The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-01-31
METHOD FOR CROSSING STREETS AND BLOCKS.

tracks, thus taking two houses In each block;
have the roadbed above the fist story, or, say.
20 TO "a ieet above the street. The road TO be built
on pillars and arches, as an uninterrupted
bridge OF about 10000 feet length, In the
Old. indestructible manner In which the
Romans built their aqueducts and viaducts;
the material to be manly hard bricks and cement,
the foundation walls masonry In building stone.
on granite footing. Gross the streets with three
arches, whose pillars rest on the sidewalk, close
to the gutter, thus causing No obstruction.
The pillars to be bound with granite binders,
the arches covered with coat Of tar and gravel,
ana afterward with Portland cement to avoid
penetration by water; cast iron pipes TO lead the
sur see water through the pillars down to the city
sewers.
Through each block according to Its lengthy
construct four six bridge arches resting on nve
or seven pillars, the latter provided with doors
and openings for ventilation.
BY drawing twelve or sixteen ncn walls along
the neighbOring buildings, splendid 1reproof
warehouses or cellars, TWO 10 each block, are
gained below the track with large entrance doors
aud windows from the sidewalk. The rent realized
from these warehouses cellars will pay a great
part OF the interest on the real estate-acquisi-
ton account. Where the neIgnboring buildings
are I'VE or more stories high one or two stories
could be built above the road, and leased to the
neighbors to realize addit. onaI rent.
start on Chambers street, opposite the new
Court House, where the lots o! old three story
buildings mot occupied yet rs store palacesl give
ample room for waiting rooms, tracks ana
switches. The direction OF the line is roughly
sketcned in the map herewith. From City Hall to
Spring street. and from Tenth to Forty-second
street doubt that better line could be found,
allow improvements. As the line has to avoid the
heavy descent parallel with Centre street the
elevation OF the road over Leonard and Franklin
streets will be SO considerable that 1t runs over
the City Prison tperhaps on an iron bridge) with
out interfering with said institution. From For.
tieth to Forty-second street the line descends
down to the level oil the Grand Central Depot, con-
Meeting with the two tracks on the east side.
Here are named and located on the map I'VE
stations that, on account Of the accessibility OF
crossing street cars are easily reached-namely,
Canal, Blocker, Fourteenth, Twenty-third and
Thirty-1ourth streets. The acquisition OF the
necessary property through the whole fIty-six
blocks, including stations ana the curves, will
contain old houses OF small value. Hardly single
large institution will be interfered with.
In regard to the cost OF construction Il is DIM
cult to approximate the amount before the plans
are drawn 1t Will, however. very likely not
reach a sum as high as that requisite for bhe &C
QUESTION OF the real estate.
A PROPERTY OWNERS VIEW OF THE SUBJECT.
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD
Mr.. Lawson n Fuller writes good letter to the
HERALD in favor of rapid transit, but he does In
justice both to himself and his cause by going out
OF his way 10 attack other uptown improvements.
Does Mir. Fuller really suppose the cause OF rapid
transit will gam strength by proposing that the
city. after taking out OF the pockets Of Its people
over $6,0O0,0O0 IN assessments 'Tor ben
ebJ" shall now deliberately turn around
and say, "we've got the money, but won't
give the beneat?'' That seems to be what MI.
Fuller recommends. But why does he aggregate
these columns Of figures, showing the cost of city
improvements and seek to appal US with the total
at which they foot up9 Is 1t for the purpose of
showing how much these works have cost the
cityS He says so; and yet Mr.. Fuller ought surely
to know how utterly deusive and groundless is
this charge. These Improvements have cost the
city nothing. 1t is the property owners that are
footing the bills; both the share that Is assessed
upon them and also the share that is supposed to
be assessed upon the city at large. More than
this. They ore not only paying the whole cost OF
these improvements, but are paying to the city q
handsome premium Oh them besides. Let this be
made plain, and we shall hear less, trust, about
the cost to the city OF uptown improvements.
Take, for example, the BOuevard-it illustrates
all the others 1t has cost So, o0O, 900. One-half
was assessed upon the adjoining property owners,
and the other half $3,oOO,OoW upon the city at
large, and constitutes y part OF It's permanent
debt The interest on this sum Is $210 000 and must
be paid by tax. Who pays that tax We will see.
The Boulevard extends from Fty-nlnth street
to 10th street, distance OF ninety-si blocks.
These blocks for distance OF 400 feet ON each side
OF the Boulevard contain thirtstwo lots each. or
total OF 814 lots. These lots before the Boulevard
was projected, were assessed at an average tax
valuation OF $500 each, or 50 6s6 400, and produced
tax revenue to the city, at "a per cent OF
1921 These same lots are now assessed at an
average valuation OF 900 each, or $lS432, 900,
and the owners pay taxes upon them. at -. per
cent, OF $460, 800. Here Is increase OF taxes OF
ss6s. $40 sufficient to pay not only the original tax
revenue Of 500, $780, but also the whole interest
upon the city's share oil the debt. and then clean
surplus Of Sl58,64O besides Ali this, remember, Is
paid Dy these property owners, and yet Mr.. Fuller
and some newspapers talk about the heavy de-
nands made upon the city treasury for uptown
improvements We ought to hear less of II. The
city pays nothing for these improvements. 1t
lends its credit merely, but makes each loan to
become, Ike the ancient seed sown upon good
ground. yielding fruit-some twenty, some sixty
and some hundred fold.
But Nj. Fuller wants to know what earthly rea-
son can be assigned why the Boulevard should not
be utilized as the route OF a rapid transit steam
railroad. He mas himself assigned the reason. 1t
has cost TOO much. 1t has been assigned to dif.
ferenr destiny. cheerfully accord 1t to the
genius OF the chle original protector OF that work
that he I0rcsaw the time when that broad thor
oughare-thronged win brilliant equipages
shaded with It's quadruple line OF elm trees and
fanked on either band with the grandest exam.
pies OF architectural art-snould become alto
pether the most magnificent avenue OF this West
ern world. All this Will quickly disappear when
the laundering locomotive shall gain entrance
and 1t shall be condemned TO a mere railroad
street. That project need hardly be con templatcd.