The evening world., 1891-03-10
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TUESDAY EVENING, MARCH 10.
YBRrs OF THE TuHNgI.

The lives Of the passeneers who ride
through the Fourth Avenue Tunnel are as
much imperilioe now IS they were before
the collision Of Feb. 20th warned the
New York Central for the second time
Of tho terrible responsibility It was as
suuine in not making the tunnel safe.
Yesterday being somewhat Of the same at
mospheric character Of the day on which
the disaster occurred, Q ciear-headed and
intelligent young man Of TEE EVENING
Womb staff was sent into the tunnel to
observe the running Of tho trains, to report
what safety methods were In use. and to
hnd out ~ what distance the signals OF
the alleged perfect system might DO
seen. He remained three hours In the
tunnel, and his observations, which appear
on another page, show that something
should be done at once. This reporter was
the better able TO form Q judgment, having
also been sent TO the tunnel on tho day Of
tho recent collision.
After thr,e hours IN the dark pessagss OF that
tunnel he s.ys, wss appalled, a the situstion and
an prepared 10 ~ that II 10 Q most marvellous
nGut0ont1
pot of mere frsqusas ooourrsnos.
TO say thas The tunnel u At ali lighted from the
stross spsrturss would Be nonssnsieal but for enc
risk 10 human hfs that is implied when 10 Ii the
psvers that b In this great corporation that say t
To sav that the block system 10 perfect 10 10
ssy thas utter dspssdsnos upon mschanical con-
trivaacs,. operated from . long distance signal
man. vhs Il really but boy. is perfect safety.
To insiss that engineer can infaihbly see the
- -NAA- -lA ~ a,A
tbs beg vsrk psriss,ly. 10 simply false.
Most Of tho time the interior Of the tunnel
was Of impeuetrable blackness. Not the
ciear darkness Of night, but athick misty
gloom. The smoke rolled around and
around under the arched roof. When 1t was
clesrest he could see less than hundred feet
ahead. Thosi tunnels were pitchy black.
There were times when he could not see
the danger signals twenty feet away. He
learned from some Of the tunnel mon that
IL was not safe for trains to run faster than
twelve miles an hour, and saw trains rush
ing through at twenty-five miles an hour.
The gong was moro depended upon than
the light signals. At the inquest 1t was
stated that gong could not be heard by
train running at twenty -hve-mile speed,
and 1t was shown that gongs did not always
work.
And the New York Central Railroad Com
pany claims that Its system 10 perfect, and
that this tunnel In safe. ..
Prompt remedies should be adopted be-
fore another accident happens. That there
is some way to relieve this tunnel Of Its
smoke and vapor no engineer will deny.
TEE EVENING WORLD showed yesterday
how the 81. Louis Tunnel Is ventilated. The
Hoosao Tunnel is ventilated by draught
fiues; tho tunnel under the Mersey is kept
free BY another method. Then why should
the lives OF our travelling public be risked
II the tunnel is kept clear OF vapor and
smoke thsn It may be lighted, and at such
time the best and safest lighting system
should be considered. But It must be ven.
tilstod arst that lighting may follow. The
attention Of the New York Central Rail:
road Company is called to the condition of
it's tunnel yesterday. e.