The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-02-15

2. A cab.
8. A Broadway stage.
4. Fourth avenue car.
s. The elevated railway.
Q. Third avenue poison box, known as o car.
HERALD representative has tried all these diff
ferent systems Of locomotion pro bono puouco,
and Is prepared to state his experience.
ON FOOT
This Is at the most healthfuL the most salts
factory, the pleasantest and the most economical
method OF travelling from one part OF the city to
the other. 1t may expend shoe leather, work hard
on the calves OF the leg or be too severe exer-
else for the feeble octogenarian; but fOI active
men in middle life there Is no exercise so
necessary walking. Therefore we recommend
the foot line as the best one, indeed and as the
sole one to patronize. Any one who will glance at
our population, who will consider the restless
years that are devoted to money getting, Will APP
preciate the fact that man should not live two
hours day in the poisonous atmosphere OF street
cars when he is able to walk. 1t would seem that
there is some providential provision In our side.
walks and the manner in which they are patron
lied. Yet, though we have good walks and
wretched drives, we must have vehicles Business
requirements demand it, violent climatic changes
demand it; Incidence and feepleness demand it.
THE CAB
1t is unnecessary here to repeat the history OF
the New York cAb--another word for extortion. II
a man takes one at Union square for drive to the
Battery the preliminaries are ten minutes CONVEX
sation about the fare; tnsoence from the driver tn
almost every case; distractions from the stages
and other vehicles on the crowded tnoroughfare; q
demand for an increase at the end of the route, and
such little inconvenience as these. We DO noy
mean to say that extortion and swinding always
occur, but they are o1tener the rule than the ex-
ceptiOn Cabs can never become, therefore, ex.
clusively employed in New York as the Hanson Is,
godsend to London and coupe the institution Of
Paris.
The Legislature should, however, compel by law
such regulations as would place ct the disposal Of
the pubic popular cab system at popular prices
and the city government should so enact that the
proper thoroughfares would be kept open for this
species OF locOmotlon.
THE BROADWAY STAGE
is the next institution belonging to the system Of
slow transit OF which we complain. 1t Is indeed q
slow coach, conveying the passenger from Fiftieth
street to the Battery in about an nour. drawing
him through mud and mire, din and uproar, nicely
crushed in with most Heterogeneous company.
The Fifth Avenue Stage Company, like many
other lines, has adopted the box principle
that is ''deposit your fare in the box, for
the driver Will not receive 1t pain Of dismissal
This system Is undoubtedly an Improvement, not
only the company and for the driver who is not
by hts forekn owledge, need not get into q stage
without the necessary ten cOnts. it leads, how
ever, to many curious and amusing incidents, dis
putes with the driver, robbing Of the boxes and
on. The drivers not as solicitous for the CON-
pany's good as they were under the former system,
nor do they keep the sharp lookout for the shouts
and signals OF pedestrians they were wont
to do some weeks ago. Stage travelling
in the city II we may consider cleanliness de-.
sirable quality. The passengers are OF the higher
walks OF Ire, Lying generally .S IN Their own houses
and dlsagreeable odors which render street cars
loathsome in the extreme. In construction they
have but one quality suited to public Conveyance
security; but beyond this they are unfit for the
purposes for which they are used as the channel
boats which ply between Calais ana Dover are
unit for the conveyance OF the worlds passengers
from England to the Continent. They lack int
rior space, a noiseless fitting OF the sashes;
They are simply abominable.
ON THE FOURTH AVENUE CARS.
The finest and ceanest line in the CITY is the
Fourth avenue. The difference Of q cent demanded
from the passengers is less than just compensa-
charge on the Third avenue and other lines. The
cars are clean, generally well ventilated. and the
trip rom the terminus at the new Post Once to
Union square is the swiftest In the city, averaging
msnS
which IS often OOstTHstsa by trucks, carts
en- route to the Grand Central Depot. SO that
passenger starting on his way down, especially
suffer detention, sometimes as long as naif an
hour. This half an hour may sometimes involve
Keynote Of rapd transit; it is TINS shat IN CITY
where business Is transacted with such astonlsh-
Ing rapldlty, where thousands and thousands Of
dollars often depend upon half an hours time or
even less, we should have poorer system
Of oconlotion T. than ans Is IN vogue in the
supneness OF the public touching this subject has
undoubtedly resulted from the corruption OF our
legislators the general generalization OF city poll
tics and the awkward conformation or the Island.
Ii New YORK had been spread out SO to speak,
surface Paris or
the windpipe OF Manhattan. During the reign Of
Tweed and ,s sweeny g,,i T. win be remem.
loan s., 900 to a company consisting OF med.
ley OF mllionnares and politicians. B1f the prOpo-
stion Tell to the ground with the chute OF
Tammany Hall and since then there has been no
practical sh Oh ,ne ad oaered d
here. Yet 1t might De remarked that all the most
practical writer's and engineers have preferred the
eral direction tor the steam communication OF the
future. 1t was along this hue thar the horse
stu sai an old man holding the 1 lines s'' who
drove the Fourth avenue cars down to the CITY
great IRE destroyed the most opuient part Of the
city. There are many interesting old attaches, who
still drive cars up and down the Fourth avenue
Their long service proves that the company has
been well managed and that It is deserving OF the
public favor. How different from this line Is the
THIRD AVENUE COMPAEYS
attempt to supply the public wants as to transtt |
The cars are filthy, and II the Health Department |
would make an analysis OF the air in the cars it
would undoubtedly be found that remaining two !
hours board the Third avenue cars is not only del
eterious to health but that II produces all manner
Of disorders, some OF which often result IN death.
Smallpox has, undoubtedly, been dissemi-
mated by this line more freely than by any
other III the city, to say nothing oil other con-
taQious diseases Let US take O ride in the
Third avenue car. The starter" has hardly
sounded his bell opposite the new Post ONCE
before the car Is already full OF motley hui
mainly With the crowd is brought mud, filth,
bad odors the scent OF uncleanliness and the
horrible efiiuvia OF disease. Baskets Of provisions
peders' packs, lunch tin pals, bundles OF soiied
and probably often OF diseased, linen follow, and
the man with sensitive organ rushes for the
front platform and consoles himself with smoke.