislature, coming, OS it does at a tune when the subject of increased rapid transit facilities foi' the City of New York is the uppei-most topic of importance here. To go through all tbat formula with its attendant htigation wiU take mauy years, aud iu that view of the situation uudergro»nd transit in New York is uow as far off from realization as it ever was. Thus the pi'oposed pending cable legislation has taken a fresh impulse, as tbe only practicable means of giving tbe people of New York ready rehef. Tbe Cable Com¬ pany has run the gamut of the courts, and almost as soon as tbe necessary enabling act is passed, work on the constructiou of the parallel lines may begin. Within a year, the friends of the scheme claim, cable cai-s may be in opei'ation ou Lexington and other avenues. This is tbe sentiment in tbe Legislatm-e uow. Hence there is Uttle doubt of fche passage of tbe bill intro¬ duced by Senator Pisrce in the Senate and Robei't Ray HamUton iu tbe Assembly, notwithstanding the opposition of Mayor Gi'ant. In refereuce to this brauch of the subject it is argued that the plau of Mayor Grant to have a commission appouited by the courts to fix upon the best scheme is not only open to serious objection on account of tbe postponement of a solution of fcbe fcransit pi-oblem, bufc that it is also a parfc of a scheme to play iuto the hands of the new syndicate represented by Whitney, Payne and Lament, wbo propose to gridiron New York with cable roads, as theii' Philadelphia aud Standard Oil partnei-s have ah-eady gridironed Phila¬ delphia. It is said tbat if Mayor Grant persists in his opposition to the Cable bill, a measure will be speedUy introduced and pushed through, restoring the power of confirmation upou tbe Board of Aldermen, which is something tbat the Mayor wiU hardly wish, a,s on the first of May he wUl bave tbe fllUng by appointment of thirty-eight fat places, It is thought tbat no difficulty will be experienced iu passing sucb a bill, as the hayseed-Republicans beai- Mi-. Grant uo good feeling on account of his recent utterance that he proposes to make tbe Pohce Boai'd partizan. As it controls tbe election machinery of tbe city tbe Republicans thus favor retaliation. But wiU Governor HiU sigu a bill giving to the Boai-d of Aldermeu tbe powei- of confli-mation ? ls a question whicb is asked. To tbis, reply is made iu tbis wise ; How can be affoi'd to veto it iu the face uf his weU-defined policy iu favor of local self-government ? From aU of whicb it may be seen that a lively street surface I'ailway war is at hand, to which, iu the order of things, tbe existing car-line corporations wiU leuil a hand. Iu his veto of Assemblyman Connolly's West End Avenue bill, which gave the Park Depat-tment jm-isdictiou ovei- it within prescribed limits. Governor Hill said the bill would set a precedent for putting otber streets under tbe sarae control. He added that the measure was not iu the intei'- est of the city, but in that of i-eal estate speculators ou West End avenue. Rising to a question of pi'ivilege, Mr. Connolly explained tbat he intro¬ duced the bill in good faith but kuew little as to its merits, and had left it to tbe judgment of fche Governor to veto the biU or not as he saw fit. Legislation bas taken on an active spurt tbis week, and tbe wheels I'evolved with a rapidity wbich will be increased still more so uext week, when evening sessions on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday will be held iu addition to fche daily sessions. A great many important committee reports were made, iu addition to tbat of tbe Cable bill by the Senate RaUroad Committee. Among these were: Cities—Mr, Horuidge'sDock biU, Mr. Blumenthal's Exterior (East Pdver) Street biU, Mr. Roesch's Health Board bUl, and Mr. Blumenthal's Street Opening bill. Coraiuet-ce and Navigation—Mr. Kerrigan's, setting apart one dock iu eight for tbe use of the pubhc as a pi-omenade. Cities-Mr. Cantor's New York Pubhc Buildings bill, and Mr. Vau Cott's extending the route of the Fifth Avenue Stage Line. Assemblyman Crosby has inti-oduced a bill appointing Andi-ew H. Green, J. S. T. Stranaban, John Foord, Frederick W. Devoe and Calverfc Vaux, the State Engineer and Surveyor, and one person to he designated by eacb of tbe following; Tbe Mayor of New York, Mayor of Brooklyn, the Boards of Supervisors of Westchester, Queens, Kings and Richmond counties. The commissioners so chosen shall iuquhe into the expediency of enlarging the area of tbe City of New York by including within its limits adjacent or neighboring territory, and to report from time to time their conclusions and recommendations. Tbe commissioners are to serve without compensation. Tbe City of New York is authorized to expend a sum not to exceed $5,000 for the expense of tbe commission. Aniong otber impoi-taut uew bills introduced are the foUowing: By Mr, Duffy,—Compelling the tiiistees of fche New York and Brooklyn Bridge to provide elevators at some convenient point between the entrance to bridge at Park row. New York, and South street, same city, for reception and accommodation of bridge travelers. Tbe ti-ustees are directed to acquire real esfcale necessary for fche location of such elevators, waiting rooms thereat for passengers and operation of elevators, and toborrow sucb sums as may be requu-ed therefor. Elevators are for use by both foot passengers over tbe bridge aud passengers in cars running over the bridge railway. Upon each person ascending or descending in said elevatoi's toll not exceed¬ ing two cents shall be imposed. By Mr. McAdam.—Autborizhig railroad coi-poratious which bave pur¬ chased at public auction franchises to use streets, roads aud avenues, and have agi-eed to give for sucb rights 30 per cent, per annum of their gi-oss receipts, to use the tracks of otber I'ailroads. By Senator Cantor,—Providing for tbe completion of tbe north extensiou of the Metrofiolitau Muse\im of Ai-ts at a eost not to exceed $400,000. By Mr, Ci'onin.—lucoi-porating tbe New York aud Long Island Bridge Company over Blackwell's Islaud. By Mr. MuUaney.—Making it unlawful for any steam boiler fco be placed iu buildiugs wbere human beings dweU, a^emble or congregate, aud all such boilers shall be placed in a separate boUer house. By Senator Mui-pby.—Allowing lessees of street sm-face railways to abandon auy route no longer necessary for the successful operation of tho road. By Senator Walker.—Giving the Raih-oad Commissioners power, under the law of 1884, to change tbe operation of street railroads by otber thau boi-se power .except iocomofcives. By Senator Murphy.—Appropriating $10,000 for a monument iu Central Park fco John Ericsson. By Senafcor Van Cott.—Amending the law relative to fche charges of Commissioners of Estimate and Assessment. The Assembly has passed Senator Ives' Mu'ieum of Natm-al History biU in an amended form. Ifc gives tbe Board of Estimate aud Apportionment power to order the opening of the institution on Sunday, Mr. Schoff's, providing for tbe expenditure of $25,000 for the pave¬ ment of Wallabout Market square in Brooklyn, also passed tbe Assembly. Tom Creamer's Broadway Elevated Railroad biU has taken a new shape. At tbe meeting of tbe Assembly Raih-oad Committee yesterday, at bis request, the biU whicb be introduced early in tbe session, and which af tbe time waa severely criticised iu fcbe press, was amended so as to exempt Broadway, above tbe City HaU Park, from the operations of tbe biU. It is uow proposed to erect a steel viaduct along Broadway from fche Battei-y to the City HaU Park, and thence along Elm aud Mulberry sti-eets to the Grand Central depot. It is beheved tbat the old Eim street widening scheme is also concealed somewhere in fchis measure. Another branch runs along West and Hudson streets, and lOtb avenue to tbe Harlem River. There is to be a single track along each side of Broadway, with the cable as a motive power. Mi'. Creamer denied to-day that Jay Gould had any interest in tbe scheme, or that it was a Cable Road bill. He did not deny, however, that Jose F. Navarro, Jay Gould's partner, was behind tbebUl, as he was of the proposed Broadway Elevated bUl last yeai-, wbich was killed by pubhc clamor. As amended, tbe bUl wiU be favorably reported. This committee is also almost uuanimously iu favor of tbe Cable bill, which was introduced by Mr. Hamilton, aud tbe biD would have beeu reported to tbe House yesterday, were it uot tbat itwas thought best to wait and see what is tbe natui'e of the bill wbich Coi-poration Counsel Beekmau has brought here at the suggestion of Mayor Gi-ant. The biU wiU come up again on Tuesday. Corporation Counsel Beekmau has a substitute here for the Ives Park biU. The new measure gives authority to the Park Department to lay out ou a map tbe lots of tbe new parks it proposes to lease. The map is to be pubhcly exhibited in the Parks Department after a pubhc hearing bas been held, aud fche approval of the map by fche Sinking Fund Commis¬ sioners bas been obfcained. None of the proposed changes shaU be made witbout tbe consenfc of the Legislature. Tbe substitute bill does nofc affect tbe boundaries of fche parks. A committee of citizens, at tbe bead of which is Foi'dham Morris, is here to oppose aU changes. They say that the city bas purchased tbe parks for the pubUc, and tbey sbould be opened aa soon as possible. They also denounced all proposed leasing and seUing as part of a scheme of a syndicate of real estate speculators. As i'eported by tbe General Laws Committee of tbe Assembly to-day, the Telephone bUl was so amended as to make tbe telephone charges in New York city SlOO a year. To-day is tbe last oue in which bills cau be introduced without taking tbeir place at the foot of tbe caleudai-. The fate of all biUs hereafter introduced at this session is exceedingly dubious. Bills piled in yesterday and to-day in both Houses in a lively fashion. One of tbe most importani ones to save "its distance" was a bill introduced in the Senate by Mr, Pierce, rebabUitating the New York Arcade Tube chartei', wbich now remains in existence after tbe Court of Apjieals decision early inthe week. The property-owners who appeai-ed before the Committee ou Public Works of the Board of Aldei-iueu ou Wednesday, to protest against the continuance of the Polo Grounds, was one of tbe sti-ongest representations of propertied interests which has appeared before any Aldermanic commit¬ tee for some time. Tbei'e is no doubt thafc the Polo Grounds baveseriously injured surrounding properfcy and decreased ifcs assessed valuafciou. to the