The New York herald., 1922-04-18
Transit Board Finds Con
ditions Less Bad, Due to
Space Distribution.
REMEDIES SUGGESTED
Commission Going Ahead on
Thursday With Hearings
on /. r. T. Valuations.

Data recorded yesterday when the
Transit Commission began it's investi-
cation of inadequate service on the
subway and elevated lines Of the
Brooklyn Rapid Transit system indi-
Gated that when rush hour jams are
under review the b. r. T. is success
full rival of the Interborough. These
statistics were presented from the wit
ness chair by Walter K. Edgerton, the
commissions assistant supervising in
spector.
Some of the topnotch achievements
disclosed in passenger packing were
startling. They surpassed anything
shown on the Interborough lines. Here
are a few of the high water mark
records noted by the witness:
On the Canarse line of the Broadway
elevated (Brooklyn) between 80 and
p. NJ, eastbound in the homeward rush,
there were run in the half hour four five
car trains. with an aggregate of 1900
available seats for 5.120 passengers.
This means an average percentage of
loading of 320 persons per car, with 176
of them standing.
Observations made partly at Myrtle
and partly at Marcy avenue stations on
March 3 showed that in the half hour
between and Z 80 A. NJ, westbound, six
trains tfour made up of six cars each
and two of five cars) carried 1920 pas
sengers, for whom there were 2.720 seats.
That is loading OF 291 per cent. Dur
q sqp af ha
points Jamaica trains showed loading
of 203 per cen: : Metropolitan avenue
trains, 22S; East New York, 204. Right
down TO o'clock each successive half
| hour period showed little Improvement.
Blames City for Conditions.
| Clarence j. Shearn, chief counsel to the
commission. called it's attention to the di-
rect responsibility of the city for much of
| this aggravated condition.
You will note, MIR. Chairman" he
said. that these very high percentages
of rush hour overlooking per car are di-
rectly due to the city's failure to put the
Fourteenth street-Eastern District sub
| way in operation. If 1t were in use, as
It ought TO be. 1t would divert a great
mass of this overload, who would prefer
| to travel by that more direct route"
Darius A. Marsh of counsel for the B.
\ r. L. observed 1T might be pointed out
| that 200 per cent. loads can't be so very
uncomfortable II. as appears here. you
I can get 800 per cent into these cars"
The examiner testified that these most
excessively congested trains in the city
! are all operated through the Center
/ street loop; that trains of wooden cars
are there sandwiched between trains of
steel cars: that the most excessive over
! loadings are In the heavy steel cars. and
that the headway between trains sched-
uled through the loop is the closest
maintained anywhere in the city-forty-
six trains to the hour
II was demonstrated repeatedly that.
! like the Interborough. the r.. r. r. oper-
ative management has been skimping
the service In the non-rush and the near
rush periods to economize expenditure.
Again and again the inspectors statis-
ties displayed instancese where seven car
trains (the b. r. Il. maximum with its
| big steel vehicles) would have accom-
irodated all passengers comfortably. but
| the management had contented itself
with operating trains of only four, five
or six cars each. herdng the passengers
into the standing spaces.
| Counsel for the Brooklyn corporation
stressed the fact that its large steel SUBJ
way cars are more roomy and far better
adapted to the comfort of the standees
than are the cars OF the Interborough.
Familiar with the standees.
Mr.. Marsh and his associate r. r. T.
counsel. George y. Yeomans, admitted
that the Brooklyn lines are familiar
with the professional standee." the
| rotating kind and all the others.
Mr.. Edgerton. the witness. finally
analyzed conditions as shown by each
OF his 1913 study sheets and his 33
graphs and prescribed what he consid-
cred the best cure for conditions as
shown by them. In some instances.
notably in the rush hour periods. the
only remedy. he though iay In the
operation Of from twelve to thirty more
cars. In other cases he showed that
relief could be attained or approximated
ksimply by compelling the road TO run
seven car trains throughout periods
where II now is operating only six car
trains. or FIVE car trains where 1t has
now cut the service to three or four.
On the Brighton line. he said. twenty
six additional cars could be run to adj
vantage eastbound and westbound. They
would take care of the overcrowding
entirely. With twenty-one additional
cars on the West End line, uniform
trains OF six cars could be run between
Z a. nj. and r. NJ, and jamming
there would be relieved
In many instances cited by him Mr.
Edgerton said there was no operative
reason why more cars should not be
run on each train In other cases he
recommended slight shortening of the
intervals between trains.
Counsel for the B. II. T. wanted
week to digest the schedules before
cross-examning the witness. The in
vestigation was adjourned. therefore.
until next Monday April "a, at 10 80
A. NJ.
In the meantime the commission on
Thursday, April 70. will begin the
highly important examination OF the
Tnterborough interests on the subject Of
the tentative valuations placed by the
commission experts upon their proper