426 



NEW YORK CITY. 



brownish gray, giving the animal the appearance 

 of being covered with a gray blanket. 



Botanical Garden. This is under the charge 

 of a Board of Managers, of which D. O. Mills is 

 president, with Nathaniel L. Britton as director. 

 The report for 1900 shows that 160 annual mem- 

 bers have qualified, making the total annual mem- 

 bers 837. Seventeen life members have qualified, 

 increasing the total to 85. The plants that have 

 been growing for several years in the greenhouses 

 of Columbia University have been transferred and 

 placed in the 8 completed houses of the main 

 conservatories. This collection contains about 

 1,800 specimens, and has been brought together 

 with the expenditure of $110. The number of 

 individual species in this collection is 8,833. In 

 the year 48,895 herbarium specimens were ac- 

 quired by gift, exchange, and purchase. About 

 67,650 sheets, containing fully 112,050 specimens, 

 were mounted and distributed in the herbarium 

 cases. The director has accepted from Columbia 

 University, acting for Barnard College, the herba- 

 rium formed by the late Dr. Thomas Morong. It 

 is estimated to contain not less than 18,000 speci- 

 mens. The report also shows that the botanical 

 library now contains 2,832 volumes. 



Fire. This department is managed by a single 

 commissioner. The incumbent during the year 

 was John J. Scannell. The chief of the depart- 

 ment was Edward F. Croker. The headquarters 

 are at 157 East 67th Street. For the boroughs of 

 Brooklyn and Queens there is a deputy commis- 

 sioner. During 1900 the fire-fighting force in the 

 boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and 

 Queens consisted of 2,431 officers and men, appor- 

 tioned among 135 engine companies, 40 hook-and- 

 ladder companies, 6 fire boats, and 4 water towers. 

 A volunteer force, consisting of 2,000 men in the 

 borough of Queens, and an equal number in the 

 borough of Richmond, increased the total force to 

 4,000 men. During the year there were 8,405 fires. 

 In the Bureau of Combustibles there was collected 

 in all the boroughs for licenses, permits, and pen- 

 alties $89,136 during the year. In the bureau of 

 the fire marshal, 44 arson cases were tried, re- 

 sulting in 7 convictions and 29 dismissals, with 

 8 cases still pending. 



Police. This department is managed by a 

 board of four commissioners, appointed by the 

 Mayor for a term of six years. The board during 

 the year consisted of Bernard J. York, president; 

 John B. Sexton, Jacob Hess, and Henry E. Abell. 

 The chief of police is William S. Devery, and the 

 central office is at 300 Mulberry Street. The force 

 on Dec. 31 consisted of a chief, 4 deputy chiefs, 

 10 inspectors, 85 captains, 308 sergeants, 92 de- 

 tective sergeants, 386 roundsmen, 6,261 patrolmen, 

 176 doormen, 22 surgeons, 57 matrons, a superin- 

 tendent of telegraphs, 2 assistant superintendents 

 of telegraphs, 14 telegraph operators, 72 linemen, 

 a battery man, and a messenger. The number of 

 arrests made in Manhattan and Bronx during the 

 year was 93,137. Of these 20,058 were women 

 and 73,079 men. The arrests included 8 for 

 arson; attempted suicide, 243 men and 210 wom- 

 en; burglary, 1,041, including 12 women; dis- 

 orderly conduct, 17,285 men and 9,142 women; 

 intoxication, 12,585 men and 4,727 women; grand 

 larceny, 2,142 men and 498 women; petty lar- 

 ceny, .3.574 men and 557 women ; murder, 5 men, 

 1 woman; homicide, 235 men and 14 women; 

 robbery, 386 men and 16 women ; vagrancy, 3,596 

 men and 705 women; excise violation. 1,198 men 

 and 19 women; violation of corporation ordi- 

 nances, 4,644 men and 52 women. The detective 

 bureau made 1,115 arrests, and recovered property 

 valued at $126,000.59. The bureau secured 109 



convictions of criminals. The number of lost chil- 

 dren received at headquarters was 2,036 boys and 

 1,121 girls. The number of foundlings picked up 

 was 91 boys and 7 girls, of which there were 5 

 each colored boy and girl babies. 



Health. The collection of vital statistics is 

 under the care of a board, consisting of three com- 

 missioners, one of whom must have been for five 

 years a practicing physician, the health officers of 

 the port, and the president of the Police Board. 

 The officials for 1900 were: Michael C. Murphy, 

 president (salary, $7.500) ; Dr. William T. Jenkins, 

 Dr. John B. Cosby, Health Officer Dr. Alvah H. 

 Doty, and President Bernard J. York of the Po- 

 lice Board. The secretary of the board is Emmons 

 Clark, and the office is on the corner of Sixth 

 Avenue and 55th Street. The vital statistics were 

 as follow: The number of deaths in 1900 was 

 70,872, against 66,343 in 1899. There were 25,836 

 deaths or children under five years, 16,579 under 

 one year? 9,652 sixty-five years and over, 16,851 

 deaths in institutions, and 39,024 deaths in tene- 

 ments. There were 81,721 births and 32,330 mar- 

 riages reported. The number of deaths from pneu- 

 monia was 10,482, against 8,531 for 1899 more 

 than from any other disease. There were 761 sui- 

 cides, against 628 for 1899, and 139 homicides, 

 against 137 for 1899. The death rates for the 5 

 boroughs are as follow: Manhattan, 20.99; Bronx, 

 21.51; Brooklyn, 20.09; Queens, 17.95; and Rich- 

 mond, 20.52. The rate for the 5 boroughs together 

 is 20.57. The statistics give the estimated popu- 

 lation of the city for 1899 as 3,444,675, and for 

 1900, 3,536,517. 



Education. The board having control of this 

 subject consists of 20 commissioners, who are ap- 

 pointed by the Mayor, and receive no salary. 

 The president of the board at the beginning of the 

 year was Joseph J. Little, who continued in office 

 until May 19, when, having resigned owing to 

 failing health, he was succeeded by Miles M. 

 O'Brien. The borough superintendent is John 

 Jasper, and the headquarters are at the corner 

 of Park Avenue and 59th Street. The report 

 of the borough superintendent on Sept. 10, the 

 opening day of the schools, showed that the 

 register of pupils was 248,719; attendance of 

 pupils, 221,247; half-day and part-time classes, 

 318; children refused admission, 2,395; vacant 

 sittings, 19,010; regular teachers, including prin- 

 cipals, present, 5,397; regular teachers, including 

 principals, absent, 238.- The following new schools 

 were opened on Sept. 10: No. 174, at Attorney 

 and Rivington Streets, with 24 classrooms and 

 accommodations for 1.080 pupils, and No. 173, at 

 Beaumont Avenue and 173d Street, with 30 class 

 rooms and accommodations for 1,350 pupils. In 

 addition the following extensions and annexes 

 were opened: School No. 98, Williams Bridge, 8 

 classrooms, accommodating 360 pupils; School 

 No. 46, St. Nicholas Avenue and 146th Street, 15 

 classrooms, accommodating 675 pupils; School 

 No. 5, 141st Street, near Kd.ireeombe Avenue, 8 

 classrooms, accommodating 360 pupils; School 

 No. 90, annex, in Tinton Avenue. 15 classrooms 

 accommodating 675 pupils; Girls' High School 

 annex. Klin and Grand Streets, accommodating 

 350 pupils. Ten new schoolhouses were ready t'oi 

 occupancy and completed before Dec. 1. These 

 with the new schools and extensions opened or 

 Sept. in. accommodated 23,000 children. Tin 

 total registration of pupils in the boroughs ol ! 

 Manhattan and the Bronx .last year was -j.Jl.ii-J.'? 



The free public lecture courses given at public- 

 schools at night successfully closed their tent I 

 season, and Dr. Henry M. Leipxiger, superintend- 

 ent of lectures, reported that in 1890 lecturea 



