New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-02-01

SoSid Ssrdiy Sn s1acted IN every case But the
panes should compensate the public for the use ,n Q,
the Legislative should carefully guard the rights OF
the city and the interests Of tho taxpayers 10 any
should be made depend upon rate OF COMPENSATION
satisfactory to the Commsstoners OF tne ~ shnag
of cable traction not to be regarded as "a any
respect endorsing the attempt Of private sIsss
against the protest Of tho municipal authorizes ana
without adequate compensation for the priVi''s''
RAPID TRANSIT.
shall waste no time in showing that the hcii''ies
for the rapid transit Of passengers In this city are IN
adequate needs. The time has come when the
growth of the city l. seriously retarded by the want
of proper means Of and from the upper ana
lower portions OF the city. Unless additional iacltcs
are provided, the population winch ought 10 INCREASE
at tho upper end Of the city Will DC driven W i<.s
Island ana New Jersey our rate OF taxation depends
upon the growth OF the unOccuped portion OF nc ey
particularly north Of the Harlem River ms car
s55,oO0,OOo added to the assessed values Oh req,
estate. Tho result Is that the rate u TAXATION WIN
lions are nearly four million dollars greater than the
year before. This increase In value cannot 90 on uless
upper part OF island provided with Increased
facilities OF transport otherwise the result VII be
an Increase In the rate Of taxation IL thcIovIo I'm
the citizens a whole to see that these IN
creased facilities provided, and 1t VIII be proper
for the City itself to under axe to make the PROV
because the citizens ~ body viii thus get the benefit
Of tho Increase in the value OF property when these
facilities will create. There are certain fnndamenti
conditions, however. which must underiie any prVPo-
stion to construct rapid transit route-' III,
Frst-They must provide what the name nnp s'
rapid transit which means the ability 10 ,ahs an
sengcrs at the CHEST OF speed yet sfthhHd On
hrst-ciass railways namely, forty to MY HiucS al
hour
Second-To achieve this result the rails mus be lad
absolutely solid foundation, and this means s'
they must her be laid below the surface OF the
to be- equal c the stability OF underground line
Thrd-Ihe route, when laid out, must DC loc;iFu
whore the public want 10 60 and not on ROME with
takes them away from the of business or I'M
necessarily leng mems me distance - nils. an
, w ,h ppgenent dan,ad Of traffic but must
mako reasonable provision for the future
to f 5o taken 81 sAns sheS and
tran portaiio no. yet fully or properly . ,o..
sixth-The work must De done at the lowesa , pUs
sblo Gust consistent with the best possible constr
tlon that the fafes shall not eIceed i've cent
seventh-wc must recognize the fact rnsf .ng con-
trulod by the Ncw-York central and Hudson kivsr
soSd INC $ u aR Rrce ia1 ns dollars in providing
fh, COMPANY WITH oppressed n arEs 40 that rhp'i
transit might be secured north of he "lah oc"'rA
The NewYork Central Company has four tracks
from The Harlem River 10 Forty seconds. INo VI
these are used for through Trans. The DINER TWO aie
now used for what Is called rapid transit but when
Is missioner for the reason tina; the accol,noda
tons at the station viii permit the trains 90 be rua
with sufficient frequency be Of any great use to TIC
public. These two tracks however, "hen PivP'iiiS
lighted ventilated and shut of from the other tia6k-
would be available for system of transit which pass
under the station and is continued To CITY nan II
ls ncrfectly feasible by an underground tunnel begin
ming I'm tho nnighborhood OF Fifty tourthst. to pass
under tho station and under the present TUNER rom
Fortv-second-st 20 Thirty second-st and thence along
the centre OF the Fourth ave. to Nnih-st thence ING
Lafayette place thence under Lafayette pia,h alu
thence through new street. connecting WIN me FIJI
st. Improvement, which has been the subject OF mG
discussion. 1t VIII be remembered that the FOURTH
ave, above Thirty thdst.. IS 40 feet In width, the
additional forty feet having been provided for The
tracks Of tho railway. In opening the new street
from Lafay place TO the CITY Hah the same width
mi chit be adopfed This woud enable the fOnr tracks
10 be constructed In tho centre Of the street through
an opon cut, for which ihy feet would be required,
leaving ninety feet to be divided between the TWO
slices 6r forty and sidewalk on each
side From LAFAYETTE place along Fourth-aye to Thirty
The open portions Of the route would, OF course
require provision for ventilation on lignt inc
tnnclcd portion w0ud be lighted by elecu1c lights
and ventilated, the Mersey tunnel now Is, by fhs
properly CONSTRUCTED.
II viii be observed that provision has uas been
made for four tracks extending from the Grand cen
trail STA to the terminus OF the Brooklyn Bridge
between the City Hall and tho Grand Central Depot
only at the Grand Street Station The other TWO
tracks viii lie used for trains stopping at Grandst,
Hlcecker 81. Asor-pace, + ur eenihst. entl third
ST.. Thlryhrdst. and Forty..econdsi: Inns ms
who may desire to catch the trains at
tho Forty Sccond-st. Station. TWO Of the
tracks VIII then proceed to the Harlem River making
Harlem River viii provide frequent transit for The
eastern portion Of the city and Of the annexed district
Tho other track, Will turn to The I'm uief or!
efxfb-sf 10 Broadway under which they viii pa-S 10
nhy-nintlst.. at which point the Boulevard is acn'd
tndnc ~ tine a. faT a. NAV be desirable Two Of
tbcso track. VIII be used for through trains ahI Two
for local distribution.
The scheme TINS far developed looks TO securing
rapid transit between thu city Han and The anncNed
district on boh the cat and VS. sIds OF ma, oS for
local distribution: but m provision has yet been ini
Gated for local distribution betwe'n me Guy hsI ana
lrries regard provision FOR such local distribution
either without extra cost or At small fare 10 be IN
dspensalIe Local distribution made In tunnels Is
Objectionable, for p0lce anu many Jthef fea,oh'.
In fact II would be necessary to station police officer
at every Stopping place With th' funnsj; I
such distribution must necessarily b" maze ~ hpp-
crate aud not a; 4 high rate 81 sped To meet this
rcqulr ment in the lower portion Of th" city n seems
~ that tho most convenient ana s'llsl..''ty
method is be found I'm extending the route or the
Fourth Avenue Railroad 10" is present terminus
~" post Office 20 the Battery. through druau" -
on fho existing tracks properly rlsid Over this
rolte cars rrorcucd either by cable or ~ eleclrc
terminus Al III city Hall 10 the Bat cry. But ths
line would be altogether inadequate for The general
distribution and for reaching the ferries. when re-
gard a. an iniisroi saiic CO dOn IN The problem To
meet this lcq liemeut would extend tE' Fdnrih ave-
track. from tie corner Of Grand and Centre SIS :,
throrrb Clanlst To thc Dcsbro-scs street Ferry on
west along wests tafins IN 81 The er, ,,eo TO
The Battery, and thence to he south Fey NM en-
fam 81 through Wiilam-st. to the Bruoslyn BHdee'
and thence under The bridge to the City Han terminus
Of the rspid transit by underground connectloh
which Will not interfere with the streets ms route
NAV be operatc d either by cable, by electric sioras:
batteries so as 10 give the highest aitalnac rate OF
speed permissible on the surface ana WIN cars q.
least twice the size OF tho~e In Ms upon the street
Bv this means. paSSe myers rom tl' rr7
nay 20 IN Ell hcr direction to the rapid transit station
OF tho cornos % Grand and Elm sts. where al the
rauld transit trains world stop. An extra cbafso
not exceelng three cents 20 those desiring rapd IRAN
81 tcFet mlrt h. made for this subsidiary serVI'c.
Hapld transit tickets sh0nld be limited To hVe cents
for any distance Manhattan Island except Tor pa
Tor cars II IL should be- deemed advisable to inFhisn
Such -
As TO the local distribution between the CITY HAN
and the Grand central D-pot the present iacl!l'les
BIZ street railway operated BE- horses OF cables and
Nv the elevated reiiwiys, ample The RAPID Tsh-
81 r0utes one for the West Side and the other Tor
the Fast Side. which have thrs described wonld Dc
operated In the present state OF knowledge, by steam
engines. producing SMOKE. cOndens az their stran
and running at tho rate, II desired, of forty miles an
hour or more Above the Grand Central Depot mere
would necessarily be frequent stops but inasuch
&c Will he seen propose that this road shau ~ oi.
afcd b. tho NcwYork Central Railroad company, tnc
local distribution b provided for by them aS ~,
the Nsdison-ave. route, which they own ~ tho
manner The rand iransit rOne on the Ne-L suc ~