The New York herald., 1875-09-20
RAPID TRANSIT.

THE DYING EFFORTS OF THE DEPRESSED PRO-
COMPANY BADLY SCARED NECESSITIES OF
THE sTRUcTURE-THE NUMBER OF posTs-A
SAFEGUARD AGAINST ACCIDENTS.
The Rapid Transit Commissioners will meet again to-
day. 1t is hoped that they will be able to agree
upon plan of structure by the end of this week At
their last meeting Friday great effort made by
the representatives of the depressed railroad plans,
Melville p. Smith and Walter J. Norris to overthrow
the arrangements already made with the two elevated
railway companies, and to induce them to adopt the
depressed plan for the Third avenue and to com
pensate the New York Company with the Second for
the loss Of the Third Mr. Morris, whose capabilities
of persuasion and argument render manifest that he
ought to have devoted himself to the law presented
a formidable and quite plausible array of facts and
figures favor of the depressed plan.
THE DEPRESSED PLAN HAS NO CHANCE
The answer of the Commissioners that be the de-
pressed plan excellent, nothing could be done
for while it lacked the ready money build the road
Mr. Morris thereupon stated that the leading capitalists
who supposed to back the Gilbert rather the
Sixth road (ME G. K Garrison and others had
veered round and were now in favor of the depressed
plan. He then asked to bring letters from them
bearing out this statement Inquiry yesterday showed
that the latter must have been based q misconcep
on of the facts for the leading capitalists who intend
to build the Sixth Avenue Elevated road Messrs Pull
man, Navarro, Garrison and Billings of Chicagol
sanch in their support of the elevated system
The fact is that popular sentiment is now, as it has
been since the appointment of the Commission
altogether in favor Of the elevated PLAN and
the distractions of depressed road in the winter by
snow would make it decidedly venturesome expert
ment The depressed plan has chance more especial
ly already formal arrangements have been made
with the elevated companies
QUEER REPORT
The announcement in the HERALD that fund of
900 had been raised by the horse companies
for the purpose OF defeating rapid transit has given
rise strange reports One Of these that the
| Third Avenue Railroad Company was acting indie
pendently in the matter and had offered large to
| the New York Elevated Company for locat
ing their east side road on the Second
avenue This report, which came from reliable
authority gave the Second Avenue Horse Car Company
terrible scare and is said that they have still
recovered from the shock 1t is certain however that
even if such an offer has been made to the New York
Company by Messrs Hart and Phillips they will not
dare betry the interests of the people for pecunary
consideration The people demand an elevated road on
the Third avenue and they will have it. all the bribery
funds of the horse companies to the contrary not
SHALL THE POSTS BE FAR ApARrY
An extremely important point still at issue between
the Commissioners and the elevated companies is that
ture. The companies desire that the number should
be large the longitudinal orders could then be of
light and cheap construction and money would thus be
saved 1t is certain, however that the posts will be
much further apart than is desired by the companies
and that their number will be much smaller than that
applied for To be sure the lesser number of posts
would necessitate stronger and consequently
pensve girders thus increasing the cost Of construc
tion but it would detract from the strength OF the
! structure while it would diminish the Disagreement
| and obstruction of the street.
SHOULD DONE
10 ohvio lint he nn fha oh
struction the traffic of vehicles The companies have
applied for posts only twenty nine feet apart, but the
Commissioners will scarcely allow them TO be less than
fifty feet apart In block of 260 feet length Eve posts
1ny-wO feet apart should be sufficient This is the
view taken by several of the Commissioners,
ieaously guarding the interests Of the city and
the beauty of the streets. One of the greatest
objections TO elevated railways has been that
they would uslgure the Streets and 1t Is important
structions in the street possible. The additional
expense caused by the greater strength Of the grders
cannot overbaance this argument as the road is sure
to pay enormously at the most liberal allowance
| for construction.
While is pretty certain that for the sixty wide
avenues central structure will be adopted II appears
likely that for streets of forty and forty five
feet width, such West Broadway and others, still
narrower complete span from curb TO curb will be
required by the Commission. The reason is this
| In a sixty foot avenue, after taking the twenty
three feet width for the structure, which has
been agreed upon as requisite, thirty seven feet
! still remain, eighteen feet on each side
Of the avenue This is sufficient for all necessities OF
traffic. but in of only forty five feet width only
twenty feet would remain for that purpose only
eleven feet each side of the street. which is totally
inadequate in busy city like this, and particu-
larly in the crowded down town In these
row streets therefore, the Commissioners judicously
require complete span from curb to curb which,
though changing somewhat the aspect of the structure
would not interrupt the continuous character OF the
| track.