Page 35 - September1951

September, 1951 NATIONAL BUTTON BULLETIN 305

city, occupied chiefly by goats, weeds, gs1f41ng-4nd the aforesaid "pen".
It was facetiously termed "Crow IIiII" by more elite neighbors. The Peni-
tentiary was surrounded by massive granite walls and stood midway on a
steep hill down which Nostrand Avenue cars travelled before turning toward
their terminus at Prospect Park (a "terminus" which is now merely a mid-
town stop at a busy intersection). The down rails of this line were ntted
with a constantly open switch opposite the prison, so that a downgrade runa-
way car would automatically leave the track and crash into the walls in-
stead of risking overturn when it reached the bottom of the hill. Forced
stops naturally had to be made at this point so the conductor could hold
the switch closed rnanuatly while the car passed through a s.incere but
rather crack-brained measure to insure public "safety" in surface transit!

In those days, a trip from uptown Brooklyn to the Grand Central
Depot in New York (I'ig. C) rtras something for the book. We had to take a
street car or elevated train to Brooklyn Bridge (FiS. D); a bridge cable car
or passenger ferry (X'ig. E) across the river; the Third Avenue "L" to 42nd,
Street; and then a small elevated shuttle running the short block-and-a-half
to the Grand Central. Today the same trip can be made on one subway
train (X'ig.301) from most sections of Brooklyn-or with a single change
from more remote points,
The current 1O-cent fares present no new experience to the Brooklynite.
A good many years ago the Coney Island and Brooklyn RR, mentioned
above, collected a dime and \tras a line to be avoided for that reason. When
competing roads, however, attempted to institute a 10-cent fare on certain
Iong hauls there was great public indignation and riders became so enraged
that minor riots were frequently reported, many passengers refusing either
to leave the car or pay the extra Iickel.
At a later period universal transfer privileges were t€mporarily effect-
ive all over the city. It was pos,sible to take a circuitous route, make many
changes and several intermediate social or business calls, and then return to