The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-12-28
OPPOSED TO RAPID TRANSIT.

MOVEMENT TO PREVENT THE ERECTION OF THE
SECOND AVENUE BRANCH or THE METRO
PoILTAN ELEVATED RAILWAY.
About two hundred gentlemen opposed to the
erection OF the Second avenue lire of the Metropolis
tan Elevated Railway met al the Gernania Assembly
Rooms. III the Bowery. last evening. They for
the most part persons who houses keep stores
on Allen and Division streets. and nearly all
Germans. Mr.. q. Rothman called the meeting to order.
and Mr. Henry II. Haight of No "a First avenue, was
elected chairman, Mr. w. H. Carpenter secretary, and
Mr. Jacob Lamour treasurer. Mr.. Haght said the
route laid down Tor the new road runs over Division
and Allen streets. First avenue Twenty third street
and Second avenue to Harlem River. He pointed out
the necessity OF opposing it before any part be bnt
saying that the principal reason why the property
holders of Sixth failed to defeat the company
was that q large part already standing before
any vigorous effort made against it. Now 1t the
Sixth avenue road is nuisance" said he, show
much worse will one be that runs through such
row streets Division and Allen? 1t is true. one
runs through Pearl street. but this thoroughfare is
chiefly occupied by wholesale warehouses, and
few people live there. But on Division and Allen
streets the population Is very large aud consists
chiefly of poor people. and tho business is such
would be greatly injured by the structure. he be-
leved that when the Legislature and the Com
mission granted tho charter and laid out the route
they did not know the great wrong they were doing
and that the former body, il II addressed now
would feel itself bound in justice to repeal the
charter OF the road
gentleman expressed some dissatisfaction at the
small number of those interested who were present;
but Mr.. Carpenter thought this gave ground
for disbursement. as many were nonresidents and
many had not yet heard of the movement. He
thought the business of Division street would
suffer greatly by the road, and that the tenement
houses which line Allen street. and chiefly occu-
pied by poor people, would become uninhabitsble.
He said people the lines of the present roads suf
would be much worse in narrow streets Mr. Christof
Stckel said most OF the property owners on these
streets poor men, who worked ali their lives
little money. and he did not believe the Legis
lature would be so unfair to take half its
value away by permitting monopoly to set up
Haag was sure property would be Depressed
one-third in value along the road. He thought the
sympathy OF the whole public could be aroused for
MEN who had worked hard for fifteen twenty years
Of being deprived OF it by legislation "As for tho
poor people in the tenement houses" said he chow
they to 1--we 2" They cannot open their windows
on account of the smoke, and they cannot sleep
account Of the noise. They cannot move up town
because they cannot live far from their places Of
business II the company is to ruin the property,
make them buy it up first MI. Rothman
said he had talked with many of the newly
elected Assemblymen, all OF whom had prom
Used to favor the repeal OF the charter Mr. Stickcl
promised to support the movement with word and
money. All present were them motion. requested to
contribute 81 each for the OF the meetings,
and committee was appointed to canvass in each Of
the different blocks along the line OF the road for
cruits to the opposition movement. About $50 was
collected, after which the meeting adjourned till next
Monday evening, ut eight o'clock. The meeting will
be held i'll the same place.