The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-06
WORK ON THE BIG BRIDGE.
rHE TEARING UP OF THE VIEW ToRK
Terminal AT HAND.

York terminal of tho Brooklyn Bridge, begin
tearing great holes in the sides OF the building.
cutting through the foorways, taking away the
mems and women's waiting rooms, putting In
scaholding, dragging about great Iron beams,
and making life generally disagreeable for the
persons who arc obliged to use that great thor
oughfaro between tho two bigger parts Of tho
Creator New York. There will be the banging
Of slodge hammers. tho rattle OF r~iveting, the
shouting Of workmen, and all the other multi
tudinous noises made by engineers, house
smiths. mnsons. and carpenters.
Out on the roadways there will be another set
Of diBturbers ripping up the plankinE. saving,
pounding, and finally getting into place double
lines Of steel rails on each side Of the bridge.
connecting with tho lines Of rails which are
already in place amid the paving blocks of the
bridge approaches as far as the riverward edges
Of the masonry anchoragcs in each city. Like
the visitations Of Providence. all tho troubles
which these doings will cause are for the peo-
ple's own good, and when the work ia completed
the Bridge Trustees and the trolley car officials
believo that another great step forward will
have been made toward the completion Of the
union between the people Of the two islands.
Probably the nrst lot of workmen will hardly
rot cut of the way and the business Of tho
hridro bo again In smooth running order, with
ere trolley oars to Brooklyn added to the pres
ont facilities for traffic, before q now and bigger
army of workmen will appear to make more
havoc. They In turn will disappear, leaving
behind them all tho arrangements for bringing
ahs cars of the four Brooklyn elevated roads to
ths New York terminal What may happen to
the bridge after all of these changes are finished
no man can foresee. 1t 10 still possible
that time and experience may bring forth new
schemes for making the Brooklyn Bridge of
more service to the people and that more
one now associated with tho bridge manage
ment can foresee. however, the changes now
Init Of usefulness unless there should come
about q consolidation of interests between the
York and Brooklyn. In that event moro changes
WOULD be needed.
lng the Brooklyn trolley cars cross the bridge.
When tho contracts were signed between tho
Ssss, about q month ago. the trolley car people
promised Mayor Strong that he should havea
completed route on Jan. i or sooner. It seems
likely that they will keep their word, although
S1hSey have more ,o time under nd TT the rs.S sSn ,tToG :;
Shedr, promise, so far as the bridge trsvei,ers
On the paved approaches. When these rails
reached the foored portion of the bridge-the
suspended structure-work ceased. The cessR-
ton was duo to a lack OF suitable rails for tho
peIt portion Of the route. The new rails are
viii be put in place. These rails will have tops
Which Inc are rppiG laid '1 GENERALLY sy' strest-car co On.
panies. The broad. fat topped head. whore the
almost even with the surface of the planking.
and the groove for the wheel hapEes will not
e De T Siesei enough n &c inf sha w S5de ''F pissf:
ing Of the bridge and supporting It are sets
of S9o.l lSesIssdip panni EirdeT from %h iSns, rest st tS TS,a
and hangins from the big cables. The new
thicker than the %plankinR to rise n trife clear OF
g. Other speciaI. track work now being mede
isf sac T.. %, curves rna Of efp the road % " Where tssat The any fra eis
90 down in Brooklyn, on the south roadway,
getting yS' permission from the Bridge trustees
to carry the tracks across the plaza and
leave the bridge IN Brooklyn. viii swing to the
again to go directly up Fulton street, but some
which use the Washington street route to the
block to the westward and then cross under the
bridge before they can start facing for their des-
Possibly some of the cars which now run to
and from Fulton ferry will be taken of Fulton
street eventually for a way and run through
~ Iy S9iS. linz Hso & street I'll; ears .sn gh sen. nov .; +, goes s. to
over to this city under the new arrangement.
When It Is decided Just how all these are to get
away from the single track, which will take
these connections will be made and put into
All of this work. however. is inferior in i'm
the bridge. 1t can be done while tho work at
ress. Here the single track which is to carry
tho cars over and back on the r~oadways win
loops will break through both sides Of the ter
minal building TO DO let into the sta
let ssA' long, es. viii ii be- cut in Sa each ''f sids
& s P1s station in up sa tG ' Of n tSess Of sl tas f tSsr sa s. e
FOUR steel columns which support the sides of
f soor 9pi aad fha p9 ao6t Of B ses we lEese OF aoi 1hs up GsS
be removed tho workmen must support this
sgperstructgre with snoring, and finally put in
ne central staiEEway Of tic station i to DO
women's waiting rooms now stand, and these
rooms must DO moved further back in tho sta
sOfners and these viii take up 20 much rom
that the outer boundaries OF the roadways are
70 be extended. the one south and the other
The main part Of this work has been let to tho
calls for its completion by Doc. 8. The company
has promised that the work shall be ready by
and when they reach the bridge each SI piece viii
y attsd and G ready y to to put Il into place; ,,u,o,.
length OF the bridge to carry the trolley wires,
iced wires TO supply the current, and m elabo.
Ects isn ss 3Sfi Ing 6 switch tic h system &, to b estab,
entry Of the cars upon the loops and the tine
and manner Of their leaving. the loops for the
Ybe 81 W hH al thhb oIh Will CObL
about 5000. 900. When II is done there will be
AA4pdless belt of trolley cars running over the
bridge day and night. coming steadily In from
Brooklyn, stopping a moment, and then going
- steadily back. In tho morning hours these
oars will DISCO! 60 their thousands 10 swell the
thronR OF business seekers, and at night swallow
them up Az In. The procession will move at the
Sato Of seven miles an hour. and although the
regulations ~ require that the cars must he
kept at least 102 feet apart, lew persons will
realize offhand what an enormous addition the
trolley cars will make to the facilities for cross.
ing the bridge. Every mile OF the procession,
with tho spacing stated, will contain fifty cars,
and In an hour $50 cars will arrive at and leave
the Dew York station.
Probably only the big trolley cars will be used
eprtng rush hours. and each Of these will carry
eighty persons. This. would mean an additional
carrying capacity OF 90. 900 persons an hour,
almost e2ualllne the utmost capacity of the
bridge railroad. With trains run at one-minute
intervals. which superintendent Martin dc,
olares Is the utmost number which can DO run.
there would be sixty trains an hour, with a car.
ryinR capacity II 10000 persons an hour. It ID
perhaps not possible to run the trolley cars
with such regularity as to insure the
highest cnrrying capacity. but IL only forIl