New-York tribune., 1897-08-10
INQUIRY As TO RAPID TRANSIT.

THE SUPREME COURTS NEW COMMISSION Bh"iNS
ITS WORK
The first meeting of the new Commission recently
appo;n,ed hv the Supreme Court 10 determine
whether or not the rapid transit road az planned .!
the Rapid Transi: Commission should be carried out
was held In the room of the Commssion a; No 30
Broadway yesterday morning. Arthur ID. Williams
John Sabine Smith and g. w. Young. the specih
commissioners we're present President Alexander
f. Orr Of the Rapid Transi: Commission, secretary
Delafeld ard Engineer W. B. Parsons were ;A're ID
represent the Commission. with Mr.. Boartman o.
the Commissions counsel. James l.. Wells, repre-
senting the North Side Beard OF Trade an the Tax
payers Alliance Of the Twonty-third and Twenty
fourth wards. appeared to favor the present plans
EX-Juice l.. c. Dessar. Maston & N!chcls. Ccphas
Brainerj Colonel Franklin Bartlett and George IA
briskie OF BurrII. Zabriskie q Burr. with rum
Der OF other lawyers appeared on behalf Of prop
erty-owners along the proposed route to oppose the
building according to present plans.
The purpose of the Special Commission j. TO &C.
termine whether the road should be built notwith-
standing the opposition Of proper;y-owncrs and the
lack OF consents. If the Commission reports favor
ably 10 the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court
the business OF awarding the franchise for me ROAD
condemnng of property. etc. VIII begin a; once
Mr. BOarjman opened the session with org ex-
planation of the reason for the Commissions ask
ing for a reference to the supreme Court and his
'Vss secTe,ary Ge peaed was cnied a. the s witness
for the old Commission. lie was sworn and told the
details Of the appolnment Of the q oid M CoimSghion lho
called 10 testify. He said that the present RAPID
Transit Commission had been called into existence
after the older Commission had failed 10 get rapid
transit because the peope were determined to nave
faster transportation facilities The plan Of gettins
capital take hold Of rapid transit had failed NJ
Hewitt. when he came into the Board got ne com
mission 10 favor and finally adopt pan Involving
municipal ownership Of the whole road excepting
CHAIRMAN Williams asked Mr.. Orr II the Commls:
sion had taken into consideraton plan OF RAPID
IL had But the elevated roads had asked too much.
Mr. Gould. he said had told the president Of the
pay half the cost OF building spur to It's ferry, that
the Rapid Transit Commissioners opposed every i'm
provemen on the elevated road. This was not true.
Mr. Orr said The Commission had wanted the ele-
waited roads to give rapid transit but the company
had demanded things that tho commission could
not grant.
to curtail the facilities OF the existing roads in or
der to get a bidder but that they should be permit
ted TO make all improvements In the way OF rapid
transit and In fact be considered part Of rapid
transit system.
In regard to the rejection of the Elm-s route.
Mr. Orr said that the Commission had believed that
compelled to assume all the cost Of the widening.
and perhaps wait years for legal proceedings TO end
The commercial value of Broadway route. 100.
was calculated be much more attractive for bid
ders that the Commission thought It the best route
In connection with this. Mr.. Orr said that he bad
no doubt that If the road had been built along
Elm-st the advantages would have been 80 great
that Broadway property-owners would have been
asking for q second road down Broadway within a
few years. There was general smie at this. and
Mr. orr said, to prove his assertion, that when the
TO the Battery the Mayor, who was on the Com
mission would not consent TO route along lower
Broadway unless the property-owners asked for 1t
down on their knees"
The hearing viii oe continued to-day.