The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-07-31

NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY BRIDGE.
ing it law. Now, if the plans of the
company are satisfactory to the secre-
tary of war, the work, it is presumed,
will be pushed to a speedy completion.
This means, according to the promises
of the company, within four years, but
unless greater expedition is attained
than was in the case of the Brooklyn
bridge the next century will be started
before trains cross the proposed struc-
ture.
The bill provides that the bridge shall
abut on Manhattan Island between
Fifty-ninth and Sixty ninth streets, and
that all railroads on both sides of the
river shall be privileged to use the
tracks The lines likely to avail them
selves of the opportunity thus afforded
to run their trains directly into the city
of New York are the Central Railroad
of New Jersey; the Pennsylvania; the
Delaware Lackawanna and Western;
the Erie; the West Shore; the New
York, Susquehanna and Western; the
Lehigh Valley and the Ontario and
Western 1t will undoubtedly be much
more convenient and much pleasanter
for through passengers to cross the river
over the bridge than by the present
ferry lines, although it is not at all prob
able that its construction will drive the
ferries out of use. In the case of the
East river bridge, although it has prov
ed to be a great convenience and is used
by many thousands every day in the
year, the ferries still continue to do
business at the old stand, now carrying
many more persons daily than they did
before the construction of the bridge.
1t is predicted that the proposed bridge
will affect the business of the ferries
even less than has the one over the East
river. The vast majority Of the ferry
| passengers are commuters who go to
| New York every day to business and re-
| turn every night to their homes. Their
| work in most cases is done below Forty
| second street, and the ferries carry them
very near TO the places Of their employ
ment, whereas the bridge would land
them miles up town.
! Connected with the bridge and the
| railroad lines that will use it will be a
vast union passenger station and terml-
nal hotel, which will be located between
/ Seventh and Eighth avenues and Forty
second and FOrty-fourth streets, cover
ing the whole of two large city blocks.
! The structure will be dual and will form
| one of the largest railroad depotS in the
| world. The revenue of the depot and
the bridge will be derived exclusively
| from the railroads, as no provision has
! been made for the carrying of passengers
by the bridge company itself. 1t is be-
lieved that all the railroads that termi-
nate on the Jersey shore will use the
structure for their through trains, and
it is not unlikely that they will combine
for the erection of a mammoth union
depot upon the jersey flats besides the
one III New York.
The total cost of the bridge, it is ex-
pected, will be about $40, 600, 600. 1t Is
to carry six tracks, to have a span OF
1900 feet, or more than one-third of q
mile, the lowest point TO be $50 feet
above spring high tide. 1t is proposed TO
connect the New York station with the
New England lines by running a two
track road on viaduct to One Hundred
and Fifty-fifth street, thence through a
tunnel to One Hundred and Sixty third
street.
IL the circumstances it would seem
to be the part of wisdom for the authori-
ties of New York to hasten the con-
struction of the long talked of rapid
transit line. 1t is getting easier every
year for those doing business in New
York TO travel rapidly to suburban
homes, whereas the provisions for rapid
intramural traffic have not been i'm
proved for many years.