The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-12-08
RAPID TRANSIT.

EIeHTY-NrNTH STREET TOMORROW MORNING
DELAY on THE CHATHAM STREET BRANCH
INTERESTING STATISTICS.
The general expectation that trains the Third
avenue elevated road would to Eighty-ninth
street yesterday morning disappointed but, as
originally announced in the HERALD. the new section
to that point is TO be opened tomorrow morning.
The running time will be thiry-our minutes Oh the
up trains from South ferry and thrtythree minutes
on the down trains from Eighty ninth street. Trains
will leave Eighty-ninth street every five minutes
cept during the commission" hours. when extra
only to Franklin square, and carry red dag dur
ing the day and ut night display red light. On sun
day trains will start from Eighty ninth street every
ten minutes between 1880 4. NJ. and II NJ, and every
five minutes between IL NJ and 10 r. NJ They will
leave South ferry every ten minutes between 80 a.
NJ. and II 35 z. NJ. and every five minutes between
L. :35 p NJ and 10 :35 p. NJ 1t Is expected that the
travel on the Third elevated road will be
siderably increased in consequence of this extension
and is thus to be feared that the annoyances and
dangers of overcrowding will be even greater than
hitherto. owing to the entirely insufficient number
of cars now upon the road.
CHATHAM STREET BRANCH.
According to a statement obtained in the chief en-
gneer's office the Chatham street branch will not be
in operation until February although it has been
promised all along that it would be opened not later
than January L. The work is greatly delayed, and
only handful of men employed at it. so that
any thing like rspidity is impossible The iron is put
up at nght-Chatham street being too crowded
during the day-and while experts on the subject OF
the construction Of elevated railways agree that the
entire branch could have been well completed the
lst Of December the public will now be compelled to
wait nearly months longer for the facilities of
rapid transit from the City Hall. The running time
from the City Hall terminus to the Harlem River will
be thirty eight minutes just about half the running
time of the horse cars which IS seventy-eght mill
utes.
RAPID TRASMrs BRILLIANT SUCCESS.
The brilliant OF rapid transit, as already
shown by the vast traffic the Third avenue ee-
waited road is still more strikingy illustrated by some
highly interesting statistics relating 10 the traffic Of
the Metropolitan Elevated Railway during the first
six months Of its operation. The Metropolitan road
was opened June s. and on December 5 il had there
fore completed the first half year of its existence.
During these months it has carried mill
ion passengers, a. follows
June ......... LOST I'll October. ,30S 2S1
July .......... l,OO7.s15 November 500
August. ........ 1.Us3,j65 December o. in
Septemper...... l,141247 cluded) ........ 1g0.5lO
Total. 7.o65, 7o5
After the slight falling of in July compared with
June--which is explained by the immense 'curios-
ity" travel III June-these figures show that there
has been steady increase every month up to Novem-
ber and in November there diInlnutive falling
off, a compared with October only because of the
extraordinarily weather, which always hurts the
travel the elevated railways and because there IS
one day less in the month. The daily average dur
ing these six months WAS as follows:--
June. ............ 49,442 September. 1850
July. ............ 1885 October .......... 1880
August ......... 40. 1872 November. Al, 944
CURIOUS STATISTICS.
The Metropolitan Railway keeps q special sta
tiscian who yesterday the reporter all sorts OF
interesting items from his intricate array or hgnres
over thousand trains daily Ton the Third
avenue road the number is only about five hundred)
over the road. The engines average each about 164
miles per day, making, they do close upon s' trips
daily each. The road carries 1000 passengers per
day more up town than It brings down town. This
strange fact il explained by the hurry with which
people who have walked down town i'll the morning
seek regain their homes in the afternoon and
then compelled TO ride. saturday is the heaviest day.
and the is always above $4,000, and the next
heaviest day is Monday. The stations rank in point
station, from which the travel goes in both direc
tons Rector street, and then Cortlandt,
Park place Forty second street. Fifty eighth street,
Thirty third street Fourteenth street Fiteth street.
Chambers, Grand. Franklin, Bleecker and Eighth
streets.
Still more interesting is the division of the traffic
during the various portions OF the day. IL will be
noticed that the night travel is extraordinarily light
The company that they lose considerable money
on the night travel, but feel that ter OF &c
necessarily be The New York Elevated Com
pznv, by the also claims that il loses money
the night travel The following is the travel--taken
the last month November-divided i'll six
tween Z 80 and IL A. NJ between IL A. NJ. and p.
NJ between p. NJ and r. NJ, between and z.
NJ and between and IL 7. NJ, showing also what
the traffic averaged per hour