New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-08-14
FROM THE MAIL.
THE HUDSON RIVER BRIDGE.
UNNECESSARY EITHER FOR FREIGHT OR
MISREPRESENTATION STATIONS BETTER

UNNECESSARY EITHER FOR FREIGHT OR
MISREPRESENTATION STATIONS BETTER
OUT OF THE CITY.
To the Editor OF The Tribune.
Sir The great railroad bridge which was lately
authorized by Congress- and finally approved by the
President Is being hailed by some OF the newspaper
public necessity. calculated TO relieve the
commerce of New-York from an important obstruc-
ton by greatly facilitating the traffic OF the rail-
roads terminating on the west bank Of the Hudson
by bringing their freight and passengers directly into
the city, instead Of landing them as now IN jersey
City TO complete the journey by water ana both the
President and the engineers who are cooperating
with the Chamber of Commerce In promoting It's
construction have made much OF the proposition OF
setting pier in the river. 1000 feet from the New
Jersey shore, H. with that exception. the necessity
for such bridge and the expediency of building II
were foregone conclusion BY what process OF
ratiocinaton the extraordinary conclusion has been
easily arrived al does not appear but surely X
must have been by quite different means than
a careful consideration OF the facts.
When this bridge located by statute between
Fif;y-ninth and Slxty-nnh sts the restriction with
in those narrow limits taclt admission OF the
impracticability Of locating such structure In the
lower part OF the city. where. II anywhere II could
be OF any real use. But being located where 1t
Is It becomes part OF an object lesson the remaining
part Of which has been for considerable tine before
The propo el BIZ &c must be located between Fifty
ninth and Sixty-ninth SITS. overlapping which terri
tory find a series OF piers from Sixty-second to
Seventy ct, which have been either built or
otherwise acquired within the past few years by the
New-York Central Railroad Company. to be used in
handling their very large freight business. HOW Is
this new movement to be explained? long expert
ence In Transporting freight Ivy rail into the heart 81;
the city has convinced thi. company that the greater
n ,ho u-boi ~ heir
to its proper destination in the lower part OF the
city more choaply and otherwise more advantage
ouey by than by rail, and they are now using
these piers to their freight cars on board hoats
to towel to such points along the water front az
may be most convenient the shipper. and freight
can thus he received shipped n the point on the
water front nearest the warehouse the purpose OF
this bridge on the other hand being 20 enable the
roads using IL to their freight 10 the necessary
proximity the warehouse wholly by rail-, without
the trouble and expense which the present system IL
held to involve and IT is thus to serve as way OF
escape from n method OF traffic which long expert
ence has led one great railroad to adopt. and n
means Of adopting the method from which they are
seeking 70 escape The question Is at bottom a. 10 the
comparative expense OF the two methods ana unless
the bridge will lessen the expense OF the traffic pass
ing over II there can be no COOL reason why IL
should be built.
Suppose then trainload OF freight arriving at the
Of the roads for whose benefit It Is ostenshy to be
built II would then be precisely equal terms
with n similar load arriving AZ the same point by
way OF the rival road. and may now be inoVeI Doth
more cheaply and more advantagcou7ly to all con-
csrned 10 It's ultimate destination In the warehouse
downtown by water than by rail. But this couli
better have been done without the needless cere-
n,onv Of hauling six or seven miles around Jersey
CITY TO and across the bridge with the attendant cX
pense Of building tracks TO make the connection ana
having TOT, for the useless privilege II crossing the
bridge 10 say nothing OF the greater distance "h'h
1; must now be towed The work could nav" beeh
done without the Of the bridge ny towing across
the rver-about one mile-againsi three ana ohe-ha'
Z, four mills after crossing the bridge ana paying
toll Could knyhng surpaEs the absurdIiy Of such
a mode Of promoting the welfare Of great c'iy
bv largely Increasing under preence OF less"nlng'
the cost OF traf'lc AMI e1unlizng competition De-
tween rival roads by png superhuons expenses
upon the weaker competitors
rv,l.n,iv the work can be done at less cost with
ont thi. pretended necessity than wl'h II. AMI Us
value notwithstanding rs enormous cost. would be
Iess than nothing r.: rs consider for moment
how much less The toll for freight on the ~.
Louis Bridge is co cents per ton; the COST OF 'he
bridge including the tunnel under IN" city py "h'h
II is approached from the west. being N""''' ann
tina, OF the Hud~on River Brldg" as csmai"i by ia
rroiecio,. 100000 \ proportonei toll wonli then
h 80 s per ton or considerably more than twice the
present coei Of dcposltng freight In IN" warehouse
In New-York Or II this be thought an "Sprhltant
toll II Will still BE- admitted that the bridge should
be capable OF Welding gross income 90 ~ per c"ht
on i,s actual cost N"oe'' AMI since 70 per cent
would be absorbed in repairs and running expenses
the amount would not be too large. Bu; to pay ms
would require a toll OF - cents per ton on s"""o
tons OF freight annually. larger amount. we may be
sure than IL likely ever 10 pay 50 much :Dr worse
than useless privilege No roads could ever afford
10 use the bridge II 1t could BE- presented 10 them
free of cost but neither could they hnord 10 pay
toll no matter how small. the only effect OF which
would be to subject them to further needless *
pense. ,., -
the purpose OF handling freight. the case i no better
AZ to passengers who now cross the river by IN"
ferrtage IL no, an extra charge But n very large
majority Of passengers by these road. have their
their daily employment and could no, AFFORD to
cross the river far from their destination a. sixty
Then how could they afford to pay the necessary
toll? An extra haul OF Ave TO seven miles would
be necessary to reach the bridge and two miles
further from is western terminus to tho station Al
Forty-second-st. for which the passenger muai pay
which on the ST Louis Bridge IS q cents. II pro-
portionatey increased. would be II plus BY . tor
a service which " rendered by the system ior
which the bridge is To be- cheaper rub'titut" 10.
8 cents. with this trning advantage in favor Ok
things as they now are that the passenger is now
landed ~ the nTGgs would leave Kim two to three
mics further away than when he started. IL Is
admitted consequently. that the ferries must be re-
talnel for this accommodation $780,. 80.
And now 10 speak OF a bridge costing SlOWOVo
which AT me a. could be more than partial sun
sttute for the system IN use and which Is In
no sense a remedy for any Of the evils complained
Of as a great public necessity Is 10 make too large
LIT, non our cre1ulty be
sity for passengers who are unable 10 use ", ana IL
is as litt;e necessity for the large portion OF me
remainder who are as well. II not better accpmmo-
dated by ferries which AFFORD them the choice ot
two landings in NewYork as against n bridge which
would land them Unfortunately a; "A single point
4 bridge would neither be an Improvement upon the
present method Of crossing the Hudson In point or
Convenience 10 passengers In cheapness. and "
cha nce IL to be made can be mad" when VIII
not only secure the advantages unwarrantahly
claimed for the bridge but will do II without Incur
ring any Of its ntolerabie evils. only III" least OF