The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-01-11

that the company viii do the best they can to
avoid che risk Of the forfeiture OF their privileges
pneumatic power, but this has been abandoned
In Difference to che existing prejudice ABOUT It's ian
practicabtlity. This, however, il mere matter OF
detail which las not much affected the original
plan The road Is To run right round the city,
starting from the City Hall on one side aud the
Battery on the other, with a continuation OF the
west side track AZ far as Kngsbridge along the
western margin OF the Harlem RIVER There is
makes the complete circuit OF the city Thus there
win be In AL about twenty miles OF road to be
built.
In the ONCE oil the company which has been
formed for tho carrying out OF tins scheme there
road, and the promoters OF the plan, OF course,
promise that the road shall be as graceful in
appearance as its miniature prototype.
The plan consists OF series OF IRON arches, span
ming the street Mt intervals Of about sxty-six feet
apart thus taking about three to a block) with
transverse arched girder leaving the centre Of the
space between the girder and the arch free for the
track. The height of the arch is forty-fve feet,
and OF the girder twenty five feet from the ground.
which are OF wrought IRON rest in castirOn
sockets, which are let into the edge OF the SIDE
WAX. These sockets are four feet square and three
the street Is sixty-two feet The tracks are laid
on an open truss lattice girder. and take
feet eight and a half inches wide, the regu.
lar gauge. They are laid directly on wooden
crosstes thus, it is claimed, securing comparative
noiseessness and avoiding the terrible clamor
which would arise If iron were employed for the
purpose. Such are the main features OF the gen
eral structure contemplated by this scheme.
A PNEUMATIC PARCEL DELIVERY.
Mindful, however OF the pneumatic idea which
was one 81 s prncpa features Dr. Gilbert has
nels at each side OF the track capable OF transport
ing little trains of parcels and newspapers. These
he claims can be carried from the City Han to Har
lem IN three minutes, and thus the evening papers,
which suffer now, perhaps, more even than the
morning daiies by the time consumed in reaching
n IN nj a6 oil
over the island while they are yet damp rom the
press. Should this parcel delivery prove q success
ditional tunnels, one OF which might, indeed,
have diameter OF az much az three or four feet.
leved be very slight. The Doctor ia one Of the
few who have faith In the coming future when the
HERALD Will be circulated In Cincinnati ON the
same morning that 1t is published Some revenue
Is also expected to now into the Golfers of the
pany from the use by the telegraph companies of
their arches instead OF the ugly wooden poles which
IT'S COST.
The great trouble about this road is that, like
a great deal OF money. The estimated outlay for
construction alone Is $700, 900 mile, or, in round
figures $4,000 600 for the entire length OF the road
money especially as IL is expected that trains will
be run every minute. But there is said to be now
no difficulty in raising the necessary capital and
that the work is TO be pushed ahead soon az the
surveys are completed, which win be in . week or
two,
THE FOURTH AVENUE IMPROVEMENT.
1t should not be forgotten. either that work is
vigorously going on upon Commodore VanderDilts
road The Fourth avenue improvement consists
OF three sections one taking in from FOrtyffth to
Forty -ninth street, another comprising from Forty
ninth TO Seventy-ninth street, and the third from
Seventy-ninth to the Harlem River. Upon the first
work has been progressing lOr the past six months,
and the contracts for AS mncn OF the last
as is contained between Seventy ninth and
Ninety-sixty streets have been already made
and are now being carried out. The
section from Forty ninth to Seventy street
will be begun so soon as satisfactory contracts
be made for 1T, and bids for the work will be re-
ceved on Monday next The rumOrs that the prof.
ect had been abandoned are greatly ridculed by
the officials who are carrying out the scheme, and
so long as they point to such operations as are
being carried on above Seventy-ninth street the
public will believe them. Here two tunnels are
being dug out, one upon each side OF the avenue,
and though no one seems to know exactly how
many men are at work there, there are enough to
show that some one is very much in earnest about
getting the work finished.