New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-12-13
WAT BROOKLYN TALKS OF
,,pry WINTER TOPICS TN THE METROPOLIS
OF LONG ISLAND.

pine mistaken, with The Eaelen OF it's Apostle
~ spplied to the municipal affairs OF BROOKLYN
w. ,he Chaplin regime there has never been the
taA,.st doubt in the Judgment OF fair.mnded men.
ssr,, Chaplin himself is notorously noncommlttal-his
.'sus,e answer 10 questions concerning municipal
avs being a. have nothing TO sayn-and the same
,.,ent of secrecy seems to have pervaded everything
~,scted with the city government If there Is any
IT, Of the largest and profoundest public interest IL
= .he cry's water supply, TO which such marked stten
o WAS drawn by the recent collapse In the conduit on
pf Of the contractors thrfiness in plllng the sand
ron nom their excavation IN the most convenient
So As soon repairs were sufficiently advanced to
TOW water to flow again, and thus relieve the strn
noy under which the people abOed, it was announced
-, an Investigation would be made in order TO deter
nine tho cause Of the mishap; and pending nvestiga
an CITY Works Commissioner Adams refused TO talk
= reporters in regard TO the affair. II was taken for
s,.,,ed that the engineers of the Department were
making the investigation; In fact, an effort seems TO
have been made create that impression. Not much
s,cept a whitewashng report was looked for to be
se but at the time 1t felt that an inquiry
was in progress aki result therefrom was conf
IDENTIFY expected
The accident to the conduit happened on November
o. Three weeks afterward-that is, week ago
n,mmssiOner Adams caused the announcement to be
r,sde that ne had secured three eminent engineers to
pvestieation whatever had been undertaken by the
,euartmept itself Probably it is just as we'll that
none was begun. But no reason is apparent why Mr..
,sams should have waited three weeks before getting
reacy tor action No fault is to be found of course
With the engineers who have been selected for this
work They are Mr. Martin the superintendent of the
prdge Mr. Feey, the chief engineer of the New York
Aoneduot and Mr.. Worthen. who has been connected
vth the Rapid Transit Commission on the other side
H. Fast River Thor cOmDptencv is havOnd ouos-
Hon In a matter Of such vital public interest II
,Fodu appesr 10 be the wscst policy to give much
rublcty as possible to the matter in all its parts
NrAt can there be TO eonceal7 And yet it is made
Known that the investigators will pursue their work
N secret and in fact they disposed to look upon
aelr inquiry not the pubIe's business at ALL This
i surely mistake The pubic has a right 10 know
an the facts. The engineers conclusions will be i'm
porta. but the community is entitled TO know every
ihng On which thoss conclusions based. If not,
Why noY Secrecy implies that there Is something to
conceal. Is there anything rhat ought not to be
dragged into the light Of day If so, that Is the
thng thai the people ought to know all about. 1t
seems to be simply another development outcrop
ping Of that government under blanket which has
Berome so notorious in Brooklyn 1t is bad thing in
every way. Mayor Body cannot do wiser thing
when he enters upon Office than to do away with the
secrecy that has been such prominent feature of the
Ss, four years. The people Ike a frank. stralght-
forward. open and a. ove-board administration.
The urgent efforts which have been made 30 induce
TIE Union Elevated Railroad TO al[night trains
have al last been successful and tomorrow night the
new schedule will 90 into effect the Lexingtonave
line The trains will run half-hourly, connecting
With the Bridge trains that leave New York on the
eren hours and the haf hours. This will be great
convenience and in all likelihood the company VIII
find money in its departure Certainly the
Kings County Company has found its late trains profit
able The wonder is that the Union Company has
waited so long before changing its policy Since 1t Is
to run half-houry, the Kings County road may be
ndnred TO shorten the intervals between its late
hans, now forty-fve minutes.
The most important part Of Bridge President Wag-
STATS first report is that relating TO the proposed ter
rnal changes and the failure Of the trustees 10 mar
he enough bonds 20 provide the funds for
CARRYING ont the improvements that have been planned
ne most interesting part that relating TO the actual
ytrking Of the Bridge especially OF the Bridge rail-
mad for since the abolition Of tolls on the promenade
here is practically nothing report in regard to that
md the use Of the drives presents no change from time
o time that is deserving Of note. As respects the
,ulk of the public using the Bridge, 1t is a railway
FRIDGE and nothing else The comparative freedom
rom accidents is of the points brought out in the
report. The principal accidents, Mr.. Wagstah says,
ave occurred in the form of rearend collisions AZ the
nations, which he makes ulls
As the passenger cars are now constructed, when
,uch an accident occur there is little or no damage
lone to the cars themselves and the passengers are
N rely safe from SHOCK well from injury II they
re within the cars and seated Bridge travellers
sill draw their own differences from this One obvious
Inference is that it is grave fault II one fails to be
inside a car and in a seat What might happen 10 the
hundreds OF people who compelled to stand every
iay Mr. Wagstar does not inform us and is IL fair
conclusion from what he says that II Is a criminal
hing for one to enter leave trainY This suggests
, remedy that is worse than the disease. The ques-
ion Of selling Bridge bonds for less than par or of
sSuing bonds at higher rate Of interest than per
ent is question for the Legislature since an amend
nen in the present must be passed before either
d these things can be done.
One who should set out to walk from the terminus
n Oh. OF the elevated roads in East NewYor 10 the
civ limits would doubtless be not little surprised
10 find how far Brooklyn extends toward the east
he would pass through some streets fairly well built
3D. and again he would find himself amid cornhelds
me thing that would surprise him would be 10 hnd
streets paved with granite blocks, while either side
sre vacant lots that will probably not be built up
of several years ct the earliest And he viii be apt
ask himself low il Is that this is so, when so many
streets much nearer the of the town are mser
lby paved with cobblestOnes, that should not he per
mted in any civilized city. One curious thing that
be will find on certain streets will be stleetiamps no
will ghAN