New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-01-15
AGAINST BRIDGE PLANS.
NO RELIEF, SAYS SCHMIDT.
Thinks Capacity Of Trains vii Be
Reduced, Not Increased.

AJAX e Schmidt general manager and chief en-
gineer Of the Continuous Transit Securities Com
pany. whose proposition 10 install moving plat
forms on the Brooklyn Bridge presented TO
the city than a year ago, after approval by
distinguished engineers. Gays that the proposed
modelling of the Manhattan terminal Of the
Brooklyn Bridge Will not relieve traffic conges-
ton In commenting the plans authorized last
week by the Board OF Estimate and Apportion-
nent Mr.. Schmidt said:
In the present Manhattan terminal Of the Brook
II Bridge during the rush hours trains Of ays
seconds. A bridge car. when fully loaded. contains
LOO passensers; each train carries, therefore, go
hourly capacity of the bridge railway Is 4906s pas
ssengeTs This large capacity is chiefly due to the
loaded from three doors one being at each end and
IS probable that these trains Gould be operated
under forty-tflve seconds hesdwey. in which event
In the proposed new terminal it is intended to
but the cars Will be elevated cars with capacity
OF only 10 passengers and provided with end doors
cars. a rule, does not receive its full quota Of
Is ea e fs y fhe third me p SF hae hay
time 10 move to the centre of the and make
doors. For purposes of comparison, the initial
loading capacity Of the elevated cars at the new
terrlnal should therefore not be considered as ex-
ceedlng 100 passengers per car; or 600 passengers
dispatched every 20 f6rty-!ive seconds
Hence, the maximum loading. capacity of the
Roadway. win be $500 passengers an hour as
against 4stEo OF The present lge car Dridge trains
with its six car trains at forty-ve seconds head
way. viii therefore have actually over a thousand
passengers hour less capacity than the old
station with five car trains operating at hfty-tive
seconds headway.
The practice Of crowding passengers into cars
until every inch of floor space is occupied Will be
continued under the terminal plan As mat
which the calculations are based. IF the fail
to go packed the scheme fails. for the bridge
will then not be working TO its full capacity. No
attempt has been made TO afford more space to the
individual traveller.
It may be anticipated that the reconstructed
bridge will have a total capacity Of from 5000 to
10000 passengers hour. But of these only about
one-third will be seated The capacity Of a single
the four tracks of the present Brooklyn Bridge,
would be $3.50 passengers hour. Each Of these
would have a seat II necessary, similar equip
z1ent could be placed on the two remaining tracks,
and the capacity increased 16S $50 passengers
hour. each having a seat. This enormous gain in
capacity and comfort could be carried out with
perfect safety by the bridge as at present con-
structed. Reconstruction Of the bridge would
therefore become unnecessary.
The commission OF engineers have unanimously
approved the moving platform idea for the Brook
syn Bridge. Why then. have they not worked out
the details snd compared the two propositions9
The terminal will cost four million dollare
Including real estate it will cost eight million dol
lars 1t will take at least two and onehRlf years to
complete this terminal and what will be the RESULT
The capacity of the bridge will not have been in
creased st all, and the conditions viii be more in
toierable than Another eight million dollars
viii then be expended for the reconstruction of the
VIII be required Why wait SO long. and spend
sixteen million dollars when moving platforms,
seating $3.50 passengers an hour, be placed
the Brooklyn Bridge within ten months, at much
cept the vehicle traf1o-and such traffic only for
period OF not exceeding two or three months?