The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-14
THE EAST SIDE L.
A Committee of Citizens Lay Their Com
plants Before the Directors.
ARRANGEMENTS FOR HEATING THE CARS.
Definite Promises of Additional Facilities
for the Travelling Public.

The committee appointed by meeting Of the cit
liens and patrons OF the Third Avenue IL" Railway,
held ut Parepa Hall, to lay the complaints OF the
public before the managers Of that line. performed
its duty yesterday morning At eleven O'Clock all
the members at the office of the company. No.
broadway, pursuant to agreement. with the excep-
ton of the chairman, Mr.. Henry G. Robinson a
wholesale merchant at No. 443 Broadway and resi-
dent of Eighty-seventh street After waiting ten
minutes for Mr.. Robinson that gentleman smilingly
appeared and said addressing the directors:-
Gentlemen. am sorry to have kept you waiting
but the only excuse l have to offer is the fault OF
your own road for at the Canal street station
at quarter before eleven and kept there waiting
ten minutes for train" This explanation was
good naturediS received by the directors present-Mr
Heber H. Bishop. the Vice President. Mr. Benjamin
Brewster. Josiah NJ Fiske and others. Mr.. Kicker,
the general manager was also present. Much to the
disappointment Of the committee the president Mr..
Cyrus W. Field. was absent.
ADDRESS CHAIRMAN
Mr.. Robinson, whose bearing respectful. but
at the same time firm and selfpossessed addressed
the managers of the road behalf of the committee
He said that the committee had been appointed by
citizens and patrons of the road for the purpose of
presenting to them the Inconvenience many of them
serious under which the people suffered in using the
road They did not come in a spirit of factious OPP
position, but in order to lay before them in plain
and definite manner the complaints of the public. and
to obtain. if possible definite statement to the
hopes of relicf which they might reasonably enter
tain NJ. Robinson then went into particulars and
recaptulated the complaints expressed at the Psrepa
Hall meeting and reported ut the time in the HERALD
He dwet first upon the overcrowding of the trains
this the GREATEST
ton of the managers Next he spoke OF the rreguarity
OF running the trains which rendered it impossible
for anybody to tell in what time he would probably
reach his home. The committee desired to respect
fully offer the company some suggestions and RENE
dies which possibly might not have been thought Of
and all the suggestions to be presented had already
been considered then the committee would like to
know If the company had disapproved of them. or.
if not, why none of them had been carried out The
road still not completed and it the object of
the committee to ask the company in making their
arrangements to to it that the travelling facilities
might be as much improved possible.
IMPORTANT IMPROVEMENTS SUGGESTED.
Mr.. Robinson said that it appeared to be absolutely
necessary to have more trains. to them
regular and uniform time, and to lessen the long
delays at the stations With view to the last named
difficulty he suggested that the platforms of the
might be widened to secure more room for
quick ingress and egress At present the platforms
only wide enough for the passage of at
time, and when such crowds had to be handled this
must necessarily very long stops and delays He
also suggested that brakcmon be placed at the front
and end of each train. that passengers could
make their and exit these points, which
closed to them except when people jeopar-
died their lives by jumping the gates. If the
company did not entertain this suggestion fayoraby
then the gateman ut each station should, upon the
arrival of each trai take charge at least Of the
end to that passengers got of and the
in safe manner. With Wow of improving the
running time and lessenlng the great delays in APP
preaching and starting again from the stations, Mr..
Robinson said the committee would respectfully sug-
gest the adoption OF larger and powerful engines
At present anybody could see that the trains made
very slow time in climbing the up grades. 1t took the
engines block and half to sacken up at each station
ard another block and half TO get fairly started
again. that only block two remained in which
they went at fair rate those portions of the road
where the stations only four five blocks apart
TIE GRAND CENTRAL
The next suggestion which nc offered that the
Grand Central trains should be dispensed with, and
that all trains should Through Grand Central
Depot passengers to be transferred ut Forty
street The through trains We're now often crowded
while through passengers were unable to obtain &C
Communications.
Vice President Bishop said that only ffteer per
cent of the Grand Central train passengers went
the depot for the purpose OF taking the railroad
Mr. Jacob Il. Miller, lawyer at No. 100 Broadway,
and resident of Eightysccond street, said he came
as member Of the committee, to learn what i'm
provcments the managers were planning to obviate
the serious difficulties which were now being gener
ally complained OF. He also urged the abandonment
OF the Grand Central Depot trains and the fire.
quent running OF through trains. He complained of
the dizziness OF the but in justice to the
pany he would say that he had observed improve
ment in this respect within the past week. He also
complained that Yorkville residents had to wait very
long at Eighty ninth street during the commission
train. and suggested that trains during these hours
be started from Eghty-ninth street, y siding had
been specially put In there for that purpose
Mr.. W. A. Marble complained that the other morn
Ing at ten o'clock, he and other passengers waited
Eghty-fourth street for considerable time for
train. and when the next train came, which was
empty the conductor started it again before giving
them an opportunity 10 get on.
Other members of the committee with great intel
bgcncc and moderation. went the and other
grounds OF complaint such as the general rudeness of
the employees and the danger of having ones pocket
picked during the rush hours ut the ovcrcrowded sta
tons.
DIRECTOR BREws1Tn's REPLY.
Director l3enjamn Brewster said that the question of
increasing the width of the platforms had been under
tho consideration OF the directors but any increase of
the width OF the platform of the would only
plicate matters and make the confusion worse than
It already was As to the trains running 10 Forty
second street and the necessity of paying new fare
at Thirtyfourth street those who desired to go
Through. II was the intention OF the company to in
troduce the drop box system In use on the Metro
politan road that any person wanting to get of
Thirty fourth street from Grand Central train
came along without paying an additional fare
THE MANAGER's srATEMENT.
Mr. Kicker the manager of the road, was requested
delegation. and said that he did not know that
ne had much to. say beyond what he had already
yesterday. 1t was hardly necessary tor him TO say
that tho directors extremely anxious to furnish
oil necessary and complete facilities for conveying
facilities along the road Win regard to the tram
platforms the matter had been very carefully
considered, and 20 scvcnty-iivo OF the cars