The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-04-11
THE SPEEDWAY.
ALetter to the Assembly Couaualttee on Ct"es
from Park CommissIo Dana.

| uENrLEMEN: On Wednesday last. with the oe-
sire that tho sentiment in the Board oil iark
commissioners upon t-ie Speedway law might
be certainly understood in spite OF persistent
anu deliberate attempts at MISREPRESENTATION
asked for hearing before your committee.
Almost Immediately afterward learned that
preparation had been made to report the
| repeal bill upon the next dry. and since.
| through the courtesy Of your committee. 1
nave been the unwilling cause OF delaying the
report beg leave to withdraw my request Tor
q hearing.
write, however. again to urge the repeal OF
the net. In order that there may be no posst-
bility for misunderstanding the nature OF my
request. let me say that tho speedway wns
iirst the subject Of consideration by the
Board after 1t had been decreed by. law.
Tho resolution asking the Board OF Es-
Innate and Apportionment for funds to map
out tho projected road was passed under
| the understanding that tho law was man
| datory. but my vote was accompanied with
the statement. made with full and clear OK
PLANTATION OF my reasons. that tho road mover
could be built. that was unalterably opposed
to 1t and should have to remain so. and that
public sentiment and public interest would
demand that the law DO repealed. Since the
| passage OF that resolution which. II 1t had
ever boon carried into effect, would have pro-
| uuSou viz hioSt COnNIuCluk uchlohoe'os'oh
possible OF tho obstacles to tho contemplated
road the majority of the Park Board have
labored always for repeal. nor. after stat
| Ing our objections. have we encountered here
any political opposition. On the contrary. there
has been the most hearty, direct, and energetic
cooperation in that respect. My objections
| Will DO in no wise discrcdited when Il
say that l am myself an old light-harness
driver in the city OF New York and am
familiar with tho needs and Interested In tho
use and breeding Of trottihg horses Many OF
tho gentlemen prominent IN tho movement fer
the speedway are among my Oldest friends.
| To Mr.. Bonner 1 am indebted for what is
| most valuable in my knowledge of horses. Yet
a study of the subject in all its bearings. ex
tending over period of fifteen years. leads
me to oppose the introduction OF any such
road in tho Central Park as was intended by
| the Speedway act.
1t has been somewhat difficult to ascertain
precisely what was desired in the way OF a now
road. Although the prevailing opinion seemed
| to be that it should be soft to tho horses feet
| at a somi-informnl meeting before the Board
Of Purk Commissioners ono Of the leading adj
vocates remarked. aud no ono disagreed with
him. that it might. to their satisfaction. be as
hard rs tho table. but it should DO the pre-
scribed seventy feet in width and separate
|
One fault found with tho present road was its
insufficient width. but the suggestion of widen
| ing 1t. as the Bride path has boon widcned
most proftubly during Mayor Grant admins
| tration. was pronounced altogether unaccept-
able. Saddle horses were declared n nuisance.
yet tho proposition to consider their exclusion
was rejected promptly Bicycles were cited as
| an Objectionable feature of carriageways. such
as to sustain the demand for n separate road.
yet as bicycles have by law tho right to pass
| over any road where other vehicles go. they
| cannot DO seriously involved in tho discus
| sion. An offer was made by ono speaker
favoring tho speedway. in case the new
road should DO built. to uttempt to
get the law as to bicycles changed and to
shut them out from It, but that need not be
| considered. The degree OF speed expected
| hns varied from the unrestricted gait which
| alone would admit Of II genuine brush between
two horses such as has been allowable always
! on Harlem lane or Jerome avenue. down to
the limited speed that prevails on the reg
ular roads at present and no more To
| some the new road was to be exclu-
| sively for light harness horses. and to others
| it was to DO open to all carriages. After TAX
| ing away all points Of uncertainty possible. the
project appeared before the Park Commission
ers in two aspects: one for road to provide
| road devoted to the more or less special use
| of trottn. horsos. Permit mo to consider both
| Of these propositions.
In the first place. it can be said that II the need
| OF larger road accommodation were presented
to an expert trained to tho business Of planning
| parks. paral!eng the road already there
| by a second road would be the last method
resortcd to- oven federated under any circum-
stances whatsoever Tho all too great mar
| rowncss OF the Park space intervening between
| the West Drive and tho Eighth avenue wall.
| and its exceptionally rocky picturesque. and
irregular nature. mako the location OF Il third
road there impossible within reason aiming
| simply to provide more space for driving. Be-
| sides being an eccentric and violent intrusion
upon the Parks broad scheme and upon tho
sentiment upon which its plan is lascd. it
| would be incompa tible with any known prac-
| tice OF dealing with parks.
Tho other dcn. and in my judgment the only
one fairly deduciblo from the terms OF the
| law and from the history Of its promotion.
| is to have n genuine speedway. differing
| essentially from all tho other Park roads in
| being practically straight and uninllucnced
| by any rural sentiment This would begin
| in the Central Park n revolution OF tho most
serious and damaging sort and beg the gen
| tlemen advocating it to reflect upon the ill.,
| evitnble consequences.
| Before proceeding further | desire to dis
| sent from tho feeling that the trotters
have now essentially inferior privileges to
those possessed by tho saddle horses. or that
| this now road for tro;ters can DO asked
| for as a matter Of justice. in order that the
| trotters may be put on par with saddle
| horses. Horses in tho Park arc separated by
| the broad distinction between harness and sad
die. n road being provided specially adapted
| to wheels and another to the use Of cIucs-
trians. Tho latter occasionally go upon the
carriageway. II is true. but that is custom
within tho regulation OF tho Park Commits
sioners. The bride paths and tho drives have
| been established subject to tho samo restric-
tons OF the landscape artist and Of the spirit
| OF the rules governing epeod.
| 1t Is also urged that there are already In tho
Park special facilities for persons desiring to
play baseball and lawn tonnis ana football. In
tho manner that tho speedway would BIO do
signed for a special uso, there are no such
facilities. There is incidental enjoyment OF
| the Park lawns In ynripJ5 ways, but they