New-York tribune., 1896-01-20
WITH SIX TRACKS OR FOUR
VITAL. QUESTION AFFECTING THE NEW
EAST RIVER BRIDGE.



TRACKS SUFFICIENT. Re CoNsuLTED?-DuTT
or THE COMMISSIONERS TO TAKE A
long LOOK AHEAD - LESSONS
FROM THE PRESENT BRIDGE.
,,,o~a is one provision Of the law authorizing
-, ro,.ion Of what has been officially desig
d os the New East River Bridge that gives
49, ,rdiclous pause The last section Of the law
,o,oros that when the bridge Is completed and
.o commissioners have made their final report
=. oil the matters connected herewith" the
.r,aro shall "thereupon he and become public
highway for the purpose of rendering travel be-
.,san the cities Of New-York and Brooklyn safe
o,d certain al all times. and the cars manage
NOV. and control thereof shall be vested in the
,r,s.ees oc the New-York and Brooklyn Bridge
VINO shall possess In relation thereto like powers
ss are vested in them in relation to the said
New-York and Brooklyn Bridge"
Tho idea # a public highway that shall render
,aval between the cities at all times safe and GER
tain IS alluring: but no one can regard with COM
,lacsncy the thought that the new bridge Is TO
=, subjected TO the same management as that
which has prevented the old one from being that
hoo, :, the Brooklyn public that it was reason
ablv expected to be. 1t is possible. to be sure
that in the course Of the half-dozen or more years
.h,. tbc new bridge Will be building there will
bo = change for the better In the management or
Tho nr,sent bridge. Such change must needs be
evolutionary and Il Will in all probability in
,,,vo Mi 0epartments Of the work. 1t was hoped
- when the bulky and irresponsible board OF
event trustees wa reduced to eight, but II did
rot come The reduction in size was step ior-
ward but the old influences were left IN coh'roi
e,l the needed access Of vigor and originality
d!d not arrive.
4 DISCOURAGING PROSPECT.
The prospect of putting the new bridge in the
hands If the men who have made such bad WORK
with the existing one Is calculated to discourage
those who look forward hopefully to the erection
Of the new structure, when they realize the lui
meaning Of the provision OF the law aireao!
ouoted In the New-York and Brooklyn OF the
future or the consolidated city, as the case MA!
be ii is easy 10 imagine a Department OF brldses
having control over all bridges across the East
Piyer with a special engineering bureau Tor each
r., Of the half-dozen or more that may be ouiit;
Ia, the officials in charge of such department. II
NAV we'll he hoped. will view their duty IN dii-
feren. way from that OF the men responsible LOT
ire management Of the bridge now in use Ihat
las, section Of Chapter 7S9 of the laws OF 1879
would seem TO have been less we'll 'ons'oeieu
than the remainder Of the act
une 70 the Importance of dealing with the new
hr,sya on liberal scale so as TO make the
smplcst provision for the transportation oil
nasscngers and for sending troey-cars ana
elava.ed trains across the river without oblig-
,ny passengers to make Il change. 1t will sur
nrise 10 one to learn that the Uhlmann interest
reprssenting the old East River Bridge Com
pany. is opposed to six tracks on the bridge
two for elevated trains and four Tor surface
cars-and thinks that four tracks VIII answer
o,..r,, nurnose Just why Mr.. Chlmann should
be consulted on this point. and why certain
members of the Commission should be solicit
Gus TO obtain his views and should heartily
jrdorsc them, is rot at all clear TO the average
observer 1t is the Commission. not MI Oh!-
mann. that is going to build the bridge, ana
me Commissioners should feel bound 10 meet
the demands of the public as far as may be.
WHERE OTHER BRIDGES MAY BE BUILT.
In support of the idea that it would be an
uniust.fabie waste Of the peoples money TO
bui,d = bridge capacious enough for six tracks,
II Is said that It would not be wise to concen-
trate traffic in Broadway. Brooklyn. and that
other bridges will be necessary in the future
This last statement is certainly true, but any
one who has studied the problem even casu-
o,Iv will see that there is the rtmotest pos
sib,e likelihood Of the erection Of another bridge
anywhere in this neighborhood
Between the present bridge and the proposed
site of the new one, there is TO all appear
ances room for only single other bridge. II
must be remembered that the Navy Yard covers
q long stretch Of the Brooklyn water front,
and that between Hudson-ave. and Division
ave even If there were no Navy Yard, bridge
would be virtually out Of the question, by rea-
CON If the width Of the river That there Will
II,1c n
ing New-York in the vicinity Of Grand and
Jackson sts many people in Brooklyn hope and
expect though such plan Is not likely OF
,eolization under a dozen fifteen years. Be
vond that 1t is difficult to see where another
bridge will be built in the next haf-century
at least. ,. o.,
St Brooklyn. and Housion-st, New YORK man
between Broadway. BROOKLYN; ana Dranu-s.,; ia,.J
New-York but there will surely be no demand
for another bridge half a score OF blocks from
the New East River Bridge: ana bridge De
tween Greenpoint and New-Y YORK WouId scarce
ly be practicable. account OF the increasing
width of the river even in the improbable IL
tingency Of a large demand for one
50 far can now be seen. me proJecteu p'lese
Viii be the only one supply the wants OF
vast section Of Brooklyn for an indefinite pcriod
In the future. Hence the vital importance that
the Commissioners should do their work with
comprehensive grasp Of the wants OF the iu'ure.
That six tracks will be too many no reasonapie
person can believe. That four tracks vii VIII We
sufficient in the opinion Of railroad company
which homes tn do q large share Of the carrying
business en- the bridge ought to be sunhcleh,
reason 10 cause the Commissioners TO pause anu
think seriously before adopting Such Piai
BUILDING THE BRIDGE NOT ENOUGH.
Nor is 1t rational to say that the duty OF inc
Commissioners will end with the construction Vi
the bridge. In a sense il will; but they VIII De
wofuly negligent Of their duty ana RESPONSE
bility If they do not look forward ana plan the'r
structure in the wsost way to meet the demahus
that will be made upon IT, BY the act under
which they were apponted they are bound 10