The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-06-17
RAPID TRANSIT.
Significant Meeting of West Side
Property Holders.
EMPHATIC SPEECHES AND RESOLUTIONS
The Elevated Railway Asked to
Extend It's Route.

oil thor favOrte and needed measure The course
OF the last Legislature 10 have stirred up more
spirited interest," and brought the projectors OF the
great facility to nrmer dependence upon themselves
Following upon sho recent large meeting ut CHECKER
ing Hall there a gathering last evening at
the Lion Brewery OF property holders Of The west s'de
who Interested extension OF tho present Elc.
waited road to Harlem River. Prominent among this
assembaGe were Daniel f. Tiemann, Fernando Wood,
r. ". Waters, William Johnson, Lawson N. Fuller,
Dwight H. 0lmstead, Robert Marshall William r.
Dickson, Andrew Blakely, Cyrus Clark, David H.
Knapp. stephen G. Williams John Brewer, =. Bern
hencr, German Stancheli, simeon 4. Church, George
Rudd Byron s. Coates, Charles L. Smms, Isaac A.
Lswronce, DR.. r. A. Utter aud others.
Tho meeting was called order by Mr.. Daniel r.
Ticmann. Sir. David H. Knapp was chosen president,
Mr. CYRUS CLARK secretary, with the following list Of
vico presidents: Manuel Bernheimer, William 7.
DxoD William W. Brown, Joseph Merritt, Byron :
Coates, Charles Z. Simms, Rinaido NJ Waters, George
Rudd, Isaac A. Lawrence, Andrew Beaklcy. The Soc
rotary read thu succeeding resolutions which were
adopted with considerable fervor
RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED.
Resolved That 10 the duty OF all ciiIxsns sngy and
untedy to exhaust means to asitats the public
mind upon the subject OF rapid transit, and 'G .a. end We
and Assembly district dam and immediate sub
@
the M o. all 9S.sasiss which have DELAYED the attain
persons agencies which the will Of the people,
sentstes sent from this ely to Ahsny men who vim aid
END Ne. s
s.s
long aSSs this by
FRAT the New
ssi.sa sH
%.s sa 81 s uS their as WI"
Resolved That committee Of i've BIO appointed BY the
t rsd" S Ct A sompsng
hs usSSf H. @
ing repos in who has hitherto successfully under
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relief TO u burdened community
President Knapp then introduced Mr.. Fernando
Wood, who spoke as foil0ws:-
SPEECH OF FERNANDO WOOD.
GENTLEMEN-The mediate obtcot Of this meeting 10
urge the pr0pret0rs OF the Elevated Railroad which
has itE terminus at Ninth avenue and FIty ninth
street, TO extend their track az tar upward the
10 express the opinion OF tho citizens OF this part Of
she city tho necessity Of speedy means Of
present the Elevated Railroad sners tho onlyopporu-
nifty have for speedy access TO tho business COM
munty below. To the city tho world this side OF
Central Park Is scarcely known--its advantages
and Inducements for nrst-cass residential
population are as yet not born circumstances
have not favored improvement, though
ture in its bounty has been lavish it its
gifts given us the most lovely and beautiful p0r
e o. 81
sought for and will DO valuable than any part of
the metropolis. II IS upon this narrow portion,
bounded casterly by tho Park aud westerly by the
river, south by Fity.ninth streot and north by
spuyten Duyvil, that lies tho most valuable part OF
this great city. II 10 here that nature has bestowed
It's choicest handiwork, and We can, with but little
effort in the way OF adornmcnt Of that which orig
naliy so attractive, establish what shall be known
the most desirable section OF this emporium.
The speaker here gave several reasons to justify his
position regarding the advantages OF tho west side
region, ard COntnued:--"NOw, TO mako this OF praC-
ticul utility VIC must have rapid transit, The quick
means OF ingress and egress Time 70 New Yorkcrs is
TONS, Whatever they may be. We arc quick
In our perceptions and in our conclusions. We appear
to act hurrcdy, is truc but there Is an Intelligent
important results and generally accomptshes all VIC
undertake. We want quick, cheap and regular
methods of commun'cai'on We want some
genius and energy have impaired TO the loco
motion of the world Tho Elevated road can
mand it lApplausc.) Nor do we ask this because
think that capital will cxpend itself tor our bcnent Tor
We are quito sure .na. every dollar appropra,sd 10
bursed by the large amount OF traffic which will surely
follow and to some extent BIO produced by It.
have often been surprised that portion OF the
wonderful energy which has been displayed IN the
creation Of vast railroad enterprises across ANA
little OF the openings Tor moro sure. speedy and
advantageous return which tho city OF New York itself
offered This city has roaly and in fact population
OF $500 900 who daily transact their business, and
are 10 all intcnts and purposes deriving every
advantage OF the taxation which we ourselves
bear and yet about one-half OF them only voters
and actual residents OF the city itself. There
be great fundamental cause Tor this IL cannot
be possible that any merchant lawyer or professional
man, mechanic or Iradesman would prefer crossing
The rivers and going some distance from their I'M
mediate interests than to be In the Immediate vicinity
OF those interests and their occupation and en-
ploymentA attribute TINS condition OF things very
much to the want OF rapid transit and am glad TO see
.ne people o. me CITY generally awakonng 20 me
only the Elevated road, but every other project
OF like intelligent and enterpring character, may be
adopted and carried so a. TO Afford the parts OIL the
city above FiItynnth street the advantages which we
much require ourselves upon this sidc.''
Mr.. Wood : exposition OF the needs OF the west side
residents loudly uppauded, and after the Score
tary had read the opinion OF the English engineer
Cation upon the Elevated road previously punished
In the HERALD) the President introduced Mr.. Dwight
SPEECH OF DWIGHT II. oLMsrEAD.
Mr.. Olmstead saic :-''W hcncvcr, for few years
past, the property tho west side have de-
mandcd the completion OF the public improvements
for which they have been so heavily ana incqutabiy
assessea they have been met by the objection that
houses needed for residences on this island
and the long lines OF unocoupicd bonlovards and
streets tho west side wore pointed 10 in
proof OF the truth OF tho assertion. Vain
was II to oppose to this statement facts and
figures 10 explain that go 900 people nnualy settled
In the suburbs OF the city who would prefer TO live
within it's limits, and that all which vas needed to
entlce them here was rapid transt-it was all In vain
Wltuesboh
oil msmanagement, corruption aud premature dec y
OF the city IL WAS insisted that the city was prncti
cay dead Assessments had killed IL Uptown i'm
provenentsnnd municipal cxtrnvagancs had killed H.
Tweed had killed II. It had died not the death
OF the righteous, but OF the wicked, and broad
was the way which led to It's destruction.
When Commodore Vanderbilt broke the egg and out
camc the chicken-rapd transit on tho Fourth avenue
what was the resuItS Why new houses have followed
the limo Of that Improvement like sparks from the
locomotives OF the road. Immediately even IN time
OF unoxampled business depression, great 40
iy n mi III (
Of houses, over Lcnox Hill, over YorkviIle, along
Harlem Flats, almost IN night like exLalatons and
within year or two the whole dislALco from the
Forty-sccond Street Depot 10 Harlem River and bo-
You'd viii form continuous city. Now, It 10 asked,
why Is there not the activity In building on the
| west there Ia the east sido OF the
| city, The Fourth avenue Improvement has
answered that question IL Is because thorc Is no rapid
transit on tho west side This tho sole and on y
reason. Would u not be right that Tho whole oly
should pay onc-ha the cost OF rapid transit road on
the wegt sdcs Why should the west side DO taxed for