New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-11
NO MORE ELEVITED ROADS

Four times within a month has train been
derailed on the elevated roads. Seeing that
there has been no loss of life these accidents
may almost be regarded as fortunate occur
rences tending to remind the public at critical
time of the exceptional dangers involved in
travel upon these roads. The danger
is great enough when a train leaves
the track upon surface line, but
when TO this are added the horrors OF
a plunge through the air down upon a pave
mcnt many feet below, the peril becomes so
serious that it would be foolish to disregard it,
1t has been supposed until recently that these
roads were, for all practical purposes. safe;
and that the objections to them were to be
based solely upon the noise, smoke, obstruction
of light and the thousand and one nulsanccs
which they inhict upon the streets through
which they pass. We are now reminded that
they involve. of necessity dangers to life which
would not attend any other system of rapid
transit There were reasons enough before
against the erection of any more of them
With nearly one half of the available avenues
of the city given up to them, ID seems only
reasonable that the remaining half should be
left free, unless We were prepared TO make the
get about in it rapidly. These successive
accidents ought to settle the question oil any
addition to the number of these roads.
The danger is that the decision as to what
further rapid transit facilities shall be pro-
yidcd will be put off so long that the public
may grow desperate and accept elevated roads
because it will take less time TO build them
than any other. The situation, it may as well
be admitted can probably never be solved IN
an entirely satisfactory way. The shape OF
New-Yorlx island makes it almost impossible
that the entire business population can be
moved most Of its length twice day without
overcrowding and discomfort. A city that is
crampcd into n narrow strip OF land cannot
expect equal facilities Of travel with the other
great cities OF the world such as London and
Paris which may be said to grow in circles,
and not in one straight line as Newly orE must
But so far as the situation can be solved at all,
it must be dealt with promptly. The longer
the delay the greater the danger will be that
the most selfish class of spectators will take
advantage of the public impotence, and force
more elevated roads upon us. These Will give
the quickest returns, both upon the capital
invested and in the increased value of real
estate. The class of men who have recently
favored putting an. elevated road through the
west side of Central Park. in order to benefit
their property there, and who seem to be as
incapable of public spirit as corpse is of emo
tion will be active in this matter, and may be
relied upon to pay no heed to anybodys inter-
est but their own. They are not likely to
favor the system of rapid transit that will wear
the longest, but the one that will pay the
quickest.
Whether we should have an underground or
viaduct road is a question upon which experts
differ, but there can be no question that there
should be an end of makcshifts and the ele-
waited roads are only makcshifts.