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NEW YORK STATE GAZETTEER.
the laws of the State, and their care is intrusted to officers appointed under its authority. These
officers are divided into several classes, each of which has charge of a particular department.
1. Tlie Board of Commissioners of Pilots consists of 5 persons,—3 elected for 2
years by the Chamber of Commerce, and 2 for a like term by the presidents and vice-presidents
of the marine insurance companies of N. Y., composing or representing the Board of Underwriters
in that city. This Board appoints a secretary, has an office, meets once a month or oftener, and
licenses, for such term as it may think proper, as many pilots as may be deemed necessary for th
port of New York.1
2. Tlie Board of Health of lew York is composed of the Mayor and Common
Council of the city.2
3. The Commissioners Of Health are the President of the Board of Aldermen, the
Health Officer, the Resident Physician, the Health Commissioner,, and the City Inspector.
4. The Health Officer, appointed by the Governor and Senate, is required to board every
vessel subject to quarantine or visitation, upon its arrival, to ascertain whether infectious diseases
are present, and to obtain, in such case, the facts necessary to determine the period that such
vessel must be detained.3
5. The Physician of «the Marine Hospital is appointed by the Governor and
Senate. He appoints as many assistants as he may find necessary. His salary is $5,000, and is
paid by the Commissioners of Emigration.
6. The Resident Physician for the city and county of NewYork is appointed by the
Mayor and Common Council. He is required to visit all sick persons reported to the Board of
Health, or to the Mayor and Commissioners of Health, and to perform such other professional
duties as the Board may require.
7. The Health Commissioner, appointed in like manner, is required to assist the
Resident Physician.4
• 8. The Quarantine Hospital is located in the town of Castleton, in Richmond co.; and
vessels detained on account of infectious diseases are anchored in the adjacent waters, or, in
sickly seasons, in the lower bay.5
9. Harbor Masters are appointed by the Governor and Senate, for the purpose of assign¬
ing piers and-other stations for landing and receiving cargoes.6
10. The Port Wardens of the Port of Mew York, are appointed by the Governor
and Senate, for the purpose of inspecting vessels and the stowage of cargoes and of estimating all
damages to the same. They consist of a Board of 9 members, one of whom must reside in Brook-
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Enrotted Tonnage of the XT. S. engaged in the Coasting Trade for |
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Tears. |
Tonnage. |
Years. |
Tonnage. |
Tears. |
Tonnage. |
|
1815
. 1820
1S25
1830 |
435.066.87
539,080.46
587,273.07
516,978.18 |
1835
1840
1845 |
792,301.20
1,176,694.46
1,190,898.27 |
1850
1855
1858 |
1,730,410.84
2,491,108.00
2,361,595.72 |
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Tn June, 1858, there were, of small vessels under 20 tons
licensed for the coasting trade, 189.21 tons at Sag Harbor and
71.25 tons at Greenport.
1 The licenses thus granted may express different degrees of
qualification, appropriate to different branches of duty, and may
he revoked at pleasure. Candidates must sustain a satisfactory
examination and be found of good character and temperate
habits. They must also give bonds for the faithful discharge of
their duties. The board has power to regulate pilotage; and the
fees of pilots are fixed by law. The masters of vessels of under
300 tons, owned by a citizen of the IT. S. and licensed in the
coasting trade, need not employ a pilot unless they prefer. If
the master of a vessel of from 150 to 300 tons, owned and
licensed as above, be desirous of piloting his own vessel, he
may obtain a license from the Commissioners of Pilots for such
purposii. All masters of foreign vessels and vessels from a
foreign port, and all vessels sailing under register by way of
Sandy Hook, are required to take a licensed pilot, or, if they re¬
fuse, they must pay the pilotage to the pilot first offering his
services. Pilots licensed by other States have no privileges in
this. Candidates for recommendation as Hellgate pilots must
have served an apprenticeship of 3 years, and until they attain
the age of 21 years, must have served 2 years after as deputy
pilots and sustained repeated examinations before the Board of
Wardens in the presence of at. least 2 Hellgate pilots.
The first act regulating the pilotage of New York was passed
in 1731; and since that period th’is service has been conducted
under rules and penalties established by the Colony or State of
New York. All special laws concerning pilotage by the way
of Sandy Hook were repealed in 1815. The present law was
enacted in 1853 and amended in 1854-57. The pilots belonging
upon steamboats are licensed by inspectors appointed under the
Treasury Department of the U. S. Those employed in conduct¬
ing vessels by way of Sandy Hook are licensed by the Board of
Commissioners of Pilots; and those by way of Hellgate, by the
Governor and Senate, upon recommendation of the Board of
Wardens. |
2 Boards of Health are by law created in every' city, incor¬
porated village, and town, under an act of 1859; but the greater
number of these have never acted officially. In towns the
Supervisor and Justices of the Peace are a Board of Health, and
may appoint a physician as health officer.—Revised Statutes, 5th
Edition, II, p. 53.
3 The Health Officer resides at quarantine, has general direc¬
tion of the location of vessels detained, their purification, and
the discharge of their cargoes, and other duties connected with
the health of vessels in quarantine. He is-paid by fees, and re¬
ports to the Mayor or Commissioners of Health.
i This officer receives all moneys applied to the Marine Hos¬
pital, and pays all demands against the same that shall have
been approved by a majority of the Commissioners of Health.
He reports his accounts monthly to the Board of Health, gives a
bond of $20,000 for the faithful discharge of his duties, and re¬
ceives a salary of $3,500, to be paid by the Commissioners of
Emigration. The Board of Health may from time to time ap¬
point as many visiting, hospital, and consulting physicians as
may be deemed proper, and may also fix their duties and com¬
pensation.
6 The Hospital buildings, destroyed Sept. 1-2,1858, (see page
565,) have been temporarily rebuilt.
The removal of quarantine to some place less dangerous to
the public health has been fully shown to be necessary; but tlie
final disposition of the important question as to whither, is not
settled. The only available place for the construction of build¬
ings seem to be upon some of the shoals in the lower bayl Old
Orchard Shoal, on which the water is from 1 to 3 fathoms deep
at mean low tide, has been proposed for this purpose. The East
Bank and Dry Romer Shoals have about the same depth, but
are more exposed to the open sea.
6 There are 9 Harbor Masters in New York, 2 in Brooklyn,
and 1 in Albany. They enforce the regulations of the city
authorities relative to clearing docks and preventing nuisances
or obstructions. They are paid by fees and report the amount
thereof annually to the Governor. |
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