The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-05-21
THE RAILROAD FERRIES.

THE RAILROAD FERRIES.
EXCITEMENT AMONG THE coMPANIEs-BAII-
WAY OFFICIALS VIEWS ON THE QUESTION
THEY REFER TO OUR wRETcHED STREETS
AND THE ExToRrIoNs OF HAcKMEN.
Tho important question agitatcd by The Common
Council whether the railroads operating ferries between
New York and Jersey City are doing SO in violation OF
equity and law, seems to have created considerable
alarm among the great corporations directly Interested
II will DO remembered that in his lengthy opinion TO
tho Council Mr. George Ticknor Curtis distinctly adj
viscd that "a vessel employed by railroad company
less fcrryboat because II By corpora
ton having dcpots opposite sides of river and en-
gagged in transporting passengers and freight across tho
intervening watern Yesterday Mr. John Taylor John
son. Of the New Jersey Central Railroad which seemed
directly mcnaced, gave II mis- opinion that their
company charged fare or fcrriagc for the river
transportation. tho city could not claim that they
were running ferry. Yet 1t appears from tho
investigation Of a HERALD reporter that oil tho
companies have already proposed to pay percentage
OF half per to the city all the pas
songers carried, instead OF specific amount, at
present In this OF course such great transportation
companies the Pennsylvania Central and Erie
greatly interested and tho subject excited at-
tcntion from them.
Yesterday the writer called Mr.. George n. Banch-
ard, the Second Vice President Of the Eric Railway
Company in order to ascertain whether the road had
received any notification from the city Of change in
regard to their ferry privileges Mr.. Blanchard stated
that not only had the company not received any init
nation of the kind from tho city, but all their leases
had recently been renewed. II was pity, he thought,
that tho subject OF ferry leases should DO agitacd
this time everything should be dono foster trade
hotp hnvir hair
New York, instead Of cbarrassng them adding to
their burdcnsomc taxes AS to the Maryland
transporting passengers from Mott Haven Penn
sylvania depot in Jersey CITY, he did think this
momentous affair." and New York has the remedy for
this avoidance OF tho metropolis in her own hands
sLook at tho condition Of the streets That is an
answer TO the desire for people 10 pass around New
York and not through it. Why they nrca
DISGRACE CIVILIZED GOVERNMENT.
| A gentleman told me the other day they not
! worse Constantinople. The cab extortion the
HERALD has so vigorously opposed should not
sevensyve miles or tho Eric road n Splendid
at high ratio OF speed ut less fare than
can hire cab TO 60 one mule through the city OF New
! York. No wonder people whose time ana
limited will pass II while these exist y
In regard 70 the expense Of handling freight in Now
York Mr. Blanchard did not present desire speak,
| but another officer gave figures which showed
that the expense Of moving freight In New York city
a very large ITEM and by no means TO be despiscd
In the consideration OF an economical management Of
the road
! Mr. Clark, the General Manager oil the New England
Transportation Company, has his Office in Boston. but
he told HERALD reporter that he could CONCEIVE
that tho Board OF Aldermen would interfere with the
transportation OF through New England passengers
Jersey City, they clearly within the law
operating under ono Of the Montgomery char
ters-that is a charter issued by Governor Monteom-
ery--and under which many Of the old companies are
now doing business and are not running ferry. But
this ia met by tho legal opinion to the Board OF Alder
men the definition Of ferry a liberty by pre-
scripton, or the Kings grant 10 have boat for
sage upon for carriages horses for
f1xo 1fo nnf tl.u
as a ferryboat from that s employed In general
commercial transportation consists in the regularity Of
trips between pc nts" Mr.. Clark claimed for his
pany that no toll charged on the Maryland, but
this issue met by Mr. George I. Curtis the as
specifically in regard the ferry operation when he
ST. cannot doubt that tho transfer Maryland
Is ferryboat and that the company is exercising
what would be ferry franchise II u had obtained the
necessary authority 70 It's transfer boat the
waters that lie between Morrisania and Jersey Cityr
One OF the managers OF the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company visited in his oiiico in tho Jersey City
pot in reference to the matter He said: fhe
mas only been running about two weeks and so lar
has averaged iy passengers trip; but was
supposed when the weather becomes settled that large
numbers Of people from tho East will avail themselves
OF that OF reaching the Centennial without going
rnE CONDITION or THE STREETS
Is known almost well In New England as here,
and the cxtortions Of New York harkmen are n
proverD II the Board OF Aldermen intend stop the
as 20 MAKE Il almost prontssry thew might as we
have stopped the direct shipment oil peaches, which
went around New York last year, without passing
through the city, by the same means Passengers arc
enabled to make excellent tune between Boston aud
/ Philadelphia by this boat arrangement They leave
Boston at nine O'Clock IN the morning the New York
and New England road, and, by tho New York, New
Haven and Hartford and road reach Pnladephia at
ten minutes to nine r. N. They know this and not
disposed to abandon It,"
! MIR r. w. Jackson, the General Superintendent of
the Pennsylvania Railroad, said -"In regard 10 this
ferry discussion would prefer hazard an opn-
ion, except generally When road bought out the
l. rights and franchises of the associated New Jersey
panes they Of course ell the ferry priv
lcges both in New York and Jersey City, along with
them. When Desbrosscs street Jerry added TO our
Cortlandt street Jerry my impression specific sum
paid TO the city. know the question has been re-
stead OF "A specific sum. and think and half per
cent nained but am not certain whether has
been fixed. am opposed, however, to per-
ccntage, because think 1t leaves the door
! open all manner of imposition. If the city
charge two and half per cent on our
receipts, why not ten twenty, In fact, until IL
amounts TO prohibition OF our business? can un-
dcrstand how the state Of New York can tax Jerry
boat running between Newburg aud the opposite sido
of the Hudson RIVER but whether boat transferring
freight and passengers from State to tho
waters another without charging toll be consti-
tuted n Jerry boat is not clear me; yet speak
II constitutional question involved Some years
the Jersey transit laws abolished and very
properly AT that time the associated com pa ncs
paid tax TO the state for every passenger from tho
Hudson TO the Delaware River. but this was finally held
TO be against public policy and was abandoned. Tho
question raised by the Common Council is an impor-
tant ono and should like 10 see II settled"