Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-06-06
Dome Department.
A GIGANTIC PROJECT.
THE LATE D. O. LISsLEYi UNIQUE p

ley, In his younger days resident of Mid
dlebury, was the scheme for rapid transit
in New York which the Sun says is favor
ed by the present government. A two
column description of the plans with il
Illustrations is given, from which is talk
en- the following:
The plans for such road originated
with the late d. c. Linsley, civil engineer.
About four years ago Mr. Linsley came
to New York, intending to retire from
business. He at once became aware that
the facilities of transportation in the me-
tropolis were inadequate. The opposition
which was exhibited by the public to ev-
cry proposal to grant the use of public
streets to any such corporation as would
have to be formed to build a road, set him
to thinking of the possibility of building
a road through the blocks and so avoid
ing the charge of street grabbing.
Out of this grew the idea of buying a
right of way through the blocks and then
building structure in each block that
should carry, so to speak, a four-track
railroad on its roof and permit the use
of the space under the roof for the ordi-
nary purposes to which the other build
ings in the same block were devoted just
as If the space under the elevated roads
was built in and devoted to stores, etc.
A company was organized to provide
the necessary capital for surveying the
route and making the estimates. Mr..
Linsley and corps of old subordinates
made prolonged series of surveys and
then located the line. This route north of
Park place lies west of and practically fol-
lows the line of Broadway as far as the
park. 1t is never more than a block from
that thoroughfare, and in places approa-
ches very close to it, and it passes about
block west of the southwest corner of
Central Park.
Above 59th street it veers over to the
west side of the island, and runs between
10th avenue and the Boulevard up to
Washington Heights. Above the Har-
lem the line follows the high ridge to the
north line of Tarrytown village, which it
reaches between Mt. Pleasant and Green's
burg.
The route below Park place is in the
form of loop. The line sweeps down
to within block of North river, so as to
be within easy reach of the Jersey ferries,
and then passes around to the east, Just
: skirting Battery Park. On the east side
it runs between South and Front streets
until above Maiden lane, and then by
gradual curve gets back to the west side
of Broadway at Leonard.
Beginning at the north line of larry
town, Mr.. Linsley proposed to lay two
track road on the surface of the ground
as far south as the Spuyten Duyvil creek,
distance of 15t miles. From Spuyten
Duyvil creek south the plans provide an
elevated structure II miles long, to be
built of brick and stone. TO allow suffic-
/ lent room for profitable buildings beneath
it this structure had to be high enough to
overtop the ordinary tive-story tenement.
AS now laid out it may be described as
two-story viaduct. Within the blocks
! houses suitable to the localities will be
erected with walls enough thicker than
an ordinary wall to enable them to stand
} the weight of the heavy brick arches
which will be used in place of the roofs
/, of ordinary houses. The top of the main
viaduct will average about GO feet in
height above the street level and so feet
wide. Along the centre line of this via
duct will be erected second one that
will be Is feet high and % feet wide.
} There will be double-track road for
express trains laid on top of this super
: structure. On the fiat on each side of
the superstructure a single track will be
laid. Stations for passengers will be pro-
vided at intervals. The total investment
when the first train is at the station and
the engineer has his hand on the throttle
valve, is put down at SS9,357.179, of
which S70,955,S27 is for real estate and
the viaduct proper. A company has been
formed, subscription books opened and
, money paid in.
But it is not considered polite to go IL
head at once. The question of whether
the city authorities would object to the
VI otNNi oti'oo Niit SliNclSs
: even at a height of sixty feet, was to be
considered.
The present city government is said to
favor the scheme on the ground that it
3 will furnish rapid transit without special
legislation or grab at the city's streets.
To determine judicially the company's
: right to go ahead the company found a
; man who objected to their taking his
,, land, applied for the appointment of
commissioners to condemn his land and
appraise its value. That case is now
} pending.
, Should the legal status of the COM
3 pany be confirmed there is still one mat
: ter for the stockholders to think about,
and that is their authority to lease the