New York Tribune (New York, NY) 1905-01-30 [p 8]...Policeman John Bagan. living

Police Descend on Alleged Gambling PU* 1 Have Their Hands Full. Th* police of th» Elisabeth-st. statioa bad t* hands full last night, making raids on sfty CMnrse gamblers. In thre* raids tliey g°« - yrtJt one Chinamen. All w*r* locked up on th» oba."** of gambling. The raids were In the rear ba9*ment of *__Z!a house. In the third floor front room oi a Poy^lt building and on the first floor rear of a lw«**" hou.ie. y^ At th© Mott-st. plaoe- the tip seemed, to ha**^" rasswi around after the other raid*. OnlT "* Chtnam^n werw found ther*. POLICEMAN DIEB FROM LOCKJAW. Tt" _/t Policeman John Bagan. living <r Me £ " l»th-st.. of the East I3»»th-st station, died ***** day afternoon el St. Luke's Hospital from lo '*^.' resulting from Injuries rec«»tved on Janusif " wh.-n he fell from th* -<v:> of a patrol wago* was taken t,> Harlem Hospital and m^2i 0 ' Saturday night tt> St. Lukes Hospital. *>'** I _J(jo the infe.-tKd hand was amputated, but it «•" tate to s*v*his Uf«. GET 31 CHINAMEK IN THREE HAX» Police Officials See Captain CottreU in a Quiet Sort of Way. In quick suco««aion. Police Inspectors Brooks iss McLaughlln. Detective Sergeant Eggers. \7ll_-3 Howell. Commissioner McAdoo's secretary, and D* tective Sergeant Stethker. Mr. Howeii's privats &*\u25a0 tectlve. were ushered Into the private o3c« of P» lice Captain John W. Cottrell. at the» T«nd«rlom' police station. Just before midnight Saturday Bis* l They were closeted with Captain Cottrell for >wn tlrra. When they went away they dacllnsd to \u25a0!»• ouas their visit. When Captain Cottrell was as-** why Chief Inspector Brooks had called at such « unusual hour, he replied, "Oh. ha Just dioppsi In- "Why did Inspector McLaughlin call?" was ssiei "Oh. he, too. Just dropped Ev" The captain sposs indifferently. _. "What was the occasion for Secretary HowmT" visit?" was a-ked. \u0084 The captain aald. "Just a drop-In. I presume. "Why were you at Police Headquarters for tare* h«">ur« on Saturday afternoon?" thci caßtaia "\u25a0\u25a0 asked .-_ "Just dropped in. " said Captain Cottrell. bnenr. and turned away. ; . „_. Detective Sergeant Eggers spent several pj-g examining the station house books and th» "•* "suspected places" on Saturday. Thero was a. ra" mor about the 'Tenderloin" station last nigftt t-»J one of Mr McAdoo'a "revolts" would s*nd a »\u25a0" ruler to the "Tenderloin" station this week. ALL 'JUST DROP IX." Two policemen were posted outside the jsat number of disorderly houses, with instructions to warn away all strangers. On the sama aide* walk, less than fifty feet distant, stood a white streetwalker, and a few feet further a coloiel unfortunate. The police paid no notice wh« their attention waa called to the Irony of the situation. One of the policemen turned his head in mild surprise and took cognizance of the colored woman. "Well, well," he observsd, "I shouldn't have noticed. If you hadn't call&l my attention." His comment, although brief, was much to the point and deeply ntpjadßcant wtthaJL "What's the use?" he murmur in -.thesU. "You can't stop them, anyway. " The policeman with his helmet off, drtakinf In the backroom of a saloon after licenet hours, Is by now an old story. A tour of certain parts of the upper W«st Side seemed to show an Improvement in polk* conditions, although there airaln the corxvera-* tlon evil thrust Itself on the notice. Bluecoats Watching Disorderiy Houses Can't See Streetwalker*. A tour of the Tenderloin only served to writes variation of the East Side version. Again patrolmen, especially in the darker streets; -vere discovered making no attempt to patrol their beats. They were seen engaged in the friendliest converse with streetwalkers, sometimes for several minutes. In Captain Gallagher'3 old precinct a short time ago one of these unfortunates was heard to remark to a friend that "Lizzie " was a lucky girl, who never need be afraid of being 'pulled.' as Policeman was her 'friend'" In 32d or 33d-st. an Incident took place which showed the spirit existing between tha police and the Inmates of the houses they are sup- posed to suppress, and also the false spirit ani- mating the police work. BLIND IN TENDERLOIN. Thursday night, the one follo-.vir.sr th#> <i ay ot th*» severe storm, was selected to rr.ak«? a test of • how much work the police were doing- .' Har- lem. Broadway and Anrcsterdam-ave. were T _ plored from D6th-st. to HOth-st. and. Bth-av» and Manhattan-aye. from ll<>th-st. ro 12oth-st At Broadway and 9*>th-st. th*» first blueroat was seen. He was patrolltns?. At Broadway and 9sth-st. another policeman was pa?roll!u» TIM next policeman came into sight at Broad, way and l«(Tith Until HOth-st. was reached Broadway was innocent of any policemen. At that point two policemen were seen In tamest converse. A partial tour of We3t End-aye. and Rlv«p. side Drive from l*>th-3t. to HOth-st. reveale. no policemen. They were all givlnar their attention to Broadway, apparently. The ae.;tion re. ferred to has been the scene of numerous bnz glaries and hold-ups of late, and Police Com missioner McAdoo has sent additional poflc«-,e_ to the territory- At Amsterdam-aye. and linY st. a policeman was filling' a doorway. At 63th* st. one was patrol!ir:;?. Another was patrol:'-^ at 104th-st. A policeman waa met at lOSth-r* coming south from Amsterdam-aye. and 110^! at., where he left a brother officer, who west north. Th<» two parted after a ten minmw talk. OS*SP * Of six policemen seen In. ilanhattac-ave. froa 110th-Bt. to 125th-st. only one was patroll'-" This was at 112th-st. At HSfh-st. two we£ talking. A doorway sheltered one a: 121 st-«. At 123th-»t. two policemen were engagad ia friendly conversation. In U6th-st., betwass Manhattan-aye. and Sth-ave., a policeman was patrolling. Eighth-aye.. from lOth-st. to 125th-s_. baj apparently been left to care for itself. Ths first and only policaman seen until 123th-st, -ra. reached was at 121th-st. At 123th-st. fwo blua. coats were indulging in a heart-to-heart talk One-hundred-and-twenty-flfth-st.. from Bti- ave. to Tth-ave., was deserted, so far as policemen were concerned. Between 7th-ave. and Lenox-ave.. In the middle of the block, a. policeman waa rubbing his ears and gazing at a stors window. Just east of Lenox-ave. a pollce___i was standing In a doorway. The Tribune Uptown Office Is now located at !f364! f 364 Broadway Between 36th and 37th Sts. J. D. Crimmins Says Stop Private Occupation of Public Streets. To the Editor of The Tribune. Sir: If the obstructions in our public etreets are unlawful they should be moved; if th&y are not unlawful they should be made so. Paris does not permit encroachment* beyond the house lines and all ornamental features are required to bo on private property and not extend Into the publlo thor- oughfare. Tho owner of the fee of property front- ing on a street has no fa« right in the street to build beyond the house lines. In certain InsUaoSs permission has been granted by the Board of Alder- men permitting owners to encroach on the street but this permission 1» revocable, and to continue only during the pleasure of the Board of Aldermen. As many of th<-»e encroachment, are of a permanent character,^ they would seem •\u0084 me to be unlawful, and, if not, thi y should be made. eo. *;h<s attention of his honor the Mayor should be called to this private occupation of the public streets, and the law department should busy Itself Inpreparing an ordinance ur a law prohibiting ii. OBSTRUCTED STREETS. What lc the result? A backbone occupied by the wealthy for business and residence; In direct ratio to the distance from, thia backbone, savo In the upper part of the city, and even there. In some in- etances, slums! To change materially the plan of the centre is impossible. Palace stands beside palace; the land is more valuable tnan any gold mine. An we get away from this central line, land values depreciate. But, with the expansion of the city through bridges and tunnels, the Long Island territory is becoming an Integral part of Manhat- tan. Later the Jersey shore will follow suit and long lines running exclusively north and south are thus no longer necessary. Is it too wild a dream to conceive of some applica- tion of the boulevard system which ehall sweep In grand curves through the slums of the east and west Bides of the central area? Or o? avenues radiating from such centres as the new bridges? If ever >:««w-York City is to be radically recon- \u25a0truoted, the hour for subh refashioning has struck. Now or neverl It la still possible for the city to condemn land in areas of relatively little value, with the absolute surety of recouping itself as soon as the new avenues are completed. There is a further argument in favor of the plan. We have not only tho problem of increasing the present facilities of transit above and below ground, and of beautifying the city, but also one fully as Important and not as yet sufficiently emphasized. Parie, through her boulevards, sweeping away tha tangle of mediaeval streets, wiped out scores of dark laces where vice and revolution bred. New- York, by driving broad shares of light and air through Its congested tenement regions, would strike a mighty blow against the whole plum Btructure. We want, for tho city's sake, and for their own sakes as well, the congestion of the poorer and poorest on Manhattan Island to ba done away withforever. With real rapid transit, under municipal control, and low fares, new suburban areas would be made available. The city might pre-empt iar«e jeclions for model dwellings to be built by Itself, or under municipal direction. Here again appreciation of values would assure a generous return. In short, I raise the question. Is it not within the bounds of possibility that naw broad routes may be led through end about our old city; streets which under municipal control shall become models of heauty and symmetry, as street after street and squares and piazas Innumerable are In the Old World* constructed, perhaps, at three levels: first, for lighter traffic ana pedestrians; second, for rapid transit and third, as In Chicago, for truckage? By this means, the tenement regions being Invaded, the congestion of Inhabitants there— worst in tho world— would be broken up. and, with simultaneous municipal pre-emption of large areas on the out- skirts, model suburban homes would gradually take the place of squalid tenements. Is Itnot possible that the new ghettos and new race aggrega- tions of all sorts now forming on the east and west \u25a0Id— cf our .-ity might thus be p*rmanently done away with and a better chance be given for tha development of an Americanism amalgamating and effacing race and religious differences? That the suggested new avenues would be correlated with the old i atfas for man and beast marked out for us by the Dutch cows of earlier dayn or tha gridiron Imagination of later times is clear. But haply uome one Is saying-, better for civlo purposes the instinct of th© cow or the usefulness of the gridiron than "such stuff as dreams are made of"! 8o I will close with a last word. New- York Is to- day, among the greater cities of the world, the most anarchlEtlc In architecture, the most mechanical nnd Inartistic in etructural lines, the least stimu- lKting. through man's treatment of nature to tho higher life. Yet its situation is at least as noble as that of any of Its elsters. I hold It to be peerless in Its station beside river and ocean. \vhy not *oc!a!i*e, beautify, redeem, render worthy our city to be the gateway to America, the world's m«rono- US New-York. Jan. r,HABT4TB BPRXG SMITH Mew- York. Jan. Ist. ife. mm*. Every suggestion of betterment in New-York \u25a0eems to be more or less servilely bound to old conditions. We fail utterly to assert the freedom of the architects of new Paris. Because our prede- cessors bullded unwisely, seeing only their own time— as why should they not?— we consent to wear the clvlo clothes they cut for their generation. They could not foresee that by 1820 the metropolis of the world waa to stand at the gntes of the Hudson. Because of this, they led all the broad streets up the length of the Island and the narrow streets across. Unimaginative folk, they could not conceive of a curve, and only In one or two Instances of a dlagonnl; therefore, we must, for- sooih, in the old city and its extensions, be the 6laves of the ancestral gridiron, with Its one narrow crossbar! Professor Charles Sprague Smith Suggests System for the City. To the Editor of The Tribune. Sir: A hasty reading of the report of the commission appointed by his honor the Mayor to suggest plans for permanent improvement of New- Tork City and a glance at the accompanying dia- grams have convinced ma that it would be pre- sumptuous for a layman to advise In matters that râve demanded large expenditures of time and thought from experts, so I will turn aside from criticism and bring forward suggestions that come from other sources. A picture rises constantly in my mind of a walk I took in Paris one March morning- In 1977 from my hotel in a cul de pac not far from tha Palais RoyaL I had come on from Berlin, where I had beon a student for two years. The German city, number- Ing then less than one million inhabitants, ill paved und unattractive, was resting under a brooding- gray sky in the dull atmosphere of winter. I had scarcely seen the sun there In months. There was no suggestion in Berlin of green things, of re- awaktnlng nature. A stranger to Paris. I saun- tered where chance led me. Before long I came out into the Place de la Concorde, and followed slowly upward the superb Avenue of the Champs Blysees. Arrived at tho crest near the Arch of Triumph, where, like the rays of a Btar, will* streets reach out In all directions. I selected one that soemed more attractive than the others, called then L/Avenue de l'lmperatrlce. At onco I was 6urrounded by eprlngtlme; clear blue sky over- head, birds chattering in the branches, flowers blooming in parterres and the grrass fresh and gTeen, as it Is only once a year, when spring- first calls life forth from the earth. The contrast between beautiful Paris, stately, symmetrical, full of eong. freshness, color, with the blue sky over- head, and dull, gray Berlin made an Impression upon me which has remained ever since. Later on, as a French student. I saw one of the great boulevards on the, left bank of the Seine pushing Its way resletleEßly through the crisscross maze, the dank closeness of mediaeval constructions. Down they went, street after street, centres, per- chance, in other times, of interesting civic life, but In the nineteenth century fit only to be the lurking places of Ignoble things. The house where Marat met his fate at the hands of Charlotte Cor- day went down with the rest, and I, with others, visited the historic bathroom before It disappeared. Borne years later I saw similarly the noble Avenue of the Opera, like a splendid wave, wash away other relics of medlaavallem. BOULEVARDS NEEDED. Study of Subject Shows That the Policy Is Fraught with Danger. To the Editor of The Tribune. Sir: The suggestion made to the Mayor by the City Improvement Commission that the municipality purchase land In the neighborhood of p:oposed public Improvements, with the view of realising a profit from th* sale of such property after the Improvements have been made, ls the method em- plojrsd by many English cities, a notable example of which ls Glasgow. The present charter of the city of New- York makes it unlawful for the city to engage In land speculation, and it s«trai unwise to the writer that ths city should enter upon such a course, even If it were miidn possible by charter revision. The one point to be gained by the plan ls to recoup the cost of che Improvement by selling the land at a profit. By the Increased assessments which thi city places on property In tho vicinity of all Im- provements we now recoup In a sure and perma- ii. Nt way without Invading the domain of Individual buslnsss. The writer's Investigation a few years ago of municipal trading In land In the city of Qlasgow convinced him that the policy was fraught with danger. His most apparent objection seemed that nii-li policy t.nds t.> destroy Individual initiative end creates a generu.l ffelnin of doing nothing until the city acts. From municipal trading in land the step la easy and natural to municipal tenement hoiist-s. Then the rlty becomes ;i competitor with the landlord olsu*a, and eu.-h opsrattog under dif- ferr-nt conditions and from different motives has always produced unpleasant complications JOHN B. CREIQHTON. Secretary of the Brooklyn Lisagttt, Brooklyn. Jan. ti, 1906. I oannot take space to epeak further of the work of this board, but it is interesting to compare the results of park activity In the Boston district under its guidance with the results in New-York. In respect to otbfr municipal functions largely affecting the city plan, comprehensive design ls notable only in the caee of the systems of water supply and sewage disposal, which are managed by a aeparats metropolitan board furnishing water to the several municipalities for locaJ distribution and providing trunk sewers to take the outflow of the local collectors In the placing and treatment of Its many reservoirs, pumping stations and other important visible constructions, as well as In planning Its underground work, this board has pursued a remarkably comprehensive, and far-sighted plan, and has frequently consulted and co-operated with tho Metropolitan Park Commission where their re- spective fields came In contact. The placing and design of schoolhouses ls now— as regards the city of Boston only— in the hands of a School House Commission, which takes a large and far-sighted view of its duties; but, with that single exception, I believe, the placing and designing of public buildings are done In the usual happy ro lucky, hand to mouth fashion, which has wasted so much money and effort In all Ameri- can cities. As to the plan of condemning more land than, on improvement requires, with the idea of recouping the expense from the resale of the surplus at advanced prices. I can give only a qualified an- Ewer. In numerous cases the Metropolitan Park <V>mmlßs!on, after condemning a piece of property, has exercised Us power of abandoning (to the original owner or with hla oonsent) a portion not needed for the completion of the Improvement, and before en abandoning it has by negotiation secured agreements from the purchasers to accept certain restrictions and pay certain prices. This method of procedure has been extended by a re- cent Massachusetts law to other bodlea authorised to condemn land for publlo Improvements, and the necessity for securing the consent of the original owner before making a salo has been done away with. 1 believe, however, thnt the main purpose, wherever thia nower has been exeroised, has been to simplify neßOtiationa or to avoid the continued existence of shapeless and unavailable remnants of land adjacent to public Improvements, and that any Income which has been derived from the sale of such unused remnants has been purely Inci- dental and comparatively small. It ls. Indeed, very- much of a question whether municipal land speculation, even upon as large a scale as has been car- ried on by various European cities, has been of direct financial profit, although it has certainly resulted in more complete and successful Improve- ments through tho more comprehensive planning and control whl^h it has Involved, FREDERICK LAW OL.MBTED. New-York. Jan. 24, 1908. » MUNICIPAL TRADING IN LAND. The street railway syotem. ls limited as to Its ex- cellence by the street system, but belonging, as it does, mainly to a single corporation, regardless of political boundaries and little Influenced by tempo- rary considerations of local land speculation. It has been developed In a surprisingly systematic and effective manner, considering the planless development of most of the streets. It ls a matter of not a little Interest, moreover, that tho effort of the street railways to secure good main lines of track for the development of their business has led In many instances to the formation of main thoroughfares of exeat general importance, either by the widening of old streets or the opening of new ones. The development of the system of street railway transportation hits been under no comprehensive public guidance and under little systematic publlo control. The State Railway Commission has had a certain Influence, notably In reapect to preventing the crossing of steam and street railways at grade, and. therefore, in shaping the highway system as It relates to the steam roads. The Boston Transit Commission was created a few years ago to deal with the problem, presented by certain very congested thoroughfares, and this board planned and constructed a system of subways (pointing the way for the much larger system eince constructed In New-York), and Is now at work upon other subways; but It has as yet been confined In its actlv- Ity to the most congested portions of the city of Boston, and has exerted little direct influence upon the broader aspects of the transit problem. In respect to parks, much more comprehensive planning has prevailed. The various surrounding municipalities have shown In most oases a com- mendable foresight in securing park lands, while the city of Boston, mainly during the single decade from 1880 to IS9O. provided Itself with a series of parks more systematically selected and compre- hensively planned than those of any other large city in the world. Subsequently, as it became evident that a similarly broad treatment of the park problem In the outer portions of the metropolitan district was not possible under purely local initiative., a Metropolitan Park Commission was created, clothed with largo discretionary powers, to provide for those elements of a comprehensive system, regardless of municipal boundaries, which might not be provided by local action. Like Many American Cities, She Is Developing Without Aim. To the Editor of The Tribune. BIr: Regarding Metropolitan Boston, with its thirty-nine distinct municipalities I cannot cay that It has any single definite plan for its physical development; It has, however, a great many partial plans, some of which are very definite Indeed, and some of them nr* very comprehensive. Most of these plans concern themselves with local Ques- tions relating to the several municipalities, but come of them are metropolitan In scope. The most Important ffwtures of all city plans are the sire, shape and distribution of the spaces re- served from obstructive private occupation; first, for means of common transportation, for streets, railroads, navigable waters, and their connections and adjuncts; second, for means of common out- door recreation, parks and the like; third, for the Innumerable public needs which call for the us^ of land In various manners less distinctly separated In character from Ita uso under private ownership, as for public, buildings of various sorts. In respect to streets and other means of transportation, thero has rx-en comparatively little com- preherislve planning here. The cities of Boston and Cambridge have had of late years boards of survey charged with the duty of planning future additions to the street system, and In Boston the board hag begun to exert an aDpreclablo influence on the. system of street development in certain regions; for the most part, however, the, streets of tho whole district are being 1 fixed mainly by local and tem- porary considerations. At the suggestion of the Governor, a bill was Introduced Into the legislature last year for the appointment of a commission of inquiry to consider whether some more comprehensive planning of main thoroughfares In the metropolitan district might not be feasible. Although this bill failed of passage, it Is hoped that some action may be taken before long, and the matter la being agitated by the recently formed Metropolitan Improvement League. PARKS OF BOSTON. I would call particular attention to Nassau-st.. where these encroachments are so flagrant that the footwalk in many Instances ls less than five feet in width, forcing pedestrians into tha roadway. In sloppy weather the filthy conditions of this street must be se«n to be appreciated. Walking through Nassau-st.. from Pine-st. to Spruce-at., I counted fifty-seven movable obstructions on the east side of'the street alone. There are other en- cumbrances, such as show windows which project, nnd columns and porticos. All of these should be removed, and wells or entrances to basements should be covered. Inthe matter of our streets we fall to show either Intelligence or any conception of the rlghta of the public to a free and unobstruct- ed uee of the streets. JOHN D. CRIMMINS. New-York, January 20. 1905. i __________ Walter S. Logan Says New-York Should Prepare for Its Destiny. To the Edltbr of The Tribune. Sir: I am very much Interested in the report ot the New-York City Improvement Commission. It is doubtful If any more Important work has ever been committed to a body of men In New- York City than to this improvement commission. The Rapid Transit Commission Is its only rival In importance, but the Rapid Transit Commission deals with only one of the many questions that have to bo solved by our generation here In New- York City. The New-York City Improvement Com- mission has lurisdlcUon over all the things that go to make a greater and better city, and Ifit fulfils tha Kwrjectations of its friends It will live In his- tory. New- York Is already the commercial metroa- oils of the North American continent. Chicago, It is true, is a metropolitan city, but Itis inland. The route to the highway of nations by water from Chicago ls a long ar«m devious one. The great metropolitan cities of the world always have been and always must be on the ocean or In close communication with it. San Francisco has a location and a harbor that give It a dominant influence upon the trade of the Pacific, but the Atlantlo is and always must be the arreat ocean of commerce. Besides, when the Panama Canal Is built. New- York will be practically a Pacific as well as an Atlantic port. San Francisco will have little ad- vantage over us even for tha trade of the ocean that lies at her doors. New-York muet continue to b« even In a greater degree than It ts now the commercial metropolis of the continent. But It ls fast coming to be also the world metropolis. When the Panama Canal and the greater Erie canal are finished, no city in the world wIU be so well situated to command the world's trade by water. With the completion of its railroad terminal facilities there will be no city In the world that can posalbly equal it as a railroad centre. New-York in on the right side of the Atlantic, and. with the Isthmus broken through It will have the Paolflo at Its doors. The greater Erie Canal practically will extend the Hudson sSttSsG which noatfl th« Stars and s^^' ld k* oyer fTy at o&v^r ™"» /s^s: Jssa V& to T m 3 Xe ob I hTc?ty °'t£T- is l'«l»" It for its destiny We h X _fv.T t h2i tta !i V$ thing* too much by Jerks We hiv* v,Lh b<Mm dolng hensive plan for the city's deTeTor£? ?° ooml;>r*- fection. We have had. ft Is tnil° pment and er " who grasped the X«w-fork ldeiT^îj.i^ 11 *™* n to make Nsw-York«s understand .jHjl thelr •J" 1 th» New-York that was to come H^n! p^ rw^ 8 Samuel J. Tllden and Andrew li Qre( * M Oreslsy. Buch man. Another man-a man f£ ro *™o n « them and whose ortnsa two of them £ r nt from \u25a0tnunsßtsi In i.unlshir.g-had nSlwTth^nd.'n * those crimes, a great conception of th.v f"! 1 that waa to come, and it may be douKtf,^*W rE William M. Tweed will not be remeniblr^ WW i h<l er tory more for the splendid and wellconcefviS *}?' Improvements which he inaugurated tha* fol c }? crimes which made bis name Infamous for thß It la the function of the New-Tork n'tv T mnPn . ment Commission to institute a rej* non o yy m ffi ?" the Iraprovemenl of our city, to , ian the wSriß metropolis on a scale which will be woAhy ofThSS and of us. so that whatever we do In h« fm,J2 win be done toward the consummaUon of that plan We have made mistakes enough! We have nin" our streets crosswise from river to river. Instead <5 Ex-Mayor Phelan Telli How Golden Gate City Will Be Beautified. To the Editor of The Tribune. Sir: As early an 186 R. Frederick L*w Olmsted was invited to make plans for a park for the city of San Francisco, and out of the discussion which resulted from his report, his recommendations not having been closely followed. C.olden Oate Park was evolved. Ho favored a smaller park nearer the city's centre. Golden Gate Park, which was reclaimed from the Band dunes, contains a thousand acres. It extends from Baker-st. for a distance of nearly four miles to the shores of the Pacific. Baker-st. is fil.out two miles from the City Hall. Paralleling This park and skirting ths shores of the. bay the fnited States government has its military reserva- tion of fifteen hundred acres, called the Presidio, which ls also practically a park, and to which the public has free access. The city expends annually for park maintenance $350,000. A scheme was devised several years ago to con- nect these two bodies of land by a park drive a block wide,, for the distance which separates them, which ls nearly a mile. Thl3 and other propositions were submitted to a vote of the people on tho question of the lasue of bonds to pay the coßt. and by over th«» necessary two-thirds vote the people of San Francisco have declared themselves In favor of this and other improvements, tho bonds have been sold and the work is about to be begun. It may be interesting to state that these improvement bonds run for forty years, nre known as serials, one-fortieth expiring pHch year: l>ear 3'j p^r cent Interest, and are sold at par. The total authorized issue of improvement bonds la *17.174,000. The ci'y has no other debt. The whole amount of these bonds will not be Issued In the nature of things for many years to come. The as- sessed value of the property of the city of San Francisco is more than $550,000,000. and the population is more than four hundred thousand. The bonds authorized, making the aggregate above mentioned, are as follows: For hoeplUl - $1,000,000 For s«wers - - T. 230,000 For school* 8.690,000 For Ptreots 11821 £5 For Jails «»7.000 For library (site anil building) 1.647.000 For Gold«n Gate Park and Pr»«ldio extension (above referred to> 880. 000 For children's playcronnda iil'°9x For MlMton Park 203-000 Total $17,174,000 It ls proposed to purchase In different parts of the city two large playgrounds for children, and. in that part of the city known as the Mission, to ac- quire two blocks for a local park. All this work may be eald to be under way, inasmuch as the bonds nro authorized and will be 6old as the funds are needed, and condemnation suits have been or- dered by the city fathers. This initial work has been done without any definite plan. But what has been proposed is not in- consistent with a plan which is now being made by Daniel H. Burnham, the distinguished architect generally known as the "builder of cities." on account of his work done for Washington. Cleveland and Chicago. He has twice visited Ban Francisco reoently, and ls now in Manila, executing a commission for the government for the improvement of that xMy. He ls expected In Ban Francisco on February 25. and will have his report ready, as promised, before June 1. A society of citizens, known as the Association for the Improvement and Adornment of Ban Fran- cisco, Invited Mr. Burnham to make a plan, and he volunteered his services, the association to bear the expense of draughtsmen and other accessories. It Is the intention of this association to present the plan to the Board of Supervisors, or City Council, which is much Interested In the work, and will, no doubt, be governed by Mr. Burnham'B suggestions. bo far aa they are practicable. Tho association recently financed the bonds for the more pressing improvements and disposed of 12.000,000 of them. On a hillside overlooking the city, at an eleva- tion of about seven hundred feet, the association has erected a bungalow where Mr. Burr-ham's as- sistants work. A study of all looal conditions has b«ea carefully made and the plan contemplates the extension of Golden Oate Park to the city proper, which involves the condemnation of about thirteen blocks and the creation of a dvlo centre around which public and quasl-pnbllc buildings may be grouped; the location of new libraries and schools, the construction of new roads and streets — one to ekirt the bay shore to the Cliff House, and another, perhaps, to extend down the peninsula into the neighboring county— Improvement of the bay shore route to the south, whioh admits of ifreat scenio possibilities; in fine, the general adorn- .rnent and improvement of the city on sMthotlo lines. San Francisco, on account of Its equable climate and its unparalleled natural advantages, located as it ls on a bay and ocean, and seated upon Its many plcturesquo hills, has become conscious of its former self-neglect, and a strong feeling prevails In the community that work in the way of adornment should be done, and it Is not unlikely that Mr. Burnham's recommendations, when his plan ls unfolded, will meet a hearty and enthusiastic re- sponse. Tho association having: the matter In charge in rts statement to the public, maintained that money 6pent In this direction will attract a large population, both permanent and transient, and add not only to the pleasure and comfort of living but greatly increase the city's prosperity. __ JAMES D. PHELAN, Ex-Mayor San Francisco, Jan. 18, 1905. y A WORLD METROPOLIS. SAN FRANCISCO'S PLANS. It would t>*. unfair to criticise them for wh **2 have Uft undone, for they hay» only Juîr-mr* The planning of a world m*tropoll* Unot ta ZZaj* of a day or a year. The errors of th* ? a *i lt nut i>,. undone cavalierly. Th* plan* for tno v* ruquire the utmost thought «uid consiaecs^ss*^ that each svh*>ui«( of improvement shall "*jf^^^Si to accomplish wh»t d««.1» la b« Jone, *°"J!i - "/s» •aoh thlntr shaJl Oovetalr Into every other "^Ja, that the final plan shall be a harmonic*" Jf^lTjt I can only say that the commission * > iri j3ite has gone has done well; that It seems <»*£*ûblie its ressonalbilttiea. and to re-spond tt> *°* r^»ls» df-maml which oreat«»d it.>\n«» vhat It glv*« of fultlUlne the expt-ctati.ins of those wß'* wrrw •ponsible fur Us crvatton. . _..» m C:> If they go on as th«>y have th»y«i{ Ij^. a New-York which will reflect honor op •{SksJlV Yorker WALTER !*• I«W***^ New-Tork. January It. IMS. lengthwtso of the oltjr and a. <> ~~ first thln ? we h»re toVo ts to^n^- < ? >n9e<luenoe the of travel from on* en.i of th» city t quate *v«nues had streets running north SS 1Z nntn ° th * >r lfw « east and west, every two Oundred tl , h \v lnstead of pf getting uptown would be murt» hi' *»»• problem It is too late to make that chî " \u25a0fl''"\u25a0>f I ' '"\u25a0> but have three or four »torle,i north^V S Jld W " miimt W© have not l«ft atleauate rl>^ # Ut Btreeta - Plaoes in lower New-York TheTa Thm^ w bre * th «n« a large park, somathing the sii* of ,- ld , hl W*«. n between the Bowery and the £?.t v * ntr t 1 Park- probably too lat* for that. TheblL, R i v r - but ll l- now 1- that some of th« worsf r&T k, C *.K ' XP * Ct rongesteU centres ehall r». turned Into S v" moal Nothing conduce, to «We3SK At^JTSft beT. h *hl*v II cObe O bU f SwS^ff S^.V'K U f mem * ant probUm. thit^n^nTêw^Trk o^^ NEW- YORK DAILY TRIBUNE. MONDAY. JANUARY -TO. 1005. THREE PLATOONS FAIL IMPROVEMENT OF THE GREATER CITY. < ..ntinn-.t from Or** pa«e.) WELL KXOWX MEN, THROUGH THE TRIBUNE, TELL OF ITS MOST PRESSING NEEDS— WHAT IS BEING DONE IN BOSTON AND SAN FRANCISCO. It is generally agreed that only by faithfully following out some care- full v prearranged plan can permanent good be accomplished. For purposes of comparison the plans of municipal improvement in Boston and Sim Francisco are given. The Tribune has received letters from a number of well known men of this city which set forth many of the improvements which are needed to enable greater New-York to fulfill its destiny. The report of the City Im- provement Commission is warmly commended as a step in the right direction. Officers Who Work and Those Who Visit or Rest. <;()()!) ANDBAD IX HARLEM In a private doorway adjoining an Hangar},- restaurant, a plump patrolman was, however discerned. ExpecffUy enough, he was not a* tempting to patrol, but stood ralking to a dti" zen. his left hand in hl«< trousers pocket h J « side face to the street. For mr.re than ten miii utes the reporter stood acro3s th*« street, a laVtr« dead, skinned animal lying in- full view bf»tw«4n' When the reporter parser! on the 'rolnian still stood talking, taking. In that time a man miKht have be<»n hanged, drawn and quarter*" In the fame block for all rh" parrolman itneV or cared, apparently. • Back to Stuyvesant Square, round th- lonel* park««. by one of which many boys and girls "of the People's Institute Club A have to pass, and not another policeman was discovered. ' Here was a tUla—*« typical experience whick whoso runs may read, drawing his own con- clusions. FOR BETTEPi NEW-YORK. Prof. Hamlin Says Report of Im- provement Commission Is Step to It. To the Editor of The Tribuna. ?lr: To make an ugly city beautiful ls the huge problem that ls taxing the thought and resouroea •f many an American municipality to-day; but no- where is the problem so vast and so complex, no- where has It appeared so hopeless, as In York. TVlth Its five boroughs, each grown up In absolute lnder>endeno« r,f the Test; with Its long, narrow Jklanhattan Island. Its congested trade. its 6hock- lnely untidy waterfront and Its apparent lack of centres and "featurec** It has seemed to many as Cough order and symmetry, loglo and convenience Inthe layout of the city wore forever unattainable. But there have been dtleens and organisations fax- jjighted and hopeful enough to believe that nothing Is Impossible if men will It. and the report of the _êw-York City Improvement Commission is the first Crult and vindication of their faith. If I did not approve a single recommendation of this report, I should etill hall It with enthusiasm 0&d bestow ttpon the able members of the commission ir.y «wut«ful commendation, as a citizen of ffew-Tork, for their, painstaking labors, so toll of •uggw-lon, and so sane and reasonable In their results, as presented In this report. For I believe Cifti the very first essential of the campaign for a jbetter New-York ls to show her citizens, first, that the problem of municipal betterment exists and ls frttal to the city's Interests: secondly, what the problem is and Involves, and. thirdly,that It can be eolvea. For this reaeon Ido not care to discuss the ißpedSo recommendations of the report, admirable k.3 most of them are. nor to point out what seems to sne Its omissions or criticise its measures. 1 vnould rather urge, with the utmost emphasis, the Importance of Its fundamental discussion of the problem of civic Improvement. The report rightly Ixasists that the problem Is as long and broad as the five boroughs, and that no solution 6hould be aourbt that does not correctly relate the lmprove- BVects In all the boroughs to each other. We are t*glnning to perceive that the real greater New- Torlc can come Into existence and Justify the act of consolidation only by 6uch physical bettter- fne.-tR euoh arrangements of bridges, avenues, open spaces and parks, as shall unite them all into o&e system. Thus municipal artistic Improvement Is •e*n to be no visionary tad of unpractical dream- ers, but a movement economic!, social, political eicd scientific, as well as artistic. And it will be found that, underlying the whole problem, is the cuestion of traffic, of the transportation of people nad goods. No polution will be right that does not eolve also the problem of communl in and Letween the boroughs. The formidable llet of measures and suggestions received and studied by the commission teatlnes both to the civic pride and Interest of New-Yorkers and to the earnestness of the commlSElon In its quest for light. Whatever Judgment we may paes upon its Fp»-ciflc proposals, we must hall this (which Ib, after all. merely a preliminary report), as th« first Btep, and a real one. toward the better New- York of which we ail dream. New-York. Jan. 14. IM. A. D. F. HAMLJN. FOE PROPER CITY DEVELOPMENT. Need of Plan* Which Are Carefully Studied in Eelation to Part To Be Improved. To the K^'tor of The Tribune. Sir: I Lave read the report of the City Improve- m.i.! Commission with Interest ejid realize fully the tnormoui amount of matter to be covered and the limited time the commission had to make th* report. It would eeem to me, however. In view of the *act that, publio criticism la invited, the commission has not covered tha eubject In as comprehensive a way as possible. The report seem* to me to touch on subjects here and there throughout th« city, Instead of taking the city as a whole, ts would an architect In planning for a building. The city has passed beyond its swaddling doth** and has now rtaohtd that period of development where we OSS) see far enough ah«ad to cay where will be our workshop, where our homes, where our playgrounds, etc. For example. the territory south and weet of the Bowery ls and "Will be for all future time the workshop of to* city. It is throug-h this region tliat from 85 to 75 per cent cf the people pacs to and from their homes j___ly, wherever those homes may be. This is the -filstrict from which all lines of rapid transit should .r&dlat* and ta« plans for Itought to take this faot into consideration. The rftgloa Utwean _3d-et. and 69th-et.. In which \u25a0xwvr railroad etatlons are being built, will be for many years the shopping district and the centre for ajsusen.tnta and of the floating population. 33tor this reason this region will be the objective point of carriage and amusement traffic, and In : formulating Its plans for It th« convenience of the patrons of retail shops, theatres and hotels should be coxi6ld*red. As this district will be the show place of the city, public buildings, monuments anu |*rks located In It should be restricted to certain \u25a0Mint The rectangle bounded by 4«h-«t. on th<) south, tfth-et. on the north, I'ark-ave. on the east and «tn-av«-. on the west Is undoubtedly the district 'for residences for the wealthloet class. Should not certain restrictions be made as to the class of buildings to be erected In this neighborhood, so that tsi> nuisances or disagreeable bueiness buildings rhall be allcwed to encroach and destroy Its char- •cur as a strictly residential district? The owners cf. tiie residences should be required to beautify the streets on which their houses front, and business troflio In thin region should be restricted to FULTk-ave., or Ma'.:»n*v«., or the avenues best tolled to tse purpose. The West Bide and Harlem form a district devorej to the well to <*.o middle classes who llv<» Inapart - 2sents and private houses, why should we not sttjogalze this fact and treat its future development •with this In view, setting aside certain avenues for through tr&fSo, other avenues for bueiness and others for sle&sur* and residential purposes wherever possible? Riverside Drive, with its extensions. ls the great phow drive of the city, and the handsomest In the Woria. Why shouldn't the buildings erected alon* a drive of this kind be restricted by either th« Building Department or the city officials so as not to Epoll the natural beauty of this magnlfloent drtv«? Foreign clliej recognise this principle. It is wtiat has toade Paris the beautiful city It Is. The Bronx and Brooklyn are the future homes of the \u25a0jssMhb end working: --i*it«s«s,. Why shouldn't this b« r«oofml«ed as a fact and their development planned along these Unas? There should be numer- nui parks and every facility for getting to and from r>>_4>ure resorts with ease and comfort. Wherever poserble etre«t« should be laid out eighty or one hundred fe*t wide, particularly in tnose districts where land is chexp and undeveloped. The liomee of the iubmm of people will then have the full beuefit of sunlight t«.-.: fr*-fh air. which the modern physician recognizes as the great healUi fai:»-T3ti« and germ d«-pirojer». From this I could pas* to details of each i>ar- ticular district an«l th>- ii* easities for Its development, and pa«>* from the broad scheme to the detail, but I have MSlsd enough to show that If the oom- mlsslon would recognize the facts and report ay- cordingly the Investor, builder and' horaeaeeker would be able to act arnionlou»ly. Capital could Invert on surer lines. th# Hty ofilclals. polioe and building departments could j>lan accordingly, an<l the city would develop according to the plan laid out lr.to the m»#ninc*nt city it ought to be Inorder \o fulfil lv poMibUltl<». J CL-UtEXCE DAVIES. Xew-Tork, Jan. IS. ISOS. DEAD HORSE LONG IN STREET. An offset, however. In the same street was he sight of a dead horse lying outside the livery stable of Its owner. On its owner's ad- mission, the horse had been permitted to lle : there for thirty-six hour*, and. except for the cold weather. must already have constituted a menace to the public health. Throughout the town dead animals of various kinds were seen n the streets. Now, one of the last orders Issued at every rollcall before the policemen manding officers to look out for all dea^ Back again into the Bowery. i n the entire stretch between Pell-st. and Oth-s? with tw« exceptions of one patrolman at a' corner o°t Stanton-sc and another gossiping of the flt»*f sis sssrt a&r£ a&S the Germania and the solitary guardian aT4? a Inflamed by cheap spirits and their still evil substitutes The thieves' kitchens were empty- ing, and the doorway of every chear. i\V • house had its dado of loafer^Th^&hîrf* of all varieties were abroad Here wls liiSy timber for crime, yet in all the district wher« only recently at the very steps of a bank a Hebrew merchant was held up in full view an, i robbed, a single patrolman and two gossip couples alone stood between the law ahiSiS* and the lawless man. abiding The next patrolman encountered was ftn th- southwest corner of 9th-st where he wm J_£ in the act of trying the side door of TValoTn but whether for pleasure or duty v nn on> record. From there up 3d-ave to iTh ? showed another break in the chain. At ijTrh fit. framed against the door of a eeJoon. lnim» the next seen patrolman, ag^n tn disuUo™^ ed versatlon, this time with a cltlsen. nil y . .' d«nce has disclosed that the saloon. *% * V ~ shinxahas and their p£^ Ordv * B °- c^ llad ££?h? hy of 14th - t - ls the < & <* cU?;^ NO POUCEMAN HERE. A walk along 2d-ave. enm I4th-st. to in.it and back to ITth-.t.. with .û.ntV^,",' up ££££.--* *" to -»'^-- Policemen Who Ride and Converse — One Patrols. A tour of the lower East Sid* began at Park Row, shortly before midnight on Saturday. Doubling on track*, but bearing mainly north- ward, an attempt was made principally to learn how much and how far the average law-abiding citlsen might rely on the aid of th<» officers of the law In case of distress or emergency. It was not long before the quest resolved Itself into a hunt for a policeman, with the officer aver in the distance. The first patrolman was encountered loung- ing inside the mouth of the subway, laved In warm vapors, for the night wm cold. Two more formed a mutual admiration society weal under the lee of the Brooklyn Fridge, \vatchlng from an appreciative distance a knot of badgelesa ncw>- boya badgering a citizen who did not wish to buy. In the space between the Bridge terminal and the Junction of Old and New Bowery, which experience has shown to be one of the worst downtown districts, and where, strrmge to say. a disorderly house of the worst type, was raided the same night, not a bluecoat was in sight. At the Junction two were discovered propping up the windows of a closed oyster counter. These, again, were in close but easy conversation, apparently more interested in each other's gossip than in anything that might be happening around. Throughout the tour the same gossiping was witnessed, in flat violation of the rules of the department. Perceiving at length that some one wai watch- Ing them, the patrolmen betrayed their troubled consciences by their hurried nudges, both at once walking rapidly hand In hand in the direction of Park Row. Thereafter, for a long distance, the scent ot the patrolman was lost. A tour down East Broadway, where thousands of dollars of goods Is stored, as far rlverward as Gouverneur-st.. across and back through Grand-st.. with many glances up side streets, failed to discover the flash of a shield. Finally In Grand-st. a patrolman was encountered walking rapidly north. This was the only patrolman unmistakably patrolling encountered throughout the night. WAS BOARDING A CAR. Westward again to the Bowery, and a second officer came to view. He was In the act ot boarding a northbound surface car. and the eight suggested the possibility that there are more ways than walking of patrolling a post. In the length and breadta of Chinatown, where fantan games and lotteries are adver- tised openly in Chinese crow's feet, and which was recently the scene of the famous gun play affair between rival secret society members clad In chain mall, only two policemen were visible. One lounged at the corner of Pell-st. and the Bowery, and the other, when first seen, was walking toward him. some twenty paces down the street. Thereafter the reporter made the entire tour of Chinatown, encountering no officer until he returned to the same spot. In that time the yellow man and. worse still, his while parasite and under world visitor might do as they liked. So might the various East Side "gangs" for which Chinatown forma a battle- ground, Jn completing the circuit the twain were discovered chatting before the gray locked police telephone, preparatory, it seemed, to their hourly repert. Back again into the Bowery and uptown a block, and the reporter's ear was cheered by the tinkle of a patrol wagon. Following he Plunged into Forsyth-st.. to discover the first police captain of the nlght-Captaln Murtha- who. with a squad of detectives, also in plain clothes, had Just raided the disorderly house referred to. has gone to show that twenty-two miles of streets are patrolled by little more than a score of men, some of the posts being: as long as ten blocks. In a section between 103 d and 109th sts. twenty-five cases of robbery were- recently discovered. TOUR OF THE EAST SIDE. 8

New York Tribune (New York, NY) 1905-01-30 [p 8]...Policeman John Bagan. living

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Transcript of New York Tribune (New York, NY) 1905-01-30 [p 8]...Policeman John Bagan. living