XI-: \V YORK CITY. 



529 



City Bonds. In September the city ; :t tempted 

 LI $4,000,000 of bonds, but the bidding' wa 



low that tlie securities were withdrawn. 



'hen unsettled and money lucked up i>y the 

 1'i-fi -ilver agitation. Subsequent to the election 

 $16,04l>. -V.lo.70 of city bonds were advertised for 

 sale. The bonds bore 8 per cent, interest, payable 

 in gold, and matured in fifteen to twenty-live years. 

 The proposals were opened on Nov. 10, and the 

 number of bids received was 185. The entire 

 amount of the bonds offered was bid for nearly 

 five times over at premiums that average nearly 

 5 per cent. On Nov. 11 the Sinking Fund Com- 

 missioners met and awarded the entire issue of the 

 bonds, amounting to $16,046.590.71. to Vermilye <.V 

 , ho bid 104 71-100. The bonds, or premium, 

 that the city will get for these is $755.794.42. 



Law. The legal department of the city is under 

 the control of the Corporation Counsel, who is ap- 

 pointed by the Mayor and receives a salary of $12.- 

 000. The present incumbent is Francis M. Scott, 

 and his office is in Tryon Row. His report shows 

 that at the close of 1896 there were pending 4.210 

 actions and proceedings, I.s75 of which were begun 

 during 189G, and during that year 1,160 actions and 

 proceedings were terminated. Of the work per- 

 formed by the Law Department there were 122 actual 

 trials, 9s arguments, before the appellate division, 

 and 30 arguments before the Court of Appeals, be- 

 sides 1,353 attendances at court on call of cases. 19 

 hearings before the surrogate and district courts 

 and commissions in lunacy, 86 references and con- 

 demnation proceedings before commissions in which 

 testimony was taken. 1,200 appearances before ref- 

 erees and" commissions, and 1,070 attendances on mo- 

 tions. Over 450 claims for collection were received, 

 352 of which were collected in whole, and the bal- 

 ance withdrawn, put in suit, and held to await de- 

 cisions of test cases, or are still under examination. 

 Over 1.080 opinions were rendered to the various 

 municipal departments, while 740 contracts were 

 examined and approved, and 045 claims sent by 

 the Finance Department for examination, besides 

 which 1,186 excise claims were presented for exam- 

 ination. The Law Department collected $96,015.94, 

 s Hi. 709.35 of which was collected in the general 

 office, $66,106.59 by the attorney for the collection 

 of arrears of personal taxes, and $13.200 by the cor- 

 poration attorney. The results accomplished by the 

 Law Department during 1896 entailed an expendi- 

 ture of s22.392.47 less than for 1895. 



Judiciary. The city magistrates include Robert 

 C. Cornell, 'Charles A. Flammer. John 0. Mott, 

 Henry A. Brann. Leroy B. Crane. Joseph M. Deuel, 

 Herman C. Kudlich. Charles E. Simms. Jr.. and 

 Thomas F. Wentworth. each of whom receives a 

 salary of $7,000. Their report shows that 112.100 

 persons were brought into the police courts, 55!i 

 fewer than in 1895. There were held for trial 73.- 

 537. The decrease was largely due to the smaller 

 number of excise arrests. The number arrested for 

 being drunk and disorderly was 60.906. an increase 

 of 500. There was an increase of 20 per cent, in 

 the number of persons held to have their sanity in- 

 quired into. The number was 625. The principal 

 nationalities represented in the 73.537 held for trial 

 were: Irish, 14.000 ; German. 6.500; English, 1,500 ; 

 Scotch. 480; French, 500: Italians. 400; and Rus- 

 sians, Poles, and Austrians. 13.014. There were but 

 3.300 who gave the place of birth as the United 

 States, and of these 75 per cent, were born of for- 

 eign parents. 



On Dec. 7 District-Attorney John R. Fellows 

 died, and on Dec. 16 Gov. Morton appointed Wil- 

 liam M. K. Olcott to the vacancy. 



During 1896 the city by condemnation proceed- 

 ings acquired a tract of land on the northeast cor- 



VOL. xxxvi. 34 A 



ner of Madison Avenue and 25th Street, for tL 

 of the appellate division of the Supreme < ourt in 

 the first department, the award therefor being 

 |870,500. 



Public Works. This department is under the 

 charge of a commissioner appointed by the Mayor, 

 lie holds oflire for four years and receives a salary 

 $8,000i The incumbent during the \> -ar \va~- 

 Charles II. T. Collis. 



Concerning the Klin Street widening the com- 

 missioners of estimate and appraisal were ap- 

 pointed on Feb. 27. 1895. This improvement in- 

 volves the widening and straightening of Elm Street 

 from Worth Street to Spring Street, making it of a 

 uniform width of 80 feet. It also involves the cut- 

 ting through of the blocks from Worth Street to 

 Duane Street : the taking of property on the westerly 

 side of Center Street between Duane Street and 

 Reade Street : and the taking of the block bounded 

 by Center. Reade, and Chambers Streets, together 

 with the widening of Marion Street from Spring 

 Street to its northerly terminus; and the cutting 

 through of the blocks from Prince Street to Great 

 Jones Street so that at the latter street the westerly 

 line of the proposed Elm Street will be a continu- 

 ation of the westerly line of Lafayette Place. 



Proceedings were instituted for a grand boule- 

 vard or concourse from 161st Street to Mosholu 

 Parkway. This boulevard extends over 4 miles, 

 and in July the commissioners submitted to the 

 court their first report, involving awards aggregat- 

 ing $576.937.96. 



The Harlem Speedway extends from 155th Street 

 to Dyckman Street, about 24- miles along the west- 

 erly bank of Harlem river. The commissioners 

 have filed their report, the evidence showing that 

 the property owners along the Speedway claim dam- 

 to the "extent of $3.000.000. which the city's ex- 

 perts place at a little less than $200,000, while the 

 award by the commissioners was $255,576.50. 



Parks. This department is under the direction 

 of a board of 4 commissioners, of which the presi- 

 dent receives a salary of $5,000. During the year 

 the board was composed of Stephen V. R. Cruger, 

 j (resident. Samuel McMillan. William A. Stiles, and 

 Smith Ely. The secretary of the board is William 

 Leary. and the office is in the Arsenal Building. 

 Central Park. Sites for the following parks were 

 selected in 1896 : West Side Park, bounded by 

 Ninth and Tenth Avenues and 27th and 28th 

 Streets ; the Eleventh Ward Park, bounded by 

 Stanton. Houston, Pitt. Willett, and Sheriff Streets": 

 Fort George Park, between Washington Bridge 

 Park and Dyckman Street, Tenth Avenue and the 

 Speedway : and the Little Italy Park, embracing 

 the land on the East river between lllth and 114th 

 Streets, east of First Avenue. Efforts were made 

 to complete the proceedings for condemnation in 

 order that these parks should be made available at 

 the earliest day for the comfort and enjoyment of 

 the people. 



On Aug. 7 Fort Washington Park became a part 

 of the city park system. The highest testimony as 

 to its value given by the witnesses for the property 

 owners aggregated" $1.584.183. while the highest 

 testimony given on behalf of the city aggregated 

 $742,658.72, and the commissioners' award was 

 $804,868.20. 



Vital Statistics. The Board of Health consists 

 of the president of the Board of Police, the health 

 officer of the port, and 2 commissioners, one of 

 whom must have been for five years a practicing 

 physician. The commissioner that is not a physi- 

 cian is president of the board and receives a salary 

 of $5.000. while the other member is paid $4.000. 

 The e.r-ofticio commissioners receive no salary. The 

 officials during 1896 were as follow : President 



