New-York tribune., 1897-08-11
TIE RAPID TRiNSIT PLAN.
PRESIDENT ORR TELLS WHY THE COMMISSION
ADOPTED THE PRESENT ONE.

PRESIDENT ORR TELLS WHY THE COMMISSION
ADOPTED THE PRESENT ONE
The Supreme Courts special commission to in
quire into the building Of an underground railroad
planned by the Rapid Transit Road continued It's
Investigation yesterday at No. 256 Broadway. Will
lam Barclay Parsons chief engineer of the Rapid
Transit Commission. testified regarding the build
ing of the underground road in other places. and
then President Orr, OF the Rapid Transit Board.
who the stand onday. recalled.
Mr.. Boardman. the Commissions counsel asked
Mr.. Orr what induced his Commission to adopt the
route and system finally proposed. The witnesss
reply was briefly follows:
o. Because the proposed road would be we'll
balanced one. having two two-track lines and one
four-track line. fairly covering the city from
City Hall to the extreme end OF the city; 90 the
route is free from difficulty OF construction and
its cost readily determnabe: 49, its location will
be central ana near lines Of travel. 1t would be a
system that could be extended at any time without
interfering with the operation Of the trains. The
Commission believed that the citizens would In the
future demand lines. For instance. a line
could be extended down Broadway from Forty-sec-
ond-st to Fourteenth-st. Another could be
tinued from Fortysecond-st up the East Side to the
Harlem and lines running into the Jerome Valley
could be easily extended
In answer to a question by Mr.. Boardman, Mr. Orr
said that he considered that the Broadway route
would have been the best. not only because IT
cause it had better commercial value. But the
Elm-s route under the circumstances was the
best
In Mondays hearing Mr.. Orr had spoken about
man who was opposing the plan at present
who had been before the Board before. represent
ing another client. asking for the road TO be carried
down Broadway. Mr. Zabrskie, counsel for the
opposition asked Mr.. Orr about the declaration the
Commission had made In 1926 that the upper Broad
way route was absolutely essential. while he now
believed that the Elm-st route. as proposed, was
the best route under the circumstances. Mr.. orr
been taken into consideration at both times and
while the financial conditions then made the Elm
81. route impossible. financial conditions are
changed now and that at that time the Commits
sumo all the cost Of the Elm-st. widening and be
delayed for years, which was not so now. But Mr.
Zabriskie wanted to know If the Commission had
not been mistaken. 'Wel. | might ask if. in your
change your mind" replied Mr.. Orr. and there was
a laugh at the lawyers expense ,
In answer to further questioning MI orr sald
that the Commission had asked and received sug-
gestions from the builders OF the Baltimore under
ground road. Mcdonald and briggs. and from other
bidders whom he would rather not name.
Have you anything in the nature OF a delnlte
propostion to build the road?" asked Mr.. Xabriskie.
MIR Orr replied that there had been no definite
propositons. but that there had been inquiries which
showed the Commission that responsible persons
were Interested In the project.
In speaking of the road an investment Mr.. orr
holding the franchise and become a very valuable
asset for the city He said that when the elevated
road was first built there was general impression
that il would not pay. He himself bought S2s.o)
worth Of stock more for philanthropc reasons than
any other But II the best-paying pnilan-
thropy INDUCED in" he added.