New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-08-19
HOW MY SIDE ACHESi
OPEN CARS IN BROOKLYN.
OVER ONE THOUSAND OF THEM IN USE
SCARCELY ANY CLOSED STREET CARS RUN IN
SUMMER-THEIR ORIGIN AND KINDS.

SCARCELY ANY CLOSED STREET CARS RUN IN
SUMMEa-THEIR ORIGIN AND KINDS
One OF distinctive features Of street railroad travel
in Brooklyn IS the OF open nearly every line
city several months OF each year. While they
used only few routes In this city even In the
hottest weather. exclusion OF the close
which sandwched among them, the rule prevails
In Brooklyn OF taking OF the closed cars as early In the
1t is deemed prudent and OF running only open
ones until cool weather comes, save on exceptionally
stormy DAYS There has been marked increase in the
OF the open In last few years and now only
two minor routes are not supplied with them
Two for this to be found. The great MAORI
ty OF the public who patronze surface lines Of travel
prefer open vehicles both because there seats for
nearly many passengers In the closed ones and
IL is far comfortable to ride in the open air In warm
than in the and sitting atmosphere Of crowd
ed close car while the companies find that the open cars
their patronage and only 10 persons ride
who would otherwise 10 and H. n business but
there many who ride especially in the evening simply
for the refreshing GOODNESS Of trip in the flee circulation
OF air.
THE CITY OF OPEN CARS.
IL Is reported that Chicago contractor who bid a,
Washington upon the work for the Brooklyn Federal
Building in claiming ignorance OF Brooklyn matters
nsyoy inquired there street in Brooklyn
Probably only Chicago could know little OF the
third city in size in the country and he will doubt
less be astomshed to learn that over
one thousand open car. are now IN
in that city, carrying thousands Of persons daily The
OF these to the companies is large item Of
expense, but in the end the outlay is repaid By the
saving Of the closed and the only extra expense is
in which is obtained IN the outskirts Of the
city, where land is comparatively cheap. The owner
ship OF the sets Of rolling stock also enables the
panes to give each overhauling and renng when the
other is in 1t is sometimes supposed that more
persons be carried the open than In the closed
ones but this is not the fact and 1t is dcult to
crowd them full. An ordinary closed car will seat a,
the most twenty eight persons but by crowdng the IN
terror and both platforms eighty persons can DO
carried An open OF the popular Brooklyn type is
ydcd with for Ave persons EACH and unless the
extraordinary crowdng between the and upon
the steps takes place It is difficult to &c. mere than
twenty-five additional persons board
The introduction OF open Brooklyn traced back
70 thirty years ago. when two-story car, with open
the roof, used the Broadway road for
picnic parties 1t succeeded by open without
root and later by the present type OF rooted
The Brooklyn and Coney Island Railroad Company
began to open regularly in tho Of 1868
on its route in Smith and Ninth sts and afterwad to
Coney Island By the strcetcar then the only line
OF travel from Brooklyn the Like all innovations,
they first regarded with dsavor and only gradu
ally became popular In the last few years the closed
cars have became fewer and fewer in the
main arteries OF travel, until only in while one is
sren the routes where Lottatl" cars are
still run, and combination on the bobta' order,
which be made open closed at will, has been in
troduced a suburban route
The customary type Of open car in Brooklyn Is built
with back back, which compel one half OF the
ride backward and require no turning OF
the ends Of But the dscomfors OF
compelled ride facing the and with their heads close
unpleasant neghbors great and type OF car such
as IS used on some lines with reversible all OF
which be faced way, IS far popular but ts
use is not aely become universal. The style Of
open sometimes in this city, with seats running
engthwse OF the vehicle and guarded by network along
he sides, is unknown in Brooklyn. is the style with
centre aisle for passengers who enter at the ends In
osed The Brooklyn open have Two steps
hing along the Sides that all the be entered
rom either end In the crowded OF this city the
OF such woui be deemed dangerous, but
dens seldom happen in the less crowded thoroughfares
II the city the Bridge
THE RELATIVE STANDING CF COMPANIES
The most important Brooklyn railroad corpora.
ion Is the Brooklyn City Company which by the
onso daon OF the lines OF the Bushwick Company with
now controls seventeen routes One Of these bob
all route but on the others less than $50 open ears
re operated. The largest number any one route Is
fy on the Flatbushave line, which carries people 70
respect Park and Coney Island roads The Atlantic
Avenue Company which controls lines has upward
zoo open cars, Of which nftylve run in Atlantic.
ve On the De Kalb and Franklin ave- lines over 100
pen cars are run from The Bridge and ferries Prospect
ark and Gidgewood The Coney Island and Drookyn
he broadway, with five lines, the Nostrand ave and
he minor companies have fully $50 The average
ost OF webu!t open IS about $3.50 and thus there
total OF threequarters OF million Of dollars invested
annually increasing keep pace with the growth Of pop
iaon Tho opening OF the rapid routes In compe
on with the surface lines OF travel has withdrawn soma
the patronage from open this summer and there has
OF been much overcrowdlng former years but IL
apparent that except for long distances people will take
comfortable open ear instead OF climbing up to close
N elevated road
one reason Tor the increased popularity OF open
'rookyn IN the last ten years in which their has
Ieaseu over 2UO per cent may be traced the opening
popular routes OF travel 10 Coney island by steam road!
n whioh observation used and which have ~
hlarl2cu people WITH riding In ths form OF vehicle.