New-York tribune., 1919-09-12
Storage Battery System
Running to Ferries Is
Ordered Discontinued
by U. S, Judge Mayer
9th Avenue Rails
Go Back to Owners
100000 ON Lower East
Side Forced to Walk
Or Pay Two Fares

Inc operation of four subsidiary
l'ncs OF the New York Railways Com.
pany was ordered discontinued YES.
terday by Federal Judge Julius NJ
Mayer on petition of Receiver Job f
Hedges. They have been run for ter
years at loss. These lines are known
as the storage battery system" ane
include:
The Avenue G line. running from
the East Twenty third Street Ferry
to the Desbrosses Street Ferry, via
Avenue a Seventeenth and Eich-
teenth streets, Avenue C, Third
Street, First Avenue, Houston and
PRINCE streets, Stanton and Wash.
lngton streets, Greenwich Street and
Watts Street.
The Spring and Delaney streets
line running from Grand Street
ferry to Desbrosses Street ferry via
Delaney Street, Broome Street and
West Street.
The Madison Street line, running
from Grand Street ferry to Cham
bers Street ferry via Madison Street,
Chambers and Duane streets.
The Sixth Avenue ferry line. rum
nlng from Sixth Avenue and Third
Street to Desbrosses Street ferry via
Varick, Carmine and Watts streets.
Ninth Avenue Line Returned
The day when the order becomes ef.
fective has not yet been decided upon
but probably will be announced within
the next ten days after due notice has
been given to the public.
On petitions affecting the Ninth Ave.
nue. and Williamsburg Bridge lines, the
former branch was ordered returned
to its owners while a decision or the
latter line was withheld.
The four lines suspended were large
ly used by the lower East Siders to get
to manufacturing establishments or
the East and West Sides below Four
teenth Street. Approximately 12,00O,
900 fares were collected annually or
these branches. Their discontinuanc.
will Inconvenience more than 25O.OO.
people. The order cuts off the section
bounded BY Whitehall Street. Broad
way, Park Row, Centre Street, Crane
Street, the Bowcry, Delaney Street
Clinton Street, Avenue a and Eas
Tenth Street.
Those who formerly used these line:
either will have to walk to work or pa,
fare on the Grand Street cars or the
Avenue cars OF the Third Avenue
Railway system and another fare or
the New York Railways lire to which
they usually transferred
Great Confusion Feared
Still further trouble, however, il
feared from the complications arisin1
over the Ninth Avenue line, a portion
of whose tracks between Sixth Avenu,
and Ninth Avenue are used by tn,
Sixth Avenue, Columbus Avenue ant
Amsterdam Avenue lines. The line will
be run as an independent company, un
der which arrangement, it was pointed
out, no free or two-ccn. transfers coul,
be issued by or to the line, and its di
vorce from the rest Of the surface ca
system will result in the greatest con
fusion
tanned from the provisions of an orde
now being drawn up by counsel for tn,
receiver, discussion Of which will b.
heard, with other matters, on Septem
ber 22
When Mayor Hylan heard of tn
order of Judge Mayer, he said, 9TH
head of the Bureau of Franchises an,
Commissioner of Public Works JosepI
A. Guider, of Brooklyn, will immedi
ately work out a plan for installation
of a motor bus service along the route
of the lines discontinued" Guider wa
successful in placing buses on ou
line routes during the recent B. R. 7
and lnterborough strikes.
Lines Losing for 10 Years
Judge Mayer, in taking the action
said that the lines affected had beel
loss. Henry l.. Stimson, counsel fo
the receiver, and Receiver Hedges ha
represented that the lines caused an an
nual deficit Of $414,577, and that un
less this burden was removed the Ne,
York Railways system might have t.
cease operations before the winte
was over. "The system cannot borro,
a single dollar" saids MIR. Stimsor
land it must get rid of the items tha
are causing deficits"
Both Mr.. Hedges ard Mr.. Stimson, Il
relating the troubles of the car com
pany, scored the Mayor and "certai
other city officials" for "lying to an
hoodwinking" the public and obstruct
ing, as Mr.. Hedges said, every effort t
improve the roads.
Public Service Commissioner Nixon
! who was present at the hearing yester
day, said: II would save the servic
to the city if it were in my power.
have put forth every effort to do sc
but have received no cooperation fror
/ the city officials. | hope the respon