Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-12-22
Rapid Transit.

Whilst the Legislature is wrestling with
the long railroads aud pondering measures
for managing them in accordance VIII
the wishes OF their patrons, we VIII h'"ii
ourselves of the occasion TO say woru On
the subject OF intra-mural rapidlransit
The conditions of city life have IN iatc
years been SO changed BY the cons'ruc' ~
of street railroads. electric, cable, and eie-
waited, that those conditions are no iohEe.
what they were previously. The cities o,
the fnture--those planned and mappeu
out hereafter-ought 10 have no corner
lots built all over with tenenent-houses-
no tenement.houses at all, IN fact-no
Five Points-no denseiy populated iocn'l-
ties. but every house should stand oy nS-
self. Rapid transit will make all TINS pos
sible, aud If it is possible surely 1t Is ue-
sirable.
The New York Sim declares that rapid
transit by the elevated rOadsin that cry %
within reach Of the people OF Ne" hoiA
whenever they signify their desire ior ID
The proof lies in the fact that the In'ru-
avenue elevated railroad sends express
trains from Harlem 20 Fifty-nlnth street.
distance of three miles and half, IN tWelVe
and half minutes, including two stops
The reader will calculate for himself that
this is at the rate OF about twenty mics al
hour. Why should any man live in tehe-
ment house when he can reach pure ar
at the end of FIVE miles in fifteen minutes
Why should human beings herd tose'ner
ike beasts of the field when there Is room
tor all OF them in comfortable houses
located within q tew minutes rae OF the4I
vorkshops-a ride costing only hve Genus
CITY conncils now exercise the power OF
forbidding the erection Of frame houses
wherever they deem these structures Dan
gerous 10 other property. 1t is but step
further that the city fathers will have 70
take in forbidding absolutely the crowd
ing of people together in tenement-houSeS'
Such an ordinance would under the new
order of things be only an exercise oil the
police powers of the City Council.
In an address lately delivered IN Ne"
York on this subject. Dir. SIMON STEHSE
said that the rate Of speed maintained Oh
the Greathead railroad Is about twenty
two miles an hour.
Everything goes TO prove that, as we SAID
in the beginning of this article, the condl-
tions of city life are changed. The health
and therefore the hives of the people are
involved in the question of rapid transit.
Ten feet Of q street is not too much 20
allow TO the street railroads which carry
us so rapidly from one end OF the city 10
another. In this city Church Hill is now
so near the West End and tho West End
so near TO Church Hill that mechanics 90
every morning from one end Of the city 70
the other TO reach their work-a thing I'M
possible before the construction Of the
electric street railroads.
Possibly the cable road is better than
the electric road. Possibly the street-rail-
road of the future will be far better than
any we now have. Possibly we have yet
10 see such improvements in the construc-
ton of street roads as will throw our pres
ent achievements III that line completely
into the shade. We have unbOunded faith
in the possibilities OF the railroad situa
ton" We would especially guard our clty
fathers against making contracts to bind
the city for long periods TO accept suct
service as is now the best we can get. Re
collect that the best service Of to-day NAV
be intolerable q few years hence. BY the
way. the same remark Is true IS TO light
inc cities. We know what we have, but
we know not what Will be offered To rs {
few years hence. The founder of this
paper called public attention here twenty
odd years ago to electric lghtIng-at tina
time not used perhaps not thought of fo'
streets.
Now, who would do away with electric
street-hghtinc, or with electric lights any
where?