The evening world., 1894-04-12
To SAVE 5TR AVENUE
Lawyer Milliken Will Oppose the
Street Railway Bill,
loew Says the Grimm ms Syndicate
Cannot Get Consents.
Property Owncrs, He Claims, Are
Pledged to Him.

's' f"' W. I'm JlHH VI % NtE-
sau street. went to Albany to-day to
oppose the passage OF htc bill introduced
In the interest of the Metropolitan Trac-
ton Company. which authorizes the
construction %: a railroad on Fifth
avenue below Twcnty-third street.
Mr.. Milllkcn Is Secretary and Treasurer
OF the association Of Fifth avenue prop
erty-ownera who d%,supprovc Of a rail
road on that exclusive t~horoughfare.
The fight for the possession Of Fifth
avenue by projectory Of railroads, Is Of
long standing. and has been renewed
with increased vigor nov. The bill to
give the use Of the street for n railroad
to the whine Crimmins syn.
dictate. was introduced yesterday by
Assemblyman Roche. Of the Fourth New
York city District.
The circumstances and the secrecy
which was observed about the bill and
its contents, lead to the belief that the
Republican majority in the Legislature
%connived with the Tammany minority
to turn Firth avenue over to the tender
mcrcies OF the traction octopus.
John ~. 'rimmins In m Interview ad-
mttcd that the Metropolitan street Rail
way Company IL responsible for the in
PRODUCTION OF tn" bin. and ne added tn"
important information that the neCcssa-
ry consent OF the property owners for
building the road could be obtained by
hts company.
line, u luilt, would make connections
with the broadway division at the june
1ion OF flfth avenue and broadway at
IMHnty-tnira street on the south It
Sduare and through South Fifth avenue.
where connections would be made with
lines controlled by the company.
Mr.. Crimnlns' assertion that he could
obtain the consents Of the majority OF
the property owners on Fifth avenue is
gmphatlcany denied 10y ex-Comptroller
Mr.. Loew is vlce-Prcsldent OF the
Fifth Avenue Railroad Company. or
Shnized with 5000, Ovocnpital. to con-
struct n street car line on Fifth avenue.
from the Legislature for that purpose.
MIR, Loew said to-day:
When Mr.. Crimmins says he can get
the consents OF the property-owners he
Is making a broad assertion, He can't,
because our Company has got them, I
planning why he cannot get the consents.
When the proposition was first made
to put n railroad on Fifth avenue prop.
erty owners, IKE mysS,f, Joined together
on Fifth avenue. / believe with The
World that. Fifth avenue should be
made a parkway throughout and pre-
well. when we discovered that .
franchise for a railroad on Fifth avenue
S Tas l'f teEe,s to be w Sran cSn:iu we PIT ,ba, our !,
a franchise was granted for n road, the
Firth avenue property owners. the mos
interested persons. should own and con
Avenue Railroad Company"
Mr.. Lcew did not say so. but his word
led to the impression that the Fiftl
Avenue Railroad Company was organ
a railroad of Fifth avenue.
Have you been approached and asket
to sell your consent?' asked the re
po "Na"
Have negotiations been carrled oil
with any other Of your associntes?"
think ! would have heard something
about It,"
The law at present prohibits the lay,
ing OF tracks on Fifth venue. except
ton Of streets. This prohibitory law
the Metropolitan Company seeks &c
amend by exempting Fifth avenue be
low Twenty-third street.
The attempt Of the Metropolitan Com
pany to secure control OF lower FIT!
avenue is said to be merely an entering
wedge to grahble up the entire avenue
Mr.. Crimmins's argument for the posses
sion OF the lower portion Is that II |,
almost entirely given up to m
and that o railroad would not disilsur,
It, Furthermore II Fifth avenue branch
would relieve the heavy traffic on tn
Broadway division.
The Fifth Avenue Railroad Company
claims to have consents OF ~house-owner'
from South Fifth avenue to Fifty-nintt
street. and as their primary object |,
said to be the preservation OF the ave,
nue.. they can keep a railroad or thai
street.
1t is suggested that the consents ma,
be transferred for n consideration, ant
that the surest way to preserve Flftt
avenue Is for the Legislature not &C
grant a franchise for n railroad there.