New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-07-16
DELIBERATION ON RAPID TRANSIT.
PLANS AND SUGGESTIONS BEFORE The COMMITS
sIONERS.

PLANS AND SUGGESTIONS BEFORE The COMMITS
sIONERs.
The Commissioners of Rapid Transit, at their
private meeting yesterday, continued the preparatory
work receiving and arranging plans, models, and sg
gcstions Commissioner Mott was not present. Com
parativcy few communications were received, and the
door of the Commissioners room was not beSeSed, as
heretofore by inventors anxious to gain admittancc Al
d,ional communications were received yesterday from
Albert Van Wrinkle The Rapid Transit Journal the Under
ground Railway Company, E. L. Hoatling and c. b.
Phillips.
The only person who presented plans and model was
Henry Barns Of this city His system is that of srct-
with railway 10 feet above the street, and spanning
II from curb TO curb with width Of 90 feet
The structure is 10 lie supported by casron columns
placed 40 feet apart The cast iron connecting Orders
are TO be foot thick The foundation for the columns Is
TO be of brick dig feet underground. Castiron grders
underground the street from column to col
umn and render heavy masonry foundation unneces-
say columns TO be arranged for use as awning
supports and lampposts The propellng power on the
railway is to be either steam compressed air. The
estimated cost per mile is not over S2OO,OOO.
The suspension bridge plan of j. W. Evans presented
by j. Fryer, jr urged upon the attention OF the
Commissioners by additional and elaborate drawings
The iron arches and cables of this road intended rot
only To secure combined ghtness and strength but to
maintain perfect level for the roadway cable con-
nected with each end OF arch Of 2GO feet passes under
each rail the tracks Each arch is intended 10 span
one block and the road will occupy the whole
width Of the street roadway, but be elevated
on three columns placed at each street crossing,
one column being the center of the street III the
weight OF passing trains depresses the iron arch the effect
IL 70 tighten the cables and thus the level Of the track
cannot Be disturbed The estimated cost Of this road is
about $500 900 per mile.
Among the communications which have been received
by the Commissioners is the following:
To the Honorable he Board Of Commissioners Of Rapid
GTNTLEuEs: have the honor submit for your CON
sdcaon the following suggestions as TO plans for rapid
transit with the accompanying reasons therefor taking
Il for granted that your Board will designate elevated
ruad as the system 10 be adopted:
l. That no specific patent design Of construction
2 That Tue choice OF the particular plan design of
construction should he lett to the company when organ
lied, under proper restrictions and approval
3. Presumlng the plan to be "eievated, that your
BOARD should 20 no further than require ii 10 have
double tIack-a third he permitted below Twen-
q tdst that the tack should be so constructed as
Ia carry with saety-sueed gven-trains equal in
weight OF engine and to those running on the
Greenwich yated Road the cars not 10 be required 10
be heavier except at the option OF the Company; that
the hght OF the structure above the street and the
number and location of columns or supports sn0u!d De
fixed By your Board leaving the persons who furnish
whether brick arches irOn steel or otherwise, as may
h. most dsirabe and most attractive TO the persons
who fuI nsb the money therefor.
for the above are, That the designating OF
particular plan would confnc the corporation 10 that
alone at such expense inventors anu constructors
might impose, aud would turn against the enterprise all
the partisans Of plans not adopted while Ieit open
amount OF subscril tons would be procured Inc cap
ita would have It's choice OF the most economical ana re-
uncriiNe plan under certain general proper restrlc
tiOns and would, for that reason, he more freely contrib
uted TO the enterprise. After passing Onehundredand
twent, ifth-s the Harlem River at least the surface
plan might should, be allowed TO De USED Tor gwen
number OF years without public detrnent ana VIA
great advantage 10 Rapid Transit aud the general good
Eea. Tcrk July Ia, 1875. DAN'L BuTrERFIELD.