New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-16
SLOWER ASKED TO SAVE
FORT WASHINGTON PARK
Adjacent Property Holders De-
clare Railroad Plans Will
Mar Its Beauty.
AGAINST N. Y. CENTRAL
City Would Pay S1,500,00O of
$1,800,0O0 Expense of Dam
aging Open Cut-Hearing
To Be He'd June "a.

Protesting that the beauty Of Fort
Washington Park will he completely de-
stroycd and that property values i'm the
immediate vicinity will dcprcciatc TO the
extent OF millions Of dollars II a proposed
change in the plans for the extension Of
the New York Central tracks through tho
park is adopted, property owners Of that
section have appealed 10 Park Commits
sioner Slower FOR protection. This plan,
which is included in the report Of the
Committee ON Terminal Improvements Of
the Board Of Estimate will come up for
a hearing June o.
The appeal TO Commissioner Slower is
made 10y Henry De Forest Baldwin Oh
! behalf of Mrs. J. Hood Wright. Or
/ Charles v Palermo. Mrs. Samuel ".
/ Weiss. r. r. Fogel Joseph Hamcrshlag
and about twenty others whose holdings
! adjacent to the park aggregate about
SArooGo
one peculiar phase OF the case is that
! Of the $4,000 cost Of the cat through
I the park. the city is said to have agreed
/ to pay N.Jo0g0. while the railroad COM
pany will pay only t]oOoO although the
I railroad had agreed 20 pay the entire
/ ecoo ooo expense Of widening the existing
! trackage.
/ Studied Matter Three Years.
John Purroy Mitchell. former President
Of the Board Of Aldermen and now COL
/ lector Of the Port. Controller william A.
/ PrendcrEast: George McAneny President
OF the Borough, and Nelson p. Lewis,
] obi If gf D.. I'd Of --ff 70
are a committee appointed 10 study the
/ railroad situation with a view to having
! the tracks Of the New York Central on
the upper West Side put under ground or
rooted over. This committee has had the
proposed Improvements under considera-
ton since June 10. 1910.
From the beginning ii was understood
! that Improvements would be made with
the least possible damage to Fort Wash
| iugton Park. The railroad company pro.
posed a six-track line through the park
over the route now occupied by its
tracks. To this the committee Of the
| board objected, and the New York Cen
trail compromised by Offering 10 widen the
cut so as to carry a four-track line. For
some unexplained reason this offer was
not accepted and the matter was referred
10 subcommittee, which In 1912 sug-
gested that In place OF building the four
| track road the railroad should run its
tracks under the park by tunnel and
abandon the present right Of way, which
consists Of two tracks
The company objected to this plan on
the ground OF expense, and asserted that
| tunnelling could not be done for less
than ;l,SOO,ODO. whereas the widening OF
the present cut to accommodate four
| tracks, and which the company would un-
| dertake, would cost only 5000 oO The
| committee thereupon made a tentative
| agreement that the city would stand an
| expense OF $l5O0OOO, which would be the
| difference between the widening OF the
present cut and the boring OF the tunnel.
The committee prepared plans for the
underground road. but when these were
carefully examined Il was discovered
that instead Of providing for tunnel con-
struction through the greater part Of the
park there would be an excavation for an
| open cut, ninety feet i'm width. that
would destroy not only the grove Of giant
tulip trees along Sunset Lane. but would
wipe out OF existence acres Of beautiful
forest land between Riverside Drive and
! the Hudson River