In March, 1861, the special committee appointed by the Supervisors purchased the land on which the present building stands for $70,000. The land having cost $70,000, only $30,000 was left of the sum directed to be raised to purchase the land and erect the building. As that was insufficient for the purpose, the aid of the Legislature was again invoked, and the passage of an additional act obtained, authorizing the Supervisors to borrow, on the credit of the county, an additional sum of $100,000 to be expended under their direction for the erection of a building or buildings, for the use of the courts and county offices.
In 1858 the expense of supporting the almshouse, and the several institutions connected therewith, was $158,604.66. Including expenditures for out-door relief, the aggregate cost of supporting the poor of the county was $192,079.77. The average number of inmates during the year ending August 1, 1858, was 1495. The cost for the support of each of them was $106.09, or $2.04 per week. This was a decrease on each as compared with the previous year.
The expenses of the several departments were as follows: Almshouse, $36,530.15; hospital, $51,755.19; lunatic asylum, $33,068.26; nursery, $20,571.31; store, $605; miscellaneous, not including temporary relief, $16,074.07.
The total number remaining July 31, 1857, was 1274; number admitted during year, 8570; number of infants boarded out during year, 123; number temporarily relieved, in Brooklyn, Western District, 20,793; Eastern District, 11,661; Flatlands, Flatbush, and New Lots, 378; New Utrecht, 108; making a total of 32,940; and the total number relieved and supported wholly or in part during the year ending July 31, 1858, was 41,623. The population of the county was at this time about 254,000. The number relieved was 16-1/3 per cent. of the population.
It may be interesting to state the number of persons remaining in these institutions at the termination of previous fiscal years. The official statement is as follows: 1849, 494; 1850, 592; 1851, 662; 1852, 873; 1853, 969; 1854, 1156; 1855, 1533; 1856, 1347; 1857, 1274; 1858, 1239.
The number admitted to the hospital during the year 1858 was 2299, of whom 148 were born in the hospital.
During the seven years from August 1, 1850, to August 1, 1857, there were 235 cases of small-pox, of which only 35 died. Of those admitted into the hospital during 1857 and 1858, 565 were born in the United States, 1261 in Ireland, and 369 in Germany. On the 31st of July, 1858, there were 268 patients in the lunatic asylum. In 1850 the number in the asylum was only 91. The nursery had, in 1858, 111 boys and 103 girls; total, 214.
On the 31st of July, 1862, there were in the almshouse, 373; in the nursery, 260; in the lunatic asylum, 366. In 1863 there were 404 in the almshouse; in the nursery, 217; and in the lunatic asylum, 396.
The total number relieved and supported, in whole or in part, for the year ending July 31, 1863, was 22,879. The population of the city at the time was 295,000. The net cost was $141,640.52.
Mayor Hall was succeeded by Samuel S. Powell, who served for three terms. During his occupancy of the Mayor's chair many significant advances were made in the growth of the city. In April, 1857, the Metropolitan Police law went into effect. By this enactment the counties of New York, Kings, Westchester, and Richmond, and the towns of Newtown, Flushing, and Jamaica were placed under a single system of police. The first commissioners from Brooklyn were J. S. T. Stranahan, James W. Nye, and James Bowen.