New-York tribune., 1902-12-27
SHORT TRAINS Il CURSE.
Use of More EleUated Cars Would
Heb Conditions,

| The Manhattan Railway Company is still
| running three-car trains on the Third-ave line
| in the so-called non-rush hours. At 10 O'Clock
| yesterday morning, an hour when the New
| York Central and New-York, New-Haven and
Hartford railroads emptying loads of com
muters upon the elevated and surface lines, the
downtown station at Forty-second-st was
packed with persons who waited seven minutes
for the first train to arrive. When it did come
it South Ferry train Of three cars. Wsnlch
should have been labelled standing room only.
and little of that" at least three stations above
There was the usual rush to get aboard. and
when the train finally started again, two min
utes having been added to the already exasper-
ating delay, all the cars and platforms were
packed to suffocation. six-car train would
have given everybody a seat.
Yesterday albeit the throngs Of Christmas
shoppers were absent, the same old system OF
packing people like cattle on the elevated
trains was In force. On the Ninth-ave. line,
where the railroad people say traffic Is not so
heavy Others passengers during the rush
hours were compelled to stand on the pieak
platforms Some even stood on the rear plat
forms outside the gates and guards 1t should
be easy for the company to put on more cars
on that line as the new motor cars leaNe some
Of the old cars formerly used on the sIean
trains free Tor the only SlSdiH NV 80
ming. That these cars may he put to this use is
demonstrated by the fact that there are plenty
of the old steam cars yet unequipped with
motors that are brought out when sno" or
sleet hinders the work Of the third rail-
a source of deep seated and well justified dis
satisfaction is that unmitigated nuisance. the
three car train Of the Fifty-eighth-st spur AT
Forty -second-st and below the cars are packed
TO a degree that outrages all decency- "A hVe
car train might not entirely relieve the conseS-
tion but such trains would mitigate conditions
to considerable extent. if run on properly
timed schedule The pressing and croWolhs Oh
the passengers when train stops at sIatioA
is not only a nuisance. but danger. Already
some have been showed between the cars ana
the platform. More cars and a more rapid head
way would quickly remedy this danger. as well
as the inconvenience of the crowded trains.
Each additional car costs the railroad company
$50 year in car tax, but this sum IS almost an
infntesimal fraction of its earning capacity
Last night while trains were still crowded.
after what the company considers the Fush
hours extra cars were strung all along the ex-
press tracks.
The following lawyers have agreed TO serve on
the legal committee of one hundred OF the Mer-
chants Association to aid IN the crusade against
the outrageous way in which passengers are
Tyler Pratt Hibbard & McAlpin. John A Dut-
ton, of Hurry & Dutton: Seabury c. Mastick. OF
Mastick & Jones' John Ross Delafeid. Elliot ,.
Benedict Of Johnston * Benedict. William D.
GatIlard of Holt & Gaillard; Seward Baker,
Bernard Naumburg. Of Lehman & Naumourg'
Stewart Chaplin, Charles E. Manierre, of Man
ierre & Manierre: Writ Howe George W. BITS
tol George H Gilman and Edgar J. Lauer
Charles Sprague Smith managing director Oh
the PEOPLES Institute, has addressed the foi-
lowing letter TO the Merchants Association
which will be presented to the committee to-day
for II to act on:
We have a free date, Tuesday, January o.
The campaign you have inaugurated for the
Correction of transit abuses in New-fork seems
to me germane to our work. therefore siao!y
offer YOU the evening. and trust you Will De aoie
to make use OF It, / can assure you !aIse
audience After the addresses VII! nave
vote taken, and believe II will strengthen your
hands
s c. Mead, who Is directing the work OF the
Merchants Association, has already received
scores of letters from all over the city oTering
to help in the crusade against the present
abuses w.
DR. Irving Townsend, president OF the New
York Homeopathic County Medical Society. Is
to cali the attention Of the executive committee
subject viii probably be brought before the
society on January q at the meeting IN the
chapter room in Carnegie Hall.