The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-10-05
A MERRY FERRY WAR.
Rumor Says that CAROLS Backers
Have Grown Timid.
And that Lawyer Boardman's Claim
Is the Cause Of 1t.
Carroll Declares He Will Execute
the Lease In Due Time.

The intense rivalry, to put II mildly |
which exists between the Staten Island
Rapid Transit Company and Howard |
Carroll, has greatly interested the 1000
residents of Staten Island who journey |
daily to New York to do business
This army of twenty thousand has sue
ceeded in interesting at least five times
as many New Workers in the subject.
which has been discussed with more or
less animation since Mr.. Carroll bid in
the ferry franchise.
AS a result of such discussion there
have cropped to the surface all sorts
of rumors concerning the good faith
of one or both parties to the transac-
ton.
A rumor which has found some Gre
dence and is of considerable interest, is
to the effect that the Staten Island
Rapid Transit Company has felt conf
dent of monopoly of the ferry fran
chise all along and did not mean to be
lured into competitive bidding with
Howard Carroll or any one else.
An incident in confirmation of this
rumor is the sale of communication tick
cts by the Company for the month of
October, after the Company had lost
its legal right to run boats, as the fran
chse had become the property OF Mr..
Carroll.
1t Is now said that Mr.. Carroll had
number of wealthy men partly pledged
to join him in the ferry scheme and that
they were about to bind themselves by
paying in the necessary money to make
a pool for the operation of the ferry
and the building of competing railroad
on Staten Island, If necessary.
These men, it is asserted, were scared
off by the announcement of Lawyer
Boardman, that the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad had the right to land its pas
sengers in New York, under the General
Railroad act.
| Mr. Carroll, Corporation Counsel Clark
and Comptroller Fitch deny that the b.
and o. has this right, but all concede
that there is something in the claim
which requires looking into. That, it is
said, was enough to scare off capital
| lists
Comptroller Fitch asked Mr.. Board
man and General Supt. Cannon yester-
day not to act hastily. He intimated
that Mr.. Carroll would execute the lease
next Monday and that if he failed to do
50 ma.ters would then be brought to a
| III view VI tHt TACT llldt the SIOCh VI
the Rapid Transit Company is not on
the market, although there are those
who say II can be purchased for fifteen
cents on the dollar, and that il pays lit
tie or no dividend. 1t would appear diff
cult to interest capital in the building of
an opposition line However, the whole
affair is in allegiance until next Monday,
at least.
When Howard Carroll was asked what
he knew about the above rumor he said:
1T Is all nonsense. We have deposited
$ll 900 as forfeit and have spent thou.
sands of dollars in addition thereto
which no sane man would think of ex.
pending. BY the express terms of the
lease, we have fifteen days in which tc
execute 1t, and no one ever heard of any
ferry changing hands within thirty days
The Rapid Transit Company is de-
handing $1,000 according to the terms
of the sale. We simply are taking the
fine permitted by the terms of the sale
and do not propose to be hurried. We
are not lawyers, but steamboat men, and
have to employ lawyers. 1t is these
lawyers we are now waiting upon"