The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-01-06
RAPID TRANSIT.
How The Work on the Elevated Rail-
road Is Progressing.
five CENT CARS.
Views of the Managers on Night Trains
and Speed of Travel.

As the Gilbert Elevated kaiiroad u raPiuiy aP'
preaching completion the questions of deepest popu-
lar interest concerning rapid transt-nameiy' thoso
of the rates OF fares provisions against overcrowd-
Ing OF the frequency OF trains day and night, &c
continue to occupy the public mind. The writer was.
therefore despatched to tho Office OF the Gilbert Rail-
way, No. II Broadway, where tho protector OF the
road Dr. Gilbert and other prominent officials, gave
scmo interesting information on these points.
Dr. Gilbert, when asked In reference TO the con-
struction of cars said had not yet definitely been
determined upon. He exhibited the elaborate draw
ings OF the two classes OF cars 10 be run-nameiy.
tho commission nve cent and tbs saloon or
ten cent cars--which appeared In tho HERALD
OF April 70, 1876. In tho live cent or COM
mission car the SEATS arranged traasverscy. on
the plan OF the London Underground Railway, with
room Tor only Eve on each, but not divided on TINS
car has the great advantage that sliding doors are
placed all along botn sides Of the car which can DO
simultaneously opened or closed from tho engine.
thus arording excellent OF hgress and egress'
The importance OF these means canuot be overesti-
mated.
HALF-MISUrE Stops.
sRapid transit said DR.. Gilbert, "means that you
shall be able load and unload your passengers at
every station in hall minuiewhich is the time con-
sumed by the London underground-and with stations
nj every half mile you canuOt have rapid transit
unless you accomplish the stop In hall minute.
But this involves a great deal. You must
have plenty of doors IN the cars, long
passenger platform, and engines with SUI
fcient tractvo power TO get rapidly under
motion. The numerous means OF ingress and
egress and the long platform enable the road to load
and unload passengers rapidly, and the engines with
strong tractive power insure the frequency OF tho
trains for in getting train uhder motion and stop
Al nj lassth lost oil the
distance of $40 feet between station snd station In
short | repeat that If you cannot load and unload
your passengers at every station in half minute you
cannot have rapid transit, and hence the great the
vital Importance of having the most abundant possible
of egress and ingress in each car" Dr. GilDer
then showed the drawing oil the saloon car, Published
the same number OF the HERALD in which the seats
are iongitudinay placed In these cars they are par
titioned OIL pace Of eighteen inches being assigned
seat There is door at the end and IN the md
die each sde aordnc less facility Tor egress ana
ingress, but giving the passengers more space lor
their ten cent fare. 'ln this country, Or. Giloert
continued 'people object ride face TO lace they
the European ROADS, and while ultimately they
may TO the adoption OF the transverse seat ar
rangement with sliding doors along the side OF the
car which undoubtedly affords the greatest facilities
Tor egress and ngress this saloon car was designed
10 meet the popular taste OF theAmercan public
DIR. Gilbert asked whether these designs would
probably be adopted by the road but The protector OF
The enterprise dscalmed ar knowledge on the point
found better attractive designs he Or. Gil
BERT would only be too happy TO see them adopted.
PROVISIONS AGAINST OVERCOMING.
'sWhat provisions made against the great evil
OF overcrowdjngY was asked
..Wnile the law does enjoin the road from
rying passengers standing, II Is the urn ana hxed In
rtention OF the company TO allow no passengers TO
stand but to provlue each and every one with seat.
1t is never wise to take money from people without
rendering them their full equivalent; IL Is not good
policy II q man paid three cents Tor the HERALD and
only got the advertising supplement, he would not be
tat md n mass m n n I'm
10 stand he Will naturally be disconnected. Now the
best provision that We can make against overcrowdng
carry all passengers that ride seated
fortably, and that IS what we shall have"
FARES AND NIGHT TRAINS
SHOW about the fares?
.srhey have already been published In the HERALD.
On the commission cars, winch we are required TO run
from hal-past five Ill hali-past A. NJ and from
fve TIL r. ~, 1t viii DO five cents to the PARK,
one per mile or per traction Of mile additional
above but not exceeding seven cents to tho Harlem
River and eight cents TO High Bridge On the saloon
general car Will be ten cents TO the Park and two
cents additional per mile or per traction OF mile above,
but not exceeding fifteen cents 10 the Harlem River
aud seventeen cents TO High Bridge"
"And as 10 night trainsp
.'Of of these details will be settled unit
the road Is about TO GO into operation bat have
doubt that they will be run in Intervals OF f-
teen minutes. You may rest assured shall
night trains as frequently as we can get passengers ~
ride upon them"
THE CAPACITY THE ROAD.
Dr. Gilbert, being exceedingly busy, now excused
himself, and prominent Official oil the Loan In
provcment Company, which Is building the road
der a contract, was now sought This gentleman also
declared that nothing definite could be said yet
relation To the construction OF the cars, and be
therefore unable TO say whether the seats would be
parttioned oil with view to prevent overcrowding;
but he maintained that there was possible
chance OF overcrowdmg the cars, the company
would be able to run trains of four each
every Two minutes. The road beng run ON tho
block system no train would leave station until the
train at the station ahead WAS slgnalled to have
rtarted. Now the simple question was could the
EtlllOuS--nalf "A mllg--le
In minute and ball, as TO leave half minute
for stop? IL could with velocity OF only twenty
miles per hour, while this Official claimed that with
their powerful engines this speed, II need be, could
be easily increased 10 thirty miles per hour The
TO hold about sixty passengers each. ana,
taking four cars TO each tram 40 passengers could
thus be transported every two minutes Z, 200 per
hour This would exceed the demands oil the busiest
hours. Evea between live ana SIX the utmost the
horse could dc was 10 start every half min
ute These cars contained seats for twenty two; but
suppose forty crowded upon them this would still
only MAKE loo seated and standing passengers against
our 240 seated passengers Tor every two minutes.
FIVE cES- CARS.
''How about the running OF the commiss or five
cent cars Z"
ssYou already know what the law obliges us to do
We are bound 10 run these cars from ha-past five TIL
ba-past seven A. NJ and from live I'll seven p NJ, but
course II lind the Class people who use the
five cent cars ride iurng all hours OF the day II will
be in interest to OF these cheap cars with
every train. Not only that - our duty the pub
lie butt is common sense business proposition But
81 we ind that during the hours not named above that
class OF people are not riding, but mostly gentlemen
ana ladies would prefer pay ten cents Tor bet
Ter accommodations IN superior cars shGu matur-
ny prefer TO take their ton cents ana give
odattons In the saloon All cars VIII I've
heated by steanihat viii prevent the suffering from
cold icct"
.'Ana IN regard to running cars ut night 2"
''We all appreciate anu understand tho fact that
there Is large travel between midnight ana i've
O'Clock A. NJ, and, OF course, snail seek IT. With
perfect ca uipment IL VIII be only worry slight adj
duonal expense TO us 10 run night cars 50 that IL
will be matter OF our own interest. All these things
arc experimental N new road We shall have TO
Try first 10 see how many lght cars tho public will
patronlze aud then arrange our tImo table accord
ngiy."
PuLLMAN's ANXIETY.
sYou can tell ne then, nothing reliable in reference
10 the construction oil cars!"
''Nc; but NJ Pullman, the president has this mat
Ter charge, and his name ~ guarantee that the
cars Will be constructed IA manner TO tally satisty
the public believe he rs especially anxious In de-
SIGNING these cars to give the people Of New York
something that may reflect credit upon him and the
road
'.has tho running time yot been definitely fixed ~
tsNo; but IL Will be about twenty nve minutes from
the Battery TO the Park-porhaps we may be able 10