The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-03-17
RAPID TRANSIT.

PROGRESS OF THE WORK ON THE ELEVATED
RAILROADS -CAUAEs OF THE DELAYs--IHE
ESTIMATED PROFITS OF THE GILBERT ROAD.
Within the last week or two there has been m
apparent Iuil In the work upon the rapid transit rail
roads. This lul has been only apparent, however.
for while less been done In the streets than
before the manufacture OF iron shops has gone
on as usual Residents along the east side complain
With apparent justice OF the great delay In construct
Ing the Third Avenue Elevated Railway. They point
out that this road be ready aud opened to the
Park by Nay l, ana now, In the middle OF March, IL
has scarcely been more than fairly begun.
THE WORK.
Mr.. Cornell the principal contractor of the latter
line. was recently questioned as to tho OF the
sowness Of the work He attributed the delays 10 the
many changes when the company had desired TO
make In locating the stations, aud the work
at the stations different from that ut the other
points OF the structure the detailed specification had
to DO held in allegiance for some time Slowly us the
work has gone forward on THIRD avenue, however 1t
has advanced sufficiently TO be practical assurance
OF speedy rapid transit The cross Orders
laid from seventh street upward Tor about SIX spans
and between Seventh and Twenty third streets
OF tho columns have been placed IN position. Dir.
Cornell was asked how quickly the WORK wcud
progress next week, but his reply was by means
cheering. Again he mad to promise a more rapid
progress 'aiter a week. Next week but little would
be done but, after that great things might be ex-
pected BY the impatient residents Of
Yorkville. ''Ater week." he hoped to construct
tho road al the rate Of about Two blocks per day.
ROAD
In the construction The new track OF their Ninth
avenue road the New York Elevated Railroad Com.
pany progressing somewhat more quickly than
in that OF their Third line. IL has been al
most completed between Franklin and Forty-second
streets. with the exception Of The rvetiug ties aud
rails, ana IN about six weeks II Is hoped that
oDd TRACK Will be ready and that The passengers on
tails road viii be no longer compelled 10 wait eight
minutes Tor train. The superior character OF the
new structure has already been spoken Of gives
idea Of what the Third Avenue Elevated Railroad
structure than the Sixth Avenue road, though the
that II will be equally safe ana solid aud be capable
oil bearing equally heavy loads.
rHE GILBERT ROAD.
On the Gilbert road work now carried on at four
different points. Starting IRON Fory-second street
aud working downward tho road hnishoa some
two weeks ago to near Murray street, IN College place.
There the work has stopped Tor The present, and In
order that the two difficult Marray street curves
mgu be lett last the the contractors
Transferred their nen down TO the low Of
the road at Morris street, IN Church, aud now
working upward. Tho structure mere Is oil consider
aoe difficulty, for some distance upward three
tracks have TO be provided, The extra TRACK being
necessary tor switching OIL engines and Hence
only anout two blocks have been built up
from i.ecof street, In Church, and II
expected that two or three weeks must still
ciupse until the two sections are Joined ut Murray
street. The second point OF operations IL IRON Forty
second street upward aud by tonight FOrty-uith
street VIII probably have been roacbcd, tnero
10 be plenty OF IRON ON the ground. The third point
Is Fifty nnth street, whence the contractors work
downward order to meet tue Forty second street
consU ucton gang al Fifty street Here tho
Fifty ninth street terminus OF the road tho
~ also aitsut for three tracks have TO DO provided
ralssa by nana, when was an ouerous unaorlakinx,
but successfully accomplished; and on Thursday the
pany nope TO have this portion oil the structure, IRON
Forty-second to Fiftyninth street, also completed In
two or three weeks.
| rns STATIONS ON THE GILBERT ROAD
The fourth and last point oil operations on tho Gil
bert road Fourteenth street, wuere tine contractor
IL erecting tho first station This appears 10 very
slow work Indeed. The columns and tEroe OF
egnt Orders were up on Thursday, out that
all. Mr. Cornell says that the erection OF these sta
tons the gilbert road IL work OF considerable
magnitude and IL will take him ali the time allowed
BY contract namely up 10 April 10Y TO them
| ready Tor use that DAY. Even then, he says he
could ony nave the stairs, platforms ana rails up, but
ooue Of the or nam nta station buildings rne laying
| OF the rails is gong forward all along the finished
portions OF the road.
Mr. Pullman has laid special strcss mere upon usng
hty-six pound steel rails-about tho same weight
those usea Ivy the mn trunk railways the country
aud even SIX pounds heavier than lhe Now YORK Eie.
| waited Railroad propose ~ lay on their roads.
YIRsr TRIPS MADE.
Strange as tho announcements may appear, the lrst
| trips have already been madc on the Gilbert road
A Little hundcar has been borrowed from OF
| leading railroad companies winch work have
Already gone up ana down the road Tor tue
three days One Of the Assistant civil engineers who
trusted himself too rccRicssy to this little cur, winch
oilers scarcely any support 10 unaccust0med this
Tree aud easy mole vi travelling, came having
accident the otnGr Jay, the company have there
lore rmined To vigorously reject all the
applications from fooinardy people VINO would
brave danger OF the Trip 10 order to say
that thoy had the rst ride Gilbert
| road.
GILBERT on TIE TRAFFIC.
Some days ago there appeared IN Lhs HERALD a cal
cuIation the probable profits OF the Of tuo
Gilbert road As basis vi 70 900 to 80 900 passeu-
gers per day II was estimated the profit on
| the Investment must be from twenty to thirty per
cent DR.. Gilbert now claims that Ia that Gale ulation
the numUcr OF daly passengers was considerably
dercsttmatrd. He thinks that the Gilbert road, ms
Is fairly III operation, and people have be-
used TO travel upou II, Will carry not less than
25 700 people up and 20 900 uown per day. He
| that II the road only taxes away quarter from the
trafhc OF the Eighth, seventh and Sixth avenue and
broadway horse Car lines and the stages the franc
must amount tos5O, 900 per day. AT tue same TIN.
places the cost oil ROAD highcr than gwen tue
HERALD 81, 800 900 up 10 Fitiy-nlnth streetor the
reason that ncavy legal and other miscellaneous ex-
pendItures hau considerably added 10 the construc
| ton account However, surprising tue road To have
| cost even $4,000 700 up to Fity-nnth street, the
gross receipts a: 90 600 passengers per day would be
(consideng The i've cent fares) probably 81 OO0 por
| day on week days and 81, 900 on sundays Even at
| these low figures tho gross receipts would exceed
81. $50 600 per annum, and the profit could be
less tan twenty-five 10 thirty per cent ON the amount
| invested