The New York herald., 1871-11-28
RAPID TRANSIT.

The Overhead, the Skeleton and tue viaduct
Railroad Sqmnshed-From Harlem Bridge
to the Battery in Ten Minutes for Five
Cents-The Giant Mind of u Mechanic.
A meeting was held last night at East Side Hall,
under the auspices Of the East Side Association,
favor OF rapid transit. The meeting was called to
order ct eight O'CLOCK by Mr.. Cary, the President,
who, In u short address, mentioned the object Of
the meeting and made several comments on the
trials and failures or different companies to offer
the people means Of rapid transit from one ex-
Of the city to the other lie then concluded and
introduced Mr.. w. A. Whitbeck, Assemblyman elect
from the Twenty first district, who made an ex
haustlye speech on the progress Of underground
railways In London, the glst OF which was as fol
lows
In rising to speak upon this question, gentlemen,
feel as know you all do, the necessity OF the abO-
tIon Of the present system OF transit and the in
The question OF
RAPID TRANSIT
Is one that has for years agitated the city OF New
York. We have been told q certain company were
going to build skeleton railroad, and that another
was contemplating the erection or overhead
railroad, and that some one else was about to build
q viaduct railroad but the total Of all this was
that there was no railroad built at all That one
legged affair Greenwich street has fallen far be-
low the requirements or the people. The skeleton
railroad Is nought but the haliucInaton some
sOit.headed capitalist, and would never worK-no
not even as good as tho "od tning"-the horse cars
The expense attending the erection OF the
vIaduct railroad and the damage upon the property
by or over which 1t would pass make 1t also imprac-
tcabe. estimate that the cost OF the property
which this railroad company would necessarily have
to buy would be between three and
FIVE MILLION DOLLARS PER MILE,
and the damage 10 property abou, the same
amount II we are to profit by the teachings or ex-
perience and the lessons OF the past We can not tail to
sec that this vaduct railroad Is a mere myth. The
lowest estimate, would be five Or SIX years, and
during the interim we would be obliged to put up
with the present nsunerable inconvenience or
hrher and thtner In the filthy cars Of
the Third avenue road. have spent
detail into the workings OF viaduct overhead and
underground railroads IN London. have been in
London two seasons and during that time have
carefully studied the workings OF the different
ROADS, and have come TO the cOnc usion that no
other road than an underground one Will work In
New York. When the underground
RAILWAY OF LONDON
was brought into working order the others were left
out In the cold, and the whole OF the passenger
transit was done by the underground railroad, and
80 1t must be In New York. When Mr.. Whitpeck
concluded his speech the following resolution was
unanimously adopted
Resolved That earnestly desire the construction Of
aIa nS
to be the best for the Of quick transit and believing
people Of the east .de the most speedy relief from damage
roads on tho surface of said avenue.
Mr.. f. G. BARTLETT, mechanic from Harlem,
then asked for permission 10 speak to the meetng,
and was allowed TO do so, whcreupon he stated that
lie was the inventor OF means OF transit by which
he can transport passengers
FROM HARLEM TO THE BATTERY IN TEN MINUTES
for live cents HIS road VIII occupy only one foot
TO question from MI. Fields TO his motive
power he said tt Tas compressed air