The New York herald., 1878-09-13
SLOW RAPID TRANSIT.
General Complaint Against the THIRD
Avenue Elevated Road.
CAUSES OF THE DISCONTENT
Apparent Indifference of the Company to
the Public's Comfort.

the slow progress and present wrcched condition
of the Third Avenue Elevated road appears
according careful Investigation made yester-
day, increase In intensity and bitterness, ana
threatens very serious proportions for tho
New York Elevated Company. The writer, who was
along the limo OF tho road and rode upon 1t during
great portion OF the day, found strongly growing
sentiment among the travelling public that the CON-
pany had treated the people most shabbly in return
for the magnificent franchise conferred upon IT. that
tho progress of the work had been nexcusaby delayed
to tho Inconvenience OF thousands OF people aud IN
fragrant violation OF the many fair promises made by
tho officers OF tho company; that the company had
shown q reckless disregard for the comfort and con.
venence public in either failing 10 put up sta
tons where they promised and located on paper
many months ago, In erecting. on the "cheap and
nasty" principle, stations replete with every dscom-
tort; that tho trains were run SO slowly as to be
scarcely any improvement upon horse cars; that
the cars themselves were also OF very shabby and
inferior character; and that tho only way or COM
pelng the company do its Guty by the public was
for the people 10 refuse to ride upon such an uncom
Portable and slow coach elevated road. The company
was also Indignantly denounced for Its "meanness'
In exacting twonty from passengers desir
ing to get from of tho city the ether, and
for incomprehensiblo neglect OF tho most
important Chatham street extension.
In tho building OF this extension thero appears to
have been The most wanton delay. Some OF the
foundatons-about rwenty--were put In last winter.
and, a. tho entire extension Is only third Of a mile
long is tho universal opinion among exports that 1t
could and should have boon opened simultaneously
with tho main Iine to the Grand Central Depot. And
yet the digging OF the foundations for tie station
near Tyon Row has only just begun ana tho iron tor
tho extension, according to statement OF tho eng-
neer the ground, has not even been ordered How
extraordinary this proceeding is, may be gathered
from the TACT tina: all the work for tho Metro
poil,an ROAD boon long before tho ioun-
datons were dug. The consequence Of this procras.
t,nation Is that, even according to tho engineer,
the extension (Which, though joint road
above Chambers street, Is built by the New
York Elevated) will not be ready Tor six
weeks yet, ana, II The work goes on at the rate
IN which progressing since the nrst ounda-
tions put IN last winter. the extension may
perhaps be IN running order some time next sprlng
Tho public very much inccnsed at the'
New YORK Elevated Company Tor the serious discom
tort which they pot by this negligence Thou
sands who would take elevated road from Park
row or the City Hall compelled to walk Down
TO Franklin square Fulton street, or 10 resort 10 the
horse cars instead There doubt that the CON-
pany has lost already thousands of dollars by its
failure those mutltudes OF passengori
whon n has thus deliberately driven the horse
SCARCELY BETTER THAN oNE-noKsE CAR
Trains arc run from The South ferry 10 the Grand
Central Depot IN twenty-five minutes, wnile II wal
promised all along that the running time even 10
FIFTY. ninth street would only DO eighteen or twenty
minutes Wnen is considered that the trains now skip
several stations, where they mako no stops at all, II
will be realized at what wretched pace they 30.
People ride on the road hnd II 50 slow hat they
declare they might just we'll take The street carl
without incurrng any loss OF time and save money
| Indoea, the trains only run at intervals oi i've
n Iakes TWO or three minutes climb tem lesurely,
there rs very httie, II any. saving OF time now SAID
an soy oa snS Sosr ha
car" Tnerc also great deal OF joting and jangr
ns on tho road which, In this respect, contrasts dis
apreeay with tho smooth motion oi tho Mctropoital
| STATION DlscoMFoRTs.
But loudest oil ali the compiants about tho sta
tous So unnecessarily high are the stars in some o
these climbing above the track the trav
| eIcr has 10 climb again be fore he
platform Then at so me tho Stations ind even
no protscilon against the rain-nothng but rough,
lous platform with either NO station buildings what
ever or buildings only begun and progressing ut such
a rato some OF them VIII undoubtedly be ready
next spring. With iatuity which would be ncred.
bic we're Il not open ocular proof to body who
takcs trouble TO Tide up Third avenue the oompa
my has built finished somo OF the stations above
Eorty-sccond street whcro the road - not running
| at all, and where tnere Is no earthly need Tor
any stations until the road opered, whilc some Of
The along tho operated road are lacking alto
| rether Forty second street aud Third avenue TOR
instance, 10 most important station, ana not evon
temporary have been provided for present
suppose traveller desres go Fortythir street
| and THIRD avenue. He must now rido ~ tho depot
and then walk back to Third avenue The absence
| Of any stations AZ Chatham square, HousIon
| street and Eighteenth street mas compelled
| hundreds OF people to walk nearly half a
mile in got the next station. Tho stations
| that are ready-Hanovcr square and Grand Central
Depo-are GENERALLY declared 10 be so uncomior ;abio
that the road lose 0i riders by the
wise economy ana bad taste practisod ia tner
ton Ladies' say that they cannot climb 10 the ridc-
uIslv nigh ana badly arranged stations especially II
| they nave children with thom. The refusal OF tho
| company to provide water closets, Iced wator and
sucn necessary convenie noes, which could DO pro-
cured at triing expenditure ofmoney IS universally
stignatized piece Of shocsing pennriousness on
tho part VI This wealthy company Of mionnairos.
| "RLoULAK BARNS"
"why, these stations regular barns,' said one
rider ''as compared to those the sixth avonua II
Titled 10 something better than this" Similar OK.
prossions OF discomfort OF ''odious comparisons'
Win the Sx.n avenue n ob 's,sv W
| The Two roads, tho Third and the Ninth avenue,
connect, tho station IS so utterly unsuitod 10 such
great and starting point Tor trains both
sides Of city. that the most bewdering confusion
prevails Wnen the west side train comes In passen-
GERS waiting side train all rush for IT, and
havo to driven back, and vice uersd There is no
system or order, and the passengers huddied 10.
| gciher In small, Close niusty room iiko SO many
| Pur CROSS SEATS IN THE CARS
| EveryDody Will have noticed the Metropolitan
Elevated Railway that passenger on entering car
make straight line for the cIoss seats The length
wiso are only occupied when tho others arc
already u This iact la itself clearly indicates the
great decided preioronce oi tho pubic ioi
seats across the cars !like those placed 10
tnose usea altogether tho Underground IN
Londonl and It fully bears out the HKRALD's earnest
| OF Bucn uu arrangement OIL seats whcn INC
designs for nrst spoken Of In spite OF this
experience the Metropolitan road, the Nov IorkEio
vaed Company stubbornly aaheres TO the lengthwiss
arrangement oi Seats and Will not attention u
the manifest wishes OF the public. But also In otncr re-
spccts fault found wih the being unncc
cssary cheap and common and utterly void vi all Gle
ganse attracivcness The perforated woo1en veneer
seats arc NEARLY comfortable or pleasant as tht
rich morocco and on tho sixth avenue
elevated road, besides being unnecessarily ugly ant
they inpar, "a decided air OF chcapncss and common
ness 10 the cars
| SMALL TRAFFIC.
poait,ve which appears DO elt BY the pu0it
Al large that the traffic The cast SIDE road IS mo-
nearly what II expected 70 DC or what IL should
| no Some of tho officers OF tho company have givcr
out that tho road carried noou twenty thousand
passengers n day; out from a gentleman VINO claims
| m bo 1n posscssion OF tho precise figures II wai
learned that the traffic had run down as iowas "a 0Oo
II, see,ns 10 bo generally conceded that unlcss the
| comnany exhibit moro regard Tor the just expccts
lions OF It's pa,rons unless new life and spirit Is put
sanlar ho Inndn In