New-York tribune., 1901-07-04
BRIDGE MANAGEMENT INDICTED.

The official report of Mr.. Martin, the chief
engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge, a synopsis OF
which we published yesterday, is most scath-
ing Indictment OF the present management, or
mismanagement. of the bridge by the Brooklyn
Rapid Transit Company, and a full and con
vincing confirmation Of the complaints and
charges which have been made from time to
time in the columns of The Tribune. In
response to complaints Of poor service and over
crowding the bridge railroad the company
answered that II was doing the best il could
do and was running many trains as could
safely be run To this The Tribune retOrted
that the company was not running as many
trains had been run, and run safely before
the bridge passed into the hands of the Brook
lyn Rapid Transit Company. This declaration
of The Tribune is completely substantated by
Mr.. Martin with irrefutable facts and figures.
Here they are:
Under city management. during the four rush
hours of the evening 72i trains were run
Under corporation management only Goa trains
are run. That is a reduction of 100 trains in
four hours, more than 16 per cent. Again.
under city management there daily SER
vice of 2,390 car round trips. Under corpora
ton management this service is reduced to only
1900 trips, reduction of just about % per
cent. The result is that while under city man.
agement only 70 passengers were on the aver
age carried in each car in rush hours under
corporation management III are crowded into
each car. That is an increase of SO passengers
to car, or more than 4S per cent. Let Il be
granted that travel has increased, so that in
any case there would be more crowding The
fact is that owing 10 the niggardly manage
ment of the bridge by the company the crowd
ing has increased far more than the travel 1t
;e tr,,a he Tr bac oil aIo
maintained, that the Brooklyn Rapid Transit
Company has deliberately reduced the car SER
vice on the bridge railroad TO only about three
fourths of what it formerly was and that
instead Of trying TO give passengers as good
accommodations as possible, and to lessen the
crowding as much as possible the company has
been and Is deliberately trying TO increase the
crowding by forcing the passengers into the
fewest possible number of cars.
Opportunely, the company has just given
itself another striking example of its contempt
uous disregard for public welfare On Tuesday
evening there was a complete breakdown of
the trolley system the bridge and suspen-
sion of travel on those lines for several hours
All passengers were directed to go upstairs and
take the bridge railroad cars. That of course
enormously increased the travel upon the latter
Yet the corporation made no effort to accommo-
date that increase Not an extra train nor an
extra car was put on TO meet the extra demand
But for hour after hour. all through the tedious
blockade of the trolley lines only the usual
two car trains were run at the usual long inter
walls. The company knew that every one who
crossed the bridge would have to patronize its
cars or walk. and II did not care IL in that tor
rid temperature people were packed into the cars
like sardines in box. 1t is running the bridge to
make money. not to accommodate the public.
And the more people 1t can force into single
car the fewer cars II will need to run, and the
fewer cars Il runs the more money It will make.
That is the case In all Its naked monstrosity