502 



NEW YORK CITY. 



The entire salary list of his office was about $30,- 

 000, while the salary list now of the different de- 

 partments amounts to more than $75,000 a year, not 

 to speak of the engineering and other forces which 

 are distributed among the different departments 

 and which were formerly under one head. 



Parks. This department is under the charge of 

 three commissioners, one having jurisdiction in 

 Manhattan and Richmond, one in Bronx, and one 

 in Brooklyn and Queens, each of whom serves for 

 six years and receives a salary of $5,000. During 

 1808 the commissioners were: George C. Clausen, 

 Manhattan and Richmond; George V. Brower, 

 Brooklyn and Queens ; and August Moebus, Bronx. 

 The most important item of the year's work by this 

 department was the opening of the Harlem Speed- 

 way on July 2. It is 2i miles long, extending from 

 One Hundred and Fifty-fifth Street, whence there 

 is a down grade to the Harlem river, to Dyckman 

 Street. The width of the Speedway varies from 100 

 to 150 feet. The roadway is from 52 to 95 feet wide, 

 and the sidewalks from 10 to 20 feet wide. The 

 surface of the roadway is macadam from One Hun- 

 dred and Fifty-fifth Street to the first subway, and 

 is then sandy loam to Dyckman Street. The road 

 passes under both High Bridge and Washington 

 Bridge to a point opposite Washington Heiglits, 

 where it swings with an easy curve to Dyckman 

 Street.' A short distance beyond the old Juinel 

 mansion there is an underground passage by which 

 pedestrians may pass from one side of the drive to 

 the other, and there are similar underground pas- 

 sages north of High Bridge and Washington Bridge, 

 The walks on either side of the road are of asphalt 

 or gravel. Just north of High Bridge the westerly 

 walk is 20 feet higher than the driveway, and an 

 excellent view can be had from this point of the 

 horses speeding below. The spaces between the 

 road proper and the sidewalks are filled with grass 

 plots, antl on these it is proposed to plant shade 

 trees. In the building of the Speedway many diffi- 

 cult problems of construction were met with. In 

 1895 the mud far below the water level shifted, 

 rupturing the masonry and causing 500 feet of the 

 cribwork to move out of position. Thousands of 

 tons of rock also fell upon the driveway from the 

 side hills. The work of the contractors embraced 

 the excavation of 475,000 cubic yards of earth and 

 rock. One million cubic yards of filling material 

 were used, and 750,000 cubic yards of mud were 

 dredged out for the wall and cribwork. The total 

 cost of the driveway has been $3,075.000. 



A new recreation pier at the foot of East Twenty- 

 fourth Street, and an old one at the foot of Third 

 Street, were opened on May 28. Also a recreation 

 pier at the foot of East One Hundred and Twelfth 

 Street was completed. 



Zoological Park. The development of this 

 park is under the care of the New York Zoological 

 Society, of which Levi P. Morton is president. 

 Early in the year, the necessary $100.000 having 

 been raised by ihe society, the $125,000 given by 

 the city contingent upon 'the securing of the first- 

 named sum became available, and the erection of 

 buildings and other accommodations for animals 

 was begun on Aug. 15. At the annual meeting it 

 was announced that there are now under construc- 

 tion 4 buildings, 12 large dens for carnivorous ani- 

 mals, and other installations. The winter house 

 for birds was receiving its roof, the cost of which, 

 when completed with cages, is to be $16,000. The 

 reptile house was the most expensive building un- 

 der construction, and its cost, when completely 

 equipped witli cages, was to be about $40,000. It is 

 intended that all these features shall be in readiness 

 by t ho end of May. 1899. The society has expended 

 in buildings and other installations $16,977, and in 



temporary roads, drainage, grading, forestry work 

 engineering, and maintenance, $2,754 ; total, $19, 

 731. The total cost of improvements under con 

 struction is estimated at $82,494. The treasure 

 reported the receipts to be $116,070 and the total ex 

 penditures $27.937, with a balance of $88,133.75 ii 

 the treasury. From new memberships the society re- 

 ceived $4,100 ; from 15 life members, $3,000 ; fron 

 9 founders, $45,600 ; from associate founders. $5,950 

 from patrons, $12.800 ; and from others, $5,600. Tin. 

 membership is now 636. 



Department of Health. The collection of vital 

 statistics is under the care of a board consisting of 

 the president of the Board of Health, the health 

 officer of the port, and three commissioners, one of 

 whom must have been for five years a practicing 

 physician. The officials in 1898 were as follow : 

 Nathan Straus, who resigned early in the year and 

 was succeeded by Michael C. Murphy, president : Dr. 

 William T. Jenkins, Dr. John B. Cosby, health offi- 

 cer, Dr. Alva H. Doty, and the president of the 

 Board of Police, Bernard J. York. The secretary 

 of the board is Emmons Clark, and the office is in 

 the Criminal Court Building. The vital statistics 

 were as follow: Deaths under one year, Manhat- 

 tan and Bronx, 10,165 ; Brooklyn, 5,587 ; Queens, 708 ; 

 Richmond, 297; total, 16,757. Deaths under five 

 years, Manhattan and Bronx, 15.571 ; Brooklyi , 

 8,431 ; Queens, 896 ; Richmond, 427 ; total, 25,32. r >. 

 Total deaths. Manhattan and Bronx, 40,354 ; Brook- 

 lyn, 21,853; Queehs, 2.561 ; Richmond, 1,302; total, 

 66,073. Total reported births, Manhattan and Bronx, 

 53,358; Brooklyn, 21,395 ; Queens.2.923; Richmond, 

 1,356 ; total. 78,932. Total reported marriages. Man- 

 hattan and Bronx, 20,860; Brooklyn, 7,129 : Queens, 

 636 ; Richmond, 342 ; total, 28,967. Total reported 

 stillbirths, Manhattan and Bronx, 3,203 : Brook- 

 lyn, 1,888 ; Queens, 200; Richmond, 85; total, 5,376. 

 Death rate per 1,000 living, Manhattan and Bronx, 

 19.70; Brooklyn, 18.26; Queens, 20; Richmond, 

 20.05 ; average", 19.21. 



The principal causes of death were the following: 

 Phthisis. 7,619 ; pneumonia, 7,5'27 ; diarrhoea! dis- 

 eases, 4,845 ; Bright's disease and nephritis, 4.688; 

 diarrhoea! diseases under five years, 4,355 ; heart 

 disease, 4,090 ; bronchitis, 1.910;" diphtheria, 1,461; 

 whooping cough, 715 ; scarlet fever, 702 ; typhoid 

 fever, 671; measles. 648; influenza, 369; cerebro- 

 spinal meningitis, 356 ; croup, 317: malarial fever, 

 251 : smallpox, 1 ; yellow fever, 1. Among the deaths 

 by violence were the following: Accident, 2.317; 

 suicide, 694; sunstroke, 548; and homicide, 116. 



The estimate of the population made by this do 

 partment is as follows: Manhattan and Bronx, 

 2,048,830; Brooklyn, 1.197.100: Queens, 128,041!; 

 Richmond, 64.927; total, 3.438.899. 



Police. This department is managed by a boaid 

 of four commissioners appointed by the Mayor for 

 a term of six years, each member of which re- 

 ceives a salary of $5.000. The board during the 

 year consisted of Bernard J. York, president: Jol;n 

 B. Sexton, Thomas L. Hamilton, removed on Miiy 

 21, and succeeded by Jacob Hess, and William ii. 

 Philips, removed on May 21, and succeeded on June 

 30 by Henry E. Abell. 'The chief of police on Jan. 

 1 was John McCullagh, whose appointment as 

 acting chief was made permanent on Jan. 7, and 

 who was retired on May 21. William S. Deveiy. " 

 deputy chief, was made acting chief on May 21. and 

 full chief on June 30. The Central Office 'is at 3'K) 

 Mulberry Street. The force on Dec. 31 consisted if 

 a chief, 5 deputy chiefs, 10 inspectors, 72 captain*, 

 324 sergeants, 88 detective sergeants, 361 rounds- 

 men, 6.398 patrolmen, 153 doormen, 21 surgeons, 

 88 matrons, a superintendent of telegraphs, un 

 assistant superintendent of telegraphs. 15 telegraph 

 operators, 7 linemen, a battery man, and a nn^s a- 



