Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

Real estate record and builders' guide: v. 47, no. 1215: June 27, 1891

Text version:

June 2-?, 1891 Record and Guide. 1093 feet in some places, aud at every foot in otbers, the engineers would draw -off the water Irom the pa'ls and takesamples of the sediment, which tbey put away in file cases,imaking thus a geologic record of the formation through Whitehall street, Broadway and the Boulevard, over bed-rock. The record thus fornieid is the first scientific and authentic record ever made of this important matter, and it will be of great value for all time hereafter in affording t<'builders along fche line all necessary information as to the depth and proper preparation for their foundations. All former pretended recon s of these borings have beeo rendered ridiculous by tbese tests. The table ijublished by Austiu Corbin, upon the authority of Engineer Jacobs, to show the depth to which his " solid rock" undergi-ound road would traverse tht island is shown to have beeu a piece of guesswork, without a single fouiijation in fact. Beginning at the first boring in ■Whitehall street the refcord to date is as follows: Frout street, bed-rock at SO feet; Pearl, 16; Wattr, 23; Bridge, 30; Stone, 21; Beaver, 31; Morris, 35 showing that there i: quite a hump of rock at Morris street; Exchange place, Ql^ feet; WaU ^reet, 60; Rector, t)3; Piue, 70; Cedar, 70.75; Lib¬ erty, 71; Cortlandt, 73Ji5; Dey, 76.8; Pulton, 83.35; Vesey, 81.5; Barclay, 101; Park place, 113.5; Murray, 113.5; Warren, 109.3; Chambers, 100.75; Reade, 116; Duane, l&c.S; Thomas, 138.5. From Tbomas street he gangs were all shifted to Canal aud Lispeoard streets, skipping the htermediate streets for the time being. Afc Canal street, contrary to all ifophecies and expectations, neither mud nor vege¬ table matter were founll, but coarse sand, until at a depth of 24 feet it ran into a bed of clean gravel, stones of about half an inch diameter coming The flttings of a store as usually pufc in are of so flxed and permanent a character tbat the term "fixtures" issingularly appropriate. A new idea in store-fitting is the USB of movable iron brackets on which to mount the shelving, thus making it adjustiblo to meet the varying requirements of any class of merchandise. Tbe Koch patent shiftable brackets for tbis purpose, which rfffer various advantages not attained previously in this direction, are advertised on another page of this journal. These brackets are suitable for any line of business, and shelving may be put up quickly and economically by the use of tbem, any mechanic or storekeeper being able to put up shelving for his own use without special tools or training, all that is required being to attach the iron plates to the wa'l with ordinary wood screws, hang therein the bracket, lay on the shelf boards (wbich require no other preparation than to be squared at the ends and the fronfc edge planed off), when the shelving is ready for the stock. In such shelving tbere are no obstructing partitions, or anytbing to make dark corners and collect dust. The front of such shelving is entirely open, mak¬ ing a solid handsome wall display of the stock when in position. Unique and novel effects in the arrangement of shelving and display of goods may be produced by using fche Koch patent shiftable brackets, such as would be eutirely out of the question in the old-fashioned metbods of fittings. They are a happy combination of wood and metal, in which not an inch of space is wasted; where thesame is used any giveu length of wall space will yield from 21 to 50 per cent more room for the placing of stock than if the usual, " flxtures," were put in. This feature commends it strongly for use in cities where rents ere high, the gaiu in Hebrew Orphan Asylu-m, Brooklyn, N. P. B. Snook & Sons, architects. up with the return flow of water. This, of course, upsets completely tbe fears heretofore entertained that a good foundation for building was not to be had afc Canal street. Tbe gravel beds at 24 to 50 feet below tbe street grade will make the besfc kind of a foundation. The excavation was con¬ tinued until last Friday night, when, at a depth of 87.65 feet, bed-rock was struck. From Canal street the workmen went back and covered fche streets they had skipped, fiuding rock respectively at Worth street afc 147.5 feet; Leon¬ ard, 96.55; Frauklin, 83 45; White, lu.'i; Walker, 107.3; and at Howard afc 60 feet. Lasfc night they were at work at Grand, Broome, Spring and Prince streets, with indications of finer and deeper strata tban at Canal and Howard streets. All aloug the rest of the liue the formation has been of sand, nearly always of clear brown grit, sometimes coarse, but mostly fine, with bere [and there at iofrequent intervals a shght impregnation of clay. From the under¬ ground-railroad standpoint the results thus far ascertained are of the moat encouraging cbaracter. Tunneling through this formation can aud will be effected With greater safety, expedition and cheapness tban through any Other formation. It is the design of the engineers to continue the borings to 59th street. Bufc norfch of 12Ch street tbey consider it unlikely thafc any considerable depth of drift or earth will be found above the rock, and then only in occasional pockets, the rock for tne most part cropping out close to the surface all along the rest of the line. Speoial Notices. John Merry & Co., whose sheet iron, tin plates and metals are so well and so lavorably known to tbe trade are distributing very handy private memorandum books, which call the attention of the usere thereof to "Merry's Old Method" Roofing Plate, every sheet of which is stamped, squared and guaranteed. J. Mans Schermerhorn, whose office is at room 101, Times Building, announces the establishment of a New York office by the Griffen Enameled Erick Company, of Oakes, Penn,, for tbe sale of their escellent American enameled brick. The company makes a specialty of particular shapes of all kinds and colors. Prices will be quoted on application, and orders will be promptly executed. space effected thereby being enough to soon pay for the entire shelving. Not only are the Koch shiftable brackets adapted to store shelvinsr but "ifill a long-felt wanfc" in libraries and offices, for use in pantries, efcc. They can in fact be used to good advantage in any place where shelving is requh-ed. For furtber information concerning the brackets, write to the manufacturers, Eoch A. B. Co. 380 Main sfcreet, Peoria, 111. The New York Cifcy agenfc for fche same is Geo. E. Read, No. 132 Park avenue. F, J. Sfcone, of No. 60 Broadway, offers for sale afc Elmsford, Westchester Couuty, villa plots on high ground. The property is judiciously restricted, is one-half a mile from the New York & Northem station, is only sixty- seven minutes from Wall street, and can be bought afc fche rate of $1,000 per acre. Real Estate Department. There is nothing new to report as to the condition of the market unless it be a more pronounced dullness. Few sales have been closed and none of those consummated are particularly interesting or important, Brokers and real estate men generally regard the season as practically closed, aud they do not look for any business of moment until the fall. ■ Of course, some¬ tbing will be done, particularly if prices weaken, as seems likely in some of the up-town secfcions; but that trading willbe generally active sbould nofc beespectedat this timeof year. Tbe auction market has been decidedly unsatisfactory for city properfcy, one or two parcels excepted, and the sub¬ urban sales have seemed to show tbat buyei's have reached the end of their means. When thesesuburban sales end, as tbey surely will unless ths market improves, the auction business for fche season will be closed, for, excepting fcrced sales, very little m city property is being offered at present. In the loan market money seems to be fairly easy, but brokers complain thafc lenders insist on very large margins. TWO SUBURBAN SALES ON SATURHAT. As the season advances the difficulty of successfully disposing of subur¬ ban property becomes greater, and auctioneers flnd it necessary to make some concessions in fche matter of arrangements in order to draw satisfac¬ tory crowds together. These concessions are largely in the matter of time,