New-York tribune., 1902-10-27
BROOKLYN STREET NAMES

The confusing reduplication Of street names
In Brooklyn has at last become the subject of
official action. commission Of revision was
appointed some time ago by the Borough Presi-
dent and has now made preliminary report
There is nothing particularly startling in II 10
Brooklyn people who know their own borough.
But 10 them it will he sharp reminder Of the
urgent need Of reform To many outsiders it
will he an amazing revelation ~ confusion
worse confounded. We have often commented
upon the disgraceful barbarism Of the Borough
of Manhattan in having no name signs at street
corners, but are not sure that the Borough
OF Brooklyn is not in about as bad "A state in
having practically the same name for from two
to ten different streets in different parts Of the
city, and having this anomaly repeated many
times
One cause of this evil lies in the fact that
Brooklyn is a composite municipality. 1t is
made up of what were once several independ-
ent towns and cities Many years ago when
Brooklyn ard Williamsburg and East New-Yorly
were separate municipalities. there was no oh
lection 10 the independent use OF the same street
names by each. The trouble began when all
became one city. The people of Williamsburg
and East New-York naturally felt attached 10
their old street names and did not want them
changed But II would have been the easier
and more rational plan TO change them then at
once. as a part Of the price of consolidation
Another cause is TO be found IN the paucty of
invention displayed by those who did the orig
inal street naming. great part of the trou-
bic lies in the duplication Of numbered streets
Thus there are two Firststs.. two First Places.
and one First-ave., besides which there are
Bay First-st. North First-st-, an East First-st,
a South First-st, and a West First-st., making
no fewer than ten streets numbered "First'
and the same is true OF Second. Third. Fourth
and other numbered thorOughfares. There may
have been some excuse for numbering instead
OF naming the scores OF parallel cross streets on
Manhattan Island-there were so many of them
and numbering would so handily indicate the
latitude and relative position of each. But il
was simple monstrosity thus to designate the
few streets north and south of Grand-st. in
Williamsburg. When there are only n score of
streets TO be dealt with. the man who cannot
do more than 10 number them would better
not undertake the job. The notion that num-
beringis more surely Indicative of a streets sit
uation than naming is I'll conceived. A promis-
ing though not quite perfect start was made on
4 lar better system in Boston where the
streets in parallel series We're named alpha-
oeueally; Arlington, Berkeley. Clarendon. Dart
nlouth Exeter Fairfield. Gloucester and Here
ioi"' certainly their order and the relative
pia'e OF each are as obvious as though they
nao oeeh numbered First Second and Third
->or Is The objection valid that such a system
'ouid he applied TO no more than twenty-six
ssree'S' The first twenty-six might be names
oi one syllable, the second of two syllables. and
80 on through at least three or four alnbabets
"hieh would be sufficient for the needs OF Al.
most any city in the world. Even if we went
d Tar as the sixth alphabet the names womb
Do' pe more enmbrous than the numbering