Year: 1874




ALBANY April 2l.-The Third-avo. Railroad Com
pany's Quick Transit bih-she first of tho
three bills that were made special order
for to-day-was taken up in Committee Of
the Whole this morning and considered by
sections The first amendment offered was
by Mr. Fish to strike out the provision of the fourth
section giving the Company tho right to build
branch road to the East River Bridge. After some
discussion the provision amended az to allow
the Company to build only single branch for that
purpose and that branch is not to leave the main
line above Cbatham-sqnare.


MIR. Wight moved to strike out the provision
authorizing the Company to build branch across
City Hall Park north Of the new Post Office, which
was carried. Mr.. Leake moved TO amend 80 az to
forbid the Company from running through Print
lng-House-sQuare and ParkrOw, and compel
them to stop at Chambers-st He said that
portion of the city already deDsely crowded
with horsecars, and when the Post-Oftce was COM
pleted there would be still further concentration
of people at that point, making any additional
bocking-up of the street an intOlerable nuisance.
The motion was lost Mr.. Weed moved to amend
by limiting the space to be occupied in the roadway
by the columns on which the road is to be built, to
25 feet. Carried.


At this point Mr.. Fish asked for.the enforcement
OF the 57th rule which forbds outsiders from
coming within the railing of the Chamber The
rule was enforced and one or two persons connected
with the Third-ave Railroad Company were COM
PEELED to retire to their proper place in the lobby


Mr. Leake moved TO amend by striking out the
sixth section, which requires the authorities OF the
City of New-York to aid the Company as far as
practicable in carrying out the provisions of their
charter and excludes all others from using the fran
OH htaai in with no m
Company. Messrs Daly Hammond, Blumenthal,
and Prince advocated the notion and after long
discussion it was carried far to strike out the
last two lines of the section which require aid
from the authorities. Mr.. Waehner moved to amend
the seventh section 80 az to confne the Company TO
carrying passengers exclusively. This also gave
to long discussion, which resulted in striking
out the words freight and property" and inserting
the words baggage, mails, and express matter not
exceeding 100 pounds in weight Mr. Beebe moved
to strike from the eighth section the provision CIV
ing legal proceedings for or against the Company
precedence of hearing or trial before!the courts
Carried Mr. Fish moved to reduce the rates OF fare
from ten to eight cents for any distance short OF the
northern terminus Of the road. This also carried
after considerable discussion.


motion was then made to fix the time within
which the Company shall build the road, as not TO
allow them to take advantage of legal proceed
ngsn instituted by themselves to delay the en-
terprise. Pending the discussion on this amendment
the hour of 2 arrived, and the Assembly took
recess till evening.


No amendment was adopted that was not con-
sented to by those having charge of the bill. Inc
whole discussion from the start Indicated that the
requisite number of votes had been secured to pass
the bill and that it was sure to go through in any


fhe q IN
floor desired The general merits OF the Dill were
brought under consideration two or three times
during the discussion, when its opponents freely ex-
pressed their opinion that there was no design on
the part of the Third-aye. Company or on the part
of Vanderbilt to build quick transit road and that
no such bills as those presented by the Third-ave
and Harlem Railroad Companies would ever receive
the Governors signature if they passed.


In answer to this, Speaker Hustled read letter
from Mr.. Squires, the President of the Thrd-ave.
Company, stating that the Company had bona fde
intention to build the road and consenting that the
forfeit of 100000 conditioned a failure to do so
should be increased to $25O,OOO Mr.. Hustled said
that he had uniformly, since he had been a member
of the Legislature voted for all quick transit bills,
in the hope that some road might be built and thus
relieve the pressing necessities of the people OF West
chester County.


LAIRR.-lDc remaining BeCIIOHs VI tHc luItu-dNc'
bill were disposed of this evening, and the bill was
ordered to a third reading. The only additional
amendments of Importance were the restoration of
the ten cent fare for short distances which was re-
duced this morning to eight Cents and the increase
of the forfeit money to $5OO,OOO, with provision
that in case the Company failed to give its bond for
that amount within 60 days after the passage of the
bill, it should lose the franchise. The
motion to restore the fare to 10 cents was
made by Lincoln, and strenuously opposed
by Fish, W. Miller Blumenthal, and Others. Mr.
Fish alluded to the extraordinary unanimity with
which every amendment to the bill had been voted
down that was not satisfactory to the Company, and
said he could not understand it.


Miller and Blumenthal were more plain spoken,
and intmated that they thoroughly understood It,"
Mr.. Eastman called attention 10 the fact that the
Board of Aldermen had passed resolutions against
the passage of this or the Vanderbilt bill, and cha
lenged any member of the House to show that any
man. woman, or child in NewYork except those in
terested in these two companies had eyer asked for
the passage of the bill.


After finishing the Third-ave. bill the House
took Cup the Vanderbilt, OF Fourth-ave. bill,
which was treated in the same manner as the other
and supported by the same persons. The amend
ments to this bill made to conform in all re-
spects to the provisions of the Ihird-ave. BILL
The provision allowing Vanderbilt to take necessary
grounds, public parks and places, which was not in
the Third-ave. bill, was stricken out, as was also
the provision permitting the Company to run horse
railroad through Park-ave. above the tunnel. A
clause was also inserted prohibiting any interference
with the park in Park-ave.


1t is pretty twell understood that bargain has
been made to put both of these bills through the
Assembly and of the stipulations is supposed to
be that the Eastman bill shall be killed. or 80
amended as not TO allow the Commissioners to take