The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1878-07-06
The New York Elevated Railroad.

The steam elevated railroads in this city
are amply fulfilling the predictions of those
who, like ourselves, have maintained thai
they were not suited to the needs of rapid
transit here, and would, in all probability
be found an oppressive nuisance. On both
lines accidents have recently occurred with
alarming frequency. Two persons have
been killed from the Metropolitan struct
ure within the last few days. A workman
had his head nearly cut off by a locomo.
tive while painting the iron work Sparks
falling from furnace have set fire in one
case to bales of cotton, and in Others to
awnings in the street below, and several
persons have been struck and injured BY
objects falling from the track. On the
thoroughfares below there have been nu.
merous runaways, and one person was Sc.
riously injured while riding on a street car
through his leaning out and striking one
of the supporting pillars of the road above
9a-th New Yosls EleEaseals sline a terrible
diaster, which would have involved the
precipitation Of whole train filed with
passengers upon the sidewalk beneath, was
so narrowly escaped that the public will
feel a natural trepidation in passing over
such portions of the aerial lines as are not
provided with guard fences. Some mis-
chievous boys, taking advantage of the
ladders formed by the lattice-work pillars
climbed up to the track and placed heavy
paving stones on the rails. The train was
greatly shaken, but fortunately the guard
rails kept it on the track and prevented
its destruction. This is only the begin
ming of probably long chapter of serious
disasters, and it is suggestive to remember
that the line on which nearly all have
occurred is less than FIVE miles long, and
has been in operation but three weeks.
How many people the elevated railroad
companies propose to kill or injure daily
after their whole forty miles of road is in
operation, the long-sufering citizens Of
this metropolis will discover in course Of
time.
This, moreover, is but one class of the
nuisances chargeable to the elevated sys-
TEN. Many of the most determined ad-
herents of the Metropolitan road, while it
was still in embryo, now are loud in their
denunciatiOns of the annoyances to which
it subjects them. Nothing whatever has
been done to reduce the deafening racket
Of the trains as they thunder over the re-
sounding iron bridge, every sound-yibra-
tion Of which is intensified and reflected
downward by the huge sounding boards
afforded by the car bottoms. Not content
with throwing sparks, carbonic acid gas
and smoke into windows, necessarily kept
open during the hot weather, the com.
panies supply detestable grade of coal
especially rich in sulphur, and the result is
that the unfortunate dwellers along the
route, as well as the passengers, are nau-
seated by the stenches of sulphureted hy.
drogea. 1t is like putting foul chimney
in front of every ones bedroom window.
The management Of the new line are
profuse in promises of what is going to be
done, and the urgent necessity for i'm.
prOvement begets the strong hope that
their efforts viii amount to something more
than empty words. At the present time
cars are run not nearly approaching sufh
cheney in numbers to accommodate the
travel. And they are packed so full that
the trip from terminus to terminus, about
four and half miles, frequently occupies
including stops, forty minutes. This i:
practically no improvement on the horse
cars.
The only remedy for all these danger:
aud nuisances is to sink the tracks. Thn
had to be done, and public opinion com
PEELED it, on the Fourth avenue surfae,
road, and the present underground line il
a grand success. The Metropolitan roaC
can put its iron tunnel under ground al
well as above it. The present girderl
which support the rails can serve as the
roof, and the track can be laid on the bot
tom of the cut As matters stand now
the citizens of New York are receiving
sparks, dirt, stenches, a deafening racket
dark, damp and obstructed streets, depre
ciated property, danger of trains leaving
tie track, and danger from runaway horses
below, in return for valuable franchises fol
which not 4 cent is paid, too high rates o.
fare, and for the privilege of being packed
in cars like cattle and slowly transported
over limited portion of the city.-Sciiea
titic American.