The sun., 1894-11-14
HEWITT ON RAPID TRANSIT
FIRST PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE
the COMMISSION.
The Ex.Msyor Thirhs the New York Cer.
tr.i Railroad Sheuia Fisy en- Inportsnt
Part IN the Carrying Of People About the
Town-Nsess OF the Annexed District.

Part IN the Carrying Of People About the
Tows-Nsess OF the Annexed District.
The Rapid Transit Commission held the first
Of its public meetings yesterday afternoon at
It's offices in the Home Life building. All Of
the Commissioners were present except Mayor
Gilroy. When they entered the public meeting
room every one present noted the fact that ex-
Mayor Abram s. Hewitt was with them.
President Orr announced that the purpose of
the meeting was to hear all persons who had
suggestions TO make as to the matter Of routes
only. I'm order" he said, that every one
may be heard such speeches should be limited
10 ten minutes each. Mr.. Hewitt" he contin-
ued "you will not be restricted to the discussion
Of routes. but we shall be glad to hear anything
you may have TO say upon this subject"
Mr. Hewitt rose. II came here at your invita-
tion," he said, mot to make a speech. but to
answer any questions which you might see fit to
ask me. II is six or seven years since examined
this subject My conclusions at that time were
that New York needed q rapid transit system
which must go longitudinally through the GEN.
tire OF the city, with such lateral branches as
would serve the other portions Of the city. 1t
has always been my belief that the Grand Cen
trail station must be a great objective point in
such a system. At that time ths people were
opposed to the use Of Broadway. either by an
overhead or an underground road. recon-
mended the opening and widening of Elm street,
which has since become an adopted plan"
Mr.. Hewitt then described the routes which
he had concluded were needed. From the City
Hall up these were not materially different
from those which have been adopted tentatively
By tho present Commission, except that he
would have used some line adjacent to Broad
way instead OF that street. Broadway he be-
lieved was not adapted to the use OF any road
which should have more than two tracks, un-
less, perhaps, the additional pair of tracks were
carried above the others in u two-storied struc-
ture. ,,s ,,,,, ,. ,o,
made with the New York Central and Hudson
through % their tunnel: If their business has
grown too big Tor such a service now SHOULD
advocate the building of parallel line mp Lex
ington or Madison avenue" ~
"But. you know" said President Orr. "Madi-
son avenue has been excluded by an act OF the
Il understand that" said Mr. Hewitt, but
permission again to build there. The Legisla;;
lure is not going to stand in the way of rapid
transit. Underground roads can be so built and
operated as not to disturb the people living
along the line of the streets they occupy. have
been In all the underground roads Of the world.
aud there Is no objection to those In use which
cannot be overcome by modern engineering.
use OF steam locomotives. There are plenty OF
other methods for operating such roads"
r eT.it m weh shnd sH e sni from n he G
Hall all around the lower part OF the city, con-
Meeting with all the downtown ferries, with
trains running around IL in opposite directions
for the distribution OF passengers. There were
no engineering difficulties, he said, and he fa-
vored a subway line. A road up the east side to
the Grand street district he thought not neces
sary. The surface cars could DO the distribnt-
ths s Extreme @ % west side he suggested combina.
ton with the New York Central and hudson si,Gii
hssr nss rr
whuteser system was built, he said. must not
be out II gar 20 IA o Ss
roads had been both necessity and an ad-
VANTAGE .Hs l. 80 -, on.,.,,on ~,,oh,h.v. i'm mind .
he said, lis n consolidation of all the roads-the
rapid transit system which you are to build. the
to provide for some terms for transfers
Esy. fSr the ne hss nslsst Of s%sH sny Of p
l believe that you will have no trouble In ar
ranging for these @ transfers & u i were were to & be
such case you would perhaps have no need 70
side. nor to build west side route.
Nobody in this city ever had so much power
much lasting harm as You have. Do not allow
yourselves TO he driven, 90 slow
the meeting open for the discussion % of fs routes.
No one seemed ready to talk. although good
many were present +, A..
then said, IF Mr. sons. the Chief Engi-
nser. should describe the routes professionally
MIR Parsons did so. There was a delegation
present from the North side board OF Trade;
i48 Broadway, living in Bedford Park. and
James l.. Wells, a real estate dealer OF 90 Lib
erty street and Alexander avenue;
behalf OF the North Side Board OF Trade, he
wished to call the attention Of the Commission
10 the needs OF the Twenty-third and Twenty
fourth wards. From east To west these wards,
he said, are three or four times as broad as the
island below them: 1t would take three lines
above the bridge TO provide for this territory.
lie was ready TO agree that the New York Cen
up there, or that line be built parallel 10 it.
Then a line should be run through the centre Of
the district @ along jerome , avenue; which could
east OF the central line there should be another,
which would also be fed at Harlem and by the
Mr.. Wells said this district now has la50
residents and has $50. .OOO. 900 invested in II in
Commissioner Seth Low, he said that they
should want either elevated or underground
he Sns OF
In accordance with the lay ot the ground.
Commissioner Fitch asked % whether the
Mr.. Wells asserted that IL had practically begun
in 1874, when the assessed value was only S22,-
again in 1891, when the district got separate
Street Commissioner, and that the assessed
value now S65, ,OOO, 600.
In answer 10 Mr.. Clahin he said there was no
route for the westerly part OF the section except
Jerome avenue, or little TO the eastward of
Would the driving men object to an open
cut like that in Park avenue, for instance"
asked Mr.. Clahin. IL that should appear to be
the road most easily built through Jerome av-
enuef"
jerome avenue i not going TO be q driving
avenue" said Mr. Wells. " IL is going to be the
business street of that part of the city"
A Mr.. Potter, who was understood to repre-
sent the D. B. Potter estate and other property
owners on broadway, wished 10 discuss the
matter OF the route on that street. in connection
with the method proposed for constructing the
road. Ii seemed from his remarks that he
would favor the route ii the street were 10 be
tunneled by work from below, but not in
IL was TO be opened from above. The Commits
sion was not ready TO go into that matter.
DIR. WolfganR Goetz spoke in favor of chang
ing the west side route from Eleventh avenue
To Tenth avenue. but was assured by Mr.. stein
way that IL was impossible, Tenth avenue being
filled from curb 10 curb with the big water
pipes from the new aqueduet.
Mr.. Hewitt spoke again. He said he had been
driven reluctantly 20 conclude that a rapid
transit system must be underground, below
Fourteenth street. and perhaps above. Every
dihiculty with this. he said, had been removed,
except its cost.
AS there was no one else at hand Eho wanted
10 talk about routes, the Commission went into
A min aft ard