The evening world., 1894-07-13
Secretary Swan, Of the New Hud-
son Bridge, Answers Depew.
viii Have the Landing Pier on Land
Now Und r Water.
And Run tho Approach $50 Feet
Above the Railroad Tracks.

The statement Of President Chauncey
NJ. Depew, Of the New York Central
Railroad. that as his road controlled the
entire North River water front between
Fifty-nihth and seventy-second streets,
It would be impossible for the s2O.0O0. 900
New York and New Jersey Bridge to
secure a pier landing within those points.
and advising the Bridge Company TO 60
up to Riverside Park and land there. is
pooh-poohed by Secretary Swan. of the
Bridge Company.
Secretary Swan says the bridge can
cross the Central Railroad tracks and
property $50 feet In the air and do 1t
legally at any point on the Hudson
River front between Fifty-ninth and
Sixtieth streets.
This Is how he explains the situation:
In 1880 Andrew II. Green, Col. Hahn,
Evan Thomas. Charles M. Vail and
Isidor Straus, the Commissioners APP
pointed by the State OF New York to
determine the location Of the bridge APP
pruaches in New York City, chose the
block bounded by west of Eleventh
avenue, Seventeen and seventy-frt
streets and on to the river They
located our pier outside Of all property
controlled by the Central Railroad.
1.-The water pier landing is on under
water land belonging to the city of New
York, and not to Depew or Vanderbilt.
Our plans showed that we went LEO feet
In the air over all the railroad or pri-
waite property Intervening.
| NOW IN 1884, the United States Con-
gress decides that the bridge landing
must be located between Fifty-ninth
| nj
bound to build between these points.
AT Sixty-ninth street up 70 the eX,
terror pier-head line, our landing would would
erty. and on lands under water owned
by the city. There are no piers or any
thing else to interfere with us there.
between Fifty ninth and SiNtieth streets.
the property is held by private individu-
ais and there the landing could be made
under water also on city lands within
Slxty-ninth street. The land suitable for
the landing pier. on the uplands, be-
tween Fifty-hinth and Sixtieth streets,
west of Eleventh avenue. belongs to pri-
waite individuals.
at Is, however. true that the New Yorl.
! Central Railroad owns part OF the land
New York between Sixtleth and Seven
tieth streets. but 1t don't lease or own
the air. BY the law OF eminent domain
we can go overhead over the railroad
I'VE had Just the same Identical rgh,
With the Central road when nr, we built bull
proaches over the railroad tracks, jus,
as we propose TO do now; p.,
capital in 1880. The States OF New York
and New Jersey have given us all the
rights that lay within their powers tt
build the bridge. and the United States
Government has approved the action Of
the two States.
that all plans and details of the bridge
are subject to approval by the .Boart
OF Expert Engineers s as to the Ien ,sn
span sna ,hs trss powers os Tn,
bridge. These latter Commissioners
may demand carriage and foot ways
they so elected, though at present {
plans have been made. Finally, every
hing mHs a be sppr9sSS s AMY Sy the Ssipe
and whatever he says should be done
must be done.
81 think that we can only IND a suit
, able landing, either at Fifty-nlnth stree
or at Sixtieth street, and at one Of those
two points, Chauncey NJ; Depsw e., nj
Cha,uneey NJ pepew' the fridge building
Until We know which OF the two 10
cations IL finally selected We canno
take any action towards securing thu
land either by lease or purchase from
private owners or by direct lease from
the city"
The Board OF Expert Engineers ne
Vent into executive session 10 cons!dei
further borinss aud statistics Of rests
ant strains FOR the bridge piers Tn,
Board adjourned this afternoon until
next Monday morning. wnen the session
1 will again be private,
on Tuesday the meeting will be OF en-
and partial report of the S1arj's wcrl
4 so far probably made public.