The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-06-29
Rapid Transit.

III Is announced that Ills Honor tne
Mayor viii to-day appoint the commissioners
who are to carry out the provisions OF
the Hustled bill. This viii be the first real
step toward rapid transit. We have the
fullest confidence that His Honor will name
commissioners worthy Of the confidence Of
the people What we have to avoid is the
conflicting powers who have no interest IN
rapid transit but to stab it The danger in
the past has been that rapid transit has been
given over to the hands Of its enemies. In
stead OF an honest measure calculated to
benefit the city and add to the comfort Of the
people we have had smothered charters
whose usefulness came to an end as soon as
they served the interest OF the proprietors Of
rival corporations.
Rapid transit in New York has really be
come simple matter. We have now a steam
line from the Battery to Thirty-fourth street.
II is tolerably fair line, and does It's work
well 1t might be largely improved and 50
built as to inspire more confidence in those
who live within its radius. But it is
something. 1t grows from day to day.
It's managers have shown a desire to
accommodate the people. They are now
building new stations, new switches and run
ming trains more frequently. 1t may be
looked upon as thorough success as far as 1t
goes. We have rapid transit also from Forty
second street to the Harlem River through the
Fourth avenue improvement, one Of the finest
modern works Of engineering. This Fourth
avenue improvement was largely built by the
city Of New York to benefit Commodore
Vanderbilt and his railroads. We have not
only built the improvement, but we gave him
the site for his depot Therefore we have
some claim on the Fourth avenue improve
ment for rapid transit, moral claim, at least,
which, we think, th9 Commodore will only be
too glad 10 respect. There is no reason why
a quick local line should not run through this
places at different points for stations, SO that
the cars might stop at every ten blocks on The
way up the island and every station between
bore and New Rochelle. Now, all We need
as first step toward rapid transit in New
York is to connect the Elevated Railway with
the IOTiJ-S6COuu 5lISct dtIO" Lib Ndu bc
done in ninety days by running the elevated
line down Forty-ffth or Forty-sixth street,
or by running it down Thirty-second street
and connecting with the tunnel This would
be rapid transit Immediately, the beginning
Of sound system. What we want is
a system Of improvements that will
make New York worthy Of its position as
the queen city Of America We need rapid
transit from the Battery TO Westchester. We
need o tunnel under the Hudson River, 50 as
10 bring upon this island all the railroads
that come from The South and West We
need bridge over the East River SO as to
bind more closely to the mother city that
great and beautiful and growing suburb,
Brooklyn. We want to make New York one
city, and embody in that metropolitan union
Brooklyn, Newark, Staten Island, Williams
burg, Hoboken, jersey City and Westchester
There is no reason why this should not be
one metropolis with two millions Of souls
instead Of being broken up into dozen diff
ferent municipalities standing in each other )
way, interfering with the general welfare Of
al