New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-02-24
RAILROADS IN OUR PARKS.

| II was grave mistake to give any part or the
| Battery Park to the elevated roads Not root
of park land should ever have been surrendered
to the Manhattan Company. That corporation
should have been compelled to buy from private
owners all the land which 1t needed at the lower
end of Manhattan Island. Intelligent New York
ers have never ceased to regret that the beauti-
full Battery Park has been dlsfgured and de-
faced by the ugly and uncouth structures over
which the noisy, fussy, putting and snorting
| little locomotive engines are continually passing.
| Battery Park has been seriously damaged by the
| ravages Of the Manhattan Company. With so
| conspicuous an example Of the unwisdom OF per-
hitting transportation lines to ruin park spaces,
no city officials ought to think for moment Of
allowing the Metropolitan Traction Company TO
get possession of any part Of the Union Square
Park
| The people Of New-York made up their minds
when they saw how much mischief had been
| done by the elevated lines at the Battery that
| no more park area should be sacrificed to cor
| poratlons. Only n few years ago the Manhat-
tan managers begged for more space at the Bat
terry. If they could get only little more Of the
| park they promised that the elevated service
should be immensely improved, that more trains
should be run and faster trains, and that the
public convenience should be served generously
and amply But our citizens had learned les
son. and the protest against turning over any
more park area to the Manhattan, even foot Of
It. was so earnest and so general that the scheme
Of encroachment was defeated decisivey
The Metropolitan and Third Avenue COM
panies are asking the city to grant them rich
and important privileges in addition to those
which they already enjoy. These companies
frnr
their use Of many of the finest avenues and
streets. They have not treated the public fair
", and they have not made any adequate re-
turns to the municipal treasury for the extreme
" valuable privileges which have been granted
to them. 1t Is clearly IN the public interest that
no park space not an inch even, shall be turned
over to any one Of these companies. Not one
Of them deserves any favors from the Legis-
| lature or from the city authorities. Every one
of them has not only fallen far short Of its plain
duty to the public but every one Of them has
treated the public and the city with insolent
disregard both Of private and public rights.
Every one of them has grabbed all that it could
grab, and given little as It could give to the
public and the city in return. All of them should
| be compelled hereafter to pay roundly to the
city for any extensions, and in no circumstances
should any one Of them be permitted to get hold
Of park space Of any kind in any place. The
Metropolitan Traction Company intends to tear
I'D many of the principal avenues and streets at
an early day. This company has already in
ficted grievous discomforts and even actual suf-
ferlngs upon armies Of unfortunate passengers.
1t should be compelled by the harshest measures
to improve It's service in many ways, and 1t
should be forced to buy private property in order
to straighten its Broadway line at Union Square.
Too much has been sacrificed already to the "a
pacity Of the Manhattan and Of the cable com
panes They must be kept within bounds here
| oftar