New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-04-17
DIFFERENCES OF OPINION
...rrr HENRIoUEs WILL FIGHT THE
PAGE BRIDGE BILL
..c-vs TT AS A LEGISLATIVE INIoU1TY-
,r.cr AND ELEVATED ROAD MANAGERS
.ropps OVER THE FRANcHIsE--wAAT
c,rv AND BRIDGE OFFICIALS

,.prAcE AND ELEVATED hoAD
.r ODDS OVER THE FRANcHIsE-wAAf
cry AND BRIDGE OFFICIALS
HAVE TO SAY ABOUT IT.
49,. nroposition made by President O"i'''''''''
- prooklyn Elevated Railroad soiie LINZ
a. run trains across the Bridge 'iio"e"
w. york and Brooklyn without chanse VI 'a.''
N' .rs,ns a great deal Of argument among III.
n.ov men in this city. Mayor "uis'e' '"
"..raav that he was in favor OF ti'e ee"e'''
~. =, allowing the elevated ROAD Cars " ''0''
-. pridge. and. If it is feasible 10 nave '''e
49,. roads also cross the Bridge. AS W INC
~. MI, the Mayor said that he mao not give"
:. susscent attention to pass criticism upo" IT,
rrretss Clarence A. Henriques. VINO Is s'ro"sH
...nssd 10 the bill. said yesterday to a reporter
for The Tribune: .. ,o,,a
"From the inception of the Bridge every oo"o
...or,,ai by the Legislature has been predi-
..,sa on the fact that tolls nave Deer ia.'su
..ot the interest on these bonds when they
sa..m. due and to go toward making sihA'ns
~. ,,r the redemption of the principal and |
:, would be violation of good 1al'h OH TIE p'i'
:, .hs legislature to take away these earnings !
,hs security of which the bonds were Issued
casually -. would be willing to make any |
~aavnnabe concession loi thc PNi |
~. two Giles together. such as carrying Their
"s ..nosrs over the Bridge free provided the
s,.v.,sd roads built their own extensions at
So, and Centre SITS, and the cities reserve |
.,s income from the balance Of the travel when
".,,,d ha largely increased by the recent i'm
.royenents When our new terminals are COM
s,s,.a and the trains running under forty-five
..conas headway. instead Of ninety seconds as
:. nan, do we expect to be able to carry 25O,ooo
....angsrs daily THIS will mean a net revenue
:, ,hs cities Of 5000 900 annually. and now, when
.,,. ,s almost in sight, when the plum Is ripe
.,a almost ready to be picked, the elevated
.omnanies want to pluck 1t and derive the
,.neht from the vast expenses incurred by the
.o cities It is a legislative monstrosity IN the
,,,erests Of the corporations and against the
,.a, interests of the people. who Will nave 10
,,,se nv taxation the money which under TINS
Nil will 90 into the pockets Of the corporations
Interested Irrespective Of consequences. mean
"a ao NV duty as see 1t. and to raise my voice
~ warning against the proposed legislative III
EQUITY
Mr.. Henriques then wrote out the following
abatement which, he said, was his omciai
opinion upon the bill in a nutshell:
III. rps intent of the act recently favorably re-
ported to the Senate with reference 10 bridge
an act to authorize the cities of New-York and
Brooklyn appropriate for the oenent q ans couuy
su% 81 money ns'D Do9 EXCEEDING
them. sectsd BY this act shall apply the moneys
hereby donated TO pay Firstly tnet re
become due on ali mortgages issued by them hem and.
secondly they shall apply the balance OF ssid mon
Provided however. that this act shall become null
and void should said corporations or either liner OF
thopn be mn nrYa n
TIE trustees s' Of the New-york and BROOKLYN
hereby empowered to carry this act into enect by
On Of the OIL ST sTy 70 o ssc Ss
and meaning of this act.
Controlker Palmer said in regard to the scheme:
Il am In favor, OF allowing the elevated railroads
and surface railroads to run over the Bridge by
and with the consent Of the trustees. who repre-
sent the people of Brooklyn. Unless 1t can be
done In that way I am opposed to the bill. and
shall do all can to bring about Its defeat"
NOT EASY TO CARRY OUT THE PLAN.
Chief Engineer and Superintendent Martin. Of
the Bridge. was Ill yesterday. but gave to re-
porter his ideas in relation to the Page bill. He
said
The safety CT the trains upon the Bridge de-
pend. upon the regularity which they are run
and upon the distance from preceding and follow
ing trains That can only be accomplished by
having trains start sharply on schedule time. 1t
will be impossible for trains running into the sta
ton from the elevated roads to arrive and start
With any such regularity l can conceive of no
method by which the regularity OF trains can be
maintained except by being under immediate
control Of the Bridge officials. That Is, II one
half the trains are controlled by the trustees. and
he other half by the elevated roads. 1t will be I'M
possible for them to work with such regularity
- the trains are now run. 1t would be possible
Tor both surface and elevated cars to run on our
present tracks as close as they could get them TO-
eesher, but when they talk OF building super
structure. that is another question, and In my
judgment 1t would be unsafe. think 1t abso-
lutey impossible for both the surface and Gle
mted roads TO run over the Bridge with any
thing Ike the efficiency OF the present Bridge
railroad
In regard TO having the surface cars use the
roadway. will only say that the roadways are
seventeen feet wide, and the cars nine feet. whlch
would leave a balance OF eight feet for the vehi-
eiee We also have trucks eight feet wide cross
ing tne Bridge and they would take up all the
available space. and In case OF a break obstruct
Inc entre passageway Half Of the efficiency or
Inc roadway would be destroyed by this method.
mas been claimed that vehicles poud dart In and
W. between the cars. but this would be difficult
and dangerous
% lar as the safety OF the structure Is con-
.eineo. IL would be able to carry the weight OF
oo'n the surface and elevated cars. so long as
no additional superstructure is built.
understand that the elevated companies
I've pans prepared for making all necessary
~unections and that they have new method
propeling trains across the Bridge. but any
'a'osmation In regard to these plans has been
enormously kept quiet. There 10 no man who
"a say what the cost Of the extensions at TIL
~y and Centre sta. would be. 1t took US four
ssses TO get one bridge across Centre-st., and
We cost OF these new connections would I'M
eouotedly be enormous"