The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-12
RR.T, WILL PAY ITS SHARE.
eoSr 0F ELEVATED LO0P NOT
tUE nfPORT MT FitTOR'
..,,.c, Oinirr In Letter Ia the Rapid
,.,,.tt uoarti Nprcs I'd Willingness
~ pn, ~ rcr cent. On the tod
Icu. IL the committee Cf 70.

10 "a, ~ i'r ''''' ." Wv
Views Il the Committee 81 20
understood that the contract com
ITO, If the Rapid transit Commission IL
,a,.,,r of adopting the elevated loop plan
I'm ,iu do away with the crush at the
p.,.sIyn Bridge. The members OF the
....,oa are Alexander T.. Orr, chairman
of ~. O. -miS-Ion; Comptroller Ld"afu
y cro,s and Charles Stewart smith
q, Orr In. tc...is.d for some ting that
tho loon is the only practical solution OF
mo Brooklyn travel problem. for Iohs
limo Mr. Grout hesitate 10 indorse the plan
for tse reason that ne was not certain that
tnono1 would cover the expense ana
IA not want tho city committed to nm I'M
oo,,aln cost II was then believed that the
prookvn Rapid Transit Company tne my
iivcly tenant would not undertake TO pay
,he intere,; On more than 100000.
Tbi. point i no longer in question.
ri,"pgb thc efTort- Of Borough President
it,i,,1u'- committee Of twenty-five. the
p,rid Transit Commission and the Brook-
l,- pauid Transit Company were brought
Soaer together on the subject Of bridge
.ru. An doubt as 10 the transit com
-. willn gness 10 undertake the opera
I'm n tho loop was dissipated on Jan. 81,
rben the transit company sent the follow
,,y letter TO the Rapid Transit Commission:
H. ,tc -erorf relating to the presentation
- -oiir commission ~ the letter addressed
~ II ~, tho committee Of which Col. Willis l..
OGDEN of Brooklyn * chairman. urging me
,,,ret-ucf on NJ iu elevated connection or the
Mammalian ends of tho bridges, and st1tiug
no Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company had
manned rs readiness TO lease the same
str.rer cent. on the estimated cost OF $4,000
0n notice b, was suggested that something
more d-ect ard in writing should be had by
1oir comm ission from this company ana IN
,ew of the uncertainty In me cost OF some
-. M ffe nrouo-cd work that the COM
r,rr', con INITIAL ~ the arrangement should
moi he conditioned on the maximum cost
yonr commission will no doubt agree
With ne that while no definite sum can now
hs nsmeA which will represent the actual
oo.i Of tho work-indecd an effort now 70
n he amount would probably tend 70 en-
fance the item OF land, damaees-lt u our
duiv 10 give due consideration to this I'M
poriAnt feature Of the question. NeNerthes
lpss the railroad company does not intend
dg at tn1 P9 90 co Syer the N fA yonr
commission In the solution Of n problem
Which i important alike 70 the public ana
therefore beg to advise you that the
BROOKLYN Rapid Transit company stands
ready to hid Tor the CONSTRUCTION and opera
ton Of said structure and pay the IA per
3. 10 the question Of lind DAMAGES. we,
ss ncb tbeT nW W be WRen tRe GontraCt
4 finally drawn we shall ask that i provide
that We have the right to settle lang damage
spect!uly L W, WINTER. President.
The unity Of opinion on the usefulness
az the loop is well expressed in the report
Of the sui committee Of the committee
Of twenty-five which conferred with Chair
man Orr. Engineer Nichols OF the Depart
ment Of Bridges and President Winter
OF the meeting this report says;
Tho situation was frankly and fully
discussed. The chairman Of the Rapid
Transit Board declared IL would be useless
FOR his commission to lay out any system
Of relief until assured that tenant or
lessee would be forthcoming. The engineer
of the Bridge Department went at length
into the history Of the bridge crush and Of
the schemes advanced and seriously consid-
cred Some of his statements were startling
10 the committee He declared that the
carrying capacity of the bridge railroad
had been reached IN 1898 and that such
slight improvements a. had been made
since that wear had contributed something
perhaps TO the comfort of passengers, but
nothing 10 the capacity for actual trans
por'aton.
He urged the approval OF a temporary
scheme which contemplates the extension
Of terminal platforms and tracks across
Park row on the ground that it would afford
measure Of relief, although candidly
admitting that was a makeshift, devised
for the purpose of cheaply and speedily
meeting the emergency OF an expected in
crease in bridge travel next summer. Mr..
Nichols said that conditions to follow the
opening Of the Manhattan Bridge would
neCcsstate four years hence an elevated
construction between that bridge and the
proposed terminal Of the Brooklyn Bridge,
and It was his opinion that it would be wise
70 extend the connection Of the Williams
burg Bridge
The president Of the Brooklyn Rapid
Transit Company said that his company
could not for reasons which he gave, con-
sider the proposition Of a subway connec-
lion between the bridge terminals, but that
u" would urge upon the directors that
The company agree to lease an elevated
structure connecting the Manhattan teTni-
mails
It was significant that Mr. Orr Mr..
Nichols and Mr. Winter all commended
the plan Of an elevated connection as one
which would accomplish the object desired.
pom these points all three of them agreed
That subway connection was imprac-
iicahle because Of the grades (Mr. Nichols
Pronounced them prohibltoryl, and the
necessity OF a change IN equipment; that
On "eNaied structure would afford per
anrnt lief would lie comparatively
inexpensive and would encounter no oppo-
alton on tstuetic grounds which could not
10 overcome
TIE impression left in the minds OF
syerv uemter Of the committee who was
present an the conference was that the
cevatcd connection was the best If not
TIE only method Of sowing the problem
Iresenied, and that the coming necessities
a BRIDGE Department administration would
force t.e city authorities to construct such
aconnection four years hence ia any event
Inls pan insures 10 the public continuous
eFrNlce, unfroAen at any point between
ne terminals OF the elevated railroad in
thls borough Thus the operating COM
lauy Val he enabled 70 increase the number
o. cars on each train and decrease without
Danger the Roadway between trains. 1t
VIII increase materially and in such a way
as TO add 10 the convenience OF passengers
lstian
While this plan does not contemplate
connection for the surface lines, the in
formation obtained by the committee on
Vhces Va that its adoption will have a
very material, Il indirect. effect upon the
Cl,h ar the trolley line loops. MIR.
Ncho5 stated 10 Us that during the So
odied rush hours the elevated or bridge
car service carried two-thirdS OF the pas
sugers transported from one borough to
we otarr, the remaining one-thrd using the
eTlaoe mes. II this be- true at a time
Nheh a, Mr.. Nichols says, $50 passen-
teI9 are crowded into a car which has a
ttaung capacity OF 81. [ cannot be doubted
nav "hen the accommodations for COM
tlAoe travel on the elevated systems
NsH ave been greatly i'm roved the
.1'lo oi those who use the latter 10 those
no u-e the surface lines will increase IN
iTo. orton.