The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-26
ERIDGES IND IUNNKLs.
A Card From the Representative OF tho
Rainey bridge FTanchise.

M m a haf. gWfAF IN
rata ,ns."sSn, .iIn W :, toa, ,hinos IN,
$50 a. .s.', ~ '''''' Nv, ,,io "
nj so.Ss,as. '"o puulI i. =. = toy a, IN,
rooro hia,ont s,,,.s." 800 ,hs oneen
/ horo,,rh ,,,hI,o s''e,. a. ,ost ,wo ar ,bre
80 s. H. .,,.; aas 'is..oo 49, 80 roisle,
,ho Navor ~ Nav, ~ vi ~ - onn,roit him :,
~ a,.ssn., .''n ioin % .Ita hr,doo not,
~. 49, .a, Nv ,.taa arotbo,
! h,,aaa All. a,,hoa ~, 49, All odeoua,,
90 ali n,,hi,s .as,' -. 4. = roori,or,ou,
nr,,n,o an,arnriso 80 VI" .'hi", hos oYnended u,
r,nnov ,raoIv t. ,.n,''a. y. hair Tho noorlo a
onaons ond ~, 49, sral,v
Tha painov nhar,os ,,as MID for ,h,,toer
49, h., vents. s.., a,, b,0 ,,,an5s
years Wy "H''a'h otein"ay an" MS i'e""'
some twenty-five gentlemen. who spent II
fruitless attempts to get capital about s35.0o0
itnen nuncnaseu tne chartcF ana plo'eo''u y
until 1893 when gave Mr.. Corbin nm option
on II for raising the money and building the
hr,dno No sa,,,roa en-. -, ,,a,,,n,Io aasto,
bridge no secured the very vaIuahle "ss's
tance OF Mr. Charles NJ Pratt. The wo X com
menced and proeressad rupidly until IL wa4
ohontoj 10, in;,no,io,s o,,,i a,har ,a,,, ,raoood.
e''ecNeu wy ln,une',9n" anu o'he, Jaw ps'eeeu'
A large amount O. land for right OF way was
,,,rohasod tue ,r,ni,a No.. TO- n tour',roct
Purchaseh TWO t,ahi'e piers Ior Iour-' ',,.
railway bridge OF great strength were built
and finished and n third pier was balf bull,
and ,ho vel, bad nro,rnasad 40 ,ar ,hot ,bo
bridge could DO easily completed in eighteen
months
After castine around for the mes,s a, com.
pleting the structure we returned from Mon
tauk Point ut the close o, the war in Septen-
81 ~, : ~ V y, ~ 80.
ger WIN all OF the capital pIedged ana ready 10
go ahead again with the work.
Then came another shock. Mayor Van wyck
"a ,.o,. -. -. g.. ....,,.ao A
Feturheu from Long isldnu aHu announced
that tho city would at once build two new
pubic ana: naturally, free bridges one west OF
'ne navy iaru' one across bIacEwei island
This was indeed damrer. as any bridge
strov ours y nrivate and nro,dnS onte-nr,se
o 49, 49, oa,t,ar 800 a Tn'a 800 ,na. !.
great injustice. great outrage: and al
fear or hesitate. yet capital always tiinid, did
OF the scheme elected to await Developments.
IL may be. too. that the worthy Mayor wished
harm was done.
The one large;minded and generous man
who had alone led the movement for the capi-
tai was abandoned by his associates. who
were SIN frightened ny tho menace OF the
Mayors move. and disheartened: This move
tion OF private rights and in violation OF public
policy, but has actually retarded and will re-
tard the bridge which would be today within,
course: very reGrettahle.
] had shown my devotion 70 this great inter-
SAINT. unselfsh labor and toll and in the
expenditure OF over three hundred thousand
dollars in cash. money for which had labored
all my mans life
During that long time had several offers to
buy my charter. some In the interest Of ferries.
some OF tunnels. some for reckless speculation :
but all for the purpose OF killing It. and l. prob
ably unwisey refused them all. as / held IL
as a sacred trust Tor the people OF Long Island
Mr.. Corbin. finally ahandon his m Misguided
and long cherished scheme OF a tunnel. which
he became convinced would not suit or satisfy
the public. made me the proposal noticed and
made genuine effort e. build tho bridge.
which. had he lived. would have been long
since completed and carving nearly hundred
thousand people per day. With fair inlay, fair
treatment and the whitening and destructive
competition Of the great city withdrawn. we
will still finish and deliver this bridge 10 the
public long before the city could build so much
as two Of It's costly piers Hence IL Is a matter
Of snail how The over
and save the people money,
This IA proper, occasion for me to state a
socates have been both misunderstood and
misrcnresented: That tho, cnarter was about
TO expire: untrue. That IL had fallen into the
hands OF politicians; untrue That no work
Was ever done except to misead; utterly false.
every sense. That Il was only railroad bridge:
untrue; see ,chnrter, That IL was owned or run
6 SS the l. J. H. H. tar SilsnG competition; mis-,
Mr. Shea TO rob the city: wicked ialsehood
invented by ;omr terFaycd crank. for it was my
y
desired to purchase my charter. Il was solely
because he could save from two 10 three years
time IN building and also. after paving for the
charter and works. save severn, millions OF dol
lars OF the peoples money He arpcars how
ever. for several months 20 wish to push his
bridge and kill mine: bur whatever schemes
others may hatch. give him the credit OF be-
ing an honest man
The Raincy bridge Offers abundant and rand
facilities not only 10 the travelling public o,
New York and Long Island hut also for the
easy and cheap carr age % cargo; and as before
said. will be rapidlv built and completed as
soon as the indefensibc menace by the city is
wtihdTawn; for II viii cost hut little more than
independently Of the grra, saving in time.
IL will have two railway tracks two ranid
transit and trolley tracks. two wide and easily
graded rUadways two walkwavs and two bicy.
Gle ways. as tho piers are nearly ninety feet
wide and capable of giving wider bridge than
tho locality really needs Beyond this rho
spans have 4 clear Roadway for shipping OF las
feet from pier 10 pier Of each channel a condi-
t'on imposed by the War Department and II I
am not IN lsintormed. by the present Harbor
Line Board.
This bridge has some very unusual advan-
tages In location plan and approaches
The spans are only little over 500 feet long
aud several hundred feet shorter than those
proposed by, the city. They are thus much
stronger and cost but little over half as much
!. The piers and anchorages are on rock rear
the surface. and all four will cost less than any
one Of the very deep caisson piers proposed in
l. -