The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-03-22
RAPID TRANSIT IN LONDON.
The Metropolitan Railway---USeS and
Profits of the Undertaking.
Scientific Calculations and Early Difficulties
of the Reformers
A Brilliant Triumph of Engineer
ing-The Pecuniary Success.

ing-The Pecuniary Success.
LONDON, March 8, 1875.
One OF the many sngularittes OF lie civilized
and rapidly advancing community is the TACT that
lis strangenesses so rapidly cease to be strange,
that its wonders in the course Of few weeks take
rank by the side OF its merest commonplaces and
that the most enthusiastic Of receptions can
promise for no new scheme that 1t shall be more
than nine days. marvel 1t Is recorded in the
columns Of the Times for the 10th OF January,
1858. that on the previous day the Right Hon.
Robert Lowe was enthusiastic The utterances Of
the right honorable gentleman there preserved
are ull or that childliKe capacity for wonder on
which Lord Ly ttOn insisted as one OF the most
marked characteristics OF genius. Now Mr.. Lowe
has always had a decided leaning to the nil admit
rdrt school OF philosophy, and 1t may be pretty
fairly assumed tnat when he wonders 1t is at
something which can really claim to be called
wonderful
The Right Hon. Robert loves enthusiasm was
excited by the engineering triumph OF Mr.. Fowler,
the constructor or the underground railway. In
the same year he had declined TO display any
great amazement at a Lancashire cotton famine,
an American war, or a royal marriage; bu: those
great providers OF wonder, the daily journals,
were filled with these things to the exclusion OF
this quiet marvel OF peaceful art. In the course
OF his speech-which, OF course followed ban
quet-the right honorable gentleman remarked
that great town Is ike a forest, that not being
the whole Of it which is seen above the ground.
The roots OF q modern city its drains and
sewers, its gas pipes and Its water pipes, and 1t
was among those roots that in some danger and
much difficulty the contractors w0rkmen had to
grub.
THE IDEA OF AN UNDERGROUND RAILWAY
In London was one which was not unlikely to have
taken a nebulOus sort or form in many minds, but
MI. Charles Pearson the first to breach 1t IN q
definite and practical way. Mr.. Pearson was the
City Solicitor and MS first notion appears to nave
been In favor Of the construction OF huge terminal
railway, in which all the main lines Of the king
dom should concentrate-a vast ganglon or those
iron nerves which thread the Empire. little
practical reflection served to set tnat idea aside
rs unworkabie, but there sprung from 1t q scheme
for series or mtd-LondOn termlni. which has
now been brought almost completely into exist.
ence The enormous and still increasing trafic
which blocked the streets or the metropolis made
1t obvious that some scneme for partial relief wSs
necessary. Statistical inquiries went to prove
that certain limited route NO fewer than
$4,000 persons daily travelled by omnibus alone.
It was found that the cheap services OF steamers
on the river carried q daily average OF 10000
people, and 1t was not unreasonably hoped that q
railway scheme would, by anording greater facil-
tiles to passengers, seize an enormous percentage
OF these cnance travellers. Mr. Pearson laid his
Idea before the corporation at first without much
success He mad IN the meantime so modified
MS plan as to bring 1t for the time
being to q simple proposal 70. ex-
tending the Great Western Railway from
Paddington to the Post ONCE. On tnis new line
he proposed that others should be eventually
grated; that functions should be made and pro-
n
snort, the first line should be made the nucleus VI
precisely such q rami1cation Of railway lines as
London now stands possessed of.
THE SCHEME FELL FLAT.
Mr.. Pearson's belief in the splendid dividends
such an enterprise would pay was looked upon as
q sort OF Alnaschar vision. The engineering did,
culues the vested interests, the jealousy Of rival
lines and the tremendous value OF landed and
household property In the city combined to lend
to the proposal the aspect OF one Of the widest OF
all possible cnimeras Bus the proposal, having
been once made public, recommended itself to
certain OF the bolder business men OF the time,
and in 1855 company grew into existence aud
application was made to Parliament Tor the
necessary powers to run from Edgeware road to
Kings Cross. These powers having with
some difficulty, been obtained nothing further
was done Tor time. The promoters were willing
to rest q while anu allow the railway intellect
assmilate the propOsal-an operation in which 1t
must De confessed the railway intellect was SLOW.
Meanwhile those who had Interested themselves,
and by tier deposit with the Accountant General
had pledged themselves to carry out their WORK,
issued statistics winch went to snow now impossi-
bic financial failure really was. Taking the Uranus
10 run. Tor instance every five minutes through
out the day anu supposIng that extra trains would
be put on during the bus,er hours. tue promoters
argued thus the five minute trains during day
hour ior six hours being added, there is total OF
ZIG trains eacn way daily, The mileage 0f these
432 trains Is every day equailed TO 1,72S The
II
that time was seven shlngs per day per mile.
That gives daily receipt OF feo4 16s. o., and de-
mands that 4S, 1884 passengers-taking the average
1sre per passenger at threepence-shali daily avail
themselves OF the line. The goods traiic was estl-
mated to be worth f45 900 per annum. so they were
sure OF this scheme, and so mucn IN love with Is
were others that provision was inserted ia the
act to authorize separate contract for the naln-
tcnapce and working OF the line, the purpose OF
this provision being to divide the enterprise INTO
two Drancnes-One the formation OF the line and
the other Its working when made, the first branch
being lett 10 those capitalists WHO were anxious
tnan those when attach to all mortal under.
takIngs, and the other TO those WHO shared the
ing 10 accept heavier FISK for tas sake o heavier
problematic PROFITS. Inc snare capital OF the
company consisted OF 100000 shares OF Elo eacn.
ard 1t was expected, on the estimate or Mr.. Joy,
the contractor, supported by Mr.. Fowler, the en-.
gineer that the first lnstament Of the line would
rate OF profit was twelve and a naf per cent, out
1t was believed by many that even II the estimates
would remain. The line now began 70 Ind
INFLUENTIAL SUPPORTERS.
Baron RothschlId gave 1t his approval at this
stage, but declined to give It ANYTHING else aud
took I'm anclal interest In 1t. Tue first act Sc.
cured BY the company gave the Great Northern
Company power to subscribe Tor 1880 snares.
The Great Northern was content Tor nearly three
years to possess that power, put 1t never excl.
ciaed It, me sum OF fi75, 900 required was not at
tuat time at the easy disposal OIL the Great North.
ern Railway. One OF the promoters or the Metro.
poltan line grew pathetic when, In the February
Of 1857, lie addressed meeting ol his colleagues
In explanation OF the apathy of the company from
bppn
pected. The money, lie SAID, (which the Great
Northern mad power to subscribe 10 this under.
taking has been invested In the furnishing OF mag.
nlhcent houses and the purchase OF articles OF
vlrtu by one VINO IS now undergoing the penalty
OF the law Tor his conduct The erect OF the
gigantic fraud thus dslicatsly alluded to WAS long
felt oy the Metropolitan. A further trouble was