New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-24
Use OF THE EAST RIVER.
n, AD,frRAL MELVILLE WOULD
SOLVE A GREAT PROBLEM.
r rAvoRs ABOLITION OF FERRYBoATs
AND PROPOSES A SYSTEM OF LOW
BRIDGES ON PIERS.
fry rELEeRA,H TO THE TRIBUNE
A.. ~ Thu most },,,porto

nv
x-..n,rs,on May S.-The most important prob
:, the day in the progress of New-York In
49,. on,nion OF Rear-Admiral George w. Melville
SSns,neer-in-Chief Ct the Navy. is that of rapid
- easy communication between the boroughs of
s,.rhattan and Brooklyn. With a common govern
"a, and practically identical business and social
...rests the people OF these sections find them
.,rAs parted physically by broad but crowded
..srxay which. In the transfer from shore to
hore presents not only grave obstacles in the
.,rt,r's fog and Ice. but gives at any season in
convenience and delay
DANGERS IN USE OF FERRYBOATS
On. bridge now spans the East liver; another Is
,srun and others are projected and tunnel be-
rsath It's waters is promised. Despite the feasib
uv from ar engineering point OF view. of both
n,,dges and tunnel. the obsolete and obnoxious
t.rrvboat however, still lingers-an anachronism
which the absence OF other means OF communica
tim compels. To appreciate the obstacle TO naviga-
,,on which is presented by these crowded craft
,eaming slowly across this great artery Of traffic.
one has only TO the daily press. Scarcely
week passes without the record Of some collision
s,,ended often by loss OF life. and in by far the
majority Of such cases the admiralty courts find the
cause Of the disaster to have been the everpresen
ferryboat a carrier which Is much out OF place
,c these waters as would be the sail. and
horse power passenger craft of hundred years
ago
Not long ago one OF the great battlehsips In COM
ing down the East River. met combination con-
.,st,ng Of ferryboat. barge tow and other craft
Az result she was forced out OF the channel. took
the ground her bottom seriously injured and
the ship vas laid up for months in drydock. while
repairs costing about 100000 were made. But
abort time previously the Inflated batteship Maine
was threatened in the same river by similar
combination. with similar disaster. She was saved
only BY the ready wit of her commanding officer
who ran her deliberately into a perhead. inturins
both ship and pier slightly. The cruiser Mont
gomery under similar circumstances. was forced
N hug Governors Island too closely to the serious
damage OF her hull and propeller In al lof these
collisions and groundings the clumsy ana Tagging
ferrybo took prominent part
BRIDGES THE ONLY SOLUTION
Admiral Melvilles unceasing solicitude for the
welfare Of his native city has led him TO deVote
nuch of his characteristic energy and nigh aoihV
N the practical problems of NewYork, and his re-
,uarkahe engineering ingenuity and practicaoihty
have been successfully applied to many of these
even in such humble but essential affairs as that
Of disposing OF the refuse OF the vast community
1t has long been apparent to him mat 'he al"
t,ouated ferry system should be abolished Ihese
n,o,tive and obstructive craft long ago had their
dav and while they may last while longer III
foston and Philadelphia they must soon disappear
altogether from the East River. TO be suppanted
nv a system which will. permit OF continuous anu
secure traffic In his opinion. the tunnel proJec''
e. natures will AFFORD only partial RELIEF indenni'e
10 In the future and completion Will become
o,,icklv as insufficient the existing suspension
rr,dge BRIDGES he believes. therefore present
themselves as the only feasible solution AT this
time Of the problem Of intraurban comnluhicd'o"'
..1r considering these" Admiral Melville said the
other day IT may say that see no strong reason
Gov the construction OF such bridges as now span'
and are projected to span. the East River lhey
az. very high-1s5 feet in the clear at the mldule
Of the central span-they are very Costly anu 'no
entrances to their approaches are nearly hal i'o
inland As consequence Of the latter Vehc'es
and pedestrians from the waterfront Wnere ne"'Y
commerce is must traverse this hait-mlle 10
mount the bridges to- the detriment OF shoe-
leather ana vehicles and with the loss OF Time
which In this rushing age. Is money.
WEIGHT MIGHT BE REDUCED.
...... ., tho height of the central shaft
-. .,o, nronosed bridges-wlth consequent lessen
tns a, The grade and the length Of the approaches
would seem TO be wholly pracucaoe' Inc .ii'. "a
The lofty merchantmen, with It's snowy sai'' ~
rone by: and the few which lnger, II 'hey seen
Sertb IN the East River could readily strike their
tonsallant masts and topmasts. TOO, II necessary,
a, order TO pass under bridge whose cehuai
clearance is not much more than. at the most one
hundred feet With the Puritan and the frlscAia-
the Hottest Of the Sound boats, the top OF the
sn,okestack is but lightweight feet from the water
line Very few Of our ocean steamers have STOCK
The stacks OF the armored cruiser Brooklyn are but
one hundred feet above the CRATES their tops oeihg
inst eighty feet from the water-line. central
snsn one hundred feet In height. or somewhat less
would give therefore ample clearance for all trafhc
on this great waterway.
THE KIND OF BRIDGE HE FAVORs.
Even such bridges, however. would be relatively
lofty. very costly, few in number. and would give
but restricted means of communication. In their
place I would suggest a system which has been
of necessity but with success. applied In at least
two OF the most crowded ports Of the world. L
refer to the method OF connecting by low bridges
on piers practically at grade, but sufficiently
high in all spans or the central span only for the
tugboats and barges In which nearly all Of the
harbor commerce is conducted. The central
span should be. we'll. of the cantever type. fold
ing back abutments. to permit the passage Of
the largest vessels would propose a dozen
of these low bridges across the river many
as need be for the freest communication between
the most direct line, and continuing all the way up
the East River to beyond Blackwells Island.
In fact. make In time the connection OF every main
street In either city with the corresponding street
on the opposite shore. There would be thus a real
and true welding OF the cities physically as well
as in theory and name.
NO one can with justice question the value of
this complete connection the two cities from the
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