The New York herald., 1878-10-12
Il the Metropolitan Railroad
"Nuisancs

the Attorney General of the State, who
visits the city for this purpose, hearing of
the complaints Of property holders on Sixth
avenue against the Metropolitan Elevated
Railroad. We think the Attorney General
is quite in the line of his duty in attempt
ing to acquaint himself by this method with
the facts of the situation. The recent pre-
sentiment of the road as a nuisance by
the Grand Jury was not docu-
ment which would justify any official
action against the road by the chief
law officer of the State, but it is neverthe-
less fact which it would not be proper for
hold corporations created by the authority
of the Legislature to their responsibility,
and since the questions now raised are
novel and not without difficulty Mr.
Schoonmaker is to be commended for the
pains he is taking to understand the sub
ject, in order that he may act intelligently
when it comes before him in such form as
to compel his official cognizance. He listens
to the worst that can be said against the
road by men whose zeal is prompted by self
interest, and he allows replies to be made
by the counsel of the road, whose owners
have an equally selfish interest on the
other side. It is q wholesome and salutary
thing for corporations to be kept under the
close surveillance of officers of the law. If
strict justice is done private rights will be
reconciled with the public advantage. We
believe that there is never any real neces-
sity for sacrificing one to the other.
1t is asserted by residents along the line
that the noise Of the road is intolerable,
that burning Goals from the locomotives are
frequently dropped into the street, and
that the dripping of oil from the en-
gnes upon foot passengers below is
ruinous to bonnets, dresses and other
apparel There is probably some exag-
geration in the two last heads of COM
plant, but they are to some extent real,
while the first is, beyond all question,
great and serious annoyance The drop
ping OF burning Goals and filthy oil admits
of an easy and complete remedy, and the
apologists of the road assert that it has
already been remedied. Of this the state
ments made yesterday before the Attorney
General do not enable US to judge, because
the persons who testified to the facts did
not give any dates. If this annoyance has
been permitted to continue the road is
inexcusable, since there can be no diff
Guilty in dealing with SO simple and easy
problem.
| The complaint about insuffsrable noise is
more serious and formidable. 1t is not to
be wondered at that people whose ears are
vexed from morning till midnight with the
incessant roll and din of the ever-passing
trains lose their patience This evil may
be abated in time by new mechanical con-
trivances which have not yet been dis
covered, or at least not yet tested; but
there can be no question that SO long as it
lasts it is a real and substantial grievance.
1t is unlucky for the road that it happened
to be put in operation at the beginning of
summer, when the heat of the ensuing three
or four months made it necessary to keep
all doors and windows open for the admis-
sion of fresh air. Had the trains commenced
running in November instead of June there
would not have been such tide of COM
plants IN the outset of the experiment.
For seven or eight months of the year our
climate compels us to keep apartments
closed, and noise is shut out or deadened.
In the rear rooms along the avenue the
noise of the elevated road will be scarcely
perceptible in cold weather, and it will be
SO diminished in the front rooms as to pass
without notice by persons who are accus-
toned to it. During the two hottest
of the four or FIVE warm months
so many people go into the country
as to diminish, to some extent, the felt an
noyance but it is very trying to the larger
number who are compelled to remain. We
suppose that there will be but little COM
plant against the noise Of the trains when
cool weather has fairly set in. This year a
summer temperature has extended 80 far
into the autumn that the nuisance has been
more prolonged than it is likely to be in
average years. Moreover, in the long period
between now and next June it is to be
hoped that the road will have discovered
and applied some method of abating the
noise.
As to the alleged injury to property along
the line of the road we believe it to be
chimera. All real estate is deprecated, but
not more in Sixth avenue than in Broad
way. 1t will not do to attribute to the
elevated railroad depression which re-
suits from other causes and is universal
throughout the city. The real effect of the
road will be to diminish the value of
Broadway property by diverting its busi-
ness, and to increase the value of Sixth
avenue property by making that
avenue the principal line of daily
uptown and downtown travel. Trade
naturally follows this kind of travel.
1t is true enough that the road rem
ders the street undesirable for residence,
but rents for shops are always higher on