New-York tribune., 1907-12-01
TRANSPORTATION AND TERMINALS

If the people of these United States, or, indeed,
those of nearby Manhattan-even the generally
well informed portion of these-were asked, Nhat
is Long Island?" they would probably answer, It's
a little sandy island which lies between New York
and the Atlantic Ocean. and which once served the
city market garden, but now, since the South
has usurped that function. is relegated to the pro
vision of sites for the seats of its social
and commercial magnates. and for number of
more or less heavily patronzed-by the masses
seaside resorts. the most prominent OF which is the
As a matter of fact, this island had, when the
fh either OF the States Of Arkansas Maryland and
South Carolina, and almost as many people as
either OF the great States Of California and Kan
sas, and its interests are almost as diversified.
and as valuable & as any Of these & states and
Of the Long Island Railroad might be ;,- termed ned
veinous system Of this island.
LONG ISLAND BRIEFLY DESCRIBED.
Before describing the road, brief description of
the island itself may be advantageously introduced:
Much of it is fiat and low-lying; its greatest
Iength-which is from east 10 VESTS hun
dred and twenty. and its greatest width about
twenty-four miles. Its eastern and southern shores
are washed by the Atlantic Ocean and by New
York's upper and lower bays, and Its western and
northern by the waters of the East River and
Long Island Sound. A bluff follows the outline of
its northern coast; rising sometimes TO height
of 800 TO 100 feet Between this bluff and the central
Ghan IN OF mus = whiGn ssretchgS & IrTm s & New 9echt
level, elevated plain This coast line is indented
Splendid harbors These bays, saith ROSS HIS
tory. are walled in by high ridges. which have
by lateral thrusts. On reaching the north Of
the island the alluvial gravel and sands were
to form the moraine, and the boulders, when the
greater part of the region consists of sand gravel
d s ssanee Ghs BFs BS sass shGr %
The same authority gives the credit of its early
discovery to Adrien Block, who first determined
Allefensce of saintong passed through Long Island
that bit of seamanship
Its aborignes were a part of the great family of
the Butch as 50 the ohga
The island played a conspicuous part In the early
and later. in the Revolutionary period, IT does
It's ae ef d n :s
date its agriculture and its fisheries In fact
IN the iaSHsa and he
further end of the island, manufacture and the
have encroached upon, and are rapidly driving
out, the big truck farms, at this end, that
poPtaton. from the fertile Southern coast for
fruits and vegetables first gave mortal wound
York there still thousands OF acres on the
island. never cultivated with good deep SOIL which
produce in abundance all the vegetables and fruits
OF s M @ n mas te se nea out by an I
fact that midway between the east and west ends
S the 81 Gust bsygRa y the the esu Of the
territory forty by ten miles, intensive farming
people-and the land can be had at reasonable fig.
The island is divided into four counties: Kings
in which lies its chief city Brooklyn; Queens the
most important town of which is Long Island City;
the towns just mentioned. some twenty-four Others
which range In population all the way from twelve
or less manufacturing industries. and host of
thriving Villages Which snsslst upon The & trade Of
HUds Of the many great landed estates and