New-York tribune., 1883-12-10
RAILWAY INTERESTS.
A TALK ABOUT THE BROADWAY ARCADE.

PRESIDENT NJ c. SMITH ENCOURAGED BY HIS
STUDY OF THE LONDON UNDERGROUND ROAD
Sitting in his office In the BOreel building on
Saturday Melville c. Smith, president Of the Broadway
Underground Railway Company, chatted with o
TRIBUNE reporter regarding his recent visit 70
Europe. Mr.. Smith spent several months, LII COM
pany with Frederick Blanc engineer, and Jerome
Fasser OF the directors in examining the London
underground roads and the system OF Paris Tx
Secretary Window was with the party portion OF the
time.
1--WE found from our Investigations" said Mr.. Smith,
"that We could hereafter easily meet the objections
urged against underground road In Broadway. For
instance Of them most frequently made Is the enect
of vibrations upon the foundations OF adjacent Dud-
ings. In London the underground roads cover a
circuit of twenty miles, and OF course they
had TO contend with all OF obstacles and Obstruc-
structOns. The road passes under Streets squares,
blocks OF buildings, churches immense breweres filed
with graln and In case directly under monument
weighing nearly 200 tons, the result being as the chef
engineer said to me- our road extends some twenty
miles has In operation nearly score or years anu
we have not injured the wall OF any building nor na1 10
pay dollar damages' 1t has been shown by lndispnt
able proofs by with quicksilver placed in tine second
story buildings that the jar and Vibration lrOm trains
of running the earth are less than are produced
by an ordinary vehicle running over the street pave
men As the proposed arcade railway woud NOT run Hll
in eighteen feetof any buidng-here being first the width
OF the sidewalk eighteen feet-and tnen the way uack
slow trains the centre OF the street only being USED TOT
rapid transit-it will readily be seen that there
could not be the least possible disturbance or danger TO
the adjacent buildings. . ., 4,
Now az TO the strength Of structure continued
Mr. Smith, the width OF Broadway is 80 feet and In one
place we had contemplated Of iron columns In the
centre Of the street. In London, roadways, puDnc
squares and heavy buildings are supported Dy cast
grders and In many instances the span exceeds oo
feet As the result of examinations there, our en-
gneers OF the opinion that their previous estimates
Tor the sustaining power Of the iron work nave been con
sderaby and that the centre Tier
The depression at Canast which Is frequently spok
en- Of cannot compare with Ike difficulties In London
Al Canalst IL is ii feet inches to hSh-water mark
while the entire depth Of the Arcade would be less than
Is feet The depression in Broadway short, While In
London the road Is constructed for long DISTANCES more
than 20 feet below the nyer Thames. Hlgh
grades on the London road are quite frequent and IN
some instances they foot IN forty ieet-l greater
than any grade on our road A..
"Thcy claim to run at the rate OF about twenty-five
miles an hour the London underground road but they
have to make frequent stops they accommodate way
and through travel the same track The Arcaue rOad
provide perfect accommodation for way travel the
dcpots on the track for through travel Will Do ABOUT
mile apart and the trains VIII make thirty mites per ho
As this than twice the rate OF speed OF
which the elevated roads are capable and as eight cars or
more 10 train be drawn the solid ground, Whe
the arroads never have than four would make
the capacity OF single track on the Arcade more thah
tnur NJ fupc