New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-11-21
EXTENSION OF FOURTH-AVE.
GREAT rHoRouGHrARE FRoMTHE BRIDGE.
,,,oor That THE PLAN WILL BE CARRIED
...nxnnpor,xn ROAM PROBABLE.


$3.50. for extending Fourth ave. to Printing
House square, which has been before the pnohc ior
vears appears at last 10 be In a fair way Oh ochs
carried out The plan Is TO make an avenue eishN
Sset WIDE which viii run from the entrance Oh inc
prooklyn Bridge TO Ninth St. there connecting win
rourth ave The connection Is to be made by Widen
sns Elm st from fifty to eighty feet, and extending
A on the south in a curved form as TO reach the
nrdce By widening and extending Marionst. 10
Iafayettc place, and thence from Astor-piace TO
Ninth-st and Fourth ave. there viii be direct CON
pection with the Grand Central Station.
Numerous bills have been introduced In the Lcgls-
,atur at various times TO carry out this project.
but IL has received Legislative approval These
hills have proposed TO make the city pay part Oh
the cost OF the Improvement. and this has Always
aroused strong opposition THIS part OF the plan
has now been abandoned, and large number OF the
property owners along the line have pettoned the
Board of Street Openings and Improvements to do
the work and assess the cost on the property Uehe
fted. The Board has the power TO do this, ana
under the it extend the assessments to cover
any property it deems increased in value by the I'm
provement. In this way, if it secs fit 1t can assess
Q part Of the cost all the property in the adloih
ing streets or in the lower part Of the city. The
Board of street Openings consists Of the Mayor con
troler. president of the Department OF Parks pres
ident of the Board of Aldermen and commissioner VI
Public Works.
bill drawn up by Mayor Grace was passed by
the LEGISLATURE of 1885, which changed the member
ship OF the Board and increased its powers Dill
was introduced in the Legislature last spring "
widen and extend Elm-st That was opposed by inc
Board of Street Openings After the Legislature ao
5ourned the Board referred the peutons IL had IT.
cei,ed on the subject to subcommittee consisting
NJ the president of the Park Department, the Com
missioner of Public Works and the president OF 'he
Board of Aldermen. These olliclas-Messrs Mooney
Beckman and Newton-recently went over lhe rouoc
of the proposed improvement and agreed TO report
thaN MAJ
the Board this practically settles the question Inc
cost of the Improvement is estimated at about
g. 900 OOO though some Of its opponents thnh mat
II will be much larger.
As proposed in the bill before the Legislature lasi
Sinter the grade of Elm-st at Canal was TO oe
raised several feet, for the reason as stated tha'
IL Is impossibIe now for any of the buildings on
Canal st. to have cellars fee from water ihe 10
partrnent of Public v orks estimated that the cost ol
the Improvement exclusive of the cost OF the prop
erty 10 be condemned, would be about half million
dollars But the engineers OF the PARK ana Pubic
Works DEPARTMENTS, who selected by the Boaru
Of Street u Jennings to agree upon grade nave inoo
flied that proposed in the bill before the LEGISLATURE
and this will, it Is claimed largely reduce tne cos'
Of the work.
In connection with this project there Is scheme
for Underground railroad from the Bridge 70 the
Grand Central Station. Opponents OF the improve
ment that IT Is the interest LII tne raiuoau
rather than the necessity for a wide street, which
causes this project TO ue pushed. II is even hmteu
that Mayor Grace had the bOdr of Street Openings
constituted SO that could control IL Win We"
OF helping on this railway pruJect. But that Is
stoutly aenled by property owners who favor
the ,mpro> ement ana it is that they at least
are not in the railway scheme. This is called the
Underground Terminal Railway Company, and was
originally known the Vanderbilt Improvement
Conpauy 1t is Incorporated with a capital stoch
OF s5,OOUOO0. 1t proposes TO bulid an Underground
road IRON the Bridge 10 the Grand central Slaloh'
with branches " the 1erres. The directors OF this
company q. '. SmeI, c. II. lnseIsou, Johh
Cochrane, L. W. Lawrence c. III. W. slUcy, Robert
L. faUlan, Louis L. 3. Clearwan, Arthur NJ Hatch
C. A. Anderson, Eugene scneneiin, r. Nj. Sheppard,
Thomas y. brown and Oguen r. Bell. Inc idea
Of puuing such AN Underground ROAD originated with
Commodore \anuerDnt, tut he Abandoned The prVJ-
ect, thInAIng that 1t would not pay we'll. The pres
ent COMPANY under the Terms Of the Cantor blI,
would bla for its franchise, and PERSONS IN
terested in widening of tini-st. say thdt inc
city would derive u sumcient revenue from uhs I"A
WAY to pay lmpro' ement, While Tie nlcredSeu
taxable va.ue tine property along the line "ouiu
be a great gam. However, the ImpIo' enlent can
on,y be maze. under present laws, by assessing the
cost on property benefited.
President BeehIlen, Of the Park Department. VINO
is a member of the Board OF street Openings, and
who fa,ors the project, saIu: III tho property
SwUers Interested want this impro e.nent ana are
VIKING pay Tor 1t, see no reason Why lhvS shoult
moi ND. e IT, IN my Opinion IL VIII he .rcaJ bcient
10 the city III amorlmg anOthcr wiue street irOm me
CITY Han 10 the UPPER part ol Inc ciy IL Is pro
posed TO WIDEN Ein-st. ny eAtendhg II on lne eas'
f,ae ihtre are ,aiuaUle buildings on tndt siue.
BY making the connecuon with lIS oh 40" ny heAiis
oil curve the oOsty American News ooIntanS >
BuiIing viii not &c harmed. NE Duuulh.s 10 pe
tAen III eAtenung Marion It, 70 Laiay c'te place art
all OF cOnpdrduNeiy snlan Naiuc."
ii. Z. SteU7on, Who Is trustee Tor a consldeidDle
ppIoing Tins imIroI enIcnt, SAID have yet to see
any good RIA, OM uIseu Tor opposing TINS improve
Who formerly oppo~eI 1t, now mat they TN .elstdLu
1t better Ill ia>Or oi II /. iiisgns 'uisc
a Is A<tO
bee hol s,cet savings Bank the Maunattan ing
Institution anu mn, Oh inc iaise riopei.y o~hsis
i'll Ia\or of IT, 1hs VIII ahOrd he,essaly Ienei
10 BrvauWay and u the oNeIciOwued uiy sVous us
trIct: II wOulu great benent TO The taxpayers
OF the city, because OF ,ne Increased Naiue %
ana il would tend strongly To away WI,h hany
low resorts anu oDJecuonaDie places %ncn now eA
impro, cnienC is worth oniy traction OF the
value Of similar Pc S Tn 'S to- p sTg11 my share
the assessment, because believe that l Will more
erty some people oppose IT because an unlergroun
railway Is proposed Now / have no connection
road would be a great benefit TO the city 1t could
be built cheaper there than elsewhere ana nov +
tWIlt nm with iish Tuildings There my Opn
ion 500 reasons in favor of this Improvement ana
o. B. Potter said 81 good deal of prop
erty tndt will lie liable to assessment Tor tis ipor
of this thoIoughfare Viii add largely 10 ,o ne
taxable value the OF m 'Hs eSr''Y and vii
materially benefit all the roperty in the lover par
Of the city, best les benehting TO come extent an t1e
nrorerty 10 the Harlem River on the norm "i H. "
,iI n, en- a macnincent street. for warehouses, very
much nt eled and which viii be Immediately occupied
and built up 1t viii furnish o thCloughale III Whcn
a railway can at once be butt from Prihung hOuso
Souare 10 the Grand central station, ana so cphheC,
Win all New-Yori above, which It's building VIII
not disturb the business OF the city except 10 adI 70 IT,
and vii not injure IroI erty or interfere win inc
sewers' water mains or any other public pro- erty
have no interest in the railway except such a. any
citizen has who desires the city to be beuenteu
Under the Cantor act franchise for railway under
tins street OF sufficient width for four tracks VIII DrnS
TO the city very large rental revenue, While VIII
promote the interest OF every Duslhcss ana eNeiS
owner of property in the ely" .
Controller loew, who is member OF me ooatu tn ina
will decide upon this improvement, said that he was
not aware that the matter had been referred TO sub
committee, and that 1t must have been zone az a