New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-08-04
KRLnGE MLNNANAGLNENT.


new turn is now given TO the question OF
the management. or acknowledgement, OF Inc
Brooklyn Bridge by the corporations to which
that great public work has been surrendered
Hitherto the convenience and comfort OF ihe
public have been chiefly concerned. Now the
~ fety of the Bridge structure Itself is at stake
We do not say that the Bridge Is now in an
unsafe condition. 1t IS not. But it Is to be
said deliberately and adviSedly that conditions
lave boon prevailing upon the Bridge which, II
continued would not merely menace It's safety,
hut would almost certainly wreck and destroy
IT, That is the simple truth evinccd by the
occurrence of Friday last. when several OF the
girdcrs hucklcd and all hut broke, and the
roadway Of the Bridge sagged in an alarming
manner Officers of tho interested corporations
make li-h, of ii as unusual thing. Bridge
engineers regard 1t far more seriously ana
comrlon-sense tells everybody that II some or
the rirders bend or breal, every day or two the
structure is being misused and Will In time DE
ruined.
There is no mystery as to the cause OF the
trouble. The Bridge was overloaded with uol-
ley-cars There was an ALMOST continuous inc
of those vehicles themselves very hcaVy anu
all crowded with passengers. from END 10 emu
of the Bridge and the weight was more IMAM
the Orders should support. Attempts TO dehy
this are worse than futile The president OF the
brooklyn Heights Railroad Company says tha1
the rule requiring the troley-cars 10 keep al
least 102 feet apart Is strictly enforced POSI-
bly, It u.s. now; and has been since tnat acct
dent But Mr. Rossier will scarcely contend
that It was enforced on Friday last, or had been
for weeks before that day. He knows. or GER
talnly should know what every ohServan,
patron Of the Bridge knows, that down TO tha'
date it had been the practice to run the cars
close together with only a few feet, perhaps
ONLY few inches. between them. The spec
tacle was daily presented Of the main span OF
,he Bridge filled from end to end with crowded
cars, on the average not half n cars length
apart. That was, On the face Of II. n nagrant
violation Of the agreement under which tho
trolley lines were extended across the Bridge.
II is now evident that II was equally n viola
ton Of the rules Of safety Of the Bridge Itself.
Now. It IS understood, the 1o2 feet rule Is 10
be enforced. and a new schedule is consequently
In be adopted under which fewer cars than
hitherto will be run across the Bridge. Tint
will mean Of course still worse crowdng at
this end OF the Bridge during rush hours; II
Of violence TO which patrons of the fEiAgc hnve
long been accustomed. That Will be deplorable.
but for It the trolley companies are not prop
erly 10 br blamed. Mr.. Rossitcr, the head Of
the largest OF those companies and the spokcs-
man Of them all. Is undoubtedly trying 10 give
the city the bcs; possible streeicar service. But
the capacity Of the Bridge for carrying trolley
cars Is limited, and when the limit il reached
A. Ia 1b'feheA Tho
blame for lack OF accommodations must be
placed elsewhere Nor Is il difficult 10 deter
mine where It should he placed single
glance nj the manner in which tho Bridge rail-
road has been diverted from its proper use. and
It's carrying capacity reduced ia ample TO ex-
plain the whole matter
The fact IL, the Bridge Is being put TO uses
for which II was never intended and such mis-
use inevitably causes trouble and invites dis
aster. II was never intended that trolley cars
should 10 run on the Bridge. and they should
never have been admitted to II. but the road
ways should have been strictly reserved for
ordinary vehicles. II was never intended that
general railroad trains should be run across the
Bridge but merely the special shuttle trains
OF the BRIDGES own railroad; and the trains OF
the elevated roads should never have been ad-
mitted 10 H. That Is the true theory. and II Is
amply confirmed in practice. For whereas be-
fore the trolley and elevated cars were admitted
to the Bridge transit was effected speedily,
safely and without crowdng. now, with them
all on the Bridge, transit is slow md uncer-
tain the cr0wding IS scandalousy brutal. and
the safety Of limb and life and Of the Bridge
structure Is impcrllcd. In brief, the trolley and
elevated lines put together are not giving any
thing Ike as good service rs the Bridge cars
alone did fow months ago That is the cold,
concrete truth, which every habtual patron Of
the Bridge knows perfectly well. The only
question Is, What are you going to do about
itT'