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premises is material or a mere cloud upon the title of a private owner. ner. If he so certifies, the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund, pursuant to section 205 of the amended Greater New York Charter, may properly authorize a release or quit claim for a nominal consideration to the said Henry Schmidt and Ernst Findeisen of all the right, title and interest of The City of New. York in and to all that portion of the Old Brooklyn and Jamaica turnpike included within the lines of Lot No. 138, in Block 100, on the assessment map of the Twenty-third Ward of the Borough of Brooklyn, which is more particularly described herein, upon the condition that the petitioners shall produce affidavits that all taxes, assessments and water rates now a lien upon said lots, or any portion thereof, shall have been paid before receiving such release from the City.

I would also recommend that if the Corporation Counsel shall decide that the interest of the City is not material and purely a cloud upon the title, that the interest of the City be appraised at the nominal sum of $1, and that the expense of said release, examination, etc., be fixed at $100, to be paid by said petitioners before the delivery of said release.

Respectfully submitted for approval,

MORTIMER J. BROWN, Appraiser of Real Estate in Charge of Bureau.

Hon. EDWARD M. GROUT, Comptroller:

NEW YORK, February 3, 1904.

SIR-I have received your communication of January 21, 1904, transmitting for my consideration two applications made to the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund for the release of the City's interest in portions of certain old roads in the Borough of Brooklyn. These applications are made by Charles McLoughlin, for a portion of the old Clove road, and by Henry Schmidt and Ernst Findeisen, for a portion of the old Jamaicia turnpike, or the Brooklyn and Jamaica plank road. You enclose reports made to you upon the subject by the Bureau of Real Estate in the Finance Department, and request that I advise you whether the interest of The City of New York as to these pieces of property is material or simply nominal and a mere cloud upon the title of a private owner, and if the latter, you ask me to so certify that the matter may be presented to the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund, pursuant to section 205 of the amended Greater New York Charter.

I.

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2. Application of Henry Schmidt and Ernst Findeisen as to the Brooklyn and Jamaica turnpike.

The status of this old road has also been the subject of several communications from the Corporation Counsel to the Comptroller. I refer you particularly to communication dated February 3, 1900, in relation to the application of Thomas P. Everett and others for the reasons upon which the conclusion is reached that the interest of the City in this old road is merely nominal. I see no reason for differing from the views expressed in that opinion. I therefore certify that whatever interest the City may have had in the property formerly forming a part of the Brooklyn and Jamaica turnpike in the old City of Brooklyn, which is included in the premises covered by the petition of Henry Schmidt and Ernst Findeisen, is a mere cloud upon the title of such owner. The said property is bounded and described as follows:

All that certain plot lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn and adjoining on the north lots designated on a certain map entitled "Map of property at Bedford in the Ninth Ward of the City of Brooklyn, drawn by A. Martin, 1835," and filed in the office of the Register, County of Kings, as Lots Nos. 3, 4 and 5, and lying within the lines of the old road known as the Jamaica turnpike or the Brooklyn and Jamaica plank road, lying between the lands heretofore described and the centre line of said road, and more particularly described as follows:

Beginning at a point on the southerly side of said Jamaica turnpike or the Brooklyn and Jamaica plank road, where the same is intersected by the northwesterly corner of Lot No. 5; running thence northerly at right angles to the southerly line of the Jamaica turnpike or the Brooklyn and Jamaica plank road to the centre line of the block between McDonough and Decatur streets; thence easterly along the said centre line of the block to a point where it intersects the centre line of the said road; thence along the centre line of said road to a point formed by the intersection of the centre line of the road with a line drawn at right angles to the southerly line of the said Jamaica turnpike, or the Brooklyn and Jamaica plank road from the northeasterly corner of Lot No. 3, as laid down on the above mentioned map; thence southerly along said line drawn at right angles to the northeasterly corner of said Lot No. 3 to the southerly line of the said Jamaica turnpike, or the Brooklyn and Jamaica plank road, at the northeasterly corner of Lot No. 3, as laid down on said map; thence westerly along the southerly line of said Jamaica turnpike or the Brooklyn and Jamaica. plank road to the point or place of beginning.

I have prepared and inclose herewith quit-claim deeds of the premises in question, approved by ine as to form, together with two copies of each deed.

Respectfully yours,

JOHN J. DELANY, Corporation Counsel.

Resolved, That, pursuant to the provisions of section 205 of the amended Greater New York Charter, the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund, by unanimous vote, hereby authorize a release or quit claim to Henry Schmidt and Ernst Findeisen of all the right, title and interest of The City of New York in and to all that portion of the old road formerly known as the Brooklyn and Jamaica turnpike included within the lines of certain premises situated within the middle of the block bounded by Decatur and McDonough streets, Sumner and Lewis avenues, and known and distinguished on the assessment map of the Twenty-third Ward of the said Borough of Brooklyn as Lot No. 138, in Block 100, bounded and described as follows:

All that certain plot lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn and adjoining on the north lots designated on a certain map entitled "Map of Property at Bedford, in the Ninth Ward of the City of Brooklyn, drawn by A. Martin, 1835," and filed in the office of the Register, County of Kings, as Lots Nos. 3, 4 and 5, and lying within the lines of the old road known as the Jamaica turnpike, or the Brooklyn and Jamaica Plank road, lying between the lands heretofore described and the centre line of said road, and more particularly described as follows:

Beginning at a point on the southerly side of said Jamaica turnpike, or the Brooklyn and Jamaica Plank road, where the same is intersected by the north

westerly corner of Lot No. 5; running thence northerly at right angles to the southerly line of the Jamaica turnpike, or the Brooklyn and Jamaica Plank road, to the centre line of the block between McDonough and Decatur streets; thence easterly along the said center line of the block to a point where it intersects the centre line of the said road; thence along the centre line of said road to a point formed by the intersection of the centre line of the road with a line drawn at right angles to the southerly line of the said Jamaica turnpike, or the Brooklyn and Jamaica Plank road, from the northeasterly corner of Lot No. 3, as laid down on the above-mentioned map; thence southerly along said line drawn at right angles to the northeasterly corner of said Lot No. 3 to the southerly line of the said Jamaica turnpike, or the Brooklyn and Jamaica Plank road, at the northeasterly corner of Lot No. 3, as laid down on said map; thence westerly along the southerly line of said Jamaica turnpike, or the Brooklyn and Jamaica Plank road, to the point or place of beginning,

-the Corporation Counsel having certified to the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund, in a communication dated February 3, 1904, that whatever interest the City may have in the property is a mere cloud upon the title of the owners,

Resolved, That the interest of The City of New York in and to the same be and is hereby appraised at the nominal sum of one dollar ($1), and the expense of such release, examination, etc., be and is hereby fixed at $100, to be paid by the petitioners, and evidence produced that all taxes, assessments and water rates now a lien upon said lots, or any portion thereof, have been paid before the execution and delivery of such release.

Which resolution was unanimously adopted.

The Comptroller presented the following report of the Appraiser of Real Estate of the Department of Finance, and offered the following resolution relative to a renewal of the lease of premises at No. 83 Chambers street, Borough of Manhattan, occupied by the City Paymaster:

Hon. EDWARD M. GROUT, Comptroller:

February 8, 1904.

SIR-In a communication under date of February 3, 1904, Messrs. William C. Walker's Sons, real estate brokers, ask to be advised whether or not we will renew the lease of the store floor, basement and sub-basement of premises No. 83 Chambers street, occupied by the City Paymaster, Department of Finance, which lease will expire on May 1, 1904.

This lease was originally authorized under date of January 31, 1902, by resolution of the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund, for a term of two years from May 1, 1902, at an annual rental of $5,500, payable quarterly.

As it is not at all possible that the offices in the basement of the new Hall of Records will be ready for occupancy by May 1, I would respectfully recommend that

this lease be renewed for a period of one year; otherwise upon the same terms and conditions as contained in the present existing lease.

Respectfully submitted for approval,

MORTIMER J. BROWN, Appraiser of Real Estate in Charge of Bureau.

Resolved, That the Comptroller be and is hereby authorized and directed to execute a renewal of the lease to the City, from Harriet B. Fisk and others, of the premises occupied by the City Paymaster at No. 83 Chambers street, Borough of Manhattan, for a term of one year from May 1, 1904, at an annual rental of fifty-five hundred dollars ($5,500), payable quarterly, otherwise upon the same terms and conditions as contained in the existing lease-the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund deeming the said rent fair and reasonable and that it would be for the interests of the City that such lease be made.

The report was accepted and the resolution unanimously adopted.

There being no other business. before the Board, the Chamberlain moved that the Board take a recess until next Monday, the 15th instant, at 2 o'clock p. m., and that Colonel E. A. Stevens, the Consulting Architect of the Dock Department, be directed to appear before the Board, and that copies of the reports of the Engineer of the Department of Finance, Messrs. Gardner & Cox, the Commissioner of Docks and Messrs. Cary, Smith & Ferris, be submitted to him in the interim.

Motion carried.

The Board reconvened in open session.

2 p. m., Monday, February 15, 1904.

Present-The Mayor, Comptroller, Chamberlain, President of the Board of Aldermen, and Chairman, Finance Committee, Board of Aldermen.

The Board proceeded with the Staten Island ferry matter.

The following communications were received from Messrs. Gardner & Cox: NEW YORK, February 13, 1904.

EDWARD M. GROUT, Esq., Comptroller of The City of New York, No. 280 Broadway, New York City:

DEAR SIR-Having been present at the public meeting of the Sinking Fund at which meeting a discussion was held regarding the proposed Staten Island ferryboats, we wish to call your attention to the fact that the people of Staten Island do not understand the scope of our proposed change in the construction of the Staten Island ferryboats. They seem to feel that the proposed change meant a ferryboat service not much, if any, better than the present one, except in regularity and safety; that an effort was being made to cheapen and make smaller the boats the City is to build for the accommodation of Staten Island passengers. They inferred that our report covered a ferryboat not capable of carrying trucks and commercial vehicles at all, and that the speed under our report would be materially reduced.

The facts are that the proposed boats will carry in the rush hours 3,000 passengers with perfect safety, that they will carry at any time, at the speeds we named, the full load of trucks and commercial vehicles, but we merely suggested not carrying such vehicles during the rush hours of passenger travel. No single requirement of the City has been reduced. We have simply tried to meet them at a reasonable first cost and maintenance.

We think that in justice to ourselves an opportunity should be given to explain clearly to those most at interest the fact that we, and many others who have a knowledge of this problem, feel sure that these boats will give absolutely, not relatively, a better service to the traveling public. We have not only a saving in money, but less of an experimental boat, less likely for disablement from breakdown due to the use of a Scotch boiler; in fact, the boat, if built and operated as we suggest, would meet every wish of the reasonable traveling public if thoroughly understood by them.

Yours faithfully,

GARDNER & COX.

NEW YORK, February 13, 1904.

EDWARD M. GROUT, Esq., Comptroller of The City of New York, No. 280 Broadway, New York City:

DEAR SIR-We beg to acknowledge receipt of copy of Messrs. Cary Smith & Ferris' answer to our report on the Staten Island Ferry situation. We wish to say that we recognize the ability of these designers and their painstaking examination of the ferry situation. We have no doubt whatever that they have promptly and well done what they have been required to do. We do not assume it to be your wish

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