New-York tribune., 1902-07-22
letter from Mr.. Mcdonald was then read by
Secretary Burroughs of the Rapid Transit Com
mission. 1t follows:
NIP AInnN AIDS LETTER

--ii1S-OAi' - ANllOHS-
MIR. MDONALD'S LETTER.
I have the honor TO submit, behalf Of the
Rapid Transit Subway Construction COMPANY, fhn 40 "A
proposal. not a condition precedent 10 the az
way Construction Company FOR the construction OF
the Brooklyn extension Of the underground system
but with the conviction that in good falih the al
Tentative bid VIII be accepted unless your
honorable body agrees in The main with my conten-
tion and the general plans and purposes herewith
expressed. DO not ask for an official Gommlfment,
the completion Of the rapid transit system. as
your commisiog IN @ June ait viii be- accepted
1t is needless for me TO say, for it is now mat mat
when bid for the first contract and the subway
constTucti0n OF the work the chances Of success
were not looked upon with favor by capital In gen
era and that in particular which is ehefy cen
The Rapid Transit law requires the submission OF
10 the Rapid Transit Commission full power with
TG presumaSy S t in ordeP that the RaPa transit Com
mission should be enabled TO develop united E sys-
Obliged to accept the lowest bidder who might
caapitaI ye1mred in mn this undertaking with the
well-founded belief that il was both in the PUBLIC
Transit system to be developed as whole. and
the first CONTRACT was deemed merely the nrst sIep
and elevated railroad 20 connect all parts OF
set that the present road should have been planned
TO the B9tery but the extension from from the the Ts lily
inal plans for lack Of means The section traversed
long, Serves business territory With office build
ings containing daily transient population many
times that of several uptown and Brooklyn Bor,
0ugh wards put tGeth %hh @ gives I the N af6e eeTa6e
some twenty millions Of passengers year.
OBJECT OF 100000 BID.
The object OF my company in bidding but 5000 OoO
for the construction of the Brooklyn extension.
uTY Ts was IN order that the city might be left m
fb rsd 70 2oa6 T6 Th a6
secOnd-st. to Union Square, in accordance with
extension being absolutely Indispensable 10 the sue
cessful operation OF the road aed the serving OF
and with view 10 giving connection with Nth the
nov provided at the SiTand g Sea5T2l m M Stati9n, o
com9Sn @ ! hold isef ~ Ee 70 nornt t
extension from Forty-second-st and Broadway TO
Union Square for the nominal sum of $4,000 pro
i5s Etaed this piece Of road is authorized by July l.
My estimate. under the advice Of our own engi-
sion of the road from Forty-second-st. and Broad
outside, which would permit the opening of this
part of the road coincdent with the commence
estimate of time Mr.. William Barclay Parsons
There would thus be left in the city treasury. on
the present estimate Of debt limit; for the prr-
poses Of rapid transit, some SSe9Aeoo. with which
the East Side extension projected from Forty-sec-
respectfuliy JOHN B. MDoNALD.
THOSE PRESENT AT THE MEETING.
Mayor Low and Controller Grout listened with
close attention TO the reading. Commissioners
Charles Stewart Smith John H Starin and
Woodbury. Langdon, Edward NJ. Shepard and
Albert B. Boardman. counsel for the Rapid
Transit Commission, and William Barclay Par
sons. the chief engineer. were also present. on
side of the room were John l. Wells and
John M. Bowers of counsel for the Brooklyn
Rapid Transit Company. On the other side sat
August and Perry Belmont, Mr.. Mcdonald and
President William H. Baldwin, jr., Of the Long
Island Railroad, on which system the INTERIOR
ough Railway Company, in case the contract for
the Brooklyn extension should go TO the Rapid
Transit Subway Construction Company. would
have TO depend chiefly for a system Of trans
fers in Brooklyn. President Greatsinger of the
Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company was in the
room before the meeting began, but left it be-
fore the proceedings had gone far
The bids by Mr.. Mcdonald were. then opened
and read by Secretary Burroughs Aside from
the principal features of the bids before given,
the part that seemed to interest both Mayor
Low and Controller Crout most was the qnes-
ton of fare Mr.. Mcdonald agreed in both
bids 10 carry passengers over the entire line or
any part of it for one five cent fare, and agreed
TO give transfers on the rapid transit lines in
Manhattan and The Bronx free. except where
the new line should have agreement with other
companies by which passengers were trans
ferred for less than a five cent fare. when the
bidder would not agree TO carry them for the
same fare above Fifty-ninth-st.'
THE BID OF THE B. r. T. COMPANY.
The bid of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Com
pany offered an elaborate system of free trans
fers in Brooklyn, including practically all of it's
numerous lines, except the lines in the Eastern
District and those to the seashore In regard
10 transfer in the BOrOughs of Manhattan and
The Bronx the best thing the Brooklyn Rapid
Transit Company could offer to declare its
Willingness 10 enter into ARRANGEMENT with
the Manhattan-Bronx Rapid Transit system to
transfer passengers from system to the
other. The bid Of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit
Company was explained in statement pre-
pared by the company which follows, in part:
If the bid Of the company is accepted the entire
railroad system Is made tributary the tunnel for
f s LIE iIitL ~ I ~ "a tie
mel Ihe company Woud De Wiling 70 enter into an
arrangement with the operators of the Manhattan
gers from system TO the other. The company
would connect the Fifth Avenue Elevated with the
aves.. and the Brighton Beach Railroad at NAL
bone-st.. with the entrance 10 the NewYork tunnel
at Flatbush and Atlantic by tunnel ex-
tending under Flatbush-ave between these points
junction OF Flatbush ana Atlantic aves involves
two stations between Malbone-st and Atlantic ave,
one al Ninth-ave. and the other at Bergen-st.
The statement gives a complete list Of the
routes over which passengers could be carried
for q single five cent fare.
a list of routes also accompanied the bid
over which passengers would be carried, either
with or without a change of cars, for a fare Of
10 cents. These routes TO Coney Island and
Jamaica
ADDITIONAL EXPLANATIONS.
After the bids had been read President Orr
invited the representatives of the bidders to
make any supplementary statement which they
might desire. John NJ. Bowers Of counsel for
the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, got the
floor first He said that. the company he
represented had elaborate system OF free