New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-03-05
B. r. T. CARS TO FERRIES.
CONTENTION THAT THEY ARE NOT
PATRONIZED DIsPROVED.
MORE PEOPLE WOULD CROSS ON BOAT;
IF ELEVATED SERVICE TO FERRIES
WAS RFTTER

urers' Association and the Committee of FIFTY
IN Brooklyn on Monday night, there is gen
eraI demand for better service 10 the Fulton
and Wall SITS ferries by the Brooklyn Kappa
Transit Compa ny. as a means OF relieving the
coueested condition al the Manhattan terminal
81 the bridge n IS maintained that the service
10 the ferries has been such as to discourage
reople from crossing on the boats. While the
trrlla,, car service seems 10 be sufficient there
are only two through trains run on the Kings
County Elevated road in the rush hours one
leaving Fulton Ferry ar $50 and another at
q II o'clock These are intended for the &C
cor7rnodation OF the working people in the shop
r.ne district but fail 20 serve this purpose by
reason OF the fact that they are loaded to their
capacitv AZ the ferry During the remainder
Of the rush period a shuttle is run between
the ferry and the bridge station Of the elevated
road On arriving at the bridge station pas
senzers are compelled to cross a long brldse
over the tracks. and take their chances or get
ting seats with the crowds that have come
across the bridge.
A Tribune reporter visited Fulton and Wall
ST ferries between and o'clock last night.
which is the heaviest of the rush hours. He
had previously visited President Greatsinger at
his office Ny. Greatsinger said that there was
through service the Kings CoqSty Elevated
road TO the bridge. and that every other trolley
car that came from Fulton Ferry was empty
Mr. Greatsinger is impressed with the practica-
hiIity of the plan devised by the committee of
expert engineers and revised by c. c. Martin
when he was chief engineer of the bridge
This plan he believes If put into operation. VIII
give the best transportation in proportion to the
number Of passengers in the world He has all
kinds Of arguments 10 demonstrate the truth
OF this assertion and by carefully prepared sta
tistics is able 10 show that the Brooklyn Rapid
Transit Company can by this means give 90
1nTarE lrn
The plan. as has already been outlined in The
Tribune is for a loop through Centre-st. from
the Manhattan terminal OF the Brooklyn Bridge
TO the terminals Of the Navy Yard ana Will
iamsburg bridges. with stations at Worth-st'
CanaI-st the Bowery and Grand-st. and Al
len and GRAND SITS. Three-hfths Of the Brook
lyn people who DO business in Manhattan. he
says. are above Murray-st, and Of these 10 per
cent would be taken at Worth-st. and 10 per
cent at Canal-st. The trains would be run un-
der a 30 seconds Roadway. Mr. Greatsinger
called one Of his clerks TO explain the different
schedules which IL is proposed TO use II TINS
Improvement can be made.
..ysridge Commissioner Iindenthal has said
tina. better service to the ferries would par
TALLY relieve the congestion on the bridge. DO
you propose to increase this service?'
Half of our come up from the bridge
empty now. We running twice as many
cars TO the ferries as necessary" said Mr..
Grestsinger.
Complaint has been made of the poor ele-
waited service to the ferry. Why don't you run
through trains in the rush hoursT
We do run through trains from the ferry to
the bridge in rush hours. The shuttle car is used
in non-rllsh hours We have received no com
plants from the ferry companies of lack OF
rroper service to the ferries. The ferry is our
turning point for trolley that are not run
over the bridge. and run more than are nee
essary In former years We transported htteen
million passengers while We now carry 1--WE
million passengers from the ferry each year
We are ready TO adopt any plan that may be
brought out that will he of sufficient dimensions
70 meet the requirements, and We believe that
the Martin plan is the best thus far. and We
car meet with good argument any objection
10 g."
But Commissioner Lindenthal declares that
the capaciry of the bridge has already been
reached and that no cars may be added"
THE bridge can stand an unlimited weight
There is no such thing as overlooking it if the
weight is properly distributed II We are per
.s.ees - ,,,r our trains over the bridge the
brtdee shuttle trains will of course, he taken
on we will increase the headWay OF trains and
run them faster, so that the addltonal ~elsIlL
would not pe material The same rule appnes 10
surface cars. II were permitted TO run theln
faster we could run more, and there would be
no more cars the bridge at the one time. Inc
sSSttio1al I'VE loops provided for in the Martin
plan would AZ the Manhattan terminal afford
facilities for running cars raster ana o" Oe''ei
Roadway.
Al the Fulton ferry between and o'clock
las; night the trolley cars got an average OF
twenty passengers when they left the ferry I'M
,,edfatsiH after q boat had arrived There are
three boats on this line. running seven minutes
srsrt Each boat has a capacity Of LOO pas
ssnqere hui for some time has been carrying
about nine hundred passengers on each ulp;
The cars run under FIVE minute headway, ana
.z.bsn a car arrived about two minutes after a
boat and started few seconds before the next
faaf arrived il went away empty cars thdt
started Immediately after the arrNal OF d ooa s
we're all comfortably filled with no passenger
standing These cars are a boon to people IN the
shopping districts who are thus sometimes able
20 get a seat. at least are aole 10 get apoaru
The car which Is usually impossible in the case
there e a CRYING need for through elevated
,srs "a the ferry The shuttle car, according 10
the ferry people is entirely inadequate, ana has
discouraged people from crossing on the boats
The gatekeeper at Fulton ferry had TINS 10 say
ssPeople Who cross this ferry often stop and
ssk me about the elevated cars, and know JUS
about how they feel. This shuttle car Is
cyoWded every trip and the passengers wher
thew arrive al the bridge find the trains there
already crowded. and are compelled TO STAND
lots OF people time their arrival in Brooklyn sc
&c 70 catch the two trains that leave the ferry
in the neighborhood of O'Clock and get seat
The other day about $50 o'clock train came
6oU5n 10 the bridge TO get water for the loco
motive When II discovered by the ferrS
passengers there was general scramble LOT II
IL The BROOKLYN Rapid Transit Company VIII IN
crease its elevated service We VIII ne aple q
nut on fourth boat. and run them I'VE nlnute
snart as we did three years ago Hundreds O
reople complain 10 me about the ferry service
81 the railroad company. and am sure II II Il
improved more people WI" tr,ase s9stinn Of m
elevated in preference TO taking TINS shuttl
train. -, 4,
A Tribune reporter counted the passengers i
some Of the trolley cars leaving the ferry.
eeventh-ave car carried thirty-two passengers
and another Seventh-aTe. car. following clos
Sabsnd the first carried seventeen. A Court-st
car which started between boats. carried n
1assenzers- a Putnam-aye. car, 30; Gates-aVe
n-Sf