The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-01-03
Which Of the Projects Are Being Pressed
~ Forward and Which Are Not
.noaU Being Pressed ct All. s.
Has Vanderbilt Abandoned tho Great
Underground Scheme 9-The Gilbert
Elevated Railway-The Work Of
the surveyors and the Board of y
Commissioners Completed
Excuses for Delay and Glowing Pictures
yas. OF Future Accomplishments.

OF discussion Of the necessity and feasibility OF
various systems proposed for rapid transit rom
one end OF the city to the other. Stil we with
out adequate means Of quick travel aud still the
slow, medieval omnibuses and the awkward
street cars are the only reliance OF the unhappy
public. In these days. when two or three calami-
ties occur In succession, whereby the value and
virtues Of the patient equine race are fully proved
by deprivation Of their services or when
the streets are obstructca and cAossco by
deep snow, the subject becomes once more OF
such f0rclble interest that II Providence had meant
such scalamities as q dispensation to hasten the
progress OF modern civilization II could not have
set about tine matter In q more enect1ve manner.
But h0nun nature Il weak and these saiutary mis-
fortunes zoo eGten prove too neeting to leave be-
hind them streng enough Impression Of the
necessity Of the accomplishment Of remedial
measures At present the tide OF popular COM
ment has not set against those prominent indi-
viduals whose financial connection with schemes
for public travel has rendered them amenabe to the
reproach OF delay or insincerity.
e THE THREE SYSTEMS w
now in embryo are, first, that OF the Underground
Railroad; second, that OF the Gilbert Elevated Rail-
way, and third, that Of the New York orone-legged
that OF Mr.. William H. Vanderbilt. President Of the
New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, and
upon It's ultimate accomplishment high hopes were
placed and great expectations were raised. People
are now however, beginning to fancy that the foun-
dalton upon which they have built their castles dn
the arr p OF convenience and Incidence Is weak as
that OF sand For some time the rumor has been
current that the project Of
AN UNDERGROUND RAILWAY
from the Harlem River to the new Post Once build
ing, which was to be executed by the company Of
which the Vanderbilts have control, had been
utterly and finally abandoned. Its origin Is un-
known; but yesterday reporter visited the ONCE
OF the President Of the Central and Hudson River
Railroad, and, finding that he was notin, saw soon
afterwards Mr.. BuckhOut the engineer OF the prof.
ect, who positively denied its truth. He said that
the specifications were completed and printed, and
that he is now receiving proposals for the work Of
the tunnels bridges, &c. AS soon as the contracts
are made the actual work will he begun and will
be rapidly pushed forward 10 the point OF compile.
ton.
: Having learned this much, and being at the time
unable to gain any further information as Mr..
Of Engineers OF the Fourth Avenue Improve
ment," the reporter proceeded to the office Of
THE "GIIBERT ELEVATED RAILWAY"
at No. 14s broadway, and found Mr.. Rufus H. Gil
fire. He received the reporter very coarfeousy,
and when asked what was the progress being made
in the execution OF his scheme expressed himself
as wishing to be very guarded In what he should
say because OF the fact that it was desirable that
certain things should not become known to the
ring OF capitalists and property owners who were
opposing rapid transit.
'Thcre is no doubt, / presume, Mr.. Gilbert that
you will continue TO push ahead in your work.,
like tigers for the last six months, might say, to
develop our plans a. fully and as rapidly as pos.
eible''
'.Win you have any measures to present to the
Legislature this Winter to gain you better advan.
ta .!@a ?, nav mn, oor .,.r,.r won .nov ., ,..n
liar one, and is very ample, 7 think. board of
commissioners was appointed TO determine
and they had power to select any thoroughfares on
The east or the west side, excepting only those
which lie within certain limits defined In the
ACT OF INCORPORATION.
The commissioners, Mr.. Henry q. Stebbns, Gem
eral Quincy A. Gilmore Mr.. Sheppard Knapp, Cen.
eral Chester A. Arthur and General John A. Dix,
are finally to report to me; but the SAID Commits
son. in the words OF the act, shall not designate
and establish for the locality and line OF said
railway any or either OF the streets, avenues,
thoroughfares or places lying or situate between
the eastery line Of the Third avenue and the east.
erly line OF the Sixth avenue, nor through or over
any OF the public parks in the said city OF New
York; The. work OF the Commissioners s now
completed; but cannot tell you the routes which
they have determined upon. We do not wish to
give to our organized opponents The cue by which
they can war against u.s."
''Yon can give me, then, no idea Of the streets
You will traverse on either the west or the east
sidef'
mo sir, not at present. would have wished
that we could have used 1hjrd avenue, as at first
intended as that is decidedly
THE GREAT ARTERY OF TRAVEL
on the east side, and IL il through the most popu-
lous streets that the road would be the most use.
ful.n
leges in that respect amended in the Legislature
this Winterfn
al cannot say positively; but there may be.r
"What actual work mas been Accomplishment"
"Tne surveys are all ready. Patterns are now to
be made to suit the lines OF survey that are to be
followed. and these must be sent to the men who
are to construct the iron work. all OF which Is to be
done outside OF the city, probably in Philadelphia
You see how multitudinous are the arrangements
necessary to be completed before there can be any,
thing accomplished which the people can look
upon with their own eyes There Is this great
underground, and that is that there will be in
advance no tearing up OF the streets and laying
and IL will be In use almost before the public are
aware that It's actual construction has been begun
Last week there were men here from Philadelphia
who furnished
ESTIMATES OF TIE COST
Of the superstructure. We have, according to orr
charter year and half from to-day in which TO
extend TO Forty second street. There will be two
lDes--each having double tracks, one on the east
side OF the city and the other on the west The
road will be in the form OF horseshoe-from Bar-
lem Bridge through the east side to the City Hall
viii extend from the City Hall to Spuytcn Duyvil.
The company - well supplied with capital. Tho
elevated road VIII cost cns,third less than the un-
dergr0uDd scheme, and will be
AN ARTISTIC ORNAMENT
to the streets through which 1t passes Tic ex-
pensc OF construction for each mile will not be over
nve hundred thousand dollars, and when com
pleted In the manner proposed ] claim That the
dinicnlt and long-sleayed problem OF quick transit
in New YORK will be solved to the satisfaction and
delight OF the public. The plan combines In an
eminent degree great strength with lightness ana
beauty OF architectural design, and Is 80 arranged
as to use steam az motor for passengers and The
pneumatic despatch for mails, newspapers and
express matter, or, with slight alterations, IL can
be operated wholly on the pneumatic principle.
The railway is elevated about twenty-iour feet
above the middle OF the street and rests ON
arches, which are supported by ornamental col
umns placed along the line OF the curbstoues,
leaving the streets and the sidewalks clear for
travel The telegraph wires are carried Oh the
arches, relieving the streets OF the cumbersome
poles, and the columns support the gasghts.
The tracks of the road are sustained by atticcd
girders running loDPitudmaily along the streets,
which do not interfere with light or vision across