The sun., 1899-05-22
APPEAL OF THE R. T. BOARD.
ASKS TlMMANY TO POsTP ONE BRIDGES
AND DIG TIE TUNNEL.
1t Must Bo Built by the City If Built ,

1t Must BE Built by the City II Built at
All, Say tho Commissioners, and They
Are of tho Opinion That the City Can
Lawfully Raise tho Money to Pay for 1t.
The letter which the Board OF Rapid Transit
Commissioners sent to Mayor Van Wyck on
Saturday was given to the press yesterday for
publication. The letter opens with descrip-
ton OF the routes selected by the Commission
ers for which plans have been prepared. The
Commissioners give the history Of these routes
as follows:
These routes and the plan OF construction OF
the railroad were prescribed by this board on
Feb. 4. 1897. They were approved by the
Mayor and Common Council on March %. 1897.
by the Park Department on April II. 1897. and
by the Commissioner for the Twenty third and
Twenty-fourth wards on April 10. 1897. Later.
and after prolonged litigation. they were ap-
proved by the Appellate Division by its order
made on April g. 1893. The routes and plans
have. apart from such official and judicial
adoption. received general and practically
unanimous public approval In the proposal
recently made by the Metropolitan Street Rail-
way Company they were adopted almost In
their entirety as practically the best routes and
plan which. in the judgment Of that company.
were available even II construction were to be
by private capital"
The board says that the form OF contract
was prepared and submitted to Corporation
Counsel Whaen on April Z. 1893. and that no
communication from him in regard to 1t has
been received in return. Speaking OF the
efforts to have the law amended so as to allow
construction by private capital. the board says
that its bill was materially and even serious
ly amended. and in it's present form It has not
been accepted by the city" Then the board
says
The result is that the rapid transit road
must be built by the city il it is to be built at
all. The so-called tunnel act. even as recently
amended. is plainly Intellectual for the pur-
pose. for several sufficient reasons. and among
others. that any complete rapid transit road
must necessarily emerge to the surface at sew;
eral points in the boroughs OF Manhattan and
the Bronx, and be built as yiaduct."
out the aid Of Tammany. in this paragraph:
The present rapid transit law. although In
nevertheless entirely adequate for municipal
construction. provided the municipal authors
ties, will cooperate with this. board. In pre-
necessary official and judicial approvais and
in preparing the proposed contract for the con;
has done all within its power. 1t cannot move
further until the corporatiPn, Counsel shall
Tf s the form on Tie d
board in what respect the contract should be
amended in order that it may secure his ap-
The contract, the board says. was drawn
after consolidation. and its provisions are such
the tunnel without exceeding the debt limit
The Gommissioners say that they are in
theT ss IN 6e F s
cient TO protect the city. but il they do not sat
isfy the CORPORATION Counsel the board is
new assessment. the letter continues
II is hoped that the constitutional amend
Der will still further reduce, the existing city
debt so as to make the debt limit no longer an
obstruction to rapid transit or to any other
amendment shall be adopted or not. and what
eyer may be its effect IL adopted. 1t seems to be
us by the COMPTROLLER. that the new assess
me- msnt With the daHn Iargs annual Ia nSGme now SIN
ena BILE the city to construct the rapid transit
road without interfering with any other neces-
The board urges. the Mayor not to let any
other public work take precedence Of the hole
in the ground, as no other has the SANG;
tlon OF "a bp2hpnIar thl vote. Ihe appeal Tor aid
-" In conclusion the board begs to repeat that
was created now depends practically. hrst.
upon the permission of the Corporation Coun-
se t9 MAKE % is sny r. and seG0nd the
ment of the making OF other contracts involv-
ing large municipal debt until rapid transit
board. therefore. respectfully asks your Honor.
| and through you the other municipal authori-
| ties. whether in these two respects. it may be
| aided to secure prompt and actual construc-
! tion Of the rapid transit road by the city
The letter IS signed BY John H. Starin. the
| acting President of the Commissioners. The
board hopes to find out by means of this letter
exactly what the attitude Of the. -Tammany
| adm instration toward it is Mayor Van
| Wyck said on Friday that the tunnel would be
| begun before his term OF office expired. He
| has, however. recommended that two new
bridges be built across the East River. and the
preliminary surveys for these are now under
| way, The Commissioners hope to get tunne
| bonds issued before the bonds for these bridges
| are sold.