530 



NEW YORK CITY. 



Charles G. Wilson, Dr. George B. Fowler, Health- 

 Officer Alvah H. Doty, and President Roosevelt. 

 The secretary of the board is Ernmons Clark, and 

 the headquarters are in the Criminal Court Build- 

 ing, on Center Street. The vital statistics were as 

 follow : 



The principal causes of death were the following: 

 Pneumonia, 5,402 ; phthisis, 4,995 ; diarrhceal dis- 

 eases, 2,873 under live years, 2,543 ; Bright's dis- 

 ease and nephritis, 2,682 ; heart diseases, 2,397 ; 

 diphtheria, 1,560; bronchitis. 1,299; measles, 719 ; 

 whooping cough, 434; scarlet fever, 404; typhoid 

 fever, 297 ; croup, 208 ; cerebrospinal meningitis, 

 178 ; influenza, 103 ; malarial fever, 112 ; and small- 

 pox, 1. Among the deaths by violence were the 

 following: Accident, 2,639; sunstroke, 705 ; suicide, 

 380; and homicide, 70. 



The division of food inspection, offensive trades, 

 and mercantile establishments inspected 72 herds, 

 comprising 1,120 cows, and 192 cows to which the 

 tuberculin test was applied were condemned and 

 slaughtered. The division of contagious diseases 

 received reports of 29,909 cases, 11,093 of which 

 were diphtheria, 5 smallpox, and 3 leprosy. There 

 were 21,340 primary vaccinations and 61,481 revac- 

 cinations. The medical sanitary inspectors visited 

 79,389 cases and inspected 64,059 tenement houses. 

 The disinfecting corps fumigated 26,822 rooms and 

 removed 1,592 persons to hospitals on account of 

 contagious diseases. The veterinarian examined 

 12,930 head of cattle and destroyed 245 glandered 

 horses. 



July 1 the estimated population was 1,934,077. 



Street Cleaning. This department is managed 

 by a single commissioner, who receives a salary of 

 $6,000 a year. The present incumbent is George 

 I 1 }. \Varing, Jr. His report shows that during the 

 winter mouths of 18!)6 there were removed about 390,- 

 000 cubic yards of snow, at a cost of $163,374.75 paid 

 to the contractor. During the winter of 1895-'96 

 about 385,000 cubic yards were removed, at a cost 

 of over $215.000. The whole of the city south of 

 Houston Street, excepting a portion of West Street, 

 was cleared. Between Houston and Fourteenth 

 Streets about half of the street area was cleared. 

 Between Fourteenth and Fifty-ninth Streets about 

 one third. Above Fifty-ninth Street only certain 

 avenues and main thoroughfares were cleared. 



Concerning the difficulty of removing the snow, 

 his report says : " Those who see the difference of 

 the condition between the streets that have been 

 cleared and those on which the snow is left to nat- 

 ural processes for disposal are wondering why we 

 do not remove the snow from all the streets. The 

 impossibility of this will be understood when it is 

 said that, in order to do what has been done, we 

 have entirely exhausted the supply of carts and 

 trucks available for the work not only in New 

 York, but in Brooklyn, Jersey City, and Long Is- 

 land City as well. The average number in daily use 

 has been 2,500. We can never get more than 3,000 

 at any one time. There have been employed on an 

 average about 2,000 shovelers and 3,000 drivers." 



Police. This department is managed by a board 

 of 4 commissioners, appointed by the Mayor for a 

 term of six years, each of whom receives a salary of 

 $5,000. The board during 1896 consisted of Theo- 

 dore Roosevelt, president, Avery D. Andrews, Fred- 



erick D. Grant, and Andrew D. Parker. The Super- 

 intendent of Police is Peter Conlin, and the head- 

 quarters are at 300 Mulberry Street. On May 1 

 Col. Grant was reappointed to the place which had 

 become vacant owing to the expiration of his orig- 

 inal term, and on that date Mr. Roosevelt was again 

 chosen president of the board. During the year the 

 number of arrests was: Males, 110,995; females, 

 17,847 ; total, 128,842. 



Of the 285 persons taken into custody for at- 

 tempted suicide, 111 were females, and 3 of (.lie !)(> 

 persons arrested for forgery were women. There 

 were 2.397 lost children picked up during the year, 

 and all but 39 of them were reclaimed. The num- 

 ber of foundlings that came into the hands of the 

 police was 158, of whom 5 were colored. The police 

 were asked to look for 174 missing persons, and they 

 accounted for 129. The property clerk received 

 3,658 lots of lost or stolen property, and delivered 

 1,234 lots, the value of which was $71,974. - 



Fire. This department is under the control of 

 a board of 3 commissioners, appointed by the Mayor 

 for a term of six years, each of whom receives a 

 salary of $.~).000. The board during 1896 consisted 

 of Oscar II. Ljtgrange. president, James R. Shef- 

 field, and Austin E. Ford. On Sept. 2(5 Thomas 

 Sturgis was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by 

 (lie dealh of Mr. Ford, and the board (hen reor- 

 ganized with Mr. Sheffield as president. The chief 

 of the department is Hugh Bonner, and the head- 

 quarters are at 157 East 67th Street. The force on 

 Jan. 1, 1897, included 1.169 officers and men, 64 en- 

 gine companies (including 3 fire boats), 22 hook- 

 and-ladder companies, 90 steam fire engines (in- 

 eluding 30 spare), 5 water towers (including 2 

 spare), 46 hook-and-ladder trucks (including 16 

 spare), and 450 horses. During the year there were 

 3,890 fires, of which 3,838 were confined to the 

 building and 41 extended to other buildings. Of the 

 total number, 11 were not in buildings. The esti- 

 mated loss by these fires was $3,492,604, on which 

 the insurance was $78,202,398. The average loss 

 for each fire was $900.52. There were 11 buildings 

 destroyed by fire, and 1,656 fires resulted in nomi- 

 nal damages only. For arson 9 persons were 

 arrested, 4 persons were convicted, and 13 cases are 

 pending. 



Education. The board having control of this 

 subject consists of 21 commissioners, who are ap- 

 pointed by the Mayor and receive no salary. The 

 president of the board is Robert Maclay. The 

 city superintendent is John Jasper, whose salary is 

 $7,500, and the headquarters are at 146 Grand 

 Street. 



In accordance with the Pavey bill, recently en- 

 acted, it was attempted to divide the city into 45 

 inspection districts; but after deliberation it was 

 decided that 35 districts would be more satisfac- 

 tory, and accordingly that division was made. 

 Early in the year plans and specifications were pro- 

 cured for a new hall for the board, which it is pro- 

 posed shall be erected on the corner of 59th Street 

 and Park Avenue. The school year began on Sept. 

 14, when 242 grammar and primary departments 

 of 152 school buildings were opened, at which there 

 were 173,533 children registered in the grammar 

 and primary schools, with 13 schools, having a nor- 

 mal attendance of nearly 13,000 pupils, unopened. 

 Several thousands of these latter pupils found ac- 

 commodation in other schools. The attendance at 

 the opening last year was 159,500, showing an in- 

 crease of about 25,000. There were 923 children to 

 whom admission was refused to the grammar de- 

 partments, of whom 426 sought admission to the 

 lower grammar grades, and 6,320 to the primary 

 departments, of whom 4,957 sought admission to 

 half-day classes. At the same time that it was 



