At the time of the opening of the canal, in 1895, 550.000 tons of rock had been removed, 102,000 cubic yards of earth excavated, 1,000,000 cubic yards of earth and mud dredged, 5,000 cubic yards of retaining walls built, and 2,000,000 tons of dynamite exploded. The canal follows the course of the Harlem River to near Kingsbridge, where it leaves the natural waterway and passes through an open cut in the " Dyckman Meadows" to its junction with Spuyten Duyvil ('reek. Additional improvements have1 been prosecuted since 1895. Much of the credit for the great progress made during the last decade in the portion of New York City annexed from Westchester County is due to the North Side Board of Trade, an organization incorporated in 1894 for the purposes of " diffusing information as to

from

1842 to 1900

the many advantages of the section as a business and commercial center, as well as a district of homes; of attracting capital, manufacturing interests, and desirable residents; of promoting the development and patronage of local business enterprise; of advancing public improvements; and of encouraging public spirit and a local community feeling." At the first election under the Greater New York charter, held in ISO", Mr. Louis F. Ilaft'en, the former efficient commissioner of the department of street improvements, was chosen president of the Borough of the Bronx. The following striking facts of progress in the Borough of the Bronx are taken from a recent statement by Mr. James L. Wells : "The fact should be realized that in point of population the 23d and 24th wards constitute the fourth largest city in the State, leaving New York out, of course, and that, with the rapid transit road to aid in development, it will be but a very few years until that section will rank second in population to the aggregation of humanity on Manhattan Island.