New-York tribune., 1902-12-23
TET4TTON TO SHOPPERS.
bomiRatk Trqfc Conditions far
BIZ Holiday CrOzcds.


- crush OF holiday shoppers added TO the Gus
-v business mob the conditions on the elevated
- .---gsce lines. concerning which much iusti-
-. complaint has been made for so long We're
,,os+ fntoIerabe. Delays were numerous. espe-
,auv On the west side OF town. Here those who
= +be Ninth-ave. trains had the most to com
= ~ The usual running time from Eighty
- n Cortlandt-st is something twenty
4,,tes It averaged three-quarters OF an hour
s+s-5av and the trains were fewer than usual
-,o.ssnds simply fought to get aboard the trains
I'D in numerous cases packed were the
-, they reached Eighty-first-st- that the gates
ere not even oPened Then began the usual fight
- climb over the gates. scramble which the
Yards were able only partially to suppress
an The shopkeepers agreed that the holiday
-ov5 came near being a record breaker, even If
. failed Of smashing previous records which re-
Mains vet to be demonstrated SiXth-aye. probably
-rss The most congested Of all the shopping dis
+-crs for beth the surface and the elevated lines
zonosit their passengers there All day long the
n-face cars did little better than crawl up and
down Broadway between Ninth and Thirty
.oD-tb sts There was the usual congestion at
Tv-en-v-third-st- and at Thirty-fourth-st-. while
he far downtown district also showed the effects
az the holiday throngs that poured across the
l,ri5ze from Brooklyn and the ferries from New
Jersey. Fulton-st- was never crowded before.
dense throngs moved along the sidewalks. packed
80 closely together that it a struggle lift
ones hand 70 ones head Bundles were the COM
mon decoration. for many thousands preferred
carry their own parcels rather than run the risk
of having them delayed by the delivery wagons
being swamped with press of work
Borough President Cantor has not yet received
the report OF his engineers the condition Of
traffic in this city As soon as he receives it he
will arrange q conference with the nagers of
-he elevated and surface roads, with view to
bettering the conditions under which the
fortunate citizens at present laboring. AIr.
Cantor yesterday responded to the letter ad-
dressed 10 him the subject by the committee
on franchises and transportation OF the Merchants
Association In the course OF this letter he says:
I fully agree with you that the existing condi-
action By the city authorities to prevent their
tnuance All classes OF our people should come
together and strive by united action 10 improve
these wretched conditions We hope that the rail
I'D not issue must be Joined at once with them.
Il is unnecessary for me to say that l am per
fectIv willing and anxious 10 cooperate with your
a. Ts-1oZ1e r1a7[y Of the faults now existing and
- ,-C[-i,7iT7e heTTe- Recommendations I have al
ready commUnicated with the officers of these cor
te had If possible believe this 10 be the quickest
wav TO accomplish results. I have also instructed
The engineers Of my department who are familiar
with The subject Of city transportation, to make an
make such practical recoTnrnerdat tions as Will in
crease the faclliIIes toE transit af9 acc @ 20 f [1
tine 10 time. information reaches me OF the
diJions.
Controller Cirout wrote the committee about
claims against street railway companies, inclosing
date ENCOURAGING letters were received from
various clergyuaen and physicians The Rev. Dr.
George r Van De Water. rector OF St Andrews
Episcopal Church declared that he was losing
parshioners because people would not stand the
nominations OF travel TO and from Harlem
The Rev Dr. Cornelius B. Smith. rector emeritus
Of St James's Protestant Episcopal Church, has
addressed TO the Editor of The Tribune letter
containing several suggestions for the rellef OF
the intoIerabe conditions attending travel from one
part Of the city another The suggestion Ior &
-Tezfg gIH
on the principal lines on account Of the fact thai
thev have 10 pass under the elevated road The
lstter is follows
Familiarity with the overcrowding OF city
-ti7.+e crI7ebed r9oe1ber in an Indecent way
or obliged TO pay for accommodation which is not
sagPe i4;.z s5gy 5 soe We can TeiS Sel'e car
II is true that there must be much congestion
while our underground roads are unconpleteo, our
immense relief our surface lines could De given
Ffrst-The beginning Of reform should be me
abolition Of great Injustice Ihe ezactl9a OF 1St al
av Thus a wrong wouI5 be rightedt and one OF
remoZeS No person should be Obliged to pay more
Than three cents unless proFldeo WIN 4 sea- III
Second-sirting and standing PASSENGERS & ghooId oe
= acco-1psfd m Ty running cars in couples 1t is
useless 70 say that il is impossible Il was COLI
stanry done n Buffalo during the @ exhiDlIloni4
Third-The front car should be used by sltslng B
passengers only and no one ~ sa0LLu pe % q itS MAI
form The Interior Of the second car should nave
srs77i@- -,asse5gers only The additional floor
space would afford great relief ana %ola YOU s3S
entrance Passengers would enter the car py z
We raF @ ar5i1g a TO the street easily and
quickly. This door should be promptly opened ana
closed nv 2 man in attendance
FoUrth-on all lines where there is sufhBcislntt Bsel1t
[5al FCoas; s - esh car with convenient stairways
a1d lar5irgs These seats would be in great de-
nsn3e l Fag the motive Of full fare would prob
ably supply shelters for winter 9ss- ,, ,,sn;es
Fifth-It should be optional with the c9ILpd-l!e pam.
70 refuse admission 10 the secon9 Saf cI,,ied Me
II Should be optional with passengers TO use or f
fuse seats or the rooI- Il a. lo-L[ 1850 m
reuse TO occl,Ty seats as they should become va
ssf;ol y I15s a9 which would make fun fare.
SixTh-Vscancies in seats. whether insde the @lIsl
nornced to the standing passengers. EaGh 15 - car u
should have its own conductor ano ne +{ I2 fgree
bugz in serving passengers as IN colie1tIns Ia IA
Should these changes be adopted. three SalLo Se
o-l5 --1oueTriorab bly result Injustice in the taIe
uorlS he -ectiiec the reasona bic comfort OF pa
sengers would be secured and 1ndecen. er +i,af
rarv more passengers would be carried: pecaasi
The facilities for prompt ehs[ @ "a and hv the side
door in the second. would favor me Use t.-e %
s15 - faTo-stIe weather the loss Of standing
room in the first car would De more IMAM
or coTTse tie companies would incur much acdl,
of f7a- 55Eigess calls for II is better that they
that passengers should pay for seats "H1" '
have spoken Of our S.fldc' he
same nrin-inIes with different details sh9uIl 9 5.
followed IN the regulation Of our eieVauen '''
and tunnels.
An illustration of the fact that the transports
tior conparies Do not make the most OF 'ie',
eapn-,en+ in the hours not technically designated
as rush was shown yesterday afternoon, s- ~nem
5Est before O'Clock. people stood on Lne ".. " =.
r1s.@,-,, ~ n. xfb-sve elevated road station al
Twentv-eighth-sr and waited ten minutes tor o
train. When I. arrived it was nlaoe Up % IT. 90.
cars which were already full The logicai -
he shopping GlSITitl