The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-12
WANT OTHER Mor11E POWER.
Street Railroad Men Go Bsrsre the srnrs rail-
road CouDlssfoaerA

HN@e Neo11t48AoaE1A
The State Board of Railroad Commissioners
gave hearings yesterday on applications to
change the motive power on the Second avenue
street railroad and the Forty-second street,
NanhattAnville, and st. Nicholas avenue road.
The former Is controlled by the Metropolitan
Street Railway Company. and the latter by the
Third Avenue Railroad Company. Consequent
ly. the legal representatives OF the contentious
companies were out in force. Elfhu Root. VII
liam T. Sheehan- and Henry E. Robinson ap-
peared for the Metropolitan. John II. Scribner
for the Second Avenue. and William q. Pase,
Jr--of Hoadly. Lauterbach & johnson for tho
Third Avenue.
The application Of the Second avenue road for
o change to the underground electric system
was taken up first. The only opposition came
from William G. Trull and John Harsen
Rhoades. who advocated municipal ownership
before the Board of Aldermen recently. MI.
Rhoades sent q letter saying that the improve
ment shouldn't be permitted unless the railroad
paid the city for permission to make iE. Mr..
Trun set NJ the same contention. and added
that he appeared for John A. Kelner. q property
owner at 4o4 Second avenue, who objected. He
said that the consents of . majority of property
owners. which the railroad claimed 20 have,
were based on the assessment OF 1895, and
there WIS nothing to show that they constituted
o majority OF property holders under this years
assessment. The force OF this argument vas
Commissioner Peter j. Kelly. who testified that
this years assessments were not yee fixed, but
Aldermen.
When Chairman Cole asked Mr.. Page If the
Mt. Page said sWeetiy: sSone at ali, Y wede-
sire to see rapid transit Improvements made
wherever possible; We own a block on Second
avenue. and would gladly give our consent as
property owners to Offset the objections Of Mr..
NJ. D. .usJol E-.-nlr.- M
which it Is proposed to make the change Is down
Second avenue from l25th street to Stuyveaant
place, to Aston paee, to Broadway
Mr.. Pages sop to the opposition was not ef-
fective In preventing trouble when the ~appica-
ton OF the Forty.second street. Manhattanvflle.
After a good deal OF pulling and hauling. It be-
came evident that the objection OF the Metro
politan was based largely on the fact that the
application Is for a change either to under
ground electricity or TO compressed air. The
Third avenue road has been experimenting with
compressed air on l25th street and has been
iealously watched bv the Metropolitan. Mr..
Roots chief contention was that six pieces Of
were not part of it's system. but belonged to the
Metropolitan and were used under agreements
had no right to give to one compsny per.
mission to Introduce a new motive power
on the t r. 6S,,. Of another Ts2fh tGt.r and I'd W. = Ety,i
by proposing that President Elias OF the Third
avenue road be called as a witness to the fact
Mr.. Page objected strenuously that opposing
counsel had no right to call his client, but the
Commissioners said It didn't matter whether
President Elias or President Vreeland OF the
Metropolitan gave the testimony. So a subpoena
was made out and handed to Mr.. Elias. who was
in the room. He identified. at Mr.. Roots in
stance. some Of the agreements under which his
road uses the MetropoHtan's tracks Others he
couldn't Identify. because they were made be-
tween the Metropolitan and the Forty-second
street road, before the latter was acquired by
the Third Avenue.
Mr.. Page replied to Mr.. Roots objection to
the compressed air clause by saying that IL his
road used electricity in passing over tracks OF
the Metropolitan. where electricity was used.
or might hereafter be used. his road might be
prosecuted for larceny OF the electric current.
and for that reason compressed air might be
found preferable.
The COMMISSIONER sat all day. and when they
adjourned they had about a trunkful OF argu-
on wbSt thsx 1870 q whp, ,bbsy ost hacr 81
ALBANY.