New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-12-23
THE QUICK TRANSIT QUESTION.

The West Side Association met last eve ping
TO consider the subject Of quick transis between vt
chester County aud the lover part OF the city, al v
epeochos were made by W. L. Martin Edgar Vaawinkle,
and w. A. wlitbeck.
hr. whitbeek advocated the plaI o: steam railroad
uader Broadway from the Battery to the Hudson River
depot gu Forty .secOnd-st
Engineers estimated thai two years poud b, suhcicnt
10 build such road In answer to the objection that
from Union-square northward slow progress would 10
now making IN railroad tunnels working two headings I'm
the hardest rock is abon. 80 feet per month and that ut
this rate, 10y working eight headings only eight months
will I've required 10 "drift" underground from Union
square to the depot on Forty-secon,Ist
The tunnel on Fourthayc., Murray Hill. has latoIy
been cleaned out, paved, whtewashed' lighted.
ferent from the dark, damp. miserable hole In the
earth 1t was six months hgo. Passengers observing
now the agreeable change made I'm this tunnel frequently
express the desire that it may be extended In length
from end TO end Of the island and instead OF being Inn
be attached to the l. eomotye, aud tRSg nay
dash through ut 80 miles per hour The fact Is
and the public mind by this practical lIlastiS,,
ton Is being now more than ever awakened TO the i'm
iucas OF rapd transit in this city Objection will at
once he made that tie FOurhave. tunncl Is Lighted AMI
,enand by openings IN the top OF the arch and WINE
TINS Is allowable on parkayc, which Is 100 feet wide, &c
lmpraSeable ON broadway or other sIeat thorough
Taerc are many openings in tho TOP of tho london
Underground railway Tunnel In tho section OF Eek;
tending TO the West Eud aud also where the road
runs through the blOck But in tie dense part OF the
Guy where Tue inc follows the course or Streets
there are moro than two miles IN length OF
tinuOus tunnel with no open cutting a. all. except
side ut the stations, which are about bali "A
mile apart. Tie atmosphere In this portion of the
London tunnel Is better than In the short on the
FOurth-ave.. Notwithstanding the oIenings in tho
latter, and this Is owing to tue continuous change in
the air, produced by the great number OF swift
running trans drawn by locomotives that emit
mother smoke nor gas Trains pass "a given point
In the London Tunnel nearly every minute, Col.
VandenOureh's Plan of separate construction, lately
tested tho ST. Johns Wood line, vii make
this atmospheric change still Feater, and rem
der ventilation complete. The Gals on London roads
are brilliantly lighted with gas, each cOnpnItment
for eight persons having two gas-burnors. IL VIII
thus be seen that openings in tic top of tho tnnne
are wholly unnecessary, either for the purpose 81
light or Ventilation. Again, the tunnel viii be made
proof and tho swift currents Of the air cotu-
all passing through 1t will render its interior condition,
respects danpness heat and cOlu not materially diff
ereDt rom the open atmosphere -,
To the suggestion that the cost OF tunnelng ana rock
cutting he great that the road would not pay
MIR WDtbeck replied that II Companies can afford to
tunnel Bergen Hill and do like work on nearly every
RAILROAD IN the country, tunneng viii be DO lees prac,
cable in this city where In addition to the immense local
business, underground railway running the entire
length OF the island would receive tie concentrated
travel OF the railroads conyergng to fcw-fOrk from the
North and the Eust.