New-York tribune., 1880-01-18

on. In West-st. similar scenes are constantly oc-
curing. The cars Of tie Belt Line take twice as
long to pass through the downtown portion oil tne
route as through any other part oi II. III is TUG
same in SOuthst., for on the water SIDE OF Doth
these streets are the great wharves WIN thet cor
slant streams of trucks going both ways. or stand
ing in line waiting their turn to enter Inc cars on
those streets not only delayed themselves, Dut
they form the greatest obstacle to the passage OF the
trucks. Chambers-st is nearly the only cross-.own
thoroughfare now open IN the lower part 9ttnc
where Chamers-st is crossed by lines ol cars, 1t IS
impeded already III the same way as at " est Broad
way. ShOnld q line also run through ChamueE-s''
itself whatever obstruction Is due to The presence
OF the cars aud the tracks projecting aoo'e ,e tne
pavement WOald be added throughout ltS entire
length, and the street would become a. lttle avail
able for transit across the city as West-st now Is
for gong up and down.
STREETS GIVEN UP TO RAILROADS.
There are already fifteen lines running north and
south, and three cross-town lines, that occupy
the streets of the city below Cana-st. To
these roads the following important streets are
either entirely or in part given up: Barclay
Church, College Place. Fulton, William, Ann,
Rcekman, Park-row Centre. Leonard. Elm. Howard,
Rcadc Whitehall South, Broad, Water, Old SIP,
| South, West, Chatham, East Broadway Ncsey,
| West Broadway, Worth, Greenwich; ana New
| Church.. glance at the map VIII snow i now
thoroughly this cuts up the lower part of the city
and how certainly the bulk Of the tralilc Is GTVen
to Broadway ana Chanbers-st for relief railroads
| arc to be avoided.
TUOROUGiIFARES USED AS SiAbl.tS'
| The number OF licensed vehicles in the city is
| 1907. This does not include the mum
Der of private business wagons, of which
there are now abou. 1900; so that the total OF
carts and trucks would be near 10000 To this
must be added the s;reet-cars, none of which are IL
censed except these Of the Sixth and Nntb-ave lines
| The cars now actually III use on the Sccond-aVe''
! Third-avc Fourtl-aye., Sixth-avc. Scventl-ave.,
| Tirhth-ave Ninth-ave.. Beeckcr-st. South Ferry
and Vesey-st. Grand and Coriiandt-st.'
Avenue-B Avenuc-A. and Belt Lines are 500.
| Adding TO this number the cars on the cr9ss-,owh
lines not giveu,and the increase for summer business
| tlcre can be no less tnan l,2O0 cars using lhe
streets of the city. This enumeration doeS not III
| clnde the Brooklyn trucks, and the mar
| ket wagons from Long island or the St'-
| ten Island business. here the great bIeWeneS
are or the vehicles coming from New-Jer,,ey m anH
OF her suburbs Of this city. which cannot be esti
mated OF all the city, trncks II ILL I'LL
mated that not over one-third are kept IN staoies
eve Gver s for hcI i tbcv are used by tie trucmcn;
| those that are owned in BROOKLYN and NtW-JeIscy
arc left in certain wide slips near the water Whlch
are designated by city ordinance Tor mat purpose
although other slips not included in this ordinance
| are frequently occupied in this way. The slips 80
designated are the East Side, PIKE, Market kni,
| gels and GOuvencur; and on the North cue, aii
tho wide slips fronting on WcsI-st. IN the use OF
these il is provided that space OF thirty 1eet car
riageway shall oe left on each side of the trucks
Bat by far the greater number OF the TRUCKS gre
stabbed at night in front of the residences OF the
owners THIS is also authorized by an ordinance ol
the city passed by the Aldermen in 1878 over the
MAYORS veto. The streets that are so occupied, par
ticnary when there Is large numbero OF trucks eIt
standing are exceedingly difficult TO clean. Inc
dav's work Of the truck is done before the street
cleaners have finished their laboTs and the nvest-
cations of TRIBUNE reporters have shown thal IL u
not an infrequen thing for the cleaners 10 overlook
or neglect the dir-heaps under heavy trucks lhese
are principally found at night in the tene-
ment-hOuse DISTRICTS Among the most serious
uuisance5 reported in IHE IRlBCNkS account
| of the inspectiOn of tencment-hOuseS last
Summer were the stables that occupied the hack
wards very largely throughout the districts Nlsicu'
In front of all these houses the law permits tho
truckmen to stable their carts at night. Ihese
carts are found in numbers in all the streets aooVe
Canal toward the watcr-frOnts on each SIDE OF lle
cjty While the law compels the owners OF tne
trucks to place them along the curbStone so as 10
Occupv as little of the width Of the street a. posi-
| BILE they nevertheless, III some OF the narIo"
streets do occupy much of the space as TO leave
| room for not more than one vehicle to pass.
If has rcqU red constant watchiulhcss on the part
| of the city authorities to prevent encroachmeh's
of this kind from increasing 10 such an extent
aa To interfere seriously with the legitimate use
| of the streets Carts left ont overnight often
remained out during the day. Slips that were not
| designated by law were used for stables during the
night. and on Sundays and holidays to such an cx-
tent that certain portions OF tie clty-as along The
! line of SOuth-st., between the fultOh ana wan
| Street Ferries and elsewheTe--rcscmbed hugc
| stable These encroachments. however, In view oil
the necessity of keeping the streets open LOT inc l
ncrtaut purposes of business, have been restrained
| and within a few months the law has been nor'
| strictly complied with. A similar consideration 1o
the free use of more important tho. oughlaIes mlgh
save broadway and Chambcrs-st Tor the imperative
demands of commerce, and retain for the increasing
busucss of the city that free access 10 tue hall
? shipping points il so clearly requires.