New-York tribune., 1902-02-07
PLOT TO WEAKEN FERRIES.
B. r. T. THOUGHT TO BE TRYING TO GET UNION COMPANY
AT A Low PRICE-TO HURRYNEW BRIDGE
RELIEF IN MORE BRIDGES,
COMMISSIONER LINDENTHAL WILL
PUSH WORK ON THE NEW EAST
RIVER STRUCTURE

Believing that the crush on the Brooklyn
| Bridge at the rush hours cannot be relieved
| until the New East River Bridge is ready for
use. Bridge Commissioner LindenthaI is de-
! termined TO al his power and authority TO
| hasten the work and prevent delays on the new
| bridge. There is reason to believe that the new
| bridge will divert much of the travel to and
| from Brooklyn as to relieve the pressure on the
| Brooklyn Bridge for several years during which
| Mr.. LndenthaI declares. the third great span
| across the East River. possibly TO be known as
| the Navy Yard Bridge, should be built and the
| entire superstructure of the Brooklyn Bridge
| should be rebuilt on an enlarged plan
The New East River Bridge will have four
tracks for trolley cars. two tracks for elevated
trains and two roadways, in addition to the foot
walks and cycle paths. The bridge should have
been nearly completed by this time but politics
caused delays OF many months while work was
being held back because of lack Of appropri-
ations. The Roeblings having the contract for
the cables of the bridge. are several months be
hind time, and want an extension of six months
time for completing the cables. With the ex-
tention of time already granted. the contract
calls for the completion of the cables by April
p. Mr. Lindenthal has refused to grant
other extension of time, and has said that he
would exact the $1,000 a day forfeit for every
day Of delay in completing the cables after the
contract time expires.
on the cables in a satisfactory way" Mr. Lin
denthal said yesterday. They spent months
building the footbridges over the towers and in
the mean time made no preparation for drilling
men in the work of stretching the cable strands
The result was that they began with green men,
who had to be broken in. first on one strand
At present they are laying eight strands at the
same time two strands for each cable but the
men work only in one shift The work is going
ahead too slowly. There is no reason why the
forfeit of $1,000 a day should not be imposed,
particularly as one extension of time has been
granted"
Commissioner Lindenthal said yesterday that
he thought the completion of the New East
River Bridge would bring temporary relief 10
the Brooklyn Bridge. but for the future there
must be plans to meet the growing traffic be
bridge, which / have said might be called the
NAVY Yard Bridge should be pushed to com
pletion as soon as possible" he said, 'and then
there should be the rebuilding of the super
structure of the Brooklyn Bridge. I believe that
the present towers, cables and anchorageS of
the Brooklyn Bridge should be left undisturbed,
but that the superstructure should be enlarged
into a double decker, with twice the present
facilities for traffic. Some people seem to think
that would be impossible, with due regard to
weight TO be imposed on the towers, but 1t would
be entirely practicable. OF course, it would not
do 10 hang more weight on the cables than that
now supported by them, nor would IL be wise
to construct additional cables because the tops
of the towers and the anchorages might not
safely bear the strain.
THE building Of a double decker superstruct-
ure, therefore, would mean the supporting of
part of the weight, at least one-half those
parts of the towers below the openings That
could be done by constructing the superstructure
on the cantilever plan, thus distributing the
weight between the cables and the lower por-
tons of the towers. This would make combi-
nation bridge having about twice the facilities
for traffic purposes"
Mr.. Lindenthal said yesterday that he had
been making personal observations on the
Brooklyn Bridge, and he could not devise any
plan to increase the present facilities of the
bridge and thus mitigate the crush at the rush
hours. There was no room at the Manhattan
terminal for more loops for trolley cars he said,
and the galleries now in the way, further back
from the entrance TO the bridge could not be
removed until some plan could be devised for
running the bridge trains and elevated trains on
an elevated branch extending in Centre or
Park Row The plans already devised he said
did not meet with his entire approval He be-
lieved however that suitable plans might re
devised, and that there might be an arrange
ment for running the elevated trains crossin,
the bridge to a terminal station either in park
Row, north OF the bricge entrance to be shared
by the Manhattan Railway Company or in
Centre-st
TO THE SOUTHWEST VIA ATLANTA AND
MONTGOMERY.
one day in Atlanta, using Seaboard Air Line Rvs
train q. known ''Seaboard Fast Mail leaving
w 23d Street Ferry. p r. r.. 1910 A nj Sleener
open 10 i. N. Oftice, l,I63 Broadway.-Adyt