Greater Astoria Historial Society 35-20 Broadway, 4th Floor | L.I.C., NY 11106 718.278.0700 | www.astorialic.org For more information visit us on the web at www.astorialic.org 32 March 2017 i LIC COURIER i www.qns.com “The Cutting Edge of the Possible” By Astoria Historical Society As a transportation nexus, the New York region is a study of contrasts. On one hand, the system of waterways that converge on Manhattan is exceptional – on the other, Manhattan is surrounded by marsh, hard rock crags, and rivers which must be bridged – obstacles that prolong journeys and raise transportation costs. With the closest bridge across the Hudson 75 miles north in Poughkeepsie, Manhattan Island was all but cut off and was accessible only by unreliable ferry service, a service which not only shut down during poor weather, but was both an expensive option for the public as it was impractical for industry. Only in the midnineteenth century, with the advent of railroads that could build tunnels and bridges, civil engineers of rail emerged as the cutting edge of the possible: think if a designer for Apple, a shipping manager for Amazon, and a researcher for NASA were wrapped up into one nifty package. New Yorkers began to speculate on how the region could be united by a web of rail. The first idea to improve travel for Long Island City was fairly modest: connect the rail gap between the New York Central & Harlem River Railroad (at Grand Central Terminal) and the Long Island Railroad (in Hunters Point). On December 22, 1885, the East River Tunnel Railroad incorporated for this purpose. It was not to happen. This era of history is known as the ‘Great Depression of 1873–1896’ - a time of anemic growth world-wide. During the 1870s nearly 100 railroads declared bankruptcy. Our East River Tunnel Company, incorporated just as the country slipped into the second decade of depression, was soon gone. Rail investors were not deterred by the era’s treacherous economy. On July 22, 1887, two millionaires, Walter Gurnee (a former Mayor of Chicago then living in Manhattan) and rail financier, Malcolm Niven (with ties to the New York Central), founded the New York and Long Island Railroad. It was an ambitious plan to tie the sprawling New York metropolitan region together into a network of rail. Their prospectus boasted a map where converging rail lines in New Jersey led to a tunnel under the Hudson. Coming to the surface at 42nd Street, it met both the Hudson Docks and the New York Central freight line at 11th Avenue. Continuing underground east along 42nd Street (with a connection to New York Central and Harlem River Railroad at Grand Central Terminal) the line dipped under the East River before emerging in Hunters Point. There it split into two branches. One headed north to the Bronx (with spurs along Newtown Creek and the future Sunnyside Yards). The other branch went south (passing along the Brooklyn waterfront and Navy Yard) - with terminals in South Brooklyn’s Atlantic Basin and another ending at the Atlantic Ocean in Coney Island. This overly ambitious idea again foundered in the uncertain economic waters of the times. In 1889 William Steinway revived the New York and Long Island Railroad name with a more modest initial goal: create a trolley tunnel that would connect Grand Central with the Long Island Railroad in Hunter’s Point. He was named chairman after becoming majority shareholder (by placing a good portion of his private capital into the firm.) Son-in-law Louis Von Bernuth was Treasurer. Contracts were finally let in 1892 and digging began on June 7, 1892 in the triangle formed by Jackson, Vernon, and 50th Avenues in the heart of the Hunter’s Point. Gallery Hours: Mondays & Wednesdays 2-5 PM Saturdays 12-5 PM Exhibits ~ Lectures ~ Documentaries ~ Books Walking Tours ~ Historical Research Unique & Creative Content This image adapted from an invitation to the Long Island City Athletics 33rd Annual Masque Ball, 1909. Legends
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