The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-03-12

1t will find It necessary to state that he Iived
an impractcable and died vain and disap-
pointed man.
The Rapid Transit Which New York wanss.
The Broadway Pneumatic Tunnel job is still
banging fire before the Legislature at Albany.
Let us say from the outset that our objection
to this scheme, apart from the corruption
which 1t entails In the irresponsible distribu-
ton of millions of dollars among the Interested
parties, is its destructiveness to the property
along the great artery of our city. There Is
no other great city in the world which would
tolerate for an hour such an interruption to
the business of the community as this would
threaten to hang around New York for years.
The impracticablity Of ever pushing the un-
dertaking (he tunneD to completion 10
doubtless one Of the reasons why the ''com-
pany" would secretly wish to push the bill
through, in order that, while dazzling the eyes
of moonshine theorists in the Legislature, they
may take crafty advantage Of some Of
its provisions" to achieve what has been
steadily refused hitherto-namely, the running
of horse car line on Broadway. Now.
while. steadily condemning any scheme in
furious to Broadway property or deface-
ment of the street which, in all America, Ia
the one we INST take pride in, we say that
the means of rapid transit from one end Of the
island to the other are ample without inter-
ferng with one or the other. The reason why
the greedy Hobbies so persistently assail
Broadway is similar to that which actuated
the Tammany Ring in the Broadway widening
scheme-namely, the stupendous sums which
would change hands, giving the unscrupulous
a wider field of operations. The object is not
rapid transit of passengers, but rapid transit
of money. < H.. tesn " r. s,:r' 81
The city of London possesses two lines OF
urban railroads which are models of their kind,
and neither interferes or did interfere with
the great vital lines of traffic. The one-the
North London-a viaduct road built on brick
arches, with girder bridges over the thorough
fares, makes semicircle of the northwestern
suburbs and has its terminus in the eastern
side of the city proper. 1t brings daily, by
pleasant ride, to the homes of commerce, tens
of thousands of citizens who reside in the
suburbs. The other is the Metropolitan Cor
underground Railway This was constructed
at immense cost about ten years ago. For
some five miles of its length it runs through
tunnel, which all the ventiative appliances
hitherto used have not entirely prevented
from being filed with noxious gases. Its
line of construction under the streets is
principally beneath the Euston road, very
wide, outlying thoroughfare, where the con-
tinued interruption of traffic during its con-
structon was not of great moment, because
the houses along it are almost entirely private.
If, instead, 1t had been proposed to tunnel
Cheapside or Oxford street, we would have
heard very little of the project after the in
dignant business men had commenced
writing to the Times"
The topography of Manhattan Island makes
the preservation of Broadway even more q
matter of public duty. The object of rapid
transit is to reach distances; to bring the free
country air within reach of city-toiling lungs;
to give our artisans, our clerks and our small
business men cheap. healthy homes for them
selves and families. To make this plan work
the fares on such line must be cheap. While
| your tunnel swindle would be blasting its one
horse way up town at enormous cost, two via
duct railways could be constructed-one ON
the west, the other on the east side of the
island-from the Battery to the Harlem River,
at less than the price it would take to build q
tunnel half the way. We tell the tunnellers
and their Underground and overground workers
at Albany to spare their efforts The fate of
the Broadway widening plotters awaits all
who make Broadway the objective point Of
their subterranean plans We want rapid
transit with daylight and free air. Ii some
thing practicable is to be tested, let plans be
put forward for two such viaduct lines as here
proposed, or one to start with, and then we
may imagine that ''projectors" are in earnest,
| Congress Yesterday -Secretary Robeson'A
| Administration To BE Investigated.
The House of Representatives yesterday went
thrro;igh It's usual Monday performance in the
way of introducing bills for reference, aud Of
voting to suspend the rules on all sorts Of
propositions. The only bill Of public interest