The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-21

(lty hall, down Broadway to the Battery
and under the East River to Joralemor
street. Brooklyn. Here is project which
will prove an unmixed benefit. 1t will
receive passengers at the Flatbush avenue
station OF the Long Island Railroad AND
will convey them directly to the City Hal
OF Manhattan without a change and, moe,
valuable feature Of all. for passengers
town at night, in direction contrary to
the heaviest movement. II will soon be
filed TO overflow ing and will give a needed
impetus TO the settlement Of more distant
points on Long Island. helping to divert
many thousands from the mad uptown
movement-the thousands, nay. hundreds
OF thousands-who object to both ferries
and bridges
7. A branch from the Battery, connect
ing with the extension from the City Hall
and running thence to Hamilton avenue.
Brooklyn. Ultimately. it is said, that this
City Hall in Manhattan by means OF a pro-
longation Of the line through tunnel under
the Narrows. Here. again, is found holly
benign project, since IL will serve the same
end for the Staten Islanders az the Hamil-
ton avenue tunnel will secure for those
living in Brooklyn.
8. The Pennsylvania Railroad connec-
ton between Harrison, n. j.. and Long
Island City, involving a tunnel under the
Hudson River, the island Of Manhattan
and the East River. and a great passenger
station, forty feet below the surface. BE-
Thirty-first and Thrty-third streets. In
boldness Of conception this is the greatest
OF all the propositions now before the public
1t is undertaken by single corporation
with an expected cost Of not less than
100000, and the privileges which
with the permission to do the work. are
ludicrously small in comparison with the
benefits which II IL proposed to bestow
upon the municipality and its people. There
il only one flaw In the project, but this is a
grave one from the standpoint Of the down
difficulty of handling the southbound traffic
in the morning and contrariwise at night
SO heaven help the travellers on the sub
way, surface and elevated lines when the
pennsylvania swarm tries to ride, for
there are no other means In sight,
or the foregoing eight different projects,
II is seen that four Of them offer more or
lcss relief to the north and south traffic,
and the other four will as certainly add TO
an already indescribable confusion. Fur
thermore, 1t is definitely known that the
relief from the first four can only he tenn
porary and, before they can be in complete
operation, the conditions Of travel at morn
ing and at night will he more horrible even
than they are to-day.
Any broad view Of the transportation
problem on Manhattan Island will show that
one Of the most important objects to be
secured is such a distribution OF the traffic
as will permit something Of balance TO be
maintained. And Of the eight schemes
just outlined only two Of them can have
that tendency. The public will never he so
well served with seats and cars by the rail-
ways II the whole movement during certain
hours takes place in only one direction. as IL
the trains running the other way are also pro-
dad xa,tth axytV Il l..
quite a. much TO the interest Of the public
to provide this load as It Is In the interest
OF the railways to carryit.
II IL particularly interesting to know that
3lS 900 900 are TO be spent in the city
Of Washington for the purpose Of bringing
havetwelve independent railways which os-
ttensibly end in New York, only two of which
land their passengers in the borough Of
Manhattan without the interposition Of a
ferry. This Is a condition which cannot
be paralleled in any other city Of great i'm
portance in any part Of the civilized world.
1t is practice which entails the maximum
OF discomfort and Inconvenience. and, II
the truth were known. has not even et onomy
to recommend it, The delays consequent
upon the transfer Of baggage alone are
enough to condemn II and such a method
OF receiving the stranger within her gates
inferior % that which obtains in the ether
cities Of the United States-is n lasting
reproach to the first city Of the land. The
Pennsylvania Railroad is attempting to
cure the evil 80 far as ii IL concerned,
which will include the Long Island and Ie-
high Valley railroads-but what OF the
restf The Central Railroad Of New Jersey
and its twin brother, the Philadelphia and
Reading; the Erie. with all it's branches;
the Delaware. Lackawan anna and Western,
whose interests are almost wholly in the
State Of New York-are they forever to be
held at arms length?
The question here obtrudes itself-if II
10 worth $4,000 900 to the Pennsylvania
Railroad TO have . direct landing within
the precincts OF New York city, Il II not