The New York herald., 1879-03-07
RAPID TRANSIT LUXURIES.

ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY PALACE CARS ORDERED
FOR THE SECOND AVENUE g. MATERIAL
1MpRovEMENTs FOE THE ooMFoRT OF PAS
sENaERs
Owing to the extremely unfavorable weather the
breaking Of ground First avenue was deferred
until to-day. when large force of workmen will dig
the first excavations at Fifth street and proceed
northward as fast as possible. Most luxurious
commodations have been already provided for the
east side patrons Of the Second avenue a. land
these fortunate individuals will travel If possible
In even moro sumptuous style than the patrons Of
the Sixth avenue AZ" do at present. Mr.. Albert
Pullman stated yesterday that the cars to be run
ON the Second avenue IL will be very much su-
pcrior to the Sixth avenue now In Several
notable improvements are TO be made. Instead of
having separate morocco and rattan seat each
car will be fitted up with the rich cushion
seats arranged so that in the summer they can be
taken out and the cooler rattan seats substituted in
thcir places. Instead Of running trains with both
kinds of cars. present all the will have the
seats in tho cold and the rattan seats in the
warm weather.
MORE RLBow ROOM SECURED.
The space between the cross seats facing each
other is to be enlarged nine inches. At present peo
ple's legs come rather into too close contact for
ample room in this respect The backs Of the cross
seats will be raised six inches in order that passen
gers elbows from the adjoining longitudinal seats
may not interfere with people occupying. the cross
seats vice versa. At present they low that
sometimes both passengers-the ono occupying the
seat and the In the adjoining longitudinal
seatrest their elbows the back. thus occasionally
coming into uncomfortable contact with each other
Mr. Pullman said that all these apparently little
things had been carefully studied out during the
nine months which the road had been running in
order that every possible improvements. be it ever
trifing which might add to the comfort and luxury
Of travel should be made.
HANDSOME MIRRORS THE NEW OARS.
Not content with these improvements of prac-
tical character. the new to be orna-
mental, and to be. in the true of the word,
''palace cars" In order to break the monotony of
the long rows Of windows on each side, handsome
French plate glass mirrors. 3S inches long and
inches wide, encased in pretty and highly
mental frames, will be substituted in place of the
windows over the cross seats. The company expect
that these seats will thus be rendered particu
larly agreeable to ladies' who while seated III the
cars and being whirled along at o rate OF twenty
miles per hour. will be enabled to inspect their toi
let's and adjust their bonnets other paraphernaha
eranged in the street. The $50 cars ordered forthe
Second Avenue III to be all Of the above luxu-
rious description. 80 that it Is very evident the
patrons of the present Second avenue horse cars
will travel in style never anticipated by them.
EQUIPMENT OF THE SECOND AVENUE t.
Tho equipment of the line will also embrace sixty
of the new improved engines, few of which have
been running for the last few days the Sixth
nue. H." The latter line has thirty-six engines
and nearly one hundred in The last
batch OF twenty cars, some OF which arrived only
yesterday, about the same the old ones except
that the ornamentation OF the exterior and of the
panels over the seats is rather elaborate.
Besidesthe $50 pnluce for the Second avenue L
however, fifty of the sumptuous
description have been ordered for the west side L
in order that the traveller both lines shall share
the newly invented Improvements and uxuries. 1t
may appear astonishing that the cast sde which is
generally considered as being populated by far
poorer class of people than the side, should be
provided with such magnificent travelling accommo-
daons, but it appears that the officers of the Metro
poitan IL" place very high value on
their Second lire. General Manager
John Baird thinks that the traffic on the Second
H." when it is once in fair running order,
will be from 10000 to $4,000 per day. When asked
why he placed his estimate so high, he said there
much greater need of rapid transit for the
side than for the sidc He also thought that
the large horse travel from Corandt street
ferry to Thirty yfourth street ferry warranted the
assumption that hundreds Of passengers would find
it convenient to travel the. west side "L" to
Chambers street and there take transfer to the
Second avenue "L" This Chambers street connec-
ticn, which runs from the present West Broadway
station to the junction of Chambers and Chatham
streets. Mr. Baird thinks. will be very vauabe for
transferring west side passengers to the east side
line, and vice versa. This mode of transfer will
render IL easier for people doing business about
Church and Vcscy streets, &C., who live on the east
side TO reach their destination than they could if
compelled to walk over to tho cast side L.