NEW YORK (CITY). 



611 



the report made under his direction, the total 

 number of deaths during the year was 4 

 of tli' ' were of children t:nder live 



years of age. Classified according to di.- 

 the more important were: Small-pox. SI ; ty- 

 phoid fever, 438 ; whooping-cc 

 let fever, 1,361 ; diphtheria, 1.914; diarrha-al 

 diseases, 3,489 ; pneumonia, 4,288 ; consump- 

 tion, 5,260. The death-rate was 26'33 in a 

 thousand. There were 36,136 births during 

 the year, including 3.239 that were reported 

 as still-births : 14.533 marriages were recorded, 

 and 4,390 coroners' certificates were issued, 

 indicating the necessity of an inquest. The 

 statistics of the deaths are very perfect, as no 

 burial can take place without a permit; but 

 the information concerning the marriages and 

 births is necessarily defective. The estimated 

 population of New York city on July 1 was 

 ."81. This was determined from the pro- 

 portional increase between the" State census 

 taken in 1875 and the national census of 1880. 

 Prior to July 1, the weekly increase of the 

 population was estimated at 843. and since 

 that time at >-72. 



Police. This department is controlled by four 

 commissioners, of whom Stephen B. French is 

 president. The superintendent is William Mur- 

 ray, and the force under his command num- 

 bered on Jan. 1, 1839, 3,351, of whom 2.253 

 are patrolmen. These were attributed among 

 35 precincts and 1 sub-precinct. e:ich ot wLi. h 

 was under the special supervision of a cap- 

 tain. There were 85,049 arrests during the 

 year, for the following offenses: Assault and 

 battery, male. 4.709. female. 521 : disorderly 

 conduct, male. 40.350. female. 7.180: intoxica- 

 tion, male, 14.282, female, 6,461 ; petty lar- 

 ceny, male, 2.R43, female, 41*: suspicious per- 

 sons, male. 3,279, female, 298 ; violations of 

 corporation ordinances, male, 4.942, female, 

 77; violations of health law. male, 14.<"'4i>. 

 female, 150 : violation of excise law, male, 

 5,810, female, 120. 



Fires The fire department is managed by a 

 board of three commissioners, of which Henry 

 D. Purroy is president. Charles O. Shay is 

 chief of the department, and the force includes 

 1.028 men. During 1888 there were 3,422 

 alarms of fire, and 3.217 actual fires. Of the 

 latter. 2,888 were confined to the point of 

 starting, 200 were confined to the building 

 where the fire originated, 49 extended to other 

 buildings, 28 were vessels, and 54 were of 

 places other than buildings or \\->el> ; 

 fires were extinguished without an engine- 

 stream ; 686 with one engine-stream : 347 with 

 two or three engine-streams ; and 106 required 

 more than three engine-streams. The follow- 

 ing table gives the damage to structures : 



Political. In addition to the excitement in- 

 cidental to a presidential canvass, the local poli- 

 tics were somewhat complicated by the nomi- 

 nation by Tammany Hall of Hugh J. Grant for 

 Mayor. Abram S. Hewitt two years pre- 

 viously had been the nominee of Tammany, 

 but by his independence while in office he in- 

 curred the ill-will of the politicians and con- 

 sequent repudiation by that local faction of 

 the Democratic party. But he was promptly 

 nominated by an independent convention, and 

 his candidacy w;,s accepted by the County 

 Democracy. At the election, Hugh J. Grant 

 (Tammany) received 114.111 votes; Joel B. 

 Erhardt (Republican). 73.037 : Abram S. Hew- 

 itt (Countv Democracy). 71.979; Ja: 

 gan (United Labor), 9,809; William T. Ward- 

 well (Prohibition), 832. George H. Forster 

 (Tammany) was elected President of tbe Boaid 

 of Aldermen, but his death before his inaugu- 

 ration led to the selection of John H. V. Ar- 

 nold for that place. The Board of Aldermen 

 con-ists of 16 Tammany, 2 County Democrats, 

 and 1 Republicans. Besides the foregoing, 

 James A. Flack was elected sheriff, Edward 

 F. Reilly county clerk, and Ferdinand Levy. 

 Daniel Hanly, and Louis W. Schultze coroners. 

 The presidential vote in Xew York city w. -: 

 Mr. Cleveland, 162.735; Gen. Harrison, 106,- 

 922 ; Gen. Fisk, 1.343. 



Mayor's Message. This document contained 

 the following paragraphs of general interest: 



The parks of the city have been established for the 

 use and enjoyment of flic whole people. Everything 

 that they contain should therefore be freely acces.-iLle 

 to the citizens. The closing of the Museums of Art 

 and Natural History on Sundays is a prar-tkal exclu- 

 sion of the industrial masses from all opportunity to 

 visit them. I hope that some means will soon be'de- 

 vised by which these museums will be made accessi- 

 ble to the public on Sunday. 



At pn sent there is little or no classification of ship- 

 ping at our docks, i'erry-boats, sea-going \essels, 

 and the smaller craft which ply between this city and 

 adjacent towns are crowded indiscriminately together. 

 Passenger-boats and freight-vessels sail from the 

 same piers. Lines of trucks laden with merchandise 

 retider the streets in the neighborhood of the freight 

 depots impassable to foot-passengers. The pave- 

 ments along the Erects fronting on the river are in such 

 wretched condition that travel upon them is danger- 

 ous to vehicles. Great ruts and holes act as tn. 

 heavily laden trucks, and it is no uncommon sight to 

 see the entire traffic- of the street suspended while a 

 driver vainly urges his team to f.ull from a break in 

 the r-trcct-bed a load which would tax the full strength 

 of his horses to draw upon an even payment. 



The pavements of the city are in such pressing need 

 of repair and improvement that attention should be 

 immediately devoted to them. 1 have already men- 

 tioned the inexcusable condition in which I have 

 found the streets fronting on the rivers, and I vent- 

 ure to say that there are few thoroughfares which 

 are in the condition that befits the trade and com- 

 merce of this city. Under the law the public authori- 

 ties are limited to an expenditure of vOl>,000 annu- 

 ally for the repavement of the highways, which sum 

 is utterly inadequate to the extensive alterations and 

 improvements; which are now absolutely essential. 



With proper pavements an cfi'ectivu system of street- 

 cleaninjr could be easily maintained. At present it is 

 generally conceded that our >treet-cleaning system 

 fails properly to provide for the public comfort. ' Sub- 



