New-York tribune., 1902-02-07
PLAN APPROVED.
OF COMMERCE INDoRsES IT
BROOKLYN RAPID TRANSIT AND
UNION FERRY
UNION FERRY.

| Suspicion that the Brooklyn Rapid Transit
! Company has a plan to bankrupt and gobble
up the Union Ferry Company was xpressed
yesterday by men who have been active in seek
ing means to relieve the frightfuny overcrowded
| condition of the Brooklyn Bridge at the rush
hours. Why. they asked, had the Brooklyn
| Rapid Transit Company been prompt in de-
clarng that it could not agree to the arrange
ment proposed by Bridge Commissioner Linden
thai. by which some of the travel by way Of
the bridge at rush hours could be diverted to
the ferries? Why had the company declared
that it could not furnish more cars at the fer
ries? The action of the company, It was said.
was an indication of willingness to divert still
more travel from the ferries and increase the
crush the bridge until the company could
control both the ferries and the bridge.
Mr. Lndenthars plan for temporary relief
was TO have the company controlling the Brook
lyn trolley lines unite with the Union Ferry
Company in arrangement whereby passen-
gers could be transported over the ferries and
transferred to the trolley for one fare Of
five cents. at the rush hours. BY the arrange
ment proposed. the ferry company would get
only half cent a passenger at hours when the
ferriage is reduced to one cent The ferry COM
pany declared that there would be injustice in
the arrangement II said, too that all its boats
were crowded at the rush hours, anyhow. 1t
has admitted however, that it could put
more boats at such hours if there were sufficient
travel to require them.
The Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company de-
clined to listen to the proposed arrangement
because it would lose half cent on each fare
from the ferries and because it said, it
running many possible to the ferries
So Mr.. Lindenthals plan fell through, he under
stood, because he could not compel The COM
panies to come to an arrangement for a single
for II
thai yesterday that he had the power TO bring
the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company to terms
If he chose, by giving notice that the contract
by which the trolley cars are allowed to run
over the bridge would be abrogated. He said
he had doubt that the crush would be
lieved if the trolley put off the bridge
but he felt there would be a great public
outcry, and possibly a revolution in Brooklyn
if the trolley contract was abrogated
The fact that the crush the bridge was the
result of diverting travel from the ferries, to a
large extent was mentioned yesterday in con-
nection with a charge that the Brooklyn Rapid
Transit Company helping to divert more
travel from the ferries by offering poor facilities
for travel to and from the ferries on the Brook
lyn side. The company, it asserted, ran too
few through to the ferries. The conse-
quence was that thousands of people who
crossed the ferries at the rush hours got into
the people forced to get out and go into
cars already crowded. That enough to dis
gust and discourage many people and lead
them to join in the crush on the bridge, it was
said Some of the who had been studying
the situation said yesterday that they believed
the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company was
working deliberately TO crush the ferry company
as a preliminary step to getting control of the
ferries.
The Chamber of Commerce al It's meeting yes
terday passed a resolution urging the adoption
of Commissioner Lndenthars plan for reliev !
ing the bridge crush. 1t was presented in a
communication by Abram S. Hewitt. John /
CIafin and Charles A. Schieren, the committee
appointed some time ago to devise plan for /
relieving the crush the bridge
Some of the men at the meeting of the Cham /
her of Commerce seemed to think that weapon
more powerful than a resolution would be
ouired TO bring the Brooklyn Rapid Transit /
company TO terms. If people continued to have
bones broken in the bridge crush. it was said,
or II the crush resulted in the killing of people,
the city authorities might be driven TO revoke
the contract by which the trolley cars are al
lowed TO run over the bridge. In such case, it
was said, the company controlling the trolley
lines might have to construct tunnels for the
cars.