West Fifty-second Street Section (south end)—Extending from 83 feet 10 inches southerly of the southerly side of West Fiftieth street, northerly to the north side of West Fifty-first street, distance of 404 feet 8 inches.

The wall on this end of this section was completed and put in use in 1891, from 83 feet 10 inches south of West Fiftieth street to the northerly side of West Fifty-first street.

West Fifty-second Street Section (north end) — Extending from the northerly side of West Fifty-first street to the northerly line of West Fifty-fifth street, a distance of 1,043 feet 4 inches. Length of dredging for the year..

260.83 feet; to date, 1,043.30 feet.

The method of its

Equivalent length of completed wall for the year..

214.65

The wall and the filling behind it upon this section has been completed. construction has been described in previous reports.

West Fifty-seventh Street Section-Extending from the northerly side of West Fifty-fifth street to the southerly side of West Fifty-eighth street, a distance of 762 feet 6 inches.

The wall on this section was completed in 1893, and the Department Yard was extended southerly to Fifty-sixth street upon the filling placed behind it.

The total continuous length of the bulkhead or river wall on West Fifty-second Street Section (south end), West Fifty-second Street Section (north end) and West Fifty-seventh Street Section is 2,210.46 feet, all of which has been completed and is in use.

EAST RIVER.

Pier 35, East River--The Department having acquired the ownership of the easterly side of this pier, it has been removed preparatory to building a new pier.

Stanton Street Section-Extending from the south side of Rivington street to the north side of Stanton street, a distance of 557.21 feet, under unanimous resolution of the Board, March 1, 1893. The piers and bulkheads on this section have been in commercial use.

Third Street, East River-Under chapter 298 of the Laws of 1892, the Board designated and set aside the Pier at the foot of Third street, East river, for the use of the inhabitants of the city as a recreation pier. The necessary and proper foundations for a Recreation Building to be built upon the pier have been made and put in under Contract No. 561. Edward H. Kendall, Esq., was appointed Consulting Architect to the Department under the provisions of the above-mentioned statute, and prepared plans and specifications for a building of steel 300 feet long and 50 feet wide, the floor of which is to be 19 feet above the deck of the pier, and is to be used as a place for healthtal recreation by the inhabitants of the City. The building has been begun under Contract No. 575, of which Mr. R. H. Hood, Civil Engineer, is contractor, and remarkably rapid progress made in

is construction.

East Twenty-fourth Street Section-Extending from south side of East Twenty-fourth street to the northerly line of East Twenty-fifth street, a distance of 340.60 feet, under unanimous resolution of the Board, April 25, 1889, as amended June 18, 1891.

The wall and filling behind it upon this section, were finished and the Department Yard removed to this section in 1894.

East Twenty-fifth Street Section-Extending from the northerly side of East Twenty-fifth street to the northerly side of East Twenty-sixth street, a distance of about 276 feet, under atanimous resolution of the Board, passed October 27, 1892.

Length of completed wall to date..

276.24 feet.

This work is built upon the East One Hundred and Second street plan and was completed in 1895.

Bellevue Section-Extending from the northerly side of East Twenty-sixth street to the northerly side of East Twenty-eighth street, a distance of 543.81 feet, under unanimous resolution of the Board, passed April 25, 1889. Length of completed wall to date

.....

543.81 feet.

This section was substantially completed in 1892 and is in use by the Department of Public Charities in connection with Bellevue Hospital.

East Ninety-first Street Section-Extending from the southerly side of East Ninety-first street to the northerly side of East Ninety-second street, a distance of about 376 feet. Length of dredging for the year..............

rock bottom cleaned for the year.

concrete in bags for the year..

0.00 feet; to date, 260.54 feet.

51.14

260.54

66

Equivalent length of completed wall for the year..

Work was begun upon this section in 1894 under resolution of the Board of May 25, 1893, and the wall built across the foot of East Ninety-first street, when it was suspended on account of chapter 478 of the Laws of 1894.

Work was resumed in July, 1895, under resolution of the Board of June 20, 1895.

On account of the nature of the bottom, the southerly end of the wall on this section was built on the plan of the West Fifty-second Street Section, and a length of 165 feet on a specially modified plan of the wall of 1876, and again for 18 feet on the West Fifty-second Street plan.

The wall is now built to the southerly of the Astoria ferry at East Ninety-second street, and the filling behind it has been completed.

East Ninety-fourth Street Section-Extending from the southerly side of East Ninety-fourth street to the northerly side of East Ninety-fifth street, a distance of 373.08 feet.

This section and the piers at East Ninety-fourth and East Ninety-fifth streets have been in commercial use.

East Ninety-sixth Street Section-Extending from the southerly side of East Ninety-sixth street to the middle of the block between East Ninety-sixth and East Ninety-seventh streets, a distance of about 200.92 feet.

This section and the Pier at East Ninety-sixth street have been in commercial use.

Rhinelander's Reef—A contract (No. 528) was let last year for increasing the depth of water on Rhinelander's Reef, off East Ninety-second street, to a depth of 10 feet at mean low water, and the work has been completed by Mr. P. Sanford Ross, contractor.

East Ninety-ninth Street Section-Extending from the southerly side of East Ninety-ninth street to the northerly side of East One Hundredth street, a distance of about 365 feet. Length of dredging for the year.

piling for the year..........

"E" course of granite for the year.

Equivalent length of completed wall for the year..

0.00 feet; to date 300.co feet

This section was begun in 1893, at the northerly side of East One Hundredth street, and the wall was built far enough to the southward to permit filling in and the building of a pier at the foot of East One Hundredth street in 1894. The filling also was put in as far as practicable.

Arrangeme its having been made with the New York and College Point Ferry Company to move their ferry racks, etc., work was begun last year at the southerly end of this section, under

resolution of the Board of June 20, 1895, and about 246 feet of the wall has been completed and filling put in behind it. The work will be completed as soon as the ferry company moves its structures out of the way.

The pierhead-line of 1890 was modified by the Secretary of War on November 18, 1895, by extending it further outshore from East Ninety-fourth to East One Hundred and Fourth street, giving greater lengths to the piers on that section of the water-front. The greatest additional length is at East Ninety-ninth street, where it is 131 feet.

HARLEM RIVER.

East One Hundred and Second Street Section-Extending from the southerly side of East One Hundred and First street to the northerly side of East One Hundred and Fourth street, a distance of 848.65 feet; south end 154.70 feet in length.

The wall of this section was begun at its northerly end, and was built southerly from the northerly line of East One Hundred and Fourth street, upon the plan described in the Annual Report of 1892, to a point 85 feet northerly of the northerly line of East One Hundred and First street, where the nature of the river bottom changed so much that the wall south of this point has been built upon the plan of the wall of 1876.

The section has been in commercial use.

East One Hundred and Second Street Section-Extending from the southerly side of East One Hundred and First street to the northerly side of East One Hundred and Fourth street, a distance of 848.65 feet; north end 703.95 feet in length.

The section is described under the preceding heading. It has been in commercial use since 1894.

East One Hundred and Tenth Street Section—Extending from the southerly side of East One Hundred and Seventh street to the northerly side of East One Hundred and Tenth street, a distance of 855 86 feet.

Length of "E" course of granite to date..

coping to date....

Equivalent length of completed wall to date.

since.

The wall on this section was substantially completed in 1892 and has been in commercial use

East One Hundred and Sixteenth Street Section-Extending from the southerly side of East One Hundred and Sixteenth street to the northerly side of said street, a distance of about 109 feet. Under unanimous resolution of the Board, passed on May 29, 1896, 108.88 feet of the wall has been built and completed on this section, which extends across the foot of the street. The rock bottom being near the surface, the wall was not built of concrete blocks, but of a mass of concrete laid in a coffer-dam, from which the water was pumped out directly upon the rock. The usual granite facing was placed upon the wall.

Pier at the foot of East One Hundred and Sixteenth Street-A pier about 50 feet wide by 196 leet long has been built under Contract No. 558. This pier and bulkhead are intended for the use of the Manhattan State Hospital, which has agreed to lease the same.

East One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Street Section-Extending from the southerly side of East One Hundred and Twenty-fifth street to a point 25 feet northerly of the northerly line of One Hundred and Twenty-fifth street and westerly to the angle of the bulkhead line northerly of East One Hundred and Twenty-fifth street, a distance of 367.27 feet

This section was substantially completed in 1893 (except final pavement), and has been in commercial use since that time.

SHERMAN'S CREEK.

On the westerly or Manhattan Island side of the Harlem river, at about Two Hundredth street, there is a creek making into the island about 1,500 feet from the westerly channel line of the Harlem river, as determined by the United States authorites.

A new plan for the improvement of this section of the water-front was determined by the Department of Docks on March 29, 1894, and approved by the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund on November 20, 1895. This plan provides for a basın 345 feet wide and 1,400 feet long, with bulkhead and piers having 7,271 feet of wharfage room and having a capacity as a basin for 250 canal boats.

A cribwork bulkhead to give about 700 feet of wharfage room, has been built under Contract No. 533, and filling has been placed behind it, under Contract No. 560, by pumping the sand from the bottom of Sherman's creek and depositing it behind the cribwork. This work is very nearly completed.

Under Contract No. 553, dredging has been done for an additional 767 feet in length of cribwork bulkhead on the northeasterly side of the creek, and, as soon as arrangements can be made, the cribwork bulkhead will be built under Contract No. 554.

WORK OF CONSTRUCTION NOT UNDER NEW PLAN.

NORTH RIVER.

New West Washington Market-Immediately in front of the New West Washington Market, between Gansevoort and Bloomfield streets, two small piers, designated as Pier, old 56%1⁄2, and Pier, old 582, North river, are being built under Contract No. 569, in order to afford accommodation for small boats in that vicinity, and Pier, old 59, is to be extended about 51 feet, under Contract No. 574, for the same purpose.

Pier at West One Hundred and Thirty-first Street-This pier has been widened, lengthened and repaired under Contract No. 549, in order to afford accommodation for the new style of dumping-boards for the removal of the city refuse by the Department of Street Cleaning.

Pier at West One Hundred and Thirty-second Street-This pier is to be lengthened about 2c0 feet under Contract No. 572, and the work has been begun.

EAST RIVER.

Fifty-ninth to Sixtieth Street-A crib-bulkhead has been constructed from East Fifty-ninth to East Sixtieth street by the New York Steam Company, lessee of the property, which belongs to the city.

East Sixty-fourth Street-The work on the bridge foundation and on the piers on Blackwell's Island, for the New York and Long Island Bridge, has been suspended.

Hart's Island - A new "T" shaped pier for the use of the Department of Public Charities, about 90 feet long and from 30 to 150 feet wide, has been built by the Department of Docks on the westerly side of Hart's Island, under Contract No. 559.

HARLEM RIVER.

Ward's Island-A new pier has been built by the Manhattan State Hospital on the westerly side of Ward's Island, nearly opposite East One Hundred and Tenth street.

Randall's Island-An old pier on the westerly si le of Randall's Island, used for the landing of coal, has been removed and a new "T" shaped pier, about 190 feet long and from 25 to 125 feet wide, has been built by the Department in place of the old pier, under Contract No. 541. It is for the use of the Department of Fublic Charities.

Two Hunded and Sixteenth to Two Hunarei and Eighteenth Street-A lease has been made to the Third avenue Railroad Company of certain lands under water situated between Two Hundred and Sixteenth and Two Hundred and Eighteenth streets, and they are building a cribwork bulkhead upon it, under permit from the Board of Docks.

Depet Place-Depot place, on the Harlem river, having become the property of the City, the bulkhead at the foot of it has been repaired and put in order.

One Hundred and Thirty-eighth Street-Filling is being placed west of Girard avenue, on the easterly side of the Harlem river, by Jordan L. Mott, under permit of the Board of Docks.

Morris Heights-Various extensions, platforms and improvements have been made, and some are in progress, at Morris Heights, on the Harlem river, by the Gas Engine and Power Company, owners of the premises, and some similar work has been done by the New York Yacht Engineering Company in this same vicinity.

BRONX KILLS.

Willow Avenue-Filling in is being done in the vicinity of Willow avenue and Bronx Kills by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company, and also by the Port Morris Land and Improvement Company.

Willow to Walnut Avenue-A retaining structure is being erected from Willow to Walnut avenue to the Bronx Kills by the Port Morris Land and Improvement Company, under permit of the Board of Docks.

Oak Point to Bronx River-The water-front in this vicinity is being improved by filling in, etc., from time to time by the East Bay Land and Improvement Company, under permit of the Board of Docks.

GENERAL REPAIRS.

The repairs to piers, bulkheads, etc., have cost somewhat less during the last year than in 1896. A detailed statement of them is given in the appendix.

FLOATING PROPERTY.

The floating property of the Department has been decreased by the sale of the tugboat "Manhattan" and steam launch" Inspector."

A full list of the floating property will be found in the appendix.

SURVEYING FORCE.

An accurate and extensive survey of all the water-front of the City in the recently annexed portion easterly of the Bronx river is being made. 35 miles of line have been run along the waterfront and up the larger creeks and their positions carefully notel. The area embraced in the surveys already done is about 5,333 acres, or about 8 square miles.

In connection with this survey 10,000 soundings and 7,030 levels have been taken.

The line of high-water mark has also been determined.

Records and maps of these surveys, etc., have been made.

Automatic tide-gauges have been established for determining the local mean high water and mean low water.

Base-lines and bench-marks have been verified from time to time in connection with the construction of the bulkhead-wall at the different sections on the North, East and Harlem rivers, and of the piers, and from these lines and levels have been given during the progress of the work. Lires and levels have also been given on contract work for general repairs and construction. The quantities of sand, broken stone for concrete, rip-rap and cobble-stones delivered at the vanous sections and piers have been measured and calculated.

Surveys and examinations have been made over 914,600 linear feet of water-front. The surys have been plotted and put on file in this office and tracings have been prepared therefrom.