The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-01-22
A CLEAR UNDER STANDING.

To TIE EDITOR OF the HERALD:-
Alter one trip on tho Fourth Avenue rapid transit
road can well appreciate your persistent effort to
full and satisfactory Understanding from tho
two companies now erecting elevated rapid transit
lines. This morning went TO the corner OF Eighty
sixth street anu FIRST avenue and bought ticket 10
Forty second street, for which paid ten cents then
went down stairs and waited nine minutes for a
train. There was nothing u be seen there but SMOKE
winch filed tho tunnel TO su1ocaion almost and SO
denseIy that could not see more than twenty feet
beyond me. There are no lights TO GUIDE passengers
AMI prevent them from walking oil the platform TO
the tracks. There seats Tor the notation
Of waiting passengers as IN the underground railroads
OF London, where none OIL the convenieuccs have
described above arc mot VITA; where there Is nh
abundance OF light and where the locomotives are
compelled by legal attachments TO consume tneir
steam and their own smoke. Ii 10 true that at the
lot OF the STAIRS leading 10 tho tunnel there
lew benches, hut utterly inadequate TO the RI.
quIremonts of the waiting Passengers. Such was tho
condition OF things before tho arrival Of the tram.
When the train did al last arrive went INTO one uf
tue cars only TO ind no seats PROVIDED Tor the pas
sengers VINO, with myself had got IN at the staton
Eightysixth street. People were standiDg IN the
middle OF the car, without even the assistance oil
straps That ure 80 literally provided the THIRD
avenue and other surface railroad routes, ana consc-
qucntiy toicd around like green passenger sea-
swaycd by tho motion OF tho Car IRON ooc side to
the other until tho Forty Street Depot was
reached
Judgment that you cannot trust any OF these
corporations, even yhen they are granted the most
liberal iacllLes oil hight oil way aud Of construction.
IL also shows to mo that you can meyer bargain any
exchange o these facilities grants Tor privileges
or accommodation IN the interest Of the public. 1
ain That on TINS Fourth rapid transit
ROAD which travelled this morning the city paid
AZ east onc-hali The expense OF It's construction Tho
least they could have done under circu
venture TO think, would have been to lurnisn sum.
Gent supply OF carriages Tor their passengers. Not
only DO they MOI do this, vut the carriages thoy put
tho road are mIseraby constructed, with iongi-
tudinaI seas, which oblisc all the Passengers TO
be crowded as inconvcncBtly M they are III the
cars oltue surface railroads IL Is IN THIS condition
Of 4tfS that applaud your Efforts IN Insisting That
thccUIAouid be cicar understanding fortified leg
islat|bh, with those companies VINO are building
elevated railroads la THIS city that, IN exchange Tor
the great Iaciilics that have been hbrraIly
grauted 10 them " The city, they should provide
separate scats IN the cars the frequent ruDnIny Oh
trans at night, thorough vcutaton both Ia cold aud
weather and acco uItodatiOu Tor waiting passen-
gers These, al least should he Insisted upon, ana
tDeir prOvis on made mandatory upon The
IL Tins Is not done by the present companies IL Viii be
doLc ny some rival association, AMI, therefore 1t is
the true interests o these u ed tho warm
ing The HERALD and satisfy the pubic dema nd
by frank statement that tncr provisions VIII CON-
pied with. SHARP.