The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1898-02-03
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
Gotham tho Future City of Bridges.
Rapid Transit by Electricity.
Columbia's Latest Move.
Especial Correspondence

If tho plans of several of tho men who
were largely instrumental in making
the Greater New York IN accomplished
fact should be carried out the nations
metropolis will within few years como
to be known as the "City of Bridges"
1t is the ambition of these gentlemen to
connect the island of Manhattan with
the other boroughs by means OF bridges
mt every point suggested by convenience,
SO that one may live i'll any portion of
the greater city and get to any other
portion without once getting on to u
ferryboat. Besides the big bridge there
is another which is to connect the east
ern district Of Brooklyn, better known
as williamsburg, with the central bor-
ough. This one is already well under
way.
Then there is the New Jersey bridge
and the ono still on paper which is to
stretch across tho river to Long Island
City. Besides, there is also plan OH
foot to build bridge between New
York and Brooklyn for the exclusive use
of trains, wagons and bicycles, and there
arc others, or, rather, there will be 9TH
ers if the plans should not miscarry.
Tho argument used is that no matter
how much Legislation you may have on
the subject lere never will be n greater
city which Will be generally regarded
as ono municipality until every section
is connected with every other by bridges
which, it is further urged shall be free
to vehicles rs well as foot passengers.
Rapid Transit Still Far Away.
New Workers are peculiar lot. We
arc constantly complaining of the funer-
al pace at which the Broadway cable
cars arc run and at the same time also
kick because these same cars will not
slow down or, if necessary, come to IL
full stop whenever one Of us happens to
heave in sight AS there are usually
large number of "us' on Broadway, it
will be readily understood that if this
latter plan were followed the cable cars
would, figuratively speaking, be lying
at anchor during tho greater portion of
the day. The remedy at first blush
would appear to be to ride OH the ele-
waited trains, but the remedy is so much
worse than the disease that most per
sons prefer the latser.
Rapid transit IS us far away now as
1t was ten years ago, and no one be-
heves that we shall have it within the
next double decade except few news
paper editors who have so long asserted
that twas close ut hand that they have
at last begun to believe that they are in
earnest when they babblo sweetly about
the approaching transit millennium.
Still it is likely that the facilities for
getting about this elongated city will
be materially improved shortly.
The Use of Electrical Propulsion.
This is to lie accomplished through
tho medium of electrical propulsion.
which has proved eminently successful
on the surface roads where the Buda-
pest underground system has been used,
and tho elevated lines, despite all ru-
mors to the contrary, it may be stated,
are also about to try electricity. They
will use the third rail, which among
other advantages will enable trains to
be started and stopped moro quickly
than ut present. Then there will he no
dust, and, last. but by no means least,
i'll the eyes Of Russell Sage the new sys-
tenn Will cost less than steam propulsion.
Columbia and the Teachers College.
The council of Columbia university
recently took final action III the matter
OF incorporating the Teachers college
as part of tho university. 1t was de-
cided some weeks ago that the plan
should be adopted, but it was not until
the other day that the consolidation
was made public.
Consolidation is the natural result Of
the relations which have existed be-
tween the two institutions since Feb. |,
1898, when an alliance was formed for
educational work. The step is in ac-
cordanco with suggestion mado by
President Seth Low and is i'll line with
his avowed determination to extend the
work Of Columbia.
BY the terms of consolidation Prcsi-
dent Low will be ex-officio president Of
tho Teachers college, while tho occu-
pants of tho chairs Of philosophy, psy-
cholOgy and education in tho university
become members Of the faculty of the
college. Tho Teachers college will DO
represented III the university council by
its dean and one other elected by the
faculty This gives tho college the rank
of Il university department, as are the
schools of law, engineering and mcdl-
cine. The trustees of the college arc
continued rs IN independent board and
are responsible for its financial admiuis-
tratiOn.
President Low expressed the opinion
that this action was tho most important
step taken for the teaching profession
i'll many years. The Teachers college
was founded III 1887 and was practical
ly the continuation of the old Industrial
Educational association. III 1898 the
college moved to It's present quarters on