New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-08-28
UNDER GROUND IN LONDON.
THE METROPOLITAN RAILWAY AND THE
NEW ELECTRIC LINE.

TINT TRAVELLING urder ground ever he an cAperl-
cnce Of beauty n Joy perpetual. The New Yorker,
when he makes his first trip on the Metropolitan
Underground road Of London viii b. certain TO say
that the elevated lines Of his own city are Infinitely
preferable. and that impression will most certainly
be confirmed BY subsequent travel II he Is unwiSe
enough choose this method OF getting about town
rather than the ubiquitous bus the equally ubl
Qutous cab. But every should ride at least
once the underground. Sometimes this VIII be
found great convenience; sometimes IA great Time
saver OF course everybody wants 10 know Whist the
famous underground line Is Hike. II will not take
long to ascertain and after two three trips one
Is disposed TO give II the widest berth possible
general principles. Perhaps better idea can be
conveyed Of this sort OF travel than by quoting the
experience OF Neweork gentleman who recently
spent week In this city, and IL confident that he
and his travelling companion saw about as much OF
London as any two men ever saw In the same length
Of time Here is what ne says the subject:
awhile vas In London rode on the underground
road four times. Fortunately did not 20 asrny, as
Q friend of mine did few years ago, when by mis-
take he took an outer circle instead Of all inner
circle uain and only discovered his error when he
found himself miles away from the point he WAS going
to- and had to rctrace his way ut the cost Of consid
cradle time and several pence OF course, il keeps
his eyes open he the legend Outer Circle or
Inner Circle on the approaching engine; but so far
my Information goes, no one announces the dest-
nation Of train Il done on the elevated roads 10
New-York My first trip from EdgcwaM Road
10 GOwerst. my second from the Tower 10 the Nonu-
ment; my third from the Monument to Blackirars
Bridge, and my fonrth from the Mansion House TO
Gowerst.
1T is putting 1t none too strongly to say that
was completely disguised with the underground. l
rode third class every tme and so cannot bear VIII
ness regarding the comforts OF the first ana second
class Carriages But for the third class ones, they
are only slightly superior to American cattle cars
They are miserably lighted so that reading Is next
door to impossibty. and ventilation has seemingly
never been thought OF In connection with the system
The tunnel Is nned with foul smelling smoke, and
found myself covered with cinders In few minutes
Then too II seemed 10 that the cost of this SORT
of travel Is excessive on my last trip for Instance
had to pay fourpence eight cents ana II certainly
did not seem As long distance as from South Ferry
to Central Park. l can't think OF any inducements
except large pecuniary one. that would be suicent
to cause me travel on the London underground Tor
any considerable distance twice day.
an many respects I delighted with London
on my visit. but of the underground railway
must say that II Is an sbominati0n without single
redeeming feature except possibly speed, and IN that
particular l unable to see any advantage over
our elevated roads did not succeed In getting any
ofncin informal on regarding the question whether
the underground roads pay or not what did learn
from two or three men OF whom made inquiries was
contradictory. though the Informant whom regard
ms most Trustworthy assured me that they had
paid O dividend and run Mt a loss. am not
surprised that they not popular III The proposed
underground roads In New-Iork were o. be run with
ordinary locomotive engines, l could not face the
prospect OF their construction with courageous
heart But the provision that there must be no
combustion in the New.York yunnes, II they are
ever built Is fuu OF encouragement 1t wall AT least
save the smoke and cinders and badly vitiaod ar
which render the underground system In London SO
irredeemaby Objectionable"
So much for the regular underground system OF
this biggest city OF the world. But there Is another
underground system In London which Is deserving OF
the careful attention OF everybody who IS interested
In the solution OF the great problem OF mnmclpai
rapid transit mean. OF course, the tunnel con
structed by the Greatead system under the Ihames'
and running for some three miles 70 the southeast
When made inquiries regarding the electric under
ground road I found more or less dense ignorance
on the subject in the minds Of Londoners Several
thought must mean tho ordinary underground road,
and could not believe that there was any Other Az
length however, ascertaned that tho electro foao
was to be found I'm the vicinity OF the Monument
walked tbither from the Bank, and by making IN
ouiries Of one policeman and two shopkeepers was
enabled TO fnd the entrance. which Is half stones
throw distant from the Monument The signs our,
aide the station are in no way conspicuous and might
readily be overlooked, even by one who WAS Intent
on finding this very thing. The name displayed
without Is simply: "Cty and South LONDON
(Electric) Railway which appears in letters OF
modest size.
On entering and paying twoponce fare the pas
senaer hnds himself In n corridor which leads to a
large lift commodous enough, should think to
hold forty or fifty persons 1t was mid-afte'noon nj
the time OF my visit and there were not more IMAM
fifteen passengers going down. The lift descends
easily, smoothly and rapidly. The distance to"aiu
the earth's centre, according To the attendant, Is
o.,iuU no
n passageway lined with glazed brick. 1t IS lighted
with incandescent "electrcs,7 as Mr. Howehs Calls
them Is also the station likewise lned Win giaZeo
brick into which the passage opens. Here before
you stands OF the addestookng railway 'raihs
you ever set eyes The cars, or carriages nave
a generic resemblance to the regulation English rail-
wsy carriage though with a marked difference since
they are intended solely for In darkness they are
made with practically no windows thus illustrating
the principle that IN nature has produced shes ID
the Mammoth Cave without eyes, for which, OF
course they could never have any use. The cars
are absolutely without windows but such windows
AZ are provided are merely Sits, about six
inches high and two feet hong, the top of tho
cars. Even these do not run the entire length OF
the car since at least half OF them In those cars
which I inspected are filed with looking glass In
stead OF transparent glass
The cars are built practically to fit and fill
tho tunnel there being less than foot OF space
between their sides and tops and the tunnel walls
The sides arc perpendicular while the tops and bottoms
have the shape OF half-crcle Unlike the majority
OF tho English railway carriages these have seats
running lengthwise along the Sides after the manner
Of the New-Yorh elevated roads, but with no cross
seats The cars provided with electric hghts
which however are none too bright and, evidently
as a precaution IN Of the failure OF the elecui-
city, smoking oil lamps also kept in operation
Ono cali read with fair comfort on these trains The
carriages In which ! rode contained a notice that
no smoking allowed in them; but inferred that
vroylsion was made for smokers here as well az
on the other underground roads and the ordinary
railways Of the country. II is noticeable here, though
that there is no division OF the compartments into
II L. fAn