The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-16
N0BRIDGE HRANS;S AMECRUSA
NEXT SATURDAY DEVICE TOSPLIT
THE CROWD WILL BE TRIED.

Empty Inbound Platform North OF the MAN.
haitian Terminal to he Used as the Out
bound Platform for R~idgewood Trains
Prospect Poor That Anything But
Through Trains VIII he Put On.
Bridge Commissioner Stevenson has
decided that the Saturday evening crush
on the elevated platforms Of the Brooklyn
Bridge Manhattan terminal a. be re-
lieved materially by using the big exit
platform at the north side Of the criminal
for passengers who wish to use the Ridge
wood line of the d. n. r. The change will
go into effect next Saturday.
The worst congestion az the terminal
has beer on the island platform at the
extreme west end of the bridge, on which
passengers for the Ridgewood, Fulton and
Lexington avenue lines have been tumbled
together. Because the Brooklyn Rapid
Transit officials refuse TO run bridge trains
during the rush hours on Saturday even
ings, apparently not realizing that h rush
Of traffc is about as great on Saturday
evenings as any other evening of the week,
conditions on the island platform have been
barbarous.
The police under Capt. Murtha have
sweated and struggled trying to handle the
iam,' to subdue the bridge hog ,and protect
women from absolute injury, but the best
they could doswas not enough to mitigate
the torture. The narrow platform has been
dangerously crowded through every rush
hour with people who had to wait for the
particular through train that would a
them nearest their homes. II they had
an opportunity TO cross the river on local
trains they could distribute themselves
with more comfort IN the Brooklyn side
Of the bridge.
The idea of inspectors that Commissioner
Stevenson sent yesterday evening to watch
the loading Of trains is that by using the
big exit platform at the north side of the
north track as an entrance platform for
Ridgewood avenue passengers the crowd
ON the island platform would be split and
the trouble greatly lessened. Hitherto
the platform has been used for no other
purpose at night than TO unload a few pas
sengers from the other side of the river.
Last evening in the rush hour IL was empty,
while the narrow island platform across
the track was jammed with uncomfortable
people. The idea is to run incoming Ridge
wood line trains empty 20 the big exit plat
form, to which only outgoing Ridgewood
line passengers will gain access through a
special gate, marked "Ridgewood Line"
The inspectors that watched the evening
battle royal yesterday believed that this
change would do away with much Of the
trouble.
It ia not at all likely that the Bridge Com
missioner will order the Brooklyn Rapid
Transit Company to run local rains on
Saturday evening. An engineer who was
in charge OF the ms pcc.ors last evening
said: .
IF bridge trains W., run the distribu-
ton. of course, would all nave to be made
on the other side. Th> people would ave
to pile out of the bridge trains, climb another
flight Of stairs, make their way through a
long pig chute or two and then ave to
fight and struggle just the same on the
other side of the river. 1t would be merely
transferring Manhattan's trouble to Brook
lyn. and | don't see how the passengers
themselves would benefit much.
THE only thing that will ever solve the
TRANSPORTATION problem on the Brooklyn
Bridge is the proposed loop from the Will
iamsburg Bridge. William Barclay Par
sons had the right idea when he said that
people here measure distance by minutes,
not miles, and that they would just IA soon
axe the Williamsburg Bridge to go home IL
thew could get home quicker that way.
With quick schedule trains swinging around
the loop over the two bridges there would
be no crush and no danger to anybody.
"The system OF using through trains only
on Saturday evenings Ia advantageous TO
most passengers" said the engineer, be
cause people like to enter their trains On
this side and stay in Their until they get to
the nearest station TO their homes. II
bridge trains were run they would not only
have to struggle for footing on the plat
forms OF the Manhattan terminal but they
would have 10 climb out on the Brooklyn
side and 90 through the whole uncomfort-
able job again. Anyway, a large percent
age Of the trouble is caused nv the bridge
hog at the gates of the trains. With the
extra platform anc more cops this evil
could be lessened,"
Police Capt. Murtha had a somewhat
different opinion. Murtha had fifteen men
al work on the three platforms in use last
night and every man in his squad nearly
lost his clothes trying to save women from
being crushed in the scramble for seats.
@If they ran bridge trains it wouldn't
he nearly 40 bad" said Murtha. There
would be nc danger Of people getting hurt
because the platforms woul he constantly
unloaded. As they do IL now the platforms
are always jammed to the danger point
because people have to walt ten minutes
sometimes for a train on Tire particular
line they have TO use. OF course the extra
platform for the Ridgewoo d line people
will help some
The Brooklyn Rapid Transit sent fifty
two through rains into the Manhattan
terminal between 5 O'Clock and q O'Clock
last evening. The trains were run with fair
regularity. but every minute OF the time
the three platforms we're packed and
TANNED, and the police had - be on the
watch every second 20 see that somebody