The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-09-05
RIDING IS TORTURE.
Evils Which Are Met With On
the Broadway Line.
Passengers Squeezed Into an A.
most Compact Mass.
Lots OF Money for Dividends, but
None for Public Comfort.

| In taking up the cause of the travail
ling public of New York and enter,n.
vigorous protest against the shameful
o'ercro"uing OF the street cars, which
Is practised by all the companies operat.
ing surface lines In this city, THE Even
ing World has touched popular chord.
Inc grievance has been one of such
long standing, and the residents OF tho
city who are obliged to employ this
means OF travel have become so Injured
TO the discomfort and even suffering to
which they are daily subjected. that
they have almost come to regard the
inhiction as inevitable.
There Is plenty of grumbling. AZ everx
one knows who takes a trip I'D or down
one OF the Broadway cable cars during
the busy part Of the day. either in the
morning or evening. The disguised pas
sengers are continually breaking out
with indignant protests against the un-
civil manner in which they are treated
by the employees of the COMPANY. and
they do not hesitate to speak out their
mind freely a dozen times during n
single trip.
In TACT, the complaints made against
THIS Company are more frequent and bit.
ter than against any other in the CITY.
This is the line for the franchise of
w W .a1,, 3ld Jake Sharp spent his lifetime
have Heqq naid tS ana for which he is said to
81 900, 900 in hard cash. >'
PROBABLY no street railroad in the
we Sio Pays such an enormous profit to
Us stockholders as the Broadway line
Nobody but those who receive them
know actually what the dividends are.
t but fabulous ,,!Sn stories are told of the
owners OF the road each year.
1t Is said that every car operated on
TINS llne makes a clear net profit of So
FOR every trip which 1t makes during the
proht made during the day trips. Judg-
ing from the manner in which these
cars are packed during the busy hours
OF tCaVeI this estimate cannot be far
Passengers have to hang on to the
straps, and window-frames and are
showed and jostled forward into such a
compact mass that 18th every lurch of
the cable they are nearly thrown of
their feet in a body
The condition of those who have Sc
that of the standing passengers, for not
only are their feet being trampled upon
by every movement Of the crowd, but
are in continual danger Of being crushed
out OF recognition by having their fell
iow-passengers precipitated upon them
In mass whenever a jolt occurs.
Many ladies who patronize the line
prefer to stand for this reason, instead
of risking their toilets and even thea
necks by accepting a seat which may b0
onered to them by some courteous pas,
senger.
No matter how large may be the crowd
aboard, there Is always room for one
more on the Broadway cable cars. and
they will stop for every one who signals
to the conductor or driver from the
street. The victim will be hustled upon
me platform and shot into the crowd and
pushed ard showed by the conductor till
he finds himself with about six inches of
standing room before he knows what
has struck him. Then with prodigious
lurch the car is on its way again.
Getting out Of the car at any point on
the route Is an undertaking that requires
as much. nerve and strength as pene-
trating the Broadway crowd on a cen.
tennial parade. A passenger who ac,
complishes this successfully looks like
a wreck when he finally energies, and
leaves behind him about fifty enraged in
dividuals. whose remarks leave a blush
tinge in the air as the car moves off.