New-York tribune., 1881-08-15
THE ELEVATED RAILROADS
OLD CARS AND LATE TRAINS.
COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE NINTH AVENUE ELEVATED

COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE NINTH AVENUE ELEVATED
RoAD-REsULTs OF AN INVESTIGATION.
Complaints are made against the Ninth Avenue
Elevated Railroad to the effect that the cars are old
and dilapidated, that their platforms rotten.
and that their under gear as in unsafe condition
Complaints also made that the trains do not
run late enough night. and that tins is a great
Inconvenience 20 the people who hive along the line
In connection with the first part of the complaints
a TRIBUNE reporter visited the end of the road at
South Ferry recently, and the yard in Greenwich
st, and made a careful investigation of has own.
AT South Ferry the trains were coming and going
as usual The reporter obtained permission to
cross the track ana examine the cars their tricks
wheels and axles, they stood the track pre-
vious to starting inspector accompanied
him. You'n 6nd everything ali right" said the
latter; these are thoroughly inspected every
time before they go ont. YoI see the undergear
is all iron, excepting the bed-p.eces, and thev
heavy timber and good the day they were put
IN The ironworS s tested with the hammer iust
as on the surface roads Now 90 in. my friend. aud
If you can find anything wrong. you'y got my full
permission"
Truck after truck was then examined bv the re
porter The ironwork appeared IN perfectly sound
condition. The inspectors word for that was taken.
In main, as he said he would not dare to let a car
90 out that wouldn't stand the full test. The bed
pieces, which were the only wooden work about the
trucks and undergear were found, on being probed
by "A knife, to be in perfectly sound condition.
They ought to be-" said the inspector; they're
all of them comparatively new" The platforms,
too. were examined. They are of oak and perfectly
sound The principal wear upon the woodwork of
the bottom OF the cars is just the trucks This
portion is covered more or less with mud. and it
gives an appearance of rottenneSs This scraped
IN many places with n knife, and the result.
through paint and mud gave perfectly satisfac-
visit was then made to the yard in Greenwich
st whero some twenty cars were of duty" About
SIX OF these We're the old Greenwich cars
shabilltated These originally had belly project
ing near the track, that when any accident befel
wheei or axle the wonld settle on the track aud
the tIAm would stop. These ears. the purchasing
agent, Mr. Iohn, afterward informed the reporter.
bad all been sent Ia Troy. where the "belly " had
peen removed and The cars put IN hrst-ciass order
at an expense of $1,000 eacn. These the oldest
ears on any ot the roads They are smaller than
NE newer cars. being shorter and not so high.
lhelr gates are bulging. The cars looked anti
quaied yet The wood was sound and they seemed
good for several years of far as their
safety WAS concerned.
Are there any complaints along the line hecanse
trans do noi run after . O'Clock = the reporter
asked an eIiploye
Oh. yes: ihcy're kicking all along the line It's
the excmrsionistS They come M from (oneV Tslano
and dont want to walk 10 Rector-st.. TO take the
street car. ami so they make fuss Last summer
ears were run nntil 2 o'clock That the first
time II WIS tried
The reporter then called on +. X. Hahn. general
manager of the road. and stated fhr exact com
plants which bad been made. suppose so" said
Mr. Ham. h" he cars are not particularly old,
Older tnan those the lLird-ave. line with the ex-
tPi'lloh oi Il Few brenMich cars winch renO-
yated and made as good rs new. They are all made
by Gilbert, Bus1 ~ Co. ot Troy ana are perfectly
sound If they weren't they wouldn't lie run cur
Inspector w"uld not dare 10 let fhrm 20 ont. We
have our rhicf Inspector on each line. aud he has
his subori inates two at each end OF the line every
car Is ctltiully examined Extra kept
ready, SO that if anything is wrong IA car can Ice
switched on and another put in its place"
How old are the oldest ears -
=" cant say exactly-not over eight years !
think. That's nothing Eve ridden iG cars on sur
face roads that were twenty years old"
=
o'clock. Mr.. Ham said " We tried il last summer
hut II didn't pay. We are doing more business now
than we did then. That seems 90 settle the matter
Oar extra traffic would not pay u.s. and so we can't
accommodate those who wish To 70 Lp Ninth-ave.
after o'clock. Another thing about onr carS-the
Metropolitan road has had fifty new locomotives
tins year and the New-York sene seventy five new
cars The Manhattan. the lessee of these. has had
nothing new. That's the reason, l suppose our
"a IL don't look better