ailroad companies were incorporated in the respective States
to build a tunnel from under the Jersey City Station, under the Hudson
River to Cortlandt Street, New York City, thence under Maiden Lane, the
East River, and Pineapple and Fulton Streets, Brooklyn, to a location at
or near Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues. On May 9th, 1893, these companies
were merged into the Brooklyn, New York and Jersey City Terminal
Railroad Company, and estimates and reports on the construction were
made ready by the writer in association with Mr. Rea, pending
application for the franchises. The panic of 1893, occurring about that
time, checked further progress on this scheme, and, before it could be
revived again, other important projects for reaching New York City were
given consideration.

That part of Mr. Corbin's plan contemplating a subway under Atlantic
Avenue in Brooklyn to the present Flatbush Avenue Terminal was not a new
idea, as a tunnel had been built in 1845 and operated under a portion of
Atlantic Avenue, but later it was filled up. Plate IV, reproduced from a
crayon sketch which was the property of the late William H. Baldwin,
Jr., is a view of this tunnel.

In conjunction with schemes for river tunnels, complete plans for rapid
transit subways for New York City, very much on the line of the present
rapid transit subways, were also prepared for Mr. Corbin by the writer.
These plans provided a system of deep tunnels in rock, entirely below
the plane of quicksand, and at the Battery the lines were to connect
directly into the tunnels to Long Island and New Jersey, respectively,
and the stations throughout, where the rock was at a deep level, were to
be fitted with elevators, grouped as suggested in Plate V, using private
property on each side of the street at station locations--one side for
north-bound and the other side for south-bound traffic. These plans were
submitted to the first Rapid Transit Commission, and, after long
consideration, were rejected by that Commission because they provided
for the construction of the tunnels by a private company,
notwithstanding Mr. Corbin gave the Commission assurances of ample
financial means to carry the work to completion.

During the years 1892-93 Mr. Corbin was convinced that it was necessary
to get better facilities for handling the baggage and express matter of
the Long Island Railroad and the Long Island Express Company across the
East River between Long Island City and New Yor