New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-02-22
AGREE ON II LEASE.
Steam Road's Offer for Staten Island
Ferry accepted.

Fe7TY Accepfe0.
Commissioner Hawkes. of the Dock Depart
ment last night sent to the members of the
Sinking Fund Commission a report on the
investigation of the Staten Island ferry prob
lem and his recommendation concerning it,
with copy of & lease which the Staten Island
Rapid Transit Railway Company. backed by
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, is
willing to- accept. He recommends that the
lease re approved al the administration
stands pledged to give Staten Island improved
ferry service, and the time which will elapse
between and the expiration of the
present lease on June l. 1904, will be
required for the construction of new boats and
procuring the team landings referred to in the
lease. Commissioner Hawkes. hopes that
definite action will be taken at the meeting of
the commissioners next Wednesday.
Under the new lease there will be three
ferry routes to st. George, the present terminal,
Clifton and Port Richmond. the first for pas
senger traffic the other two for teams and such
passengers as desire to board the boats at those
points. The fare is to be five cents, with
communication rate. There will be overhead land
ings at the terminals. The company bidding
for the lease has agreed TO withdraw the two
old boats WestfeId and Middletown and con-
struct two new first class screw steel boats Of
improved design we'll ventilated, heated, lighted
and provided with watertight compartments for
safety, which shall be capable of making the
trip between the ferry landings at st. George
and Whiteha1I-st. in the maximum time of
twenty-five minutes and at average time of
twenty minutes. The new boats are be fifty
feet longer than the Robert Garrett and the
Castleton The Castleton and the Garrett
to be reboilered to provide greater speed. The
Southfe1d is to be retained by the company for
use a reserve boat
At least fifty trips are to be made every twenty
four hours between WhitehalI-st. and ST. George.
and an all night service is to be maintained.
Between the hours of 1:3O and a. m. and
and p. m. the intervals between the departures
of boats from each end of the route are to be not
more than fifteen minutes. Four round trips
are to be made each way every four hours for
teams and such passengers may desire trans
portation except on Sundays and holidays. to
and from Whiteha-st and Port Richmond and
Clifton
The terminal at Clifton is to be Wander
bilt-ave and that at Port Richmond
L Ierry-st The buildings. slips. etc. are to he
built at the expense of the company operating
the ferry. At the expiration of the lease tne
improvements to revert to the city Inc
present St George terminal is to be taken also
at valuation of S450.O0O. The lease is to ex-
tend over period of twenty-i years, the
longest term for which the city may let H. 1hT
ferry company is to pay SZl,1oO a year IentoI m
for the New-York terminal and q per cent on
the cost of the ST. George terminal WHICH 'Iie
city may take immediately . - 37.
This arrangement puts the CITY III an li'G =
nendent position The Dock Department Is
grnatIy htndered in the solution of several feTrJ
problems which il has on its hands. because tiie
city does not own the terminals, anu NJ ax fries
company than the enc operating une letlIc' @
would ba obliged to buy out the properly OF eA-
isting companies To obtain the lease. Inns hae
hnan adopted as thf polly OF COMMISSIONS
Hawkes. and has been put into practice III tne
case of the Fort Lee ferry, which IS Ihe -S oIly
other twenty-five year lease Sr''Ileu- ] IN ~
Denartment ir the proposed lease reserves the
riobt To take from the lessee one OF the I"o
sins at Whitehal-st. for the use Oh dIoLhes I11
Staten Island ferry if one shoulo De es'aoi'Si
An interesting feature of the lease is the pro-
vision for compelling the lessee 10 nFe up 10 tn
tar,,e of tho lease II is provided that a1ter
e. ,-e.,rs IL the Dock Commissioner shall pe VI
the opinion that the boats the nunDer Oh Up tt
and the ferry structures o 40 liot Cu..A 1 s III - go, ~,
terms of the lease, he may direct the Terry col. %
nany to make new Improvements. construct new
boafs or increase the number OF the trlps' as III
his opinion the service demands II the leIIS
, s 80, fails TO comply, the subject is to go
before an arbitration committee IiidQS up oI w
Mavor the Dock Commissioners tne rIesIuslI' @ - u
the Borough of Richmond ana tnIee PelSotis
iartad iaT NV tie ferry company If these fail TO
agree thew are TO select seventh person III
they unable to agree on D,iio of The
a,irst ner3rtment OF the Supreme Court are 10
select him The decision of this aroitration coih-
ftaa G
ther sction may be taken. II a bridge or tunnel
is built between any borough ana staten Isiahg
the rental is to be readjusted- All present ana
future trolley roaus are W ii"
at tn. terminals 49,. -.
10 tbis lease is accepted by the Sinking Fund
s,op, ,nissiolers it will end a long ana tecfouS
aefort 10 Improve the ferry connection Win
staten Island and TO provide the pest Iacliltles
Iroc,,rable The problem mas oeeh dragging
along since last summer, When. at a nearing on
. Iaasa apraed On by the Dock Department and
.ba ,rese1t ferry company Edward Lauterbach,
renresenting H. ri. Rogers. the chief stock
hnrdar In the Staten Island trolley system, op-
nosad the granting of the lease. He made
verbal offer which seemed to be much better
tban the lease proposed. Ii was practically
imDossible for several months to obtain any
thing more definite than his oral offer. AT last,
proposition was obtained This, it was found.
practically shut the steam road out from benefit
from the ferry and put the city in a position
where ii could not let another lease Tor
ferry TO Staten Island. The present Terry
company is operated by the trolley and steam
roads Jointly. There Is jealousy between them
because the trolley company does not enter the
terminal st. George NJ the same grade as the
steam road and is therefore at dlsadVantase.
As neither of the companies had a inaJorlS
vote In the board OF directors IL was Impossible
10 Obtain any legal ratification or any tease oS
the present company. The company which has
offered TO take the franchise represents the
steam road on Staten Island The chief adVah-
taga offered by the trolley proposition was
tbree-e4nt monthly communication ticket. As the
otty would have received a decreased rental uh-
,3er the trolley compauy's offer. commissioner,
TJawkAs deemed IA better accept me oHer OF