New-York tribune., 1902-02-18
NO JAM FOR FORTY YEARS.
LINDENTHAL SAYS HE HAS FOUND a
WAY TO RELIEVE BRIDGE CRUSH
FOR THAT LENGTH OF TIME.

The Committee of Fifty of the Manufacturers
Association met last night in the Manufa cturers'
Building, Brooklyn, 10 discuss plans for the re-
lief of the congestion at the Manhattan ter
minal Of the Brooklyn Bridge Bridge Commits
sioner Lindenthal Professor II. G. Prout one
of the board of expert engineers appointed under
the McCarren act TO devise relief plans, and Mr..
Wells, counsel of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit
Company, representing President Greatsinger,
addressed the meeting. Mr.. Lindenthal. after
listening to the others, said that he was work
ing on a plan which would afford relief for at
least thirty or forty years. He declared that the
congestion 4 the Manhattan terminal due
entirely to the arrangement permitting the rail-
road company to run it's cars across the bridge.
He declared that if the old system by which
each passenger paid 212 cents to cross the
bridge still In force, and an arrangement
was made with the ferries by which passen-
gers could be transferred TO the cars in Brooklyn
for one fare, there would be trouble on the
bridge.
Mr.. Wells had said that with additional loops
at the Manhattan end more cars could be run
over the bridge and a greater number of pas
sengers carried. Mr.. Lindenthal said that the
capacity of the bridge had been reached. and
that no more cars could be added, that addi-
tional loops would avail nothing. He declared
that while he did not oppose the plan to erect
an elevated railroad loop through CentTe-st''
connecting the three bridges, this was strictly
prohibited by law. and il useless TO discuss
it. He said:
have received about twenty plans for the relief
Terminal since I assumed my office. Some OF them
beautifully worked out. while others are mere
sketches and still others only descriptions "aIIe ne
here 10 listen to YOU because Knew you were al
relief Immediately, and we propose 10 a1ord th$t
relief so far as We possl3ly can aIh an
of engineers, and have studied the problem thor
oughly. But the bridge problem Is not the me @ only
gestion at the city Hall station Of the Manhattan
problem cannot be worked out at the expense Of
the other or to its neglect. ! am at WORK nov on
thirty or forty years to come but | am not here here
nov to discuss that plan @ II VII ba PH SS pad fo
lay it before you. believe Il will he practically
Any enlargement of the Manhattan terminal will
relieve the condition because only n certain
and the limit has now been reached. II the ferry
companies and the Brqokiyn Rapia tPaHs m I
am told in letters ! receive from the public that
the service to the ferries Is not so good as It
should be Many people who wish TO cross the
going to the ferries and meet inconven, 7nces which
question in a different light from the expert who
has no responsibility. You rlay try TO correct the
powers you find they are not there. Any plan pro-
posed must be such that It be carried out le-
there are legal reasons why it cannot be adopted.
Professor Prout said the condition dan
gerous and Indecent He said:
No self-respecting woman has any business in
that crowd in rush hours IL the women OF my
family must cross the bridge take particular
care that they are not compelled to do so in the
rush hours. In the four rush hours about 10000
people cross the bridge, which is about or per
cent Of the population OF Brooklyn II Is the most
cOngested place on the face Of the earth
Mr.. Prout said it had deprecated real estate
values in Brooklyn and that some remedy
ought TO be devised Immediately. He described
at length the plans devised by him and his
associates the committee OF engineers. and
said it the best they could provide. The
Manhattan terminal. he said, should be regard
ed not as terminal but as way station In
system that would connect the three bridges
by loops. Trains. he declared. could pass
through the bridge terminal at forty-hve miles
hour
Mr. Wells said his company favored this
plan, but If any other was recommended and
afforded the same facilities the company would
accept 1t. He said the company was actuated
only by a desire to afford adequate transporta-
ton to the people of Brooklyn, believing that
1t would be recompensed when the population
increased