New-York tribune., 1900-10-01
HOPE FOR TRANsFLUVIAL TEAVE1,

New hope for the comfort and welfare of
Brooklyn is given in the adoption Of plans for
an East River tunnel in connection with the
rapid transit tunnel in Manhattan There is
probably not another example in the world of
congestion of traffic at all comparable with
that which has long existed on the East River
Bridge The vast bulk of travel and transnor-
tation between the two chief borouehs of the
metropolis, each of them in itself a gigantic
city, has been and is crowded upon that one
narrow highway. We need not stop To ron
slider whether or not the Bridge has been well
managed. Doubtless there have been faults In
It's management. But doubtless, too, no man
agement in the world could prevent great
amount OF discomfort and delay in the attempt
to put quart of service into a pint measure
of servitor. The Bridge was never intended
for such an overfiood of traffic as is now forced
upon it, and the only real relief is to be found
in providing other channels to which share
of that traffic may be diverted
The proposed tunnel will meet this need in
a doubiy admirable way. In the first place. if
viii be connected directly with and indeed
Will be continuation of the Manhattan under
ground transit system, which fact alone should
commend it strongly TO favor The present
connection between the Brooklyn and Manhat-
tan transportatiOns at the Park Row end or
the Bridge is sorely inadequate and no ma
terial Improvement of it seems practical The
tunnel system will give an almost ideal connec
tion between them. In the second pIace the
tunnel will land passengers in BROOKLYN at y
point so far removed from the present terminal
OF the Bridge as to relieve the congestion which
now prevails at the latter and at the same
time at a place admirably chosen for CON
venience in getting TO and from other uarts of
hOFOnOn Hh0 ttvr1roo
Brooklyn Heights to the Borough Hall That
is point from which a number of great high
ways radiate toward different parts of the bor
ough, an ideal point for collection and distribu
tlon. Court-st- FultOn-st. and Myrtle-aye ex-
tend thence like the spOkes of a wheel from
the hub. Again, it is proposed TO prolong the
tunnel thence to the place which used TO he
known as Curran Square. That too. is another
such point, whence Fourth-ave. and Fifth-ave
extend in one direction. Flatbush-ave. in an
other, Atlantic-ave. in third and Hanson Place
and Greeneave. in fourth 1t would be diff
cult to conceive two better foci of travel and
transportation than these
The rising towers of the new East River
Bridge give hope of facilities for travel in TINT
direction at an early date from the great East
SIDE OF Manhattan 10 the great Eastern District
of Brooklyn. The third bridge. between tbe
first and second will also serve an odnirahIa
purpose. But all these subterranean and aerial
highways will not be sufficient to accommodates
the traffic between the two boroughs On the
contrary, 1T will be necessary to construct still
other tunnels and bridges. until the East River
shall be readily crossable at least once in every
mile from Hell Gate to the Bay There Is no
more conspicuous and essential feature of the
present age than the Improvement of trans
portatlon facilities by rail and by water. IT