The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-04-27
BROOKLYN BRIDGE CRUSH TO BE
RELIEVED BY MOVING SIDEWALK

/ to some breakdown or other mishap,
which is relieved as soon as the obstruc-
ton is removed. There is besides the
permanent overcrowding, caused by some
serious defect in the methods of trans
portation. Engineers generally agree that
the congestion at the Brooklyn bridge is
greater than at any other point in the
world.
No Waiting-No Crowds
The real trouble at the bridge is not
that the bridge is not wide enough to
accommodate its passengers. The con-
gestion, as matter of fact, is due to
a series of temporary distractions or de-
lays. 1t is the interval between the de-
parture Of the cars which is really re-
sponsible for all the trouble This mo-
mentary delay, however brief causes the
passengers to gather in numbers greater
than can be handled without the ia
miliar crowding and pushing
The crowds pour into the portals of
the bridge terminals steadily They are.
so to speak, carried off by fits and starts
Hence, according to the argument of
Mr.. Schmidt the rapidly and constant
Iy moving sidewalk, which carries off a
steady stream of people as fast as they
arrive, is the only logical solution of the
bridge problem.
me carrying capacity of the moving
platform Is practically unlimited. The
exact number Of persons who can be
transported past a given point at differ
ent speeds and with various widths of
platform has been calculated with
mathematical accuracy. The figures,
compared with the present facilities at
the bridge, are very surprising There
can be little doubt that under the pres
ent system, the bridge has reached, If
not passed, its maximum carrying ca
pacity consistent with safety.
The statistics show that the trolleys
at present carry sixteen thousand pas
sengers an hour during the rush. OF this
number about five thousand persons find
seats To the average passenger the pro-
portion who are fortunate enough to get
seats will probably appear even smaller
The moving platform, occupying ex-
actly the same space would readily
transport fourteen times as many people
and provide seats for all of them To
be accurate, it has been found that sew
enty thousand four hundred persons, all
seated, could be carried past a given
point in an hour, at a safe speed, on the
moving platform. There would besides.
be practically no limit to the number
who could stand up on these platforms
or walk forward, thus considerably ac-
celebrating their speed. With such an ar
rangement the bridge would be more
than large enough to carry its immense
crowds to and from Brooklyn, not only
at present, but for years to come.
Speed Accelerated by Walking.
The sidewalk would carry one across
the bridge faster than the present speed
of the trolley cars and with far greater
comfort and safety. At present it takes
from eight to fifteen minutes to cross
the bridge by trolley and delays during
the rush hours are common. To make
even this time the cars must at times
run at a more or less dangerous rate of
speed. The average speed of IL trains,
for example, is about twelve miles an
hour, but, to make Up the time lost at
stations, trains frequently run thirty
five miles an hour.
The initial speed of one of these plat
forms would be less and consequently Far
safer. The moving platform would be-
sides be moving rather slower than a
walk. BY using several platforms, run
ming at different speeds, very hign