In the City of New York, for the first four years after the consolidation in 1898, the work of preparing a comprehensive topographical map, and, upon the basis thereof, a general plan of streets, was in the hands of the Board of Public Improvements; but most of the work has been done since the establishment of independent Topographical Bureaus in 1902. It is now proposed by the Comptroller that the Bureaus of the several Boroughs be again centralized under the Board of Estimate and Apportionment. The triangulation, upon which the whole work depends, was done in coöperation with the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey.
The following tables indicate the magnitude of the work and the amounts expended up to December 31, 1909, the force required to prosecute the work and a detailed analysis of the cost of the work in the Borough of Queens. The last table is taken from a report of Assistant Engineer H. K. Endemann to W. C. Elliott, Engineer-in-charge. In the first table, no data are given as to Manhattan and Brooklyn because of the abnormal conditions which they present.
| Bronx | Queens | Richmond | Totals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (1910) | 430,980 | 283,041 | 85,969 | |
| Total area in acres | 26,523 | 75,111 | 36,480 | 138,114 |
| Triangulation (in acres) | 26,523 | 75,111 | 36,480 | 138,114 |
| Topographical Survey (in acres) | 26,523 | 55,118 | 18,430 | 100,141 |
| Tentative Street Maps Approved (in acres) | 18,700 | 19,661 | 6,300 | 44,661 |
| Final Maps Approved (in acres) | 13,000 | 9,912 | 6,300 | 29,212 |
| Expenditures 1902 1909 | $779,916 | $1,281,946 | $839,975 | $2,901,837 |
| Recommended for 1910 | $160,395 | $362,752 | $218,000 | $705,147 |
On March 31, 1910, the forces of the several topographical Bureaus of New York were as follows:
| Bronx | Queens | Brooklyn | Richmond | Totals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineers in charge and principal assistant engineers | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| Assistant engineers | 17 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 65 |
| Transitmen, computers and draftsmen | 26 | 53 | 17 | 41 | 137 |
| Chainmen, rodmen, axemen and levelers | 21 | 18 | 12 | 17 | 68 |
| Clerical | 3 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 16 |
| Laborers | 7 | 62 | 11 | 25 | 105 |
| Foremen, drivers and others | 3 | 15 | 2 | 8 | 28 |
| Total | 78 | 171 | 65 | 111 | 425 |
| Expenses recommended for 1910 | $160,395 | $326,752 | $80,000 | $218,000 | $785,147 |
The work is expected to be so far advanced as to permit of material reductions in the present staffs at the following dates: in the Bronx, December 1911; in Queens, April 1915; in Brooklyn, April 1913; in Richmond, June 1911.
A detailed analysis of the cost of the work in the Borough of Queens, dated October 14, 1910, is subjoined:
| Cost per acre to date | Estimated cost per acre of complete work | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Topographical Survey including preparation of maps of street system and grades | Field | $8.13 | Field | $8.06 |
| Office | 2.23 | Office | 2.23 | |
| Total | $10.36[22] | Total | $10.29[22] | |
| Monumenting, including final traversing and preparation of final map sections | Field | 27.92 | Field | 20.44 |
| Office | 10.89 | Office | 7.89 | |
| Total | $38.81[22] | Total | 28.33[22] | |