New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-06-13
THE QUICK TRANSIT PROBLEM IN NEW

The question of speedy transit in New
York, which has, for some time past,
puzzled the inhabitants, is about to have
its solution by the building of viaduct
railway on the east and west sides of the
city, commencing on the block bounded
by Centre, Chambers and Chatham streets
Its length is to be about seven and half
miles, and is to run over the Harlem river
into Westchester county. This road is to
be built in order that the great public
need may be realized in the saving of loss
of time now involved by the residents of
Westchester county and the upper part of
the city in reaching places of business
necessarily located in many cases, several
miles from the only places available for
residence. Should the population OF
the city increase in the same ratio
that it has done for the past decade, there
is every reason to believe that in 1880 it
will contain and have nearly, if not quite
two millions of people. At that time 1t is
said the East river bridge and viaduct
railway will be completed, and both must
prove great attractions for New York.
The bridge from Brooklyn across the
East river, from point to point, is to be
one mile and five hundred and eighty feet
in length, with an elevated arch high
enough to permit passage under it of
the tallest ships mast.
The viaduct railway, according to pres
ent proposed plan, is not to run through
any of the streets of the city, but behind
houses and through the rears of lots along
the route selected for the track of the
road On the east side, from its terminus
to Worth street, there are to be eight
tracks; the remainder of the line will
have four-two for fast and two for slow
trains-with the exception of that part of
the line between Spring and Houston
streets, the location of the great central
depot, where there hre to be sixteen
tracks. This great central depot will
occupy three entire blocks, bounded by
Marion and Mulberry streets on either
side, and beginning at Spring street and
ending at Houston street
The western route, leaving Houston
street will run along the south side of
Blocker street to the head of Sixth
avenue, and thence northwardly between
the Sixth and Seventh avenues to Broad
way, crossing at Thirty-fourth street.
Thence the line diverging to the west fol-
lows on a tangent the Broadway line,
and passing through one or two of the
parks in the upper portion of the city to
Kingsbridge. The road will be built on
brick arches, supported by heavy iron
lateral columns, themselves supported on
inverted arches of solid masonry built
into the ground. A thick bedding of
earth, on which the tracks will be laid,
will deaden the sound of the passing
trains, and tend greatly to reduce the
reverberation. In no part of the line
will an arch touch an adjoining building,
for fear a certain amount of unavoidable
reverberation should endanger their sta
bility.
Such is the description given of the
character of the roadbed or track. AS to
the probable cost of the road, its receipts
and expenditures, the engineers in their
report say:
Fl but seven cents were charged for the
fare of each passenger to Harlem, distance
of seven and half miles, 81, 1000 900 passen-
gers would pay over S3,500,000 per year.
The running expenses of such a road, in
Guiding repairs and salaries, will, according
to liberal estimate, be less than 81 600 900
per annum. Assuming the cost of real es-
tate amounting to 600 LOTS to be $4,000. 900,
and the one-siyth (l00) of said lots are APP
propriated to depOts, etc, and the remain
ing 500 lots, containing at least a basement
and first floor twenty feet wide and one
hundred feet deep, shall be let for mercan-
tile or manufacturing purposes for $500 each
per annum, and that the cost of the CON
struction of the road, rolling stock, etc, for
seven and half miles amounts to Sl5,000.-
600, or 100000 per mile, which exceeds
the most liberal estimates made, we find the
cost of the road to be $2l ,000,0 900, and the
net income S3OUO,UOO, or fourteen per cent
on the capital invested.
But if the capital invested be reduced to
Sll 100000, and $l0,000,000 be raised upon
bonds secured upon the road and its real
estate, paying seven per cent interest, the
dividend upon the capital will exceed
twenty-One per cent.
Thus the great desideratum to the peo-
pie of that city in affording to them cheap
and rapid transit is in the course of con-
summation. It is in the hands of some
of it's wealthiest and most enterprising
capitalists With this work done, prop
erty there and in its vicinity for miles
around must largely increase in value,
and before another decade its race for su-
premacy as to wealth and population and
to rank as the first of the great cities of
the civilized world will be with London,
its sole competitor. May We not hope
that, with such an example before us,
it will excite the efforts and energy of the
people here to push forward such great
measures as protection levees, drainage
and similar improvements, to the end
that this city, too, may increase in wealth
and population, which its natural and
commercial position demands?