New-York tribune., 1900-07-15

ther afeld, so to speak lie many prettier sub
urban towns made prosperous by the merchants
and professional men OF New York. who have
their homes on Long Island all the year round
These people make the journey almost six days
every week 70 and from such places as Flush
ing, Whtestone Corona. Emhurst. Newtown
Woodside, Winfield, College Point and others
more distant, but still tributary to the Thirty
fourth-st. ferry. Then there is the third class
summer home seekers and sportsmen who are
scattered every June. July. August and Sep
tember over the entire extent of Long Island
from the East River to Montauk Point For all
these the most direct point Of entry to Manhat-
tan is the Long Island City ferry. and that this
fact is appreciated by them is shown by the
few persons, comparatively. who prefer to leave
the main line Of the Long Island Railroad at
Jamaica and from that point go TO Brooklyn and
50 over the Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan
Large as this tributary population Of Long
Island has become. it is considered by many
shrewd men to be only foretaste OF what #
soon will be. The recent purchase Of A con
trolling interest in the Long Island Railroad nv
that immensely wealthy and energetic organiza
tion, the Pennsylvania Railroad is considered
by these close observers to presage a rapid de-
Veiopment Of the many advantages which Long
Island offers for suburban homes This can ha
successfully done, they say, simply by providing
quick frequent cheap and comfortable trans
portation all over the island. and it is not doubt
ed that the Pennsylvania Railroad officials Will
adopt that course. on the points of compare
tive freedom from malaria and MOSQUITOES alone
Long Island enthusiasts claim great natural ad-
vantages over certain other suburban districts
which the Pennsylvania has built up into great
prosperity by furnishing up 10 date train
service, and they predict that If the same meth
ods are pursued again Long Island Will soon
be thickly populated is New-Jersey.
When one considers these facts and the likeli-
hood Of these rosy predictions coming true he
almost shudders to think of the sights and
scenes, the tanning and the crowding the
pushing and the hauling which must take place
in East Thirty-fourth-st If the Metropolitan
Street Railway Company makes no effort to
improve its terminal facilities there Already
these are ridiculously inadequate for the traffic
which is concentrated on that spot especially
since hot weather set in this summer, and If the
patrons Of the Long Island Railroad increase
much more their sufferings will be great after
the ferry lands them in Manhattan unless
something is done, and that speedily. for their
relief.
The terminal station of the Long Island Rail-
road in Long Island City is apparently large
enough and commodious enough for the hand
ling of much larger crowds than now use IT. #
was evidently built with wise care for the
future and confidence in the roads growth Its
ferry landings in Manhattan seem not only to
be adequate now. but capable of easy and ouicI,
expansion when occasion calls for It: but the
facilities which the METROPOLITAN Street
hallway has for handling the crowds which
the Long Island Railroad delivers to II
at Thlrty-fourth-st. are not only cramped at
present, but will cost much more for enIa rs,a
lnent as every year goes by.
The Thirty-fourth-st. cars are not the only
ones, by any means which deliver nassenrsrs
r. Ion ont,
Forty-second-st. cars. the Twenty-eighth-st
the Eighteenth-st.. the Twenty -third-st, the
Tenth-ave. cars to Fort Lee ferry the CITY Hail
and Avenue r line cars, and the First second
and Avenue line cars. For all these cars the
company only owns a special terminal a
space as large three or four ordinary buiIdin1
lots upon the south side of Thirty-fourth-s he
tween First-ave. and the river front. The snaca
Is uncovered and exposed to wind. sun and rain
cars enter and leave 1t through an alley,yav
debouching on Elrst-ave. halfway between
Ihlrty-thlrd and Thrty-fouTth SITS. The many
sharp curves taken by the cars as they enfer
and leave this confined space toss the crowded
passengers mercilessly to and fro and the area
is not nearly large enough for half the cars
which concentrate there to use it at all
The only other terminal for all these cars -
the public street. and that space does nor
admit OF enlargement many persons who now |
daily struggle for cars at that point say the |
street railway company ought to purchase or |
lease more ground there before the price rises |
so nigh as TO make such step costly one. AS |
the passenger traffic the ferry increases So |
will the teams. Already teamsters have a hard |
time getting TO the boat without running over
the pedestrians that swarm over the pavement |
seeking cars. or without dashing their wagons |
against the cars themselves, and II the traffic |
at this point increases much more 1t bids fair |
10 resemble that Of West-st.. where bridges had |
to be built TO let the passengers reach the boats
alive over the heads OF the teamsters.
1t is only with great effort and worry that |
passengers Just landed from the ferry can pick |
their cars at Thirty fourth-st. at present. Most
OF the cars stand waiting for their patrons, one |
behind another in the centre of the street. where
the elevated railroad pillars and the almost in
Vulnerable wagons make the confusion worse |
conrounded 1t is sometimes extremely difficult |
to tell. in the hurly burly, whether is ready