The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-02-08
BRIDGE BROUGHT
BROOKLYN fame
Borough, Once City, How
ever, Is Noted for Other
Things.
B. R. 7. HAS FULL SWAY
New Workers Must Pass Through on
Way to Coney Island-Ceme-
teries Numerous.
B. R. T. HAS FULL SWAY
by GOTHAM kNICkERBOCKER.

New York, Feb. 7.-Brooklyn Is a large
expanse of territory lying adjacent to
New York and on the route 10 Coney
Island. At one time 1t was a city. but
now II Is borough. having been very
anxious to sink its identity In that OF
New York. Brooklyn has regretted j,
ever since. The Borough Of Brooklyn
Is supposed to be the property OF the
Free and independent Citizenry OF the
Municipality OF New York, but that Is a
popular error that is pardonabIe. In
reality, Brooklyn is the exclusive prop
erty of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Com
pany, sometimes called the B. r. T..
but more often called things that IL
would be poor taste to repeat here.
Exploiting undeveloped territory should
be a commendable deed Men who have
opened up virgin lands have been called
pioneers. The b. r. T. didn't exactly
find Brooklyn an. undeveloped territory,
but II has been exploiting Brooklyn for
many years, nevertheless. Ostensibly the
b. r. T. is a corporation organized TO
run street cars and elevated trains at
regular intervals through the streets of
Brooklyn. Ii runs the street cars and
trains-also. IL runs the Borough OF
Brooklyn-but il doesn't run the cars at
anything resembling regular intervals.
Blocks Are Numerous.
The Brooklyn Bridge has made Brook
Ign famous. Lots of people know about
the Brooklyn Bridge, but they don't know
whether il runs from New York to Jersey
City or to Staten Island. | can reliably
inform them that IL does run TO Brook
Ign. The Brooklyn Bridge has tracks
for elevated trains and street cars. and
every once in a while a street car or an
elevated train may be seen crossing IL.
The bridge has a wide promenade. This
is for the benefit Of Brooklynites. COM
PEELED to alight from an elevated train
or street car during a block. Brooklyn
Bridge has a signal system known to
railroad men as a block system" II is.
Every time one Of the lamps lights
there is block. The lamps are lighted
most of the time. Brooklynites are en-
thusiastic walkers. especially on snowy
days when the Il. r. T. gives vent to an
unearthiy supernatural groan and just
sort of lays down and dies.
New Workers visit Brooklyn a great
deal especially in the summer. when they
are compelled to pass through il to reach
Coney Island and Brighton Beach. This,
of course. can't be helped. as the 3. r. T.
has a monopoly Of Convey Island traffic.
There is another line running to Coney
Island, but nobody ever rides on IL. be-
cause it affords none of the uncertainty
and excitement attached to a trip on the
b. r. T. The gambling instinct seems
to be natural to Manhattanites. Despite
all this il really is reasonably certain
that IL you get on-if you get on-a
Is. R. T. Coney Island express. YOU even
tually will arrive at Coney Island l say
il you get on, because that is the hardest
Fart of the whole thing. and at the same
time the most exciting.
All great football scrimmaGes. Mexican
war skirmishes and New York subway
brushes pale into insignificance when
compared to a crowd boarding a Coney
Island express on warm afternoon in
August Only a futgFist or cubist ever
could paint a picture truly representing it.
Car Lines End at Cemeteries.
Besides the B. r. T the visitor to
Brooklyn should be shown the churches.
cemeteries and breweries. for which the
city is famous. Almost all elevated and
trolley lines in Brooklyn end at a ceme-
terry. On the way they pass breweries
and churches, and in one or two in
stances, the end of the route boasts
brewery with beer garden attachment as
well as a cemetery. This makes It con-
venient for those who visit the ceme-
terry.
Brooklyn Is not much in the manu-
featuring line. Its principal products are
babies and rubber plants. This is be-
cause Brooklyn is essentially a residential
city. Newly married couples who are not
sufficiently well of to enjoy a honeymoon
abroad to hide their bushes from grin
ming friends and relatives often move to
Brooklyn, thus effectively concesling
themselves from their old associates. al
though their nearer and dearer relatives