New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-03-12
CROSSING EAST RIVER.

OF all the means in view for relieving the Jam
on the Brooklyn Bridge, only the idea Of divert
ing traffic TO the ferries has the advantage OF
being Immediately available The Williams
burg bridge will not be ready for year or two,
and the opinion has been expressed by Mr..
Breckenridge that even then 1t will take little
or no business away from the old structure.
Bridge No may possibly do some good. but it
will not be finished for four five years. The
only other resource of which there is now any
definite assurance is the tunnel from the Bat
terry, which will be a continuation of the Man
haitian rapid transit subway. and which will
emerge in Brooklyn near the Borough Hall In
the opinion OF Mr.. Parsons. it will he nearly
three years before this outlet will be opened.
In the mean time the number of people who
want to cross the East River Will have in
creased enormously The chances are. there
FORE that in 1905 the old bridge, the ferries and
the tunnel will be taxed to their fullest Capac-
ity. These combined facilities will in a short
time become as inadequate as the bridge alone
was two years ago. Hence. it is not a moment
too soon to make further provision for a rapidly
developing need.
The next great step to accommodate travel
between Manhattan and Brooklyn will probably
be the construction of n second tunnel. That
means of communication will be cheaper than
Il.
But even a tunnel takes time. There must be
borings, surveys and other preliminaries, which
are comparatively inexpensive. but absolutely
necessary. The sooner these initial steps are
taken, the sooner will actual construction be-
come feasible. Unless Brooklyn is forever TO
illustrate POpe's remark. Man never is, but
always to he blest." active consideration of this
project should begin Immediately.
One Of the most important questions to be de-
termined is that of route Mr. Parsons thinks
that more benefit would he derived if the sec
ond tunnel followed the line of the Fulton or
Wall-st. ferry than If it approached the bridge
more closely. The region where relief is most
needed is that south Of the bridge, and If IT
were tapped in the middle, instead of at the
upper end, there would be perceptible saving
of time in transportation. If built under mu-
nicipal auspices, this tunnel would leave the
subway under lower Broadway, and In plan
ming stations along the latter it may be wise
to keep that possibility in view
1t is conceivable that the Brooklyn Rapid
Transit Company may see its way clear to con-
struct such a tunnel at its own expense The
investment would not be bad one Within the
last sixteen years the population of BROOKLYN
has grown only about GO per cent, while the
patronage of the surface and elevated roads
there has nearly quadrupled These figures re-
veal remarkable expansion, but its continu-
ance IS going to depend on circumstances Adj
ditional facilities for getting across East River
will do the Rapid Transit company more good
than anything else at present, because the limit
In that direction has now nearly been reached
Rural ramifcations are of little value unless
communication can be had with the heart of
the metropolis. If, for instance, the Long Isl
and road should adopt an aggressive policy and
open up through line to the lower end of
Manhattan Island Gn addition TO its uptown
route it would prove formidable competitor
were the Rapid Transit to forestall it in this
particular the Long Island road would wait
long time before duplicating the tunnel. 1t is
also within the limits OF possibility that inside
the next three years some serious accident NAV
result from the present state of things. which
will prejudice people against BROOKLYN as a
place Of residence, and still further cut into the
Rapid Transit companys revenues. Such an