New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-03-02
THE CENTRAES BRIDGE BILL.
MIR. DEPEW SPEAKS IN SUPPORT OF IT.
HIS ARGUMENT BEFORE TIE COMMITTEES on
COMMERCE AND NAVIGATION.

| HIS ARGUMENT BEFORE THE COMMITTEES on
COMMERCE AND NAVIGATION.
| Albany March 1.-Chaunccy VI. Depcw, for tie hrSt
time IN many years. appeared before committee o'
| the legislature today to make speech on proposed
legislative measure, and, u-ual greatly entertained
hi, hearers. Mr. Depew. president OF the Ncw-Iork
Central Railroad l. DESTROYS OF obcying command II
the United states Government THAT the great railway
shall cross the Harlem River upon bridge at least
twenty Tour feet above high tide in the river. Tic I'M
provcment will cost the Central s3,OOOoO. a bill
las been introduced authorizing the railway to obey
the command Of the General Government and It was
recently reported favoIaby by the Senate Committee
ON Giles. This was the measure Mr. Depew came To
Albany to support. lie accompanied by IL. Walter
webb and Frank Looms. two other oicers OF the ra
way company. There appeared In opIositioa to ihc
bill Charlts ". Dayton and several other property
owners in Harlem. who fear that the value oi
their property viii be Affected by the raising Of the
Railroad, tracks south Of the Harlem River. The
hearing was oven In the senate Chamber before the
Committees on Commerce and Navigation OF both
houses.
Mr.. Depew. who was the frs, speaker, said in
part:
VIC are put in this position: II We obey the Govern.
ment a, W mast ana put or bridge up twenty four
foct above hsn wac? ten have get the privilege
the >tatc to a>e our grade on the and on ether
anal being constructed til, mater would neither
trouble the LEGISLATURE nor citizens Of Harlem, nor
the Harlem railroad.
Mr. DeIew then went into the history Of the liar
lem rUad the better TO clucdac It's position Ia this
matter. and continuing said:
A. law-ablding c.itcns willing 70 spend this
}OJO,uJO iOg tnc general sOpl, AID We want Ia 10 IL
in wa, winch VIII do the least possible damage to
our ncighbOr-. Mlmtcycr damage thcrr may Is dOnc
To the property ~ carrying tue railway up Is the
assessment watch NC n! pi, For what! For TIE
Harlem canal.
tnk. it ior ,he oy Of New York. which has water
on rhr'c sd,s. &, iaduco Tie General Government to
l. about the most rIon-rou, pcoe Of folly oi which
know However, tho Legislature ha' no hing 81 do
with int. We ARE here o. meet the ease a. II Il
pc-cItcd 10y Jllcse committees. Now rs SOFA n The
er..ncu made this demand uron Ia 70 raise our
bridge. directed tuc engineer. Ot the Harlem Rail
WAY Company 10 prepare Il bridge winch wond meet
tnc requirement, Il tae Government. which my ha'c
done. Then "" said 10 hem. Now, We want NNi
10 prepare "A plan by which We can get OI Ia that
bridge on game which viii permit u 10 haal Inc
Here we are met at ms point by this difficulty; As
We rise o.: a." cut Ia which nJw mr.. and where
PEELED to take away tic bridge, which row cro>, orr
noGuct. lou gentlemen w'o d. not i've IN Ne" grA
may not knO" cA"otIy no" we "'c 'I',i,d uI.ic'
Through Harlem We 1un { deep cut ana lr stree
carried over BY brh-c- In o.'r to CT on 10 lnl,
bldg, acros, the Harlem River when IN. "O'eihm,"t
.ays We mus, raise twenty fur icrt Ne have t. come
ont 81 tbs cut. and ~ coming cut u ms 'ht We nav
ana twcnlyiAth. one hund "iand twenty vcntl and
Onc-hun1itd and twenty eighth ani unchundFcd ana
twenty ninth si and substitute Tor me ioAH ni1S's
foot bridge Pl-u9 up "ni Gro. ing over. I,ut t're
l. al g.
and hrcth. One hundred and thirty hrst. OH-hundr'd
and-tlrty second and onehEndTod ana thirty nara
l.. ai the igcr avenue viirh J. &" hc L"t !, lot yc'
con trnci d. by our cI'Vh'lit tht u"h' '"| pa
under Sow they are absoiuicll barred from gong
arro-s because they arc rot lsL enoush I, go o|eI
scofc Of the number o. stress that are opened and
closed, probably open many a. wc close only
my friend, from Harlem VIII cl'i a, and Rightly. that
present tie streets thai We close iur me DrGscH
acr9,S are nue., more lmp9i IN l"9 y,c o. , tnc
property upon them thtl ihe 'tft'lo ui.' W. "p'l,'
lIr think tic street that We opcn. Wien opened
Which we close When We clu,s tie river Oh
the other .lie In the Annexed District.
then bridge ia Of great Advantage e. TO-
district The number of train5 nrc becoming - frc-
Qucnt thtrc-aud they viii grow more and c
to have the gates opened long enough FOR any. &c
TO 60 ocrG's Gomng of Of the 6dfc W. @t tlS as
Ouc.hundrcd and thrty-sixthst.. trains FRIED
under that free circulation Is given to the Annexed
concerned q, u whole. that could possibly be done.
There has been calm made that we should 60 under
In rcgnd - tie tunnel. there engineering d'ni-
culilcs which practically insupc'ablc. | do not
thnk in these days ANYBODY wants 70 ride in tunnel
20 underground until he Is Dead and he wants 10
po9T ' P S w a is ons ps por na 9Gg
onr four bocl' In Iinrlcm lana am not saving any
certainly We 90 not want TO trench upon, that while
IL affects injuriously only four blocks In Harlem. II
da ny's c ?'' work e" in 'G tie g W"G
II affects 2jOO0Ooo or 9O.oo0000 Of proplo who
s Sd y is the cry OF c6 o1 Their
do with this question. with the Harlem Canal and
oar bridge IT /, now and with the navigation of
the Harlem River IL i now, II Il saf' Ia say tha:
u work trains TINT comes In IN the morn
10 work. whether he Is clerk. laborcr Il me
chanic thus has twenty minutes taken ont Of his time.
fhnt twenty minutes IS taken out Of his pay that
twenty minute, sometimes affects hi, holding his
place. II does not affect the railroad In H. cart
nes because these people have to ride upon the rail
@ and S vote d2' ne ,nS Of FORK ' in o. nc %2
noxcd District 4 tunnel would compel the taking
down Of our ya4ct oG IG r,pIn c ' m cp run
0ur yodnct from Ninjty sixhst 10 Onc-hundrcI. ana
tWelfihsi. aud close every one Oi those streets.
rut with the Government demanding that there
shall be twenty feet OF water nj low Tide, with the
get 10 the water at high tide. With the necessity
Of having at least six feet OF mud above thc arch with
the necessity o, having ut least SIX feet OF the arch
TO support this great weight OF river craft and
mud, and fifteen to sixteen fest Of hendway
when are IN the middle Of the Harlem River ana
that would make sixty feet below at one hundred
and twenty hfthst., which Is our present station nj
Harlem. We would have 10 abandon that station we
could not the surface until past Melrosc. which
woud compel us to abandon every station In The
Annexed District the Harlem Road, or the Spuytcn
Duyvil Road. on account of our track being the
level Of the river all the along, we would have to
make n waterIght arch. carrying us under Cromwell
Creek and bringing us ont somewhere In the ncchbor-
hood OF Broadway. The annexed Distric, would he
absolutely cut OF from the city NJ New-lork by
tunnel think II would be calamity happening
10 the Annexed District which would be equivalent
10 the cOnflst alton Of the district
In these days. when we are nlldng about rapid
transit and about tying tho city m New York To-
gethcr when We are TALKING about maidng the
me.roDoll, what IT ought 10 be- talk about going bnck
10 methods by which cOmmun 1ntion shall he de-
stroycd Is Ike asking that Harlem shall he turned
bnck 10 the condition when II was happy hunting
ground. AT tho time when Peter Stnyvcsnni ruled over
the city of NewYork That Is precisely our position
This bill has been prepared by the engineers Of the
Harlem Railroad Company. while the cty engineer,