New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-05-17
ASKS CHAMBERS-ST. LINE
ROUTES SATISFI1 N. S. e.
Treeiand Urges Need for Dozcnto7cn
Cr0sst01cn Sub7cay, HoyceUer.

President Vreeland of the New-YorS City Rail-
way Compeny yesterday sent a letter to Presi-
dent Orr Of the Rapid Transit Commission, urg-
ing the board to include in the plans for add
tional subway routes one for a crosstowr line in
Chambers-st.. connecting the East and West
Side lines. The letter follows;
The engineers of the Metropolitan company
have carefully considered the proposed rapid
transit routes outlined in the report of your
commissions subway committee on extensions.
dated April Is These routes, while varying
somewhat from those which We have recon-
mended. seem TO us to meet all the essential re-
quirements of Mr.. Ryan's letter TO YOU of Feb
ruary -, 1901 and of my letter 20 your CHER
engineer of the same date We however. mos,
earnestly request your most honorable board 10
include IN the plans the CroSStown lue on ChaIn-
beTs-st- which furnished a connection at that
point between the East Side and West Side
lines Such a CrOsstown line at or near Cham
bers st seems OF very great importance,
affording means OF distributing the train ser
vice in the systera as to meet the require
ments OF the traffic AT the various Pc
RODS of the day. The efficiency OF the service
would be seriously affected II the system were
so laid TO make it necessary TO operate
all o; the downtown trains as far as the Bat
terry. especially as il seems TO be agreed by your
engineers. as we'll as by ours. that both the
East Side and West Side lines below Chambers
81. must be limited 10 two tracks. = crOsstown
connection r. Chamhers-st would make II i'm
possible TO limit the number of trains going a
far - the Battery to the actual requirements
of the business below Chambers-st., with the
result Of substantially increasing the rapidity
same result might be partly accomplished by
side tracks AT near Chambers-st.. such
now used on the elevated lines. but facili-
ties OF this char"cte" would he less effective,
and think almost expensive. the pro-
posed crosstowu connection on Chambers-st.
Incidentally. the Chambers-st crosstown line
offers opportunity for passengers originating
at o. near City Hall Square 20 take trains TO the
Pennsylvania station and the upper West Side
without walking over 10 the main line on Green
wich ST.
White We stin prefer from our point OF view
that the West Side line be upon Eighth-ave and
Hudson-st. instead Of upon Seventh-ave. ard
GreenwiCh-st., as you propose We recognize that
there are advantages in favor of the latter route
which you may regard as controlling There is
situation 10 which we beg leave to call your
attention. one Of the rea sons which i'm
PEELED us TO recommend that the lower Test
eide line be upon Eighth-aVe. and Green
readily be connected with the terminal stations
Of the tunnels from New-Jersey which reach
New York at or near ChriStOpher-st. and Cort-
landt-st. respectively II seems to us that the
het-lne for the lower portion Of the city which
we proposed and which Is substantially en-
bodied in your plans. would he admirably
tunnels and distribute them to their destina-
tions in the various parts of the city. II is OF
course, entirely feasible that this idea should ba
carried out I'm connection with the rapid tran
sit route under Seventh-ave. and Greenwich-st.
This would simply involve an underground con-
neCtiOn about TWENTY-FIVE hundred feet long
with the present proposed terminus of the Chris
topher-st. tunnel, and about two hundred
feet long with the present proposed terminus of
the Cortlandt-st. tunnel
We bring this matter to your attention now
in tho hope that pending the arrangements for
siocating and constructing the proposed rapid
transit line on the lower West Side no plans
will be made for extending the New Jersey tun-
mel routes beyond the termini now proposed
which would prevent the carrying out OF the
plan for connecting them with the proposed
West Side lire above proposed. provided our
plan finally meets with your approval