Driveways of Greater New York. No city in the world has done so much for the owners of fine harness horses as has New York. The Speedway is, of course, the principal drive of New York. Three miles long, and built at a cost of about $8,000,000, more fast horses can be seen there on a fine afternoon than in any other place. The men who drive them are not horsemen in the common acceptation of the term, but business men who are interested in the horse, not for the money they can make out of him, but for the pleasure they derive from riding behind him. Among those who are to be seen on the drive, holding the reins over fast ones, are Nathan Straus, T. R. McMann, J. W. Cormick, J. B. Bailer, John F. Cockrell, B. T. Kearns, Col. Alex. Newburger, David Lamar, C. K. G. Billings, of Chicago, and others. For two years Mr. Straus's Cobwebs held the honors as star of the Speedway, but was finally beaten by Mr. Billings's Lucille after a close and hard-fought contest. The location of the Speedway, along the west bank of the Harlem River. is unsurpassed for natural beauty, and when it is connected, by work now in progress, with the Riverside Drive, the whole will make a road for pleasure driving unequalled in the world. In October of 1902 ground was broken for the Grand Concourse in The Bronx, which will connect all the parks of that borough. It will start at One Hundred and Sixty-first street and be four miles long. Its width is to be 180 feet, and it will cost over $1,000,000. It is expected that it will be completed in about three years. On Seventh avenue, above Central Park, the principal driveway of the days when Robert Bonner and Commodore Vanderbilt were kings of the road, many fine equipages are seen. It is the principal street leading to the Speedway, and its liberal width and smooth pavement make it an ideal driving street. The principal driveways of Brooklyn are those about Prospect Park and the roads to the various seaside resorts, which are well kept and give pleasure to many owners of good horses. Classified Cities of New York State. There are 42 cities in New York State, which are divided into three classes in order to facilitate legislation. The first class includes those cities having a population of 250,000 or more, the second class, those cities having a population of 50,000 and less than 250,000, and the third class includes all other cities. Following are the cities, as classified: First Class-New York, Buffalo. Second Class-Rochester, Albany, Syracuse, Troy. Third Class-Amsterdam, Auburn, Binghamton, Cohoes, Corning, Cortland, Dunkirk, Elmira, Geneva, Gloversville, Hornellsville, Hudson, Ithaca, Jamestown, Johnstown, Kingston, Little Falls, Lockport, Middletown, Mount Vernon, Newburgh, New Rochelle, Niagara Falls, North Tonawanda, Ogdensburg, Olean, Oneida, Oswego, Poughkeepsie, Rensselaer, Rome, Schenectady, Utica, Watertown, Yonkers, Watervliet. New York Civil Service Rules. The following synopsis of the regulations governing the operation of the Civil Service of the city of New York was approved for the American Almanac for 1903 by Mr. S. W. Briscoe, Secretary of the Municipal Civil Service Commission: There are approximately 37,422 positions in the civil service of the city of New York that are subject to the rules of the Civil Service law. The applications for examination for such positions last year numbered 16.257, but of that number only 4,603 were cited to appear before the Commission. Of these only 4,603 appeared and were examined, and of those examined only 235 were appointed. During the year 1,233 positions were made vacant by resignation; 2,086 by dismissal; 221 by death, and 135 by retirement, a total of 3,775 vacancies, which left 2,848 positions to be filled by transfers and promotions from other branches of the service. The Civil Service Law prescribes that appointments and promotions in that service shall be made according to merit and fitness, to be ascertained so far as practicable by competitive examination, and no appointing officer may fill any vacancy except in accordance with the Civil Service rules. No employe in the Civil Service may be transferred to any position in a higher class than that which he has held, unless he has passed an examination for the higher position, or he has served the city three years in a similar position. No transfer shall be made from the unclassified to the classified branch of the service nor from any position in the competitive class to another in that class without authorization of the Municipal Civil Service Commission, and a violation of that rule is good cause for the dissmissal of the offending official. There are four divisions of the classified service: The Exempt Class, the Non-Competitive Class, the Competitive Class and the Labor Class. The Exempt Class comprises the deputies of the principal executive officers of the several departments. The Non-Competitive Class includes persons appointed in an emergency to fill vacancies for which there is no eligible list on hand. Such an appointment, however, cannot continue longer than two months, nor can the vacancy be again created and filled temporarily. A permanent appointment must be made after examination at the expiration of that period. The Competitive Class includes all positions and classes of employes except those of the Labor Class, which includes all laborers and other employes who shall not be subject to examination, and except those especially exempt from examination under the Civil Service rules or the statutes of the State. Applications for appointment under the Civil Service must be addressed to the secretary of the Municipal Civil Service Commission, and all applicants must furnish their full names and addresses, with such other Information concerning themselves as is naturally of use in judging their qualifications and fitness for appointment. Applicants will find it desirable to state what branch of the service they wish to serve, if they have a preference, and they must take oath before a notary as to the truth of all their statements. No person under eighteen years of age can be appointed to a position in the Competitive Class unless otherwise provided by the rules. Professional persons who are to perform technical or expert duties are required to satisfy the Commission that they are regularly authorized by the laws of the State to engage in their particular field of effort before they can be accepted under the Civil Service, but such persons are not expected to submit to an examination adapted for non-professional persons. A false statement will disqualify an applicant, and the Commission may refuse to examine a person who is unsuitable for the service. No person who has been convicted of crime, who has been dismissed from the public service or who has attempted to practise fraud in connection with his application can be appointed. Intemperance also debars. All examinations are conducted in writing and the utmost care is exercised to prevent fraud in the preparation of applicants' papers. Any person detected in fraud is instantly dismissed by the Commission. No person who has failed to pass an examination may be again admitted to examination within nine months without consent of the Commission. Applicants for senior clerical positions must attain an average percentage of 80, and no person who receives less than 70 can be appointed to any clerical position. Applicants for positions requiring technical or professional knowledge must attain an average of 75 per cent; otherwise they cannot be accepted. Applicants for positions in the Fire and Police Departments are required to average 70 per cent in mental examination and 70 per cent in physical examination. No applicant who fails utterly in any one branch of the examination can be appointed to the service. Candidates for promotion in graded positions must attain an average of 80 per cent in all grades up to the second, and 85 per cent in all higher grades, while in the Police and Fire Departments they must average 70 per cent. If a person feels that he has not been fairly treated by an examining board he may appeal to the Municipal Commission, who will investigate his complaint and will remedy any injustice that may have been done. In all eligible lists prepared by the Secretary of the Commission candidates who have been honorably discharged from the United States naval military service, having served during the Civil War, will be specially indicated in order that they may receive preference in the matter of appointments. No eligible list shall be effective for a term longer than four years, and at the expiration of that time or the lapse of one year a new list may be submitted to the Secretary. The eligibility of those on the old list will expire at the same time, so that they will be obliged to pass a new examination in order to be placed on the new list. A person who is appointed to a Civil Service position is expected to accept it within four business days after receiving notice of his appointment. Delay longer than four such days is interpreted as a declination. A person may waive his right to a position on ground of non-residence, insufficiency of salary, or temporary disability. No person whose name is on an eligible list may take an examination for another position within nine months of the issuance of the list, except by consent of the Commission. Persons on the eligible list of any department may accept temporary appointment in emergency cases without affecting their rights to permanent appointment later. When extra clerks are required for temporary employment in the departments of Taxes, Finance, Elections, Assessments and Arrears, Water Rates and Water Supply, temporary appointments may be made from the eligible lists and otherwise without special examination, but such employes selected from the ellgible list will be given preferment when permanent appointments are made in those departments. Those whose names are on the eligible list will be restored to that list in their original order at the expiration of their temporary service in any one of the departments named. Every original appointment in the Civil Service is for a probationary period of three months, except in the case of firemen and of patrolmen, when it is one month's probation; if the appointee is then declared competent his appointment is made permanent; if not, he is dismissed. Promotions from lower to higher grades of a department are made on the basis of merit, seniority of service and examination. An increase of salary is deemed promotion. Delinquency and misconduct are sufficient causes for dismissal, and no person dismissed for such reasons may be appointed to any position under the Civil Service within two years after dismissal. No person may be dismissed from the Civil Service for political reasons, nor until the person has been given an opportunity to refute the charges made. Any person who has retired from the Civil Service voluntarily or who has been dismissed without prejudice may be reinstated within one year after leaving his position. If he wishes to re-enter the service after the expiration of that period he must submit to examination again. While there is no rule prohibiting persons in the Civil Service contributing to political campaign funds it is expressly stipulated that no such person shall be dismissed from the service for refusing to contribute to such funds. Nor shall any person in authority exercise his power against any Civil Service employe because of his political or religious affiliations. Applicants for positions as laborers are required to furnish satisfactory references as to character, sobriety and physical fitness for such work and their names are registered by the Labor Clerk, but no appointment to that class is for a longer period than one year, when they may be reappointed if they pass another physical examination. If at any time they fail to fulfil the physical qualifications required they are dismissed, but without prejudice; that is to say, their dismissal is no reflection upon their character. department may call upon another to furnish extra labor forces temporarily, in which case the Commission will indicate what assignments are to be made, and from the lists so submitted to him the executive officer of the department requiring the laborers will select such persons as he needs and will report his selections to the Labor Clerk. One If an emergency arises under which laborers are required immediately the executive officer may hire such persons as he wants without examination, but not for a period longer than three days. The municipal departments which come under the jurisdiction of the Civil Service Commission are: Prior to the Revolutionary War the office of Mayor of New York was filled by appointment by the Governor of the province. After the close of the war and until 1820 the appointments were made by the State Appointing Board, of which the Governor was chairman, and until 1830 by the Common Council. Since 1830 the office has been an elective one. At first the term of office was two years, but in 1871 the city charter was amended extending the term to three years. At the time of consolidation the charter fixed the term of office for Mayor at four years, but the amended charter, passed in 1901, reduced this term to two years. The following is the list of those who have held the office of Mayor in what are now the various boroughs of Greater New York. Aquarium, Battery Park; Army Building, No. 25 Pearl street; Assay Office, No. 30 Wall street; Barge Office, foot of Whitehall street; City Hall, City hall Park; County Court House, Chambers street, near Broadway; Criminal Court, Centre and Franklin streets; Custom House, Wall and William streets (ne Custom House building at Bowling Green); Jefferson Market Court, Sixth avenue and Tenth street; Ludlow Street Jail, Ludlow street, near Grand street; Post Office, Park Row and Broadway; Register's Office, City Hall; State Arsenal, Seventh avenue and Thirty-fifth street; Sub-Treasury, Wall and Nassau streets; Tombs, Centre and Franklin streets. RECREATION PIERS IN NEW YORK CITY. Foot of East Third street, foot of East Twenty-fourth street, foot of East One Hundred and Twelfth street, foot of Barrow street, foot of West Fiftieth street, foot of West One Hundred and Twenty-ninth street. Name. Parade Ground. Red Hook Park. PARKS IN BOROUGH OF BROOKLYN.-Continued. Location. Coney Island, Canton and Fort Hamilton aves. and Parade pl.. Richards, Dwight, Verona and Williams streets. Forty-first and Forty-third streets, Fifth and Seventh avenues. Nassau and Driggs avenues, Russell and Monitor streets. Total Robbins avenue 28.700 750,000.00 University Park. Van Cortlandt Park.......Northern boundary line of city, Broadway, Van Cortlandt avenue, Jerome avenue and Mount Vernon avenue. Washington Bridge Park...Sedgwick avenue, Harlem River, Washington Bridge. Total 1,132.350) Pre-Revolutionary Edifices in New York City. $29,441,900.00 New York City will lose, early in 1903, one of the extremely few of the remaining landmarks inherited from the period of the American Revolution. Modern progress has doomed the old edifice, conspicuous by its dinginess and nondescript architecture, which stands among the group of public buildings on City Hall Park, immediately opposite the Manhattan entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge." Erected as a jail about the year 1756, it was used by the British as a military prison during the struggle for independence, and was the scene of horrors which history can tell only in part. For this reason its demolition is deprecated by that class of people who desire to see historical relics preserved, often at the expense of utilitarianism. With the disappearance of this building, the original aspect of which disappeared many years ago, when it became the Hall of Records, New York City will retain only three of its pre-revolutionary edifices. Of these the oldest is Fraunces's Tavern, at Pearl and Broad streets, erected early in the eighteenth century, and the scene of many brilliant social and official events during the colonial period. The Morris, or Jumel Mansion, on One Hundred and Sixtieth street, near St. Nicholas avenue, is nearly as old as the ancient tavern, having been built in 1758. Its greatest claim to popular interest is that it was occupied by Washington as headquarters in 1776. St. Paul's Chapel, on Broadway, between Vesey and Fulton streets, is the other of the three monuments of old New York, and it is the one which, amid all the wonderful changes of its surroundings, retains most of old-time suggestion. In its ancient graveyard are the tombs of some of New York's earliest families, and within its walls is the pew where Washington knelt in prayer or sat listening to the sermon on Sundays during his residence in New York. The cornerstone of St. Paul's was laid in 1764. Altitudes of Greater New York. The following table gives the surface elevations in feet above high water mark at the points indicated: Highest. Richmond-Near Toad Hill. The Bronx-Near Riverdale, Mosholu avenue. Feet. 413 Richmond-South Beach.. Lowest. Feet. 10 |