The New York herald., 1875-03-01
RAPID TRANSIT.
The Value Of the Proposed Lateral and
"Loop Lines" Of Railway EI.
planned and Illustrated.
The Topic Of Fares Discussed by
an Engineer.

To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:-
Although New York has very nearly passed
through It's annual paroxysm on the subject OF
rapid transit and vast amounts OF printers Ink
have been expended In the discussion OF It, there
has been very little said about the rates OF fare
which should be charged on such roads, and there
is great danger that n the Legislature takes any
action at all 1t will authorize the collection OF
much higher rates Of Iare than viii be necessary
to make such q road pay reasonable profit on It's
cost. 1t Is known from past experience that II
such rates are once authorized 1t will ue ex.
tremely din1cult, II not impossible. ever to have
tnem reduced. The excess OF fare over what would
be necessary to pay o reasonable interest on the
cost will be perpetual tax on the people and the
prosperity OF New York, which would be trans
ferred to the pockets Of the owners OF such road.
1t Is, OF course, absolutely necessary that rate OF
fare should be authorized that would make such
road
"REAsoNABLYn PROFITABLE.
An investment which would pay eight per cent
with very fair chance OF paying still more,
would, IL Is believed, be considered q reasonable
profit, and 1t Is upon this basis that the members
OF the American Society OF Civil Engineers, ap-
pointed TO investigate this subject, made their
calculations, which are contained in "paper"
Just being printed. The conclusion reached In that
"paper'' is that double track elevated road, ex-
tending from the Battery to Fifty-ninth street, q
distance OF nve miles, costing not to exceed $4OO 900
per mile, exclusive OF equipment and having the
right OF way Tree, would, with a trafhc OF fifteen
million OF passengers per year and fare OF six
cents, or 18th cents per mile pay eight per cent
on the whole cost.
1t is suggested In the paper referred to that Q
double track road should be built on each side or
the city, and the two connected by loops or cross
town lines, SO that trains could be run contnu-
ously around In one direction on one track anu
the reverse direction the other. II this is done
and line Is butts from the Battery to Fifty
ninth street on the west side. indicated In the
map by the line + b. ana another on the east
side, as shown by the line e h I, and the two
connected at their upper ends by the line It then
would obviously cost no more to run trains from
the Battery to Flfty-n ninth street and back again
by going up on the west side line and down on the
east or utce versa than it would to run up or down
on one side alone, excepting SO far as the addi-
tional length OF the connecting line, ]. would in
crease the cost but which would be 50 small an
item that 1t may be disregarded. Therefore the
fare on cars running around the loop, eJhjth
could be
PRoFITABLY FIXED AT SIX CENTS.
IT, however, we subdivide this loop into two, A
and B. by making another crosstown connection,
o, say at Thirteenth street, which is about half
way between the Battery and Fifty.ninth street,
then trains could run around either OF the loops
A or twice In the same time that they run
around both OF them once. The fare on cars
which run around each of these two loops could
therefore probably be three cents, or Just half
what 1t would be in those running around both OF
them or from the Battery to Ffty-ninth street. IT.
however the system Of roads was extended to
the Harlem River. as