New-York tribune., 1900-03-09

wby should the Long Island Railroad tunnel
ss- the East River, when the city proposes 10
.snid such tunnel with its own money?
''H0 WILLIAM H. BALDWIN,
PRESIDENT Long Island Railroad and Long Island
and New-YOrk Tunnel Company.
additional evidence that Long Island Rail
rosd interests likely 10 operate the tun-
sl railway in Manhattan when it is finished
by John B. Mcdonald was furnished yesterday
uben President Baldwin withdrew from the
Municipal Assembly the Long Island and New
York Tunnel Companys long pending appli-
7ston for a franchise to construct a tunnel
,nder the East River connecting Brooklyn and
Manhattan. This application is more than a
year old and The company. in anticipation Of
rrocuring the franchise, had even gone far
as to procure bids upon the work from various
contractors. In the mean time the contract
for constructing and operating for fifty years
an underground road in Manhattan had been
lei and mad fallen into the hands of a con-
struction company. with a small number Of
stockholders whose names for apparent
reason. are kept secret Four OF its directors,
however, are known 70 be Long Island Railroad
sirectors-Wiam Il. Baldwin. August Bel
mont Walter G. Oakman and George W. Young.
No sooner is this contract signed than the Rapid
Transit Board appropriates 5000 TO make pre-
iminary surveys for an extension of the tunnel
10 South Brooklyn. and the Long Island Rail-
own ard does not even open the bids submitted
by the contractors
HOW 1T LOOKS TO AN OBSERVER.
IF that does not indicate that the Long
Island Railroad interests intend to operate the
tunnel railway for the life Of McDonald's fifty
year franchise at least" said a keen observer
Of affairs yesterday. then 1 very much
mistaken Don't let yourself be fooled by the
remarks thrown out from time to time by
friends Of August Belmont that the road is
destined 10 fall into the hands of the Metro
poitan Railway. August Belmont controls
its destiny for fifty years, and the construction
company which he has organized is we'll able
10 operate the road after il is built. There is
more money for them in using it 10 build up
Long Islands population and Long Island sub
urban property than for any one else, and, Of
course il is better for them to have the city
build q tunnel under the East River than to do
it themselves. Besides. no one else could oper-
ate il so cheaply themselves after it is built.
OF course they don't want tunnel of their own
now"
President Baldwin is not quite so explicit.
Why have you withdrawn the application?"
he was asked. and he replied:
Our action in Withdrawing the application is the
result OF the talk the part of the Rapid Transit
Commission advocating the building Of a @ tunnel td
build the tunnel, bat private capital cannot hold
its against a public enterprise, and We have
cides one way the other 1t is certain that there
Is not business enough for TWO tunnels Our idea;
Brooklyn where all the trolley connections con
stbsgne a o the Rapid transit Commission is the
same. but whether it was or not; there would not not
public or the Municipal Assembly 70 think that we
were payng double With h. them lem ,"d II we had Ia i pro-
II would not have heen held in allowance day. but
But no% o. whT should we tunnel Under the East
River when the city proposes to build such tun,
mel with its own money? We will not even open
the bids received for our tunnel
ITS POSSIBLE EFFECT
This abandonment of the Long Island Rail-
roads tunnel scheme may have a whitening eff
feet upon the hopes of property owners in At
lantic-ave Eugene L. Biackford president OF
the Atlantic Avenue Improvement Commission,
who is also a director Of the Long Island and
New-York Tunnel Company, is quoted as saying:
The company has arrived at a point where it be-
Meves such an enterprise would not be pro1tab BILE,
shall be owned BY The city and which viii be prac
ticaly free tunnels; that the Rapid Transit Com
policy that the proposed subway under Manhattan
shall be extended from the Battery under the East
River 10 Brooklyn In view of this fact the Long
Island Railroad Company is not willing to FISK the
build tunnel TO Brooklyn or Flatbush-aXe., an9
has Withdrawn its application for franchise and
It is to the disappointment OF my life All the
hard work and expended by the Atiant1c
Avenue Improvement Commission goes for naught
ard Atlantic-aye bids fair 10 remain In It's present
deplorable condition for a good while yet
Counsel for the Rapid Transit Board
pected to report to-day their formal opinion on
the question whether the Boards jurisdiction
extends 10 all boroughs Of the city. AS Mr..
Boardman and Mr. Shepard have both been
quoted informally being of the opinion that
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