Long Island Railroad would be by
Blackwell's Island Bridge, and the tunnel project would give the
down-town outlet.

At this time a commission had been appointed by the Legislature to
investigate the conditions on Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, and evolve some
scheme for the elimination of grade crossings on that avenue. Early in
1896 plans were prepared and presented to this Commission; first, for a
subway from Flatbush Avenue Terminal for the entire distance to the
limits of the City of Brooklyn at Eldert's Lane; second, for a subway
from the Flatbush Avenue Terminal to East New York, Manhattan Crossing,
the railroad to remain as it previously existed at grade through the
26th Ward of Brooklyn. Each of these schemes contemplated an extension
through Brooklyn to New York City at Cortlandt Street and Broadway, and
surveys and borings for this work were made across the East River. In
the summer of 1896, on the decease of Mr. Corbin, all projects and work
were immediately stopped; but, after some months, Mr. W. H. Baldwin,
Jr., when elected President of the Long Island Railroad Company, took up
actively the reconsideration of the means whereby the Long Island
Railroad could reach New York City. After the fullest consideration, he
decided that the Blackwell's Island Bridge was by no means a suitable,
adequate, or convenient entry for the Long Island Railroad into New York
City, as it involved too great a cost and altogether too rigid a
connection; it was also a very inconvenient location, inasmuch as it was
cut off from convenient access to the west side of New York City by
Central Park.

For the down-town connection, Mr. Baldwin became enthusiastic, but he
had in mind, throughout, the all-important necessity for the Long Island
Railroad to reach the Pennsylvania Railroad across the North River. At
the same time Mr. Baldwin took up energetically the Atlantic Avenue
Improvement with the Atlantic Avenue Commission, and, on consideration,
decided it was essential that it should extend through the 26th Ward
above or below grade. The better plan, of course, was obviously to make
it a subway throughout, but, further, the residents of this ward
objected to the subway through that section, and that construction would
have made any change of the Manhattan Beach Division at Manhattan
Crossing very difficult for the future; besides this, the controlling
factor was the absolute limitation by the City of Brooklyn of the amount
of expendi