The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-02-11
A Practical Solution Of the Question
OF Rapid Transit.

A Practical Solution Of the Question
OF Rapid Transit.
A correspondent in yesterdays HERALD Of
fered some practical suggestions in regard to
rapid transit, his plan being for viaduct
railroad, fifty feet wide. to be built along each
river line betting the whole island. But such
q road, which is beyond doubt. the best that
could be devised, provided our contemplated
dock improvements. including the proposed
new streets around the whole dock frontage
were carried out, could not be built for many
years. and the necessity for rapid transit is alb
solute and immediate. No doubt some sort OF
an elevated road, either an iron structure or
viaduct of masonry work. would be preferable
to an underground road, as it could be built
more speedily and with greater certainty OF
calculation as to its total cost If we could
have such railroads running tomorrow, on
each side of the city, as those which pour
their tens of thousands of passengers
daily into London, Paris and Dublin, we
should wonder the following day how we could
have managed to do without them so long,
and we should be as unwilling to part with
them as we should be to give up our gas or
our CrotOn water. But the necessities OF the
people and the interests of the city demand
that in some shape or another we shall have
immediate relief, and if we cannot at present
have the fifty foot viaduct, with its arches,
abutments and parapet walls skirting the city,
connecting all the railroads radiating from
the city with the docks on both rivers, we
must secure some less ambitious road which
will carry our citizens from the Battery to
Harlem River in twenty minutes. The dock
improvements, the river streets and the grand
masonry viaduct will come in the future. no
doubt but we want relief Immediately for
the people of the present day.
When we have listened to all suggestions
and considered all propositions we come down
at last to the one only practical policy which
presents itself, and that is to raise Rapid
Transit Commission, composed of citizens in
whose character and competency the people
their hands the whole question of how to
build, when to build and where to build a
railroad for steam locomotion. Mr.. East
mans bill comes nearer to what the people
really want than any other proposition that
has been made. Let him name purely bust
ness commission In the body of the bill, and
give the commissioners the full power to build
a road or roads on the city's account, making
their demand for the issue of bonds absolute
and final, and we shall not be long without
rapid transit But Mr.. Eastman must not let
any outcry against increased expen-
diture and taxation induce him to
destroy the life of his bill. There
would be no taxation necessary either
for the construction or the maintenance
of the rapid transit roads, at all events beyond
the interest on the bonds that might be issued
until the work was completed and ready for
traffic. After that the profits would pay both
interest and principal. At all events, if any
doubt should arise as to the willingness of the
people to build the road with their own money
it could be easily settled by the submission of
the question to the vote of the city at the next
+ election. The commission would have the
power to consider all plans and to adopt such
as may seem to be most practicable. In
deed, the creation of the commission would
take the question of rapid transit out of the
hands of the State Legislature. where it has
hitherto been made the football Of the lobby,
and place it within control of the city of New
York, where 1t properly belongA We hope to
see Mr.. Eastman's bill simpliAed amended in
accqzdanoe With 9pr suggestions, reported
favorably and passed by both houses without
serious opposition.