The sun., 1897-07-06
ANYWHERE FOR A NICKEL.
THF FACILITY OF TRATEL OVER
~BRoOKLYN,S WEB OF ROADS

A eysteua which Maa won the Brooklyn Heart
-Enorunous Increase OF Travel Tor Non-
Businesa Purposes Caused by Freo Traus-
rsrs rroua One Line OF Cars 90 Another.
Tho now policy Of the trolley roads in Brook
iyn inaugurated since tho famous strike OF jan
uary, 1885, In having It's effect and 1t may DO
paid to-day that Il has won the affections OF
the people across tho bridge, and that Brooklyn
has beon mado peaceful and willing captive.
Only those who have closely watched the grow
ing popularity of tho surface roads there can
fully appreciate to what oXtent the trolley
habit has taken n hold. Day and night tho
trolley cars go about the City Of Churches In pro-
cessions over hundreds Of milos OF streets,
crowded to over6owing OF timos, and almost
always we'll filed, whilc tho elevated trains go
about neglected and apparently forsworn.
Tho trolley cars are used for both business and
pleasure, and pleasure riding Is by no means o
small part of their patronage. Tint such re-
suits should have been accomplished by
change In tho policy of tho roads is tho moro
wonderful whom ono recalls the disfavor In
which those surface roads were held by o largo
part Of tho people for months after tho great
strike Whatever tho real merits Of this con-
troversy were It was tho fact that the people
blamed tho managoments, and thousands OF
persons who had before that time used the troll
Icy cars a matter Of course went out OF their
way thereafter to avoid them, and used tho
elevated roads instead. Tho receipts OF tho
trolley roads fell OF until tho most important
lines In tho city were bankrupt or nearly sc.
while the elevated roads felt IL tho long
looked for boom had como for them, and as one
evidence OF their good feeling, gave bonus In
pay to their employees, who had been hard
worked in handling tho enormously increased
traffic
Things looked very blue for tho trolley roads.
But now this is all changed, and tho people have
been 90 won over by different treatment that
almost overy body inBrooklyn is swearing by the
electric roads while tho elevated roads gobegging
for business. Thore wero persons, too. who
wero well versed in tho effect of railroad policies
who declared that tho same methods which Of
fended the travelling public and brought about
tho big strike were responsible in largo measure
for the deplorable loss Of life and limb that
marked the history Of tho trolley roads In Brook
lyn about that time. and these people say that
tho abatement of such disasters since then 10
another Of tho results Of different manage
mont II this be true, then there is good reason
TO congratulate Brooklyn upon the change, and
there In no wonder that the pleasure parties
which 60 travelling about night after night In
brilliantly Illuminated special cars, singing and
making merry until the small hours Of the
morning, carry with them light hearts.
Wherever tho change originated, it Is Q welcome
one. and Brooklyn appreciates it
Perhaps tho greatest change in tho attitude
of tho Brooklyn people toward its surface rail-
roads has been produced by the adoption Of q
general transfer system by the biggest Of tho
railroad combinations in Brooklyn, tho Brook
lyn Rapid Transit Company, which controls and
operates the old systems of the Brooklyn Heights
County and Suburban Railroad Company, and
q H. NN 1rrNnn in
respect Of tho other great factor in her internal
traffic, tho Nassau Electric Company.
srpon With fsos amcss as s
thoae OF o labyrinth, and looking over map OF
one TSds how % an old
to, and 1t seems wonder even that the motor;
men do not get lost as new policemen are said
These lines all concentrate about Fulton street
and tho bridge entrance, and from there they
passed within easy walking distance Of al
most eyery house In Brooklyn and Williams
burg. Then they shoot out to suburban towns
and summer resorts on every side OF greater
In this reaching out in all directions. some of
the lines follow direct routes which were formed
tie villages which have cemented themselves
ate as9x
across and across P S each other. Lookiihng ling again ain
Is NO part Of tho big territory which one cannot
readily roach by them, but while each separate
By itself,it was often an expensive and annoying
operation to accomplish this. UP to the time
was probably no city In this country which was
less inviting than Brooklyn If one. regarded In
esops IN and Se
could not tell one how to get from one part Of
b.9okyn to sIother Each , & portion ii of the
ity. New Workers who lived there knew how
e, get to their houses from the ferries or
except that they all knew the proper routes
to take for Coney Island.
The transfer system has brought about won
found BY the thousands now who can find their
way in the cars to any part of their city and it s
asserted that social Intercourse has increased
wonderfully within q year or two. 1t is u fact
that the figures Of the railroad companies show
than business now makes up a very material
part of the receipts OF the trolley roads. Brook
lyr has system and mileage , Of trolley oil roads
To give an accurate idea Of its eccentricties
would be impossible, except by map and long
Tho larger Of tho systcms which make up the
tory also. is that Of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit
Company. Fulton street is It's trunk line, and
IT, main out From hs5e t Fort
Feeders from ALMOST every ferry between Long
East River to take the traffic to and from New
York. The network of lines which cover the
triangular section included between Fulton
Ferry. GreenpSints and Eversreens Cemetery
In length, tho lines of railroad cross each other
or make functions at something like 125 places,
and they 80 criss-cross the territory that there
are moro than eighty spaces which are en-.
tirely inclosed with railroad tracks. Those in
closed spaces contain anywhere from a single
block TO 80 or 100 blocks, and they are Of many
forms, but there Is no part Of the whole terri
tory whore ono cannot ride on tho cars of this
single system to within four or FIVE blocks OF
any given house, and a largo percentage Of the
houses have q track in front Of their doors.
To mako 1t possible for a passenger to reach
any part Of the territory Comprised between the
East River, Jamaica, Canarsie, and Ulmer
Park and Fort Hamilton. all for q single 5-cent
fare, was the purpose of the Brooklyn Rapid
Transit Company when 1t Instituted its gen.
sral system OF transfers about year ago.
These transfers arc issued at 80 many points OF
crossing and with such free hand that It is not
only possible for passenger to ride from Ulmer
IL 10 also possible for him to rido round and
round In tho crowded triangular district al
ready mentioned, and In fact the management
lay he might ride for ever and ever for ono fare
II he chose.
"We don't furnish meals, or clothes, or
burial" ono of the officers said yesterday in