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THE ' SUN, ' SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 1914. 16 rrDT tt v a r.DCATm ntThW YHDl 1 JLXJL- i r VJlLn 1 I ' i j vv X VIM . PROPOSED BY DR. THOMSON Project for Damming the East River and Remodelling the Bay Would Give the City 20,000,000 Population, Wipe Out Municipal and State Debts and ' Develop an Industrial Centre of Magnificent Proportions 0 . NR scarcely realizes how cramped Manhattan Is and how Inade quate are the city's dock facili ties until Dr. T. Kennard Thorn con's plan to create "a really Greater New York" Is studied. This civil en gineer and foundation expert proposes to turn the port of New York Into the greatest harbor In the world and to make tho flvo boroughs and part of neighboring New Jersey an Industrial centre, of magnificent proportions. Dr. Thomson says that this can be done Inside of five years provided the money Is forthcoming. To carry out hi. scheme In Its entirety would cost a tidy bit moro than the construction of the Panama Canal, but. unlike that vast enterprise, the Improvements here would quickly pay for themselves. Tho East River Is tho prims trouble maker In Manhattan's problem of ex- where the Pennsylvania tunnels are situated and he would wall In the shore lines on each side of the Intervening space by means of great conoroto .bar riers. With this Immense cofferdam completed ho would pump out the water and bare the river's bottom, which, he believes, will bo found to bo substan tially rock, tho basic ledge upon which Mnnhattan rests. Possibly you will wonder why he In tends to raise retaining walls along tho shore lines, lie would do this because the present waters of the East River play a pretty ltnportunt part In sup porting a very largj area of the East Side. The ground In big sections of the flanking shores of both Manhattan and Brooklyn Is permeated with water. If this water wcro to bo drained out the earth would follow to a large extent, foundations would sink and buildings Sound to the bay or from the navy yard up through tho Hound. To-day nono of the big battleships would dare to try to thread tho East Ulver above tho navy yard. Tho battleship Massachu setts did It In tho '90s, getting by Hell Date and up Into tho Hound, but her capablo and courageous commander was cautioned by tho Navy Department not to repeat tho performance. Tho new East lllvcr of Dr. Thomson's proj ect would add Immensely to the facility with which this port could be defended against an aggrcsslvo foe who might succeed in getting by tho forts at tho eastern end of Long Island Hound. Tho port of Now York Is handicapped to-day because of Its lack of amplo docking facilities, and each year under normal conditions tho situation grows worse. Tho completion of tho Htato Cargo Canal, tun Panama Canal and might be moved, and It Is believed that this would be a distinct strategic gain. But the elbow room for Industrial expansion, an expansion which Dr. Thomson believes Inevitable If provi sion be mado for It, would be provided upon Htatcn Island and upon new made areas reclulmed from the sandy bed of New York Bay. "Stolen Island Is now assessed at t.50,000,000, and us soon as the scheme already outlined la carried out the valuo would bo Increased to at least 1000,000, 000," ho buys. "Besides this, the vuluo of the two and one-quarter squaro miles of new lund and docks reaching toward Htaten Island from tho Battery and Brooklyn wbuld easily reach a tig re of quite $1,000,000,000. "But I realize that this plan, vast as It Is, would not be adequuto, becauso tho new land anil docks would bo snapped up Immediately, and again wo should havo the cry of lacking facili ties for shipping. My elastic remedy Is, I believe, the true one. for tho creatlon of n really. Greater Now York. I would form n new una larger Day between Htaten Island and Handy Hook, at the same time, reclaiming some forty square miles of valuablo waterfront land. To my surprise I find that this greater plan does not frighten people as much as the lesser part of the project wo havo nready discussed. The carry ing out of this plan, which Is only a "luestlon of time, would create tho greatest boom that ever occurred In this country. "Wo must remember that the com pletion of the Htato barge canal will make It as olieup to deliver coal and Iron ore at New York as It Is to put them down ut Pittsburg. I believe, then, that It Is eminently practicable to make New York the greatest steel trronufac tnrlng centre on the face of tho globe, and Htaten Island, with the new land I propose to conatct with Its southern shore, would be the logical focus for this enormous Industrial movement. Just think of the addition of n hun dred miles of shore Hue which we would thus obtc.n for the running out of docks or wharves capable of housing tho largest and longest of ocean going craft. 'Of course It would ho utterly 1m IMOOKLTN ADVERTISEMENTS. BROOKLYN ADVERTISEMENTS. BROOKLYN! FURNITURE Cl A Sale of .Fine Buffets at Bargain Prices These low prices are remarkable when their quality and high character are considered. If you are looking for anything in this line it would surely be to your interest td inspect them. 60-Inch Buffet, Colonial Design; Large French Bevel Plate. Regular Price $80.00. This Sale Price 55600 5 44-Inch Buffet, Colonial Design; French Bevel Plate; I x Large Linen Drawer. Regular Price $32.00. This Sale Price 518,5 I BROOK I. TN ADVERTISEMENT. These Buffets are guaranteed construction from f the best grade Quartered Oak and highly polished; they may also be had either Golden, Fumed or Early English i Accounts Opened, Terms to Suit. Fulton St. and DeKalb Ave. I would reach a total of 20,000,000 In a very short time." Of course, there are technical critics who will ask at once what would bo tho effect upon the How of the waters pass ing in anil out of tho modified harbor? Wouldn't there be some danger that tho elimination of the Hast Ulver and the narrowing of the basin Into which the Hudson now pours lw flood would set up curreutH of such speed that adjacent property would bo endangered? The experts call tho volume or body of water passing by a given point in a given tlmo the tidal prism. In antici pation of thoe very questions Dr. Thomson says: ".Somo claim that the tidal prism theory must bo glvtn nerious consid eration, but to show how littlo harm tho lnercaso of tide would do, I might say that In a very careful study cover practicable to makn now land out of I Ins a period of years it has been found the shallow areas of tho bay south and 1 that tho flow through tho Narrows Is ea-st of Staten Island and expect to I normally about 76.V00 cubic feet per dock ships there unless the wharves ' second. Now, during the flood of were protected from the sweep of tho ! March a year ago. the discharge of the proposed by Dr. Thompson thero would to the local demands for dock privileges, uo no Hanger or mis ucstructive move ment. Next you will probably wonder What he would do with the bared valley of tne i;ast Illvers bed. Dr. Thompson would not till this gigantic ditch with earth, and yet ho would run streets over ' It ot tho present level of tho flanking thoroughfares and would rear houses upon a roof to bo sprung over the cav ity. Up from tho basic rock of tho an cient river bottom lie would carry sup porting pltlaro of conoroto and thus make highways nnd business blocks very much after tho fashion followed north of Grand Central Station. In the space below he would run tun nels for north and southbound traffic, tunnels for east and west travel, great conduits for electric power service, &c and trunk sewers that could handle all of tho drainage of the contiguous re gion. No digging would have to bo done for theso undertakings; they would and If the city Is to maintain Its posi tion aa a great shipping centre, then spaco must be found for tho necdfui wharves. Again, It must be remem bered that an lntercoastal canal Is planned which when finished would logically mnko New York tho centre of activity, and this will call for a greater Increase In tho city's docking capacity. These are not imaginary conditions, but facts of the near future with whluh Now York must reckon If It Is to main tain Us supremacy. Dr. Thomson declnrea that "unless something Li done at once New York must lose much valuable trade to Hos ton, Philadelphia, &c. In fact, the rail roads already discriminate against New York on ocoount of poor accommoda tions In tho way of Inadequate facilities for unloading boats and transferring cargoes from vessels to railroads," Hosldes doing away with tho East Map showing Dr. Thomson's plan for "a really Greater New York. panrton. No matter how many millions crack and collapse. With the safeguard tho Cupo Cod Canal will odd enormously wu Bfiitk ,ui uimba in uiuu .ii.miiui lull closer with the slater borough of Brooklyn and Queens, still that vexa tious water highway persists In dividing the great municipal family. Worse than thai, It is a tortuous and troublesome water routo to follow and the types of craft threading It through to tho .Sound arc restricted In their character because of the difficulties, not to say dangers, Incidental to this stretch of navigation. Then the East Ulver docs not behave llko an ordinary stream of such pro portions. It docs not purge Itself at every ebb of the polluting sewage which la mixed with Its flood. It Is altogether 'a vacillating sort of body, full of vexa tious back currents and eddies and quite out of harmony with the ebb and flow of Its confluent, the Hudson. Indeed tho navigator heading around the liat tery from the North Ulver bound for Long Island Sound Is apt to find tho conditions In the East Ulver mora or less puzzling, simply because of the dif ference In tho time of tides In the East Ulver and In the Hudson Ulver and the buy. Morn than sixty years ago, so tt Is aid, It was first proposed to dam tho KaHt Ulver at Hell Gate and again at a point not far from South Ferry, and this project has been advocated at vari ous times since, but Dr. Thomson Is the flrit to prepare a fairly detailed scheme for execution, and It may le said that his plan would not be feasible except for certain undertakings which have been carried through right hern In New York In building the foundations for fckyscrapera and In other structural cli maxes. As everybody knows, the rrowth of Manhattan eastward Is effectually halted by tho East Ulver, and yet It Is In this direction that the borough should be anlo to expand In order to merge with Brooklyn und to spread out over Long Island uh time requires. Bridges and tunnels give easier means of Inter , course, but they do not effect that con tact of habitations and business hous essential to an Industrial ( r civic merger In the fullest sense of the term, This obstacle can be eliminated, Dr. Thom son hays, by doing away with the pres ent East Ulver. Hy his plan he would rear a great barrier ut the point where the Harlem uiv r ami t'm raist Ulver now tap Long Island Hound. Again he would hiild another great dam ucross the Kaat lllvcr further southward Juat about simply bn laid In that vast trench of wn running south from tho Battery to nature s making. This would reduce within about a mllo and a quarter of With all Its faults nnd despite tl-o fact thnt sowago lingers In tho East Ulver moro than two dayti beforo It works Its way seaward, still tho rlv . Is ono of tho city's commercial arteries nnd tho short route northward via Long Island Sound. What does Ur Thomson offer us a substitute for tho river ho would remove from tho map? Ho pro poses a new East Ulver to bo dug right through Long Islnnd nnd connecting Flushing Bay with Jamaica Bay. This Is not a novelty by any means, for It has already been urged that a canal 100 fert wldo and twelve feet deep should be dug substantially nlong tho same north nnd south lino. Dr. Thom son exprense tho oplulon thut tho tidal velocity In n canal of such limited di mensions would produce a destructive scouring action nnd make It dllllcult to maintain the shore line. Instead ho advocates a river 1,000 feot wide and forty feet deep through which tho waters would travel ot a dignified paeo and not Imperil docks, &c, along tho way, Aside from this advantage, a route of such proportions would facilitate traffic In which large freight steamers could play an Important part steamers that would not uho the present East Ulver. In addition to this che biggest dread BoufhU oould taat tnm Lorn- lala&r Staten Island; then, doubling back In tho form of a loop, this wall would termlnnto at Brooklyn nt a point nbovo tho Bush Terminal docks. This would provide about 1.-I0O acres of land when filled In with sand and dirt from tho river bed. But before filling In piles would bo driven ut tho bottom of tho drained area und a perfect arterial sys tem of transit tunnels, sowers, &t would be laid thereon. With this work done, then tho filling In process would bo started. You see the Idea, don't you? There would be no Inltlul dig ging, and the monoy saving would be, therefore, enormous. Of course, Jutting out from this re tainlng wull would be run wharves, und upon this new mado land a very considerable opportunity would bo offered for habitable expansion nnd tho rearing of all sorts of commercial structures. On tho Jersoy side of tho harbor, fac ing this reclaimed area, Dr, Thomson would run another retaining wall and 1111 In that Immense shallow section buck of the usual auchorago for mer chant steamers. This would conllne the outflowing waters of tho Hudson Ulver, glvo thorn u stralghter sweep, und thus muke tho river's own move ment help immensely toward keeping Its chunnol clear and deep. It Is to this Jersey section that th. navy yard open bca. To effect the desired security I ofTer a plan for tho remodelling of New York Bay so that there will be a sheltered harbor where noun now exists. "Again I would make moro new land, thh tlmo In the shape of an Island which, together with the arm of Sandy Hook, would offer an effectlvo bulwark against the stnnn seas of tho Atlantic Ocean and yet leave passageways which would be easily kept deep nnd clear by tho sweep of the tides them selves. Inside of Sandy Hook I would also reclaim a very considerable area, and here too would be another chance for commercial Interests and manufac turers to locate. This would bo nn nd mlrablo shipping point for railroads and connecting lines of overtea freight er.". "A scries of tunnels would facilitate trafllc to every point of the project, nnd ono very notable feature lies In the con necting link which Staten Island would thus form for railway service between New York und Philadelphia. By means of tho tunnels the proposed short line would reduce tho run to Philadelphia by quite ten miles, a having In tlmo and travel of much economic value." Dr. Thomson does away with the present Harlem Ulver and provides a now one In tho form of u straight cut between the Htidon Ulver and the be ginning of Lung Ifland Sound. t,,LCP,nt fiV8 ,0 Concy Is,anJ b' rapid tianslt has been n vexed question for J ears, but Coney Inland will become a sort of back number should Dr. Thorn run a scheme be carried out, becauso he would provldo a wonderful system of rapid transit Ma tunnels ami v,.i.. routes right straight from the heart of Manhattan to the seashore of Sandy Hook. Indeed, Just such traffic faclll- , ties would of necessity have to be pro Uded n order to profit by tho remark nblo changes which he would effect In New York Bay. ! And If you should happen to bn the owner of an automobile you would havo reason for reloicltiir. a nr im,.. .! I has It would bo entirely feasible to con s ruct a park boulvard from Sandy .. , , ,M"K 1Ma"" N"ind. Then. I would 1m no moro need 0f costly bridges 1 Inasmuch as nil water gaps would be ne-' gnttated by means of tunnels. Indeed such would h On. . 1 , - w ".in,,.-! in wnicn tniH engineer would pass tho new East Ulver nnd bind together nil contiguous Me. ways. The tunnels would bn laid In this el- gantio cut while tho excavations were nil. ury, unu in win fashion he would rnako them Immensely cheaper cither tlmn bridges or than tunnels boied be-I nenth water. By adopting this form of connecting link between shore und shore ! there would be nothing to Interfere with tho hclgij-.t of ships' masts, &c.. and tho approaches could bo built upon nn easier u ""-" vfis cost man wero brldgen employed. 'Dr. Thomson declares that "the proj ect has now assumed such enormous property values and would bo of such lnflnlto benefit to the city, Htato nnd country nt largo that It should bo car ried out as u public enterprise for tho benefit of tho people, nnd In ouch n way as to wipe out tho debt of both tho city nnd tho Stato. Indeed, I urn ready to udmlt that tho most vivid Imagina tion In tho world would have difficulty In foreseeing tho many gains to bo reaped by the consummation of this en tire scheme. "For years to come It would tnvolvo tho expenditure of not less than J30 -000,000 n year for labor, and tho same amount tor material. This would cause every transportation lino to be kept bUHy bringing tho needful materials from every part of tho country, nnd ut the same tlmo would keep every In dustry In the city fully engaged In lions Ing, feeding, clothing nnd providing for the tirmy of workers that would be em Ployed. Wo mu.st not forget that the consummation of this project would mean that all land within n rnrtlua of nt least tweuty-flve miles of City Hall would be n part of this really Oreuter City of New York, and our iiulatlon Mohawk Ulver ulone carried into the Hudnu more than 90,000 cubic feet per second, while the flow of the Hudson below Albany must have been consider ably moro than 1130,000 feet per second. Accordingly, the flood flow of tho Hudson may at wmei triple Itself through the Narrows and yet without attracting any attention because of its height hero about tho city's docks. As I estimate. It tho ordinary dally fluctua tions of tho water passing thrugh tho Narrows would be much greater than the disturbing effect occasioned by tidal displacement due to tho carrying out of the plan I offer n a reasonable and tho easiest solution of New York city's docking needs." In speaking of Dr. Thomson's scheme, no less an authority on tho problems of transportation than Jt .1. Hill says, "Tho plan Is certainly a very feasi ble ono and would create enough land to pay for tho work." Sir William Van Home, the builder of the Cuuad.nn I'aclllc Uallroad, recently wrote Dr. Thomson, "Your plan for the extension and tho Improvement of New York is republics are spending many, many millions In Improving their harbors for the growth of their shipping and In ex pectation of changes that will be wrought In oversea traffic by the open ing of the Panama Canal. New York must not be behind theso lesser centres of Industry, because the metropolis must, In turn, respond to these develop ments, which logically have their vital reflexes here." Dr. Thomson Is a Canadian hy birth, but a New Yorker by adoption, and Is one of the, foremost authorities on pneumatic caissons. He has designed und built caissons for bridges over the Ohio, Monongahcla, Su.squehunnu, Mis souri nnd Harlem rivers, nud for the famous Hartford Stone Bridge over tho Connecticut Ulver. In uddltlon to btlnu retained ns a consulting eng.neer for over twenty-one New York skycrnpers the Municipal Building being ono of them. He has underpinned buildings as high as eighteen stories, putting In new foundations wltnout the slightest settlement, although sometimes the new foundations wero si.ty feet below tho old ones. In carrying out thes" various works Dr. Thomson has been In the nlr cham bers of caissons quite threo thousand times, nnd Is. In fact, an experienced "sandhog." Ho Is a conspicuous In ventor In his field and an nuthorltatlve writer of note. Therefore ho Is a practical man and not a dreamer. PIANOS 5 Big New Specials Would a well known used upright piano at a small price appeal to you? We have several In stock or we will sell you a new upright or Player Piano at very attractive prices. See Our New Special PLAYER sonre PIANO Of5 flO Mp.SfTm.T UNTIL PA IB, nKNcii. covr.it and is itoua WITH THIS niUm II UU PlJViKn. 149 175 '190 '225 FREE NKW P.ANO tr. Monthly NEW I'tANO jr. Monthly NEW PIANO IS Monthly NKW PIANO te Monthly HTont. Mtin tovi-R. rutrtuK THIS tlt.KK. Used Uprights Bargains On Sale Monday, Ap.il 20th Exchange Privilege If you buy a used I'Uno from u you c.in return it any time ullh'ti out r and e will hIIow ynu rvury dollar paid as nnrt of th t)iirrlmtf iirlcu on any iifw l'trlrh! nr t'lnyrr l'ltno In our nock. no ivruitKvr cHAmm. $85 New England Co.$3 y id 120 Kelso & Co. 135 E. Gabler 150Kohler&Co. 155 Jacob Bros. 175Chickering 185 Harvard Co. 185 Weber 4 Monthh t li, il I'a 4 Monthly " t'ntll 1 all 5 .Montl.'y 'intll fold S Monthly "Until Tata 5 Monthly "Until I'atd 5 Monthly "Until I'ala K Monthly "Until I'ald ! TZ ft 1 VINO Ul ROE 1 L'OI'IIT COH. l.IVI MTON BT.. IIROQICLTN On biota from Borsatb Hall lab. it. Vmt nt nnru rtfruiM,e Paoa iTrtara uTtrl CVCrllRija Ut: Mali I jB)BBBjaaBBajBBBBBBajaaaaaBaVHaHaJavaasa COAL TRUCK CHAUFFEURS. "NT O matter where we stroll nowa days we notice automobiles everywhere enptKed In work formerly done hy hortcF," remarked a student of city ways. "Tho chance In propulsion 1 especially apparent among trucks. The horses are disap pearing nnd In tltlr places wo have motor trucks. "Analyzing further, we find that proh- Dentistry BE HUTCH ;ou ffi'l ( . rUht IVntlrt. Oft flrt rln wotk uml material At rrv 'fw iiflt'ca F.STAIH.lllhl 3K KUH. Dr. L. J. HOYT, Dentist, 454 Tiillnn M, (Nr Jty or Sm"h Ht.) lluNoUI. t kp ihe Nui ik"r DfRtitlfui kr'.Hciai Riitn '? of Teth. M, anl Kill. I" .In cs "c'r.i Ion of teelli Included I'llilnc Iflli ft up. AM. WOHK W.HKATi:tl. ably more coal trucks have been most lntercMtlntr, not to say Ptartllm,-. ' equipped with motors than any other lint ittlnL'ft,,, I. t Ann,a t I ... " " rv. ma i iv ciaks 0r truck" V strqnp nlitis.. nf qulto practicable and tho work ouBht ! trutit. , a stranfie pi ns., of ea-slly to pay for Itself. I llm n11,,,,r ' lio chnnne In pro- "New York muct certainly expand I pulsion has be.-n the cause of a decided enormouxly within tne n-xt fifty years; j t'lwnitu In th men Jn charge of the Indeed Its pruba'jlo expansion la be- , truckx. yond tho Imagination of nnjbody, nnd your plan would slvo it an opportunity to expand In n natural nnd mot ad vantageous way. Wo must not forget that down In South America our sister "A decade ago a coal cart driver needed no t'dueation. fo long an h could read an address and knew how to drive a team of hnr.-T.s he was euf llcleutly equipped to till his position. "Ho had no frill". He nmoked the cheapest of tobacco, usually In a clay plpo with n broken Ktcm. If ho dldn t smoke ho chewed. He was Intimate with tho shoveller. "When tho automobile superseded the hor.so drawn truck a new class -i dmvrs appeared. The iiMdi-rn driver ,h a chauffeur. I saw one of thci-e modern drivers uptown one morning recently. 1 could not help comparing him with the old timer. "This driver was protected by a great big fur coat which returned to his bee '. His hands were protected by fur g ov . Thero was nothing dirty or grimy aoi t him. Instead of u fchort stem pipe n his mouth there reposed betwt.n In teeth a largo cigar with ti conpiru ih band circling it. After ftupp.ng the end of the Igar with a cigar i ."i ", ho extr.irteil from his pocket f y match box, drew much fr itn it nt d Ignited the, clgitr. "Not wishing to mingle with tha lielpir brought along to pu. the i ,1 In. ho withdn-w to a comer of the luii -ing and stood there. Ho pulled away at tho cigar nnd eeenifd to enjoy t Immensely. The only time he moved from Ills position was when, becom't Impatient, ho walked over to within Mx feet of tho helper, nnd In an aut -cratlc manner ordered him to imstie, h wli-hed to get away, cm one or 'no occasions he extracted a neat w.i h from his pocket and consulted It Pic ture the old timer with a wat' h'" In Next Sunday's Sun Vance Thompson tells you how Vernon Castle, the Dictator of tha Dancing World of New York, made fame and a fortune in a short time with his legs -and refine ment. Illustrated by Thehna Cudlippo, the article is the best ever published dealing with the dance mania. In the Temple of Child hood at the Pnnama-Pn-cific Exposition for the first time in history will be gathered together the most beautiful children in the world, and next Sunday's SUN contains photographs, with names and addresses, of the lovely kiddies who are to represent New York. In the famous loves of famous Americans Robert Stephens tells, you of the wonderful devotion of Eliza McCardle, the girl who really educated Andrew Johnson, and whose love started him on his wonderful career which led to the Presidency. If you are in search of an opportunity to make money read Roger VV. Babson's story of the wonderful chances for hustl'ng young Ameri cans in Venezuela. He has investigated con ditions in that country and gives you a mine of interesting facts. Order Your Copy This Morning v I