The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-06-08
RAPID TRANSIT.
Complete Success Of the Metropolitan
Elevated Road.
THE PUBLIC DELIGHTED.
Incidents During a Trip in
a Cheap Train.

inc rush Ior the cars OF the metropolitan nieVutou
Railroad alter business hours yesterday was even
moro striking than on the two previous days. The
iare between The hours hai-past hvc and p.
NJ. having been fixed at i've cents and the same
for tho corresponding hours OF the morning
may have had much 10 do with this.
though from tho respectable appearance OF
most Of the passengers the ten-cent fare
wouIu BIO only q tri1ing consideration and certainly
no deterrent from riding in the elevated cars at any
hour OF the day. Stll there is powerful attraction
In having a good thing cheap no matter whether
man can afford pay high price for IL or not, and
thus Is was The rich well as the poor rushed to
avail themselves OF tho cheapest pece Of railroad
travelling the Continent Tho nvo cent fare In The
morning had o similar effect IN drawing patronage,
but In much smaller degree than In the afternoon
and with different class OF people. Merchants
and rich men predominated In tho evening tive cent
hours, clerks ana mechanics In the morning While
in the morning the cars were we'll filed and many had
10 stand there nothing ike tho crowding out 70
the very edges Of the platforms that characterized
the evening" Sharp at nali.psst Ave IN tho afternoon
rush In Tor tho stations Al Rector Cortlandt
street, Park place, Chambers, Franklin and Grand.
FEATURES CROWD
AZ the nrst three places tho crowd was largely com.
posed Of down town merchants, brokers and various
classes OF business and professional men, Many well
known faces wero 10 be met WITH But other classes
were numsrousy represented. There many
mechanics, clcrks ana laborers, though few any
III dressed and mono dsorderly. At these sta
tions, as tho numbers Increased, the plat
forms became intentionally filed. Quite
q number Of ladies' OF various degrees OF
age and beauty, and filled with Unsuitable curiosity
10 see how tho new thing worked were scattered
around amid the hrong OF and appeared to relish
the excitement vastly. The small boy nursing i've
ri in heal AZ one fat and n Of
nuts In tho other there and msdo himself known
and felt He was burning with the ambition TO take
mis- nrst ride on the great railroad and had
thought for the feelings OF elderly or equity gentle
climbed the stairways and butlc his way through
solid masses OF mel and women 10 the verge OF the
passing tram. A woman Of mature years, with two
children and baby her arms, stepped aboard At
Blsecker street. rode to the Park aud back again and
said conductor though she refused leave the
train and pay Tor the rctorn trip, that II was
.or. we're much more s,rc. IN turning these
unsopniscated ladies out OF the sstefday than
on the previous days, who were dlsp sed 70 the con-
victon ten cents meant iars for double ride.
OF course everybody was well pleased, and though
there was much crowding Al the downtown stations
from after five till alter six O'Clock great good nature
the prevailing disposition Tho trains we're kept
up with exceeding regularity every three miputsS
In iact brief was the interval between each that
the whole number looked almost like uous
train moving up ana DOVE the track.
OF EVENING.
The train OF the evening was tue that LEFT Rec
tor street al quarter TO Six II consisted of three
coaches and quitting Inc terminus had on board iss
quite easy and comfortable ana feeling salts
fed that other folks awaiting the train ahead not
likely TO iarc we'll Az Corllandt street 81
passengers entered and that appeared TO MI about all
the seating room, ous there we're . few places
pie thronRed the staircase and the sidewalk
below, bat they we're detained ~ tho tckot Office for
other. ana only 50 succeeded 10 getting
on. The aislcs were now beginning TO be occupied.
To those who were seated II was very pleasant re-
stanaess had NO occasion to clutch irantcaiy Tor
some support save themselves from iaing over
those wao were STING down, when ,os T.,n came
position. He kept erect ms statue, the motion
was so extremely even and steady. Al Chambers
street AZ got and SO left behind tor the
ceedng train. 1t was now dashng up West Broad
way, witch flllcd with carte. wagons and street
tho thunderous noise overhead. At FRANKLIN street
81 cot on and NJ least $50 were left be-
hind. At this time there wore 1856 passen-
gers in the rear car At Grand street "a got
and many more were LETT behind.
Tue tram had now about 500 passengers. aud
all the platforms were nlIso. II could take
only few more who were NJ the Blocker street
station. farming into sixth avenue, the tram be-
great object OF attraction to the people tho
sidewalks and In tho doorways aud windows on &C
count OF IT'S enormous load. disciple Of Gam
brnus sitting on keg OF lager among grove OF FIR
plants In front OF his saloon, waved mis- pipe In ono
hand and req cotton handkerchief in the other,
and heard to exolaim, "Mcn gott, coonthryl
Al Eighth street Two young ladies' and n cripple
were taken board and about n dozen declined front
b. tue people the train platforms. At Fourtcsnth
street "a got or and nearly many more got on Al
Thrlylourtn street 81 got on ana GOT on A, Forty.
second street IS got OF and none como Al Filti-
cin street when everybody was com ortaely seated,
40 took their departure. some Tor the Park and
others Tor home.
THE ornER TRAINS
The trains succeeding this brought much fewer to
tho last station OF the road. and The nnal that
reached there ut two minutes OF eight o. clock +. M.
n
especially down town, reckless boys and youths clam
bcred on all available though perious, coigns OF
vantage around the unfinished structures anu had 10
be saved from danger TO neir necks by the warnpgs
OF the attendants No accident was reported beyond
mishap 10 an engine IRON getting cntangIed In .
switch at Rector street
THK SWITCHING ARRAseKxxxra
Switching arrangements Z Doth ends of the road
still defective and the result ~ tho occasoBing OF
delays 50 irritating TO an over-impaticnt people
OF the road Is active ana In earnest In
bringing the whole machinery 20 perfection those
sources OF inconvenience must soon be re edicd.
IL is too early to determine what will ultimately DO
the steady earnings Of the road. For months TO come
osty and qualification OF having to say they did
so Then wiIi cease 10 have ire charm Of novelty
and be used onlg Dy those whose convcnicnco - sub
ssrvea
ESTIMATE PASSENGERS
On the FIRST day there was no telling exactly how
many people did ride, ~ halt OF them rode Tor moth
Ing, anu many kept riding up and down IN pure
Joy OF the affair, especially those VINO had free
OF cost but u IL sale say tho enterprise success
fui and viii pay handsomely Estimating that 100
trains were run yestorday-tbc number on the day
bciore-betwccn morning and evening, with an aver
sgc OF 125 passengers each the total NUMBER during
tho day weud BIO 20. 750
pELIGHr
The ladies were evidently charmed with the Elevated
yoau It's spacious and elegant coaches decorated with
all the iasto and nnish Of boudoir; ITS handsome
young nliDg bright uniforms, tho
decorated with gold scroll braid tho snoudsrs
easy. delightful motion, greatly improved since The
rst permen aI trip; It's breezy vcntiiation SO vel
como suitry summer day, ana above all. lis
"rapid transit" so exhafating to tho spirits and graft
Tying to tho mind They iooEcd pleased anu
charmed aud In only very lev instances
alarmed. These instances were chiefly confined TO
old ladies' 20 whom the act Of crossing Broadway Is
matter OF terror the escort OF stalwart
policeman ''rcIl me, tell me, Mater cried one Of
these panic stricken passengers TO tho conductor
whom the tram came 20 n bait account OF tho
switch psing NJ eig hth street. as there
anything going to happsnp The fraotc appeal OF tho
old ana nervous and quito little commotion pre-