Furman Street Line
Encyclopedia
The Furman Street Line was a street railway line in Brooklyn
, New York City
, United States
, running along Furman Street from Cobble Hill
to Fulton Ferry
.
s in 1853, one of them was through Furman Street from Atlantic Avenue north to Fulton Ferry. The City Railroad did not begin construction until late 1859; it was claimed by one side that this was only done after the Brooklyn Central and Jamaica Railroad threatened (and later received permission) to build it, and by the other side that the City Railroad had delayed until it was clear that the Central Railroad would stop using steam propulsion to South Ferry
(which happened September 30, 1861). The line was opened by June 1860, and the Central Railroad also used it from their track on Atlantic Avenue, but only until September.
In October, the Board of Aldermen decided that neither company had the right to use the tracks, since the City Railroad had been given a completion deadline of December 1, 1857, and that if the two companies did not come to an agreement within five days, the Central Railroad would have the right to operate trains in Furman Street. The City Railroad continued to operate A compromise was finally agreed to in late February 1861, in which the City Railroad would allow the Central Railroad to use the Furman Street Line, and the Central Railroad would allow the City Railroad to cross it at Furman Street and Atlantic Avenue.
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, running along Furman Street from Cobble Hill
Cobble Hill, Brooklyn
Cobble Hill is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA. Bordered by Atlantic Avenue on the north, Hicks Street to the west, Smith Street on the east and Degraw Street to the south, Cobble Hill sits adjacent to Boerum Hill and Brooklyn Heights with Carroll Gardens to the south...
to Fulton Ferry
Fulton Ferry, Brooklyn
Fulton Ferry is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is named for a prominent ferry line crossing the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn, and is also the name of the ferry slip on the Brooklyn side...
.
History
When the Brooklyn City Rail Road was granted franchiseGovernment-granted monopoly
In economics, a government-granted monopoly is a form of coercive monopoly by which a government grants exclusive privilege to a private individual or firm to be the sole provider of a good or service; potential competitors are excluded from the market by law, regulation, or other mechanisms of...
s in 1853, one of them was through Furman Street from Atlantic Avenue north to Fulton Ferry. The City Railroad did not begin construction until late 1859; it was claimed by one side that this was only done after the Brooklyn Central and Jamaica Railroad threatened (and later received permission) to build it, and by the other side that the City Railroad had delayed until it was clear that the Central Railroad would stop using steam propulsion to South Ferry
South Ferry, Brooklyn
South Ferry was a ferry landing on the Brooklyn side of the East River, at the foot of Atlantic Avenue at the border of the neighborhoods of Cobble Hill and Brooklyn Heights. The ferry known as South Ferry traveled to South Ferry, Manhattan...
(which happened September 30, 1861). The line was opened by June 1860, and the Central Railroad also used it from their track on Atlantic Avenue, but only until September.
In October, the Board of Aldermen decided that neither company had the right to use the tracks, since the City Railroad had been given a completion deadline of December 1, 1857, and that if the two companies did not come to an agreement within five days, the Central Railroad would have the right to operate trains in Furman Street. The City Railroad continued to operate A compromise was finally agreed to in late February 1861, in which the City Railroad would allow the Central Railroad to use the Furman Street Line, and the Central Railroad would allow the City Railroad to cross it at Furman Street and Atlantic Avenue.