New-York tribune., 1896-01-15
POSSIBLE BRIDGE IiPROTENENTS.
ENGINEERING POINTS RAISED BY MAN on THE
OUTSIDE

ENGINEERING POINTS RAISED BY MAN on THE
OUTSIDE.
II have little faith in the general popular and
newspaper howl against the Bridge management.
Bridge terminals and every hing else about the big
structure said young engineer the otner day.
"Indiscrminate blackguardng loses all effect on
thinking men. say nothing OF the fact that the
Bridge management is highly efficient in many
ways end that it is man.fcsily unfair to finally
Judge the new terminals as engineering works till
they are finished. There are. however. one or two
things that occur to every time 20 back and
forth across the Bridge. in the shape OF long -un-
answered questions. and they are these:
why has engineer Of Mr.. Martins eX-
perlence and ability raised the outer rail at the
sharp curve at the entrance to the Brooklyn sta
ton? t. ere is at that point a curve OF almost ~
degrees to the le)foot chord should say, and the
loaded trains coast down TO 1t and over 1t at a
speed sometimes approaching twenty miles an hour'
When they strike the curve the cars lurch so v'o-
lenily that standing passengers are thrown of their
feet. Some day l expect TO see train mount the
outer rail and plunge down to the promenade IL
the outer rail raised IN accordance with the
old and well-known engineering formula. much OF
the discomfort and all the danger due 70 centrifugal
force would be obyiated
Another self-eviient proposition is that the
greater part Of the backing and switching now done
might be saved. instead OF tracks between the
pla forms is all that Is necessary When the
passengers have been discharged on one platform.
the gates on that side could be closed and the opp)-
site ones opened admit the waiting crowd on the
other side With the present system OF switching y
locomotives there would be delay In getting the
switch engine out of the way of the Incoming
train. but with the proposed use of electric motors
on the cars that objection would be obviated
81 have nev r any discussion OF n" liee OF
increasing the traffic capacity OF the i5Ildsc n
making the railroad double decker. why cou.i
not another line OF rails be LAID on top Of ihe
trusses through which the present ROAD runs Ihe
stations would then be about ten feet hgher Win
two stories OF platforms. ,.- 49,. ...,.,. -
Again extensive experiments have been made IN
the effort 70 get good sliding contact for the
system cf telephoning 10 the Bridge cars iihS
anything been done to try the simple method 81 IN
duction? Any system Of sliding contacts VIII b,
continually getting ont Of order Induction WIZ
act across considerable distances without contact.
as everybody knows who used the telephones M I
put out, ana the telephone companies nav spent
millions of dollars in trying TO get rid oi H.
Every man who has suffered from the cfuliu"s
of people who think they know his business bet
ter than he does himself should be slow To- give
onhand opinions on matters to which the Bridge
management is paid TO devote six days Of study
every week but the Bridge is 50 important pub
lie Institution that the ideas Of the rankest out
slder may be worth ventilation and considerations