The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-04-09
THE ARCADE RAILWAY.

ton and Injary 10 Merchanfs' Goods from
the Smoke and Dust Of the Engines.
vi all the stupendous schemes OF gross outrage and
wrong proposed to be perpetrated upon the city
that of the arcade railway takes the precedent.
Hasty legislation has never been more swift to
aDet punderng jobbers than In the passage by the
lower branch of the State Legislature OF the bill to
incorporate the Arcade Underground Railway Com
| pany. IL has yet to pass the Senate before
TINS work OF infamous jobbery is complete, and
IL Is fortunate that the opponents to q
measure giving such garing exhibition of fraud
on Its face, and In Its details INJECTING such damag-
| ing loss on our leading merchants and property
owners on Broadway await nnal action from those
| in whose judgment and Integrity there Is reliance
SUFFICIENT reliance that the tide OF corrupt egtsla
ton, bearing on its tumultuous waves this bi will
only reach thus far and that the returning ebb Of its
| muddy waters viii overwhelm with shame and con-
fusion alike the concoctors and consplratOrs In the
scheme.
II Is unnecessary to describe In detail the arcade
railway. On paper 1t looks we'll The accounts
written in its favor read well. The diagrams have
seeming show OF erudite engineering skill. The
drawings OF 1t in state Of completion the elegant
cars, the light and graceful columns support
ing the superintendent roadway, the winding
sairways at pleasing intervals from the street door
for ingress and egress OF passengers all look mpos-
Ing. But there are many things that look well on
paper that cannot stand the test Of practicabillty.
This railway is one OF them. In the first place the
bill does not state the depth OF excavation to be al
lowed, and 1t was very ingenious in the trainers OF
the oil leaving this matter Of depth contingent on
the depth required from fourteen to feet.
| Competent engineers among whom we may Instance
| Mr.. Craven Chief Engineer Of the Croton Aqueduct
Department say that the least possible depth viii be
twenty-five feet egh, inches "a. and that the likelihood
Indispensable. Ii Is easy to what will
be the effect Of such deep excavation,
ing on this thoroughfare except the HERALD build
| ing and the Park Bank building adjacent, whose
| disturbed by such excavation, and except these
| there Is not one whose front walls will not he weak
ened by 1t and placed In danger OF falling. ASS
well known, all the lower fronts Of the modern built
structures on BrOadway-and they now embrace the
| majority Of the budings-are constructed on iron
this railway Is constructed all these buildings will
have to be shored needles put under the first floor
lions Of the sub.cellars to give them temporary sup
| port, and according to the proposed plan OF the
railway me G au 'e props
| The expense OF this snoring, aside from the ute
| rior damaging results to the stability Of the
buildings, will be immense. II will cost Mr.. A. I.
| Stewart alone quarter million OF dollars, and there
IL no provision in the bill for dime OF ndemnlaca
| tion 1he bill further allows an excavation OF one
hundred feet from Broadway either way on all the
streets running into 1t, which Is only 50 much addi-
tional damage all corner buildings besides giving
| 50 much additional valuable space to tue railroad
Resides the immediate and incontestibe damage
| to the buildings ON Broadway the use for railway
purposes OF the street will rob our merchants occu
plying the many cOl0red and magnificent stores on
this street of q vast amount OF most valuable room.
All these stores have Easements and sub-cellars
tending many feet under the street beyond their
street fronts. These spacious underground rooms
are stored with valuable goods and from
light admitted through the Illuminated tiles
above admit tne, of ea
places annually sold what IN earlier times before
our city became the great commercial emporium IL
now is and our merchant primes rcckcned the +
yearly sales by Of millions would have been
esteemed sufficient basis for the fortunes of scores Of
merchants. Immense rivalry IN trade the genius OF
prosress In the growing expan ioa Of business, has
made this space Ike all space Tor bnsn 50 tf'nsa,
lions on our great commercial centres valuable ana
| 1t Ia growing more valuable every year.
There is another interference with the rights and
| interests Of Broadway merclants-h, cars are 10
be propelled by steam. Much stress is laid his
| fact by those seeking to popuarze the plan, and
OF the PapeS go% o w sneedy s by se
| from the Battery to Harlem. IL Is said that the
engines win consume all ,,L the smoke and and
| the engines. Every sens Bile person knows this is
| humbug. No engine gifted with such powers Of
to be. 1t will be delightful cru when such engine
CINE is nvented-the millennium OF railroad travel.
the millennium OF scrp.uraI prophecy. The iact is.
rather viii be- II this railroad ever into opera
ton all the annoyance OF the dust and cinders aud
smoke and SCOT begOtten OF steam railroad travel
will be experienced TO their fullest disagreeable
tent Their fine, small particles VIII MI the air and
the nostrls OF every one, ana petheate Tue clothes
building. As q personal nuisance II Will be simply
insurIerable But this not the worst-valuable goods
by these dying permeatlng particles wllb daiiaged
by the wholesale. The loss to our merchants IN THIS
respect alone will be very great and III TACT inest
The strongest point urged in favor of this arcade
railroad scheme Is the relief OF Broadway. or the
many projects to accomplish TINS end iiis Is pro-
feasible OF all. The bill that has already passed to
third reading In the Assembly providing for Tue
pnf NIL M ~ tppin
at east side Of the CITY Hall Park, going through
the Five Points, thence extending up Mulberry street
and through Madison avenue, reaching lis terminus
at Harlem river Will fully answer the desired pur-
| pose in this regard. This calls for Wholesale
damage to our finest stores entailmcnt Of iiin-
less loss on our merchants, and general gnoing Of
private rights the predominant features OF the
Arcade Fa any s V and Se ps and aor of every
citizens, has thus far been spared tue touch OF
vandal railway spectators; Those VINO would ,o
destroy It's magnlicence and beauty and glory have
been kept at bay. Broadwa should ever remain IL IL
Is For military parades, for great processions Tor gala
occasions and for the solemn funeral cor,esc wuen
our people out TO do special honor to their bcnc
factors and heroes this street Is wanted.
The inauitous fraud OF this arcade railway Is
pabIe OF brief showing. or the seveny.sX persons
to whom the charter Is granted an examination VIII
snow as hereio fore stated In the HERALD that the
names OF thirty-sx do not appear In the city Drcc-
tory; twelve are non.resdents OF the city; Ncvc
brokers and agents; seven are presidents OF iai-
roads and banks; five are merchants and four aie
lawyers. Property owners and merchants Oh Broad
way, who have the greatest pecuniary interest at
stake, are In nOWlsc represented. Icisous
living In the country, many Of them in
remote counties, who have influence with country
members OF the Legislature are striving to have cUn-
ferred themselves this franchise. Most OF those
living In the city, who are Interested In ", arr little
known In business circles, aud the lew VINO are
known are iron dealers who looking TO supply Ing
the road with iron or newspaper men who's views
are controlled by promises OF stock. Tie citizens
themselves, the people interested IN shortening the
time OF transit between the lower and upper ex-
tremes Of the island as will be seen, have also been
left out In the cold. Had there ben disposition to
honest dealing a commission would have been APP
pointed to investigate the state OF the popular pusc
on the subject and ascertain the views aud wishes
OF our merchants and leading business men, But the
scheme has been hurried up and hurried through
the Assembly. IL 10 To be hoped u has reached ule
farther terminus OF its travel.
We have assumed that this arcade railway scheme
r. genuine affair; that there are parties WHO nave
really and seriously set themselves 10 work 10 con-
NM 70