New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-03-13
WHAT BROOKLYN TALKS OF.
GkJNIPsFS OF MEN AND THINGS ON THE
LONG ISLAND SIDE or THE EAST RIVER

The East River Bridge bill * at last law. II has
been hard fight but the victory has been wOn II Is
few weeks nor. than year since tllS PrO!eEl H't
assumed definite shape ana Application WAS nSHe 10
tbs Icsslature for charter There had been bridge
bilp before number o. them, some proposing l"' inc
cities should duplicate TIE present bridge or soh'
thing like it, and Others providing for charters TO com
panies which wond undoubtedly mVc held them ior
speculative purposes. Y the company backed by the
Union Elevated Railroad. and frankly Acknowledging
at the start that it intended 10 build bridge TO Dc
operated H. connection with the elevated roads CON
manded public sympathy and approval in a marked
d.yroe from The beginRing \ citizen, movement was
so,o organized to help forward its plan, but not III
time 10 do the most effective service. 1t was certain
however whom the Legislature OF last year adJouDcd
and the Bridge bill 10 lie death in the senate
deadlock that the fight wcnd be renewed as soon ~
this years Legislature got under WAY The result Is
all that could he desired. The good faith Of the cap
itanstS who intend 70 build the Eastern DiStci Bridge
forthwith was convincingy shown when they oneed no
objection to the course suggested by Governor
Flower because IN his opinion the Bridge bill ana Inc
supplementarv measure did not provide for suihcleIt
compensation to the cities for the privileges granted
Fortunately for the project which 50 many people III
Brooklyn desire TO speedily carried to compeuoh
there was no delay in repaSng the bills with the sug
rested amendments embodied In them. and the Governor
acted promptly axing his signature. The next thing
70 the bridging of navlgabe water. and then the
mans for the bridge structure must be decided upon
No one can tell how the actual work OF c0hstruc
ton can begin, but another spring Onght 10 Sho" some
visible progress made The company Is TO nave elSh'
years 10 build It's first bridge. The present BrdSe was
fifteen wears in building The personal triumph OF
senator MoCsren in securing the passage of the Bridge
hill Is not small one It will not be surprising IL the
senator preserves with scrupuls care the new gold
pen which the Governor used in writing his name al
the bottom of the document
"Those ..smories will bear watching" is the remark
Of a shrewd observer which have quoted heretofore
Its truth must have been keenly felt by readers OF
the report on the 18th Regiment aTmory which was
published on Tuesday. The facts are simple enough,
and speak for themselves-speak volumes, in truth
There 100000 appropriated for the construction
Of the armory building. When the plans had been drawn
and bids were solicited it was found that the lowest
Did for the WORK exceeded the appropriation by Slo9
600 1t became necessary 10 modify the plans in order
10 bring the amount within the sum first named 1t
turns out that notifications made with avengcance
That is to say, certain essential features of the armory
omitted For instance little provision was made
for plastering the plumbing arrangements were In
adequate; and it was proposed that the rear end of
the armOry should have only wooden Enclosure in
stead Of a brick wall. The men responsible for this
work evidently went ahead with the deliberate
pectatOn that these necessary things would be pro-
vided for in the future, thus practically putting
mortgage upon possible additional appropriation,
which they Intended TO make necessary by their indie
feasible tactics Now upon examination by q com
mission named by Mayor Body it appears that,
oOrilng to the present plans the armory cannot be
completed for less than Sj05 900 Truly a remark
able showing! II suggests the work OF Napoleon
of Finance. one cannot help wandering whether the
two arnOrfes that be provided for other regl.
ments likely to be enveloped in similar cloud,
bN,. ,,,.L H. G.a1
will be. The practical question however, relates TO
the Continuance OF work upon the l3ths armory and
the responsibility for the bungllng thus far accom-.
plshcd. The work is 50 advanced that to certain
extent it must be completed In accordance with the
plans thus far followed But every unnecessary ex-
penditure be Topped OFF. There be no expen-
sive furnishings The must be finished in the
panest manner. As far possible. expensive exterior
ornamentation must be dispensed with. And most
assuredly, all thought of extending the building so
as to enlarge the drill hall must be abandoned. At
BEST from present Indications the 18th REGIMENT
armory Will be building that BrooKlsnites can
point to with anything like pride.
The Public library bill has undergone some modi-
fcaon at the hands OF the special committee. but 1t
cannot yet be pronounced In satisfactory shape. 1t
Is something gained 10 have the president OF the
Board of Education and the director Of the Institute
Of Arts and Sciences added 10 the governing board
and haye1 provided that Mayor and president
OF the Common Council shall merely be members OF
the board without being It's president and vice presl
dent but the changes practically leave the bill
altered The library is still 10 be under political control
That is a fatal objection. 1t may well be doubted
whether Brooklyn wants political library. The
difficulty Of having public enterprise established
any other basis be acknowledged, but the sug-
gestons which l made last week have pertinency
which cannot be gansaid The Gty Is about 20 spend
100000 FOR a museum building that j. 70 ie wholly
under private CONTROL and NcwYOik will invest
half a million dollars In botanical garden, sub.
stantialy under private control If model for
library Is furnished here do not know where %
hook for IT, II Is sad Of course. that the public
schools under the control Of Board Of Education
appointed by the Mayor True and within a few
months the city has VIGOROUSLY unfit person
appointed d member OF the bOard-a political
appointment Of the least detensible kind What Is
there to hinder Mayor from filing his library board
with of the Barthnan OIder2 The prospect IS far
from pleasing.
The waste-paper question is again to The fore.
Mayor Body thinks Of asking the Aldermen u pass an
ordinance prohibiting the placing Of paper In ash bar
rels. 1t certainly is nuisance there, especially on
windy days But what TO do with the accumula-
tons OF newspapers and the like Ia thousands OF
households-that is the question Burn the paper say
some But where II Is well known that burning
paper has a damaging effect upon range or furnac>
fire. and though some housckeepers get rid Of news
papers by burning Them In the asran Of the furnace
this Is q slow and unsatisfactory process The Unhmah
Will not take old newspapers any consideration, and
how to dispose Of them is serious problem. Mayor
bOcdy's ordinance. while prohibiting the placing Of
them in ash barrels, ought to provide that the ash
men shall carry away all papers which placed In
other reccptacles Oh the Sidewalk at the time when
ashes are collected.
The hooring-over Of the platforms in the Bridge
stations so a. IL bring them up the level Of the plat
forms of the cars IS Improvement that Is ap
prcclated The Tribune week ago mentioned the
fact that this had been done in the New York station
Since then the same thing has been done on the
Brooklyn side Alghting from the Train IL practically
free from Danger now, the only danger being in
Brooklyn where the the station il likely to