The weekly sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1886-1887, 1886-08-19
BROADWAY TUNNELLED.
AN UNDERGROUND RAILWAY
THROUGH THE GUY.

Pluck, Energy and Money are to Make
Underground New York as Light as
Day and Teeming with Business and
Travel.
From Brick Pon,eroy's Democrat.)
How marvellous are the progressive
works of man! 1t is nearly twenty
years since Melville c. Smith came into
our Office in this city and asked us to
listen to and look into his plan for
improving Broadway as thorough
fare, trebling its business capacity
without injury to property Oh the sur
face Of the street and affording rapid
and consequently cheap transit from
the lower end of the city to the upper
end, and thus to the pure air, green
fields, and better opportunity for
homes in the suburbs. He called it
an Arcade Railroad A railroad I'M
der the surface of Broadway.
About this time, DR.. r. H. Gil
bert, of Corning, n. Y, called at our
office to ask US to look at his plan for
an elevated railroad-a tramway on
stills or posts, SO far above the surface
as to be over tn. head and out Of the
way of teams A carful examination
of the plans followed and they were
each pronounced feasible The only
questions were: Does public service
demaded these improvements or either
of them ?'' "Who will furnish the
meney required for their construction"
Time passed on,
DIR. Gilbert walked his feet sore and
his heart clear down into his boots, in
this hunt tor capitalists who would
singly or unitedly, build an elevated
railway. At last one man said he dare
try it, and to ask for help. Then the
second man was found and then the
third, and after this, others. The
Legislature gave charters, the capital
lists invested cash. Now look at the
system of elevated railways in New
York The finest, most progressive
and best paying enterprise of its class
in the world More than 100000 pas
sengers are carried each day on the
elevated roads, with the travel reach
ing half a million persons day on
holidays and extra occasions. Mil
lions of dollars year as profit to the
inventor and investors Meanwhile,
M. c. Smith kept on patiently at work.
Great were the obstacles before him.
Broadway was as sacred to old-timers
as ever was Pennsylvania Avenue to
the first families of Washington. Well
do we remember that in 1860, we
were associated with men who wanted
a charter for a street railway in Wash
ington, along Pennsylvania Avenue
from the White House to the Capitol.
Even to ask for such a charter was then
considered sacrilege. Now, look at
the several lines of railway in Wash
ington and along that avenue. And
all paying immensely, as they are pop
ular with the people.
Mr.. Smith proposed an arcade rail-
road under Broadway. His idea was
bitterly opposed. No good reason
was given for the opposition. People
said in truth that Broadway is the
greatest street in the world, and its
dignity and reputation must not be
lessened." Very true. 1t i. the greatest
street in the world. But it can be
improved and its volume of business
seztupled, by the building ond occu-
pancy of an arcade or under the-sur-
face street; below the present surface
Of this great thoroughtars that day
and night is never without travel.
In time. one after another of the
sagacious business men and capitalists
of this city as they gave attention, en-
dorsed the idea and. assisted in the et-
fort, Men began to argue and were
Convinced that the glory of Broadway
Is In the future more than in the nsst
OF the present, Thousands upon
thousands OF business rnen along Broad
way Joined Ia the progressive work.
Again and again he went before the
Legislature in Albany, asking for a
charter, or authority to build such
road. Often was the petition signed
by Thousands, refused, even after the
Legislature had given permission. The
veto of the governor was interposed
ut the protest of old fogies, who prefer
the memory of the past to the POSSIBLE
tiles of the future.
At last, after twenty years of heroic,
patient, persistent push, the State Leg
islature, virtually unanimously, gives
the long worked for consent, Governor
Hill signs the bill, and this completes
the law that authorizes and forever
legalizes the Arcade halfway.
The corporation is now fully perfect
ed, and is now one of the strongest,
most progressive and wealthy Of all
corporations in this city. Its president
lately elected, is Chester A. Arthur,
ex-President of the United States. In
its directory are Cornelius N. Bliss,
one of the millionaire dry-goods mer-
chants of New York, John O'Brien,
Chairman of the New York State
Democratic Committee ex-Mayor