New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-08-18
THEPLAZA IS WORTH SAVING
TT suo1I.D BY ALL MEANS BE KEPT FREE
FROM SURFACE TRACKS

uuy THE RAILROADS HAVE FIXED GREEDY
EYES UPON IT-NoT WHAT 1T OUGHT TO BE.
Br-T STILL FAIR APPROACH TO
THE BRIDGE.
Desnlte all the conferences which nave peeh hela
ho,veen the Bridge officials and the surface ran
road companles, the question OF pr"s"'s INC 'a"
roads into close connection with the ZIG" n'ooNi'" "
80, ,a,,or a. seemingly as far from solution as
aver The railroads want to get the use Oh inc
nlaza between Sands and High sts'' anu VIII ap-
ron,,v no satisfied with nothing less They would
iso IKE TO run their tracks through lhoer'y-s''
I'M, do not ask for that privilege al present ''o'e'
mechanically they look to securing IL IN 'he lu'u'c
Al any rate they refuse TO look faVoraoiS o" any
= -, ,,o various schemes which have been sus-
rosted to keep the plaza and i'oer'y-s'' open rs
o. ,,roach 10 the Bridge. The word open mere
49,. 90 ha used In n qualified sense Inc Tiahi Is
ma, omen as becomes a plaza. put as !e' II - 49,
- almost free from INSTRUCTIONS u" III. sur
7, d a melancholy fact that 1t mas peeh give" w ~
the use OF the elevated RAILROADS III mann"
- Ia viewed with satisfaction by no one VINO re-
a. .ha, Il was provided by the city AT large
can" - mat a suitable approach TO the Bridse
might be had ~ -, ,hose who
II IS scarcely surprising tha' some "a 80
oo tho Plaza in its present state S'o
ho conclusion that the talk ABOUT sa'"e
Wv, ,hat q might as well be Abandoned e'''iIe ,s
anu - ov.r "a the surface companies 30 90 WIN
''u 49,. ,oose But that cannot be the sooe
.a,,or+ Of the rejecting. IL u S'''' -.
;'-s ,,o surface OF this sem-opcn space ''ee .o'
nv racks and enable 1t to serve It's puipose q"
,roans OF getting 10 the Brusc io
cycles and vehicles OF all other SUI ,aco 10
'''' 80, Material to be used by the ee'"'e"
80. ,,,, Il Is understood that no more co'"'''"a
80 ,e erected for the support Oh '',e ."
hoad About a dozen columns nav .r.o .,
1871 ,ha plaza but not more ina" '"o " 80
~. arc n direct obstruction 10 i'' ,o,oa
whether the use OF so much Oh !. ~ to question
oads might not have been preVen'eu cu,airt,, u
'o""' -. =, 80 late TO consider now Ner'a'"'' -
""0' -, ~ hiring the elevated roaus INV
W.. Connection with the Bridge IL Tue ''". a',,d
-. hoo, provlded. the eleVa'eu 'op -,.or.,, IN
80 heen compelled to purchase pr'e ,oo,ad
nraor 70 make their connections ihes '',.,,ra u
olue. s,,n,age az the citys large eSpehu,'uie d..
the =. .oLe any steps TO prevent tha'' pu'
Is .oo ' ,,a ~ see 10 1t that the surface 'o'
IL 10 nv roo, ont OF the Plaza, for II 'neS IN
,oo,boh there the entire space mis"' 40
be given up TO then'' ,srrD
y.prO1-s PLANS SUCCESSFUL
- ,s from the first taken the posi-
.,on that both Lberty-st ana 'he a.,,o ~ an
carved for the of the puo0 ~ .,ruction OF
S~ooch % the Bridge without the oos,u "a IA
proae" - 80 ,bo surface In this position ne i,
car ua'n' ,,h,,c sentiment. His own proposal
suppoi ,., ~ the surface railroad problem was
90 ~ tho cars now running In Fulton anu wa"
,ngton SITS should go down Wasnine nrssent
through Prospect-st, one Diocn oe' -, NAV
.onca ~ the Bridge, and return up'o"" ~ 80
-. -, IN the return trip he woula nave
.haro nroceed up Courtst. to the CITY man. an ,,,
,hrouqh Joralemon-st back to fui'oi-'' ,,,
w. ors ,you,d move in only one direction p.''"
49, civ Hall on any street and one cause Vi -,
cor from the operation of the uohe'-o"' ,a,s
n,oved II Is we'll known that numerous ,,.
.''o occurred because people have kept a LOOKOUT
,or tho cars In one direction only anu nav 49,.
struck by one coming ;he other way Inc ""'o' =
, nd decided advantages but with thefh was
~, or,ous drawback that in Fulton-s'. the CARS
you'd he the Whole width OF the Plaza ~
awav from the Bridge, and passengers W."
corne,Ied 70 walk this distance IN all "ea'he
pr,dge President Howell next brought TOT" "''
man which was that the space under 'he so'"s
.o,,s ., the Bridge railroad should be used py ''e
,r,aca lines Thus cars bound for the briuse i'o'
Eulton-st would turn into Tillary-st.' anu mn
under the Bridge structure 10 the s'a"o a.
G, and those from Washington FL eou'u w 49,
same: and at High-st. the cars wou'd DC e'os' ~
prdee station and passengers would not DC ca
aoJ 20 rho weather In either entering or leaving
h prdqe This was at first regarded WIN ia'o''
but the railway companies took alarm WHEN -
suggested that 1t would be In order LOT ''e''' " rs
a rental for the use of the Bridge properly IL"
president OF the DE Kalb-ave. lne' whose CARS ','
IN washington St. declared that he would De hueh
better satisfied with MS pieS'i'N ~
ding Bridge passengers .,,
Next followed the plan OF Cohtroier faiiei' W"
was that the Brooklyn Heights cars should ieaVe VI
,on-st at Nassau-st.. make loop uhder the D'Iuse
structure and return to Fuiton-st by hgh-s,, ms
,os ,umned at by President Rosster OF the Heignts
Comnany who declared 1t TO be the pest pan pro, pro
nosa3 and there can be no doubt that II would nave
been entirely satisfactory to Mr. Rossiters com
psrv Rut the serious objection was soon raised
that this would mean a double OBSTRUCTION OF iip-
erty-s and the Plaza. since during the pusy mou,s
OF the day there would be practically continuous
line OF cars each side OK me seei h@ nlY
eight seconds So the Palmer plan was speedily
TRRen president Rossiter thought It might be vel
for his company TO maintain It's present termIn una
struct bridge so that passengers could readily pass
between the car stand and the brl1se s'aton but
for various reasons this was found TO be imprac-
ticable.
MR. HowELLs SCHEME THE BEST.
or the mans proposed thus far. that Of President
Howell seems to be the most practicable. and no
valid objection to it has been brought forward I'M
less IT be n valid objection that the railroad COM
panies would be put to some expense In carrying 1t
out and might be called to pay fair rental for
the public property used by them. They know by
past experience that If they can secure the use Of
the pubic streets and places of the city they will
not be embarrassed by any question OF rental. The
Heights Company would doubtless be well pleased II
convert il into carstand like that which II estab-
lished some time ago the north side Of Sands-st
IL must be said in behalf OF the company that when
the Bridge first opened II purchased this prop
erty In order to have its carstand in convenient
proximity 10 the Bridge. Why should IT not do the
same thing now? What is to hinder II from buying
part of the block bounded by High. Nassau. Fulton
and Liberty SITS for its exclusive use? Has the idea
never occurred to IL?
The plaza as 1t is ls not what the people OF
BROOKLYN have a right expect in view OF the large
sum spent in creating it. But IAberty-st: has thus
far been kept free from Invasion. BY all means 1t
ought to be kept SO perpetually. and the plaza
should not be sacrificed inch further than IS
sary As yet. no serious obstacle to its for
driving purposes exists The columns supporting
the elevated structure In the way of course
but they be got along with. The open space Is
covered and darkened by the network OF iron
when the bridge gallery by which passengers
from the Kings County Elevated road are to reach
the Bridge Is constructed.
Iluts hat of fha nla zai 10