New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-07-24
he Proposed broadway Railway, WIKI Fiuss
Snnken Groove Rails.
10 me Edii0Ts Of Thc v Y. TrtbHae.


the Common Council, desire TO lay before N,
public summary statement Of reasons in It's f.vo,
have from time to time considered with atteo,;o,
and interest the various plans for the relief ~
Broadway which have been suggested, nor q,
less feasible or more or less fantastic. U,v;.-
been informed Of the views Of the parties a.
have come forward with the present nrooo..I
sm satisfied that we have now at last ia., ~.
thing that is wanted. Though opposed q on.I
formerplans as we had few years ago for a Re-
way railroad the present PROJECT offers .dvaD,srs,
they never possessed, and is free from ,bs oh,ss
tons which weighed against them.
propose 10 explain the reasons on which Oh.
conviction is louNded; and | ask f.. them f,;T
and candid console ration from those who m Az hsys
heretofore entertained similar objections 10 flrma,
projects. If the present project is To succeed \,
will only be on its Own merits through the fo5s.
Of public opinion. awakened and express ,ed in he.
! alf Of the public convenience and sdylnt4ee
With fair play, the Press in the loag nun Is,
power above even Aldermen or Assistant Alder.
men-uay above the Omnibus Associsuon I
therefore come straight the fountain head of pose,
ard ask for your favor and support 20 the plan tie
arguments D its behalf good aud sound-wilinso
abide the adverse resuti they are not
Understand In the FIRST place, that Il Is not the oa
common rail- projecting shove the level of the stree
that L. contemplated such rail that Of hs Bosery
or the Hudson River read would be Justly objecuoc
able. Such n raj would be an impedmcnl 10 the fres
movement ot whee!s aud serious nuisance In Broad
way. But noibir OF the kind 10 intended Toe Srccrs
rail- fssh rtb NE ssydce If me into which it's
SUM, is WHIST is meant Tnis may bs the Sixth
and Eighh.syt nue. roads ca the Rlss pavement In.
stead OF projecting eighth OF an tnch above tae
surface, II might well Dc even sunk title below r.
IL Is manifest that such rails is would not utafere
in tie slightest degree with nat may be card the free
navigation Of the street Indeed when the puohc come
uftm. IT. 49, n
all the great ihorovehares of the City must or
later, receive them.
In the second place. Wish Il understood tia, II Is not
proposed 70 disturb the Russ payement LOog Grooves
turIows be cut into the blocks as they lie Into
which the grooysd iron rails TO be sunk "a have
before sso, tush with the surface. This can he done
too that portion o. the PcrTne pave ne NJ which
consists If blocks 1t ~ ne They would be underaN
by strip Of Putta.percha for elasticity
In the third place, vh undertaken, Il is inendedto
push the work forward wiki great force, energy aud
dispatch. The right hind of for that purpose are
those " bo have taken hold of IT, Aud once done
Ii will then be done for coed and ALL After that
further disturbance OF Tue pavement Of Broadway
ever be required, except la one Of the strips
tracks, where necessary repairs be eXpediuously
made, without blocking up the whole street and forcing
al the tide Of travel out Of lie way round by Church
Mercer Elm and Crosby streets.
the fourth place, very narrow tracks and low mar.
cars, will undoubtedly, De employed For street
purpos there 10 need OF tracks wider than and
hoJ teet In the the passengers sh' ud not ride
seats like those one side of our common travelling
railroad side door to every pair OF seats front
log each otber-th4t Is TO say TO every four passeq.
eeTs-so near the grouGd 10 need no steps would
allow the 10 be built Of width tre greater
than that of the seats the Ives They would be iaa
Of Our feet Ia tho cesr Each projecting less than
inches beyond the track space of feet bet ween
the tracks would suffice for their passing each other
with inchts room o. spare This would be ample for
the pufposeproper precsuons by me ans OF iron wire
being adopted to prevent the arms OF passengers froH
projecting beyond the windows that side of the
which there could be exposure. OF such tracks
three could be- lsid In Broadway. without. the sahtest
difficulty or objection The whole three with the two
feet Intervening spaces, would be contained within v
eeteaviDg 10 feet each side t. the curb for
turning out of the way Of car; at time that
the flush imbedded rails would oppose no impairment to
the rf Of the center Of the way also Tor the same
purpose The width OF Broadway from curb 10 curb
10 ~ feet This space of over IL feet on each side be-
tween track and curb would allow two carts 20 pass
hub 70 hub, each side with Juple of feet 10
spare between them Their extreme width 10 the clear
is dig leet carriage feet wide IL the clear very
wide one such carriage could stand drawn up by the
curbstone, and leave from % 10 feet clear between It's
outer hub ana the track Two carriages could pass
lily either side, abreast with car with room still for
person between them The space of II feet suffice.
for horse and cart 10 back up with load square and
at right angles to the curb though less space gener
ally taken, as they generally back up little Sideways
Oh course the ID feet and over which have seen %
be afforded even when car may be- passing at the
meDt are ample for this purpose like wise.
These calculations, founded on careful measurement
Che width OF the street having been first asc3aned AZ
the street Commissioner oice) proceed assunp
ton of three tracks. | do because there Is reR
son why there should be that number of tracks since
they are to be laid with rails flush with the pavement
no more impeding the general of the street than Just
much pavement. And hope the parties Ia Ing down
tho tracks will be required to give three Ofcourse
II only two should be- laid, the left the curb
each side would be much the greater In either case
there would manesy be plenty of IL especially when
We have got rid OF the Omnibus nuisance
Now, then, lima, Inc Broadway thus furnished for thu
public ieDce There would be through cars and
0dy cars, distinguished Ia color. ETC. and starting with
exact puBctuality The through cars would make no
other than three or four stops, say at Wall Chamber
Canal, Bleecker etc: They would thus carry the pas
seBger smoothly and pleasantly up or down Ia half the
time consumed. There being three tracks il would
be cay 70 regulate them that there would be no In.
reference between the through cara and way cars The
through cars would keep on the middle track, with
turnous at the stopping places for the accomm daon
OF those coming the other way The way cara would
all keep on the right, that those moving up town
would be all On the east side, those goi, down the
west AS before said, there will be a space of over f-
feet each side between the track and the curb
stone Many persons would Jump of the through
cars without their stopping. Those preferhng not 10
do so, would use the way cars In the morning hours,
when the tide OF movement flows down town, two
tracks would be employ chi fly In that dir econ the
same arrangem mt being reversed when the same tide
Gibbs back In the afternoon All the would be pro-
vided With the patent ventilation, rendering them
entirely free from dust This reformed system would
permit reduction OF the fare the same time you'd
afford such multiplication Of the comfort convenience
and rspidhy
lii clear that the omnbuses must yield to such over
whelmiDg sdvantsees and soon withdraw 10 side and
crose lines; With which would then soon be arranged
general system OF transfer tickets, such that
partially practced between some Of the uptown and
Grand street Ferry stages; until the street railway sys
tenn should extend TO the principal streets well
the up snd down tho roughfarss all being inter
laced in a general system Of mutual transfer.
WI WOll1 cOmDlefaly
the mammoth nuisance Of the omnibuses The cars
succeeding each other promptly and regularly aud not
coming together in rival lines, often several abreast
reasonably clear and open for other yebIcIss' A
regulation for keeping to the right Of the
street (oxcept when carriages may have 10
draw up the other side could then be enforced with
cut difficulty, and the stream of vehicles moving down
would always be on one side, those going up bsng
the other. No such practice Is now possible from the
impossibiy OF preventing the omnibuses from cutting