The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-12-16
RAPID TRANSIT ABROAD.
EURoPEAN CITIES FAR oRs OFF
THAN NEW FORK.
None or Then Has n Syste- which Pos-
sesses speed, Cheapnes-, and Comfort
Seat Limitation Causes Incon yenience.

AMNhN w n Y MMAN y ~ " w vs.
sesses speed, Cheapnsss, and Comfort
seat Limitation Causes Inconvenience.
I'VE New Workers do q lot of kicking about
the lack Of rapid transit, but n few months cx-
perience in the cities OF Europe would make us
all prouder Of our transit facilities" said n re-
turned New Yorker. London has, perhaps, in
her underground system and its connections,
the nearest approach to rapid transit Of any
European city. 1t is convenient II you want to
travel In the line Of its circles, but Is slower
than the omnibuscs II you want TO cross
tho city inside the circle. In New York
you can quickly get within n block or two Of
almost any point by the elevated. Comfort Is
not a point on which the Londoners claim
much for the underground. David Christie
Murray was free to admit here the other day
that II Is "A stenching nuisance TO every un-
fortunate passenger compelled to use II. ! met
lots OF Londoners who could not use the under
ground because OF its sufTocating stenches. 1t
made my wife positively Ill this summer. The
omnibuses aud tram cars OF London are plenti-
full enough. and convenient In their way,
but they are not rapid. London's most
rapid means OF transit system Is its rub
ber-tircd hansoms. They are q constant
delight. Very much has been done TO
perfect tle pavements of London within the
past four or Ave years, and there are dozens Of
miles of the principal streets paved with the
smoothest and most nicely graded asphalt ana
wood, over which the springy hansoms roll on
their thick rubber tires at n very lively gait and
with the utmost comfort to tho occupant, IL he
isn't at all nervous. One night last September I
rode in q hanson five and a half miles in TWEEN
ty-seven minutes. But II cost seventy-lve cents.
I'm Liverpool, the second largest city in the
British empire. the transit facilities are almost
Rrotesque. The city Is gridironed with tram
ways. and this cars are comfortable enough, OK
cept on cold or wet days, but | don't think any
one there ever supposed that the expeditions
transportation of citizens about the city was
part Of their purpose. The routes arc most cir
%cuitous, and on all but perhaps three or four 1t
is easy to walk as quickly from the starting
place to tho centring point, at the town hall or
the pier head. rs the tram will make IL. Quite
frequently | have started from one end of a
route at the time a car started, and walking
at an ordinary pace have reached the other end
before the same car. For instance, the tram
distance in as straight u line as a man may
walk of about two and q half miles, and take
a most exasperating. Soundabout way. for the
only reason, as | could learn, OF covering AS
much territory as possible, and thus carving
pool stop running at IL o'clock at night, as they
do in practically all towns in Great Britain,
even in London. AFTER that time you must foot
"Thcn II car may only carry rs many passen-
EtES - lltIt uIt Nul lNIs MS rt'hs u tly
proper and commendable rule until you chase
the last car forn block and find the seats filled,
and are compelled TO walk three or four miles
home. while there is standing room for II score
of people on the car. BECAUSE OF this provision
mile or so toward the starting place OF the cars
Ia order to. get a chance. TO ride. Lime street,
Quarter qua sH1 or half annie a mile from t the Starting p piTSuV Of
rontss. The cars usually Oil up at the
gers must ]pcrforco walk there or walk
home, This f. especially cxasperating on Salur-
You will see a stream Of people walking toward
the Town Hall, and when, you get there n quar-
ter of an hour before the last car starts You find
three times as many people waiting for IL as it
can carry. Then. you must scrimmage for u
many passengers aboard some one has got to 20.
OF course there Is rarely any means OF knowing
who was last to get aboard and the inyaria6le
result Is rank Injustice, and the man with the
most gall gets the seat.
of course. the idea Is that the car company
must put on enough cars tn accommodate tie
traffic. But 1t doesn't. Tho cars run seven TO
fifteen minutes apart, even on the most crowded
three-quartcrs OF an hour for a. chance of a scat,
and have at last had 10 take my PLACE In the
mHuling of the mob. Getting u seat on n street
car and u seat in u theatre are about the same
thing on n crowded night; a thing to remember
The criticism with regard TO night stoppage.
seat limitation, and scrimmage Is true OF every
city in Great Britain. And ON the score of COM
fort the transit facilities are about on a par.
Stoves IN street cars are unknown. Indeed.
only last winter was any practical effort made
to warm railroad ears for long JOURNEYS. out
side seats are IA luxury ip, hot summer weather,
but when you are compelled 20 occupy one on a
cold, wet day your ideas are subject TO revision.
But as there are more seats outside than inside,
You are often compelled to ride On top. Its a
pleasant eX perirncc to sit on a wet wood seat for
nm hour while the car logs you along a couple of
miic- ar 80, Open cars for summer and closed
cars for winter are not a feature of European
transit facilities.
some efforts at a system OF rapid transit
have been made III n few british cities. but what
saw did not ommcnd themselves to me.
dummy engines, which use coke for fuel, make
u most stenChiul smoke. and scatter cindcrs
over everything, The engines are decidedly
one and II half times ordinary horse speed. The
cars are almost as long as an elevated car but
outside seats ON the roof, but no one
could ride in these seats because of the vile
cindcrs. 81 the tops OF the cars have been
boxed over with a roof about four feet high from
spas TO keep out the smoke and Cinder,. This Sec
oGd roof is 50 low that passengers have 10 stoop
to the seats. A wretchedly uncomfortable ar
rangenicnt found II. This system has been in
over horse traction as lar as speed goes, but II
isn't rapid, nor comfortable, though 1t Ii, of some
convenience, Several cable railroads have
lately been built in birmingham.
Leeds and one or two other English towns
have he dummy-engine system OF street transit,
and the general features are the same as in Biz
minghan. London has one or two short cable
roads in the suburbs. and electric cars are being
ex~perimcntcd with IN some places. ManChesters
transit facilities are confined tn omnibuses and
tram cars, with the same unpleasant features
mentioned f LlvcrpOOl's system, so far as comfort
l. concerned. Manchester system IL extensive
and comparatively direct, but Ouly the favored
Few, Who catch their seats early. may ride, and
the whole business shuts down before midnight, |
LiVerpuOl's new electric elevated railway, while
admirable and 4 success 80 far as IL goes, Is only
n convenience" for people having business along
the line of docks. But IL J. the nearest approach
90 rapid transit, as we have it in New York, that
! saw in all Europe.
The urban transit facilities of Continental
cities consist almost entirely Of horse traction
systems. some have circle railways, but these
Of course are Of no avail when you want To-
travel within the circle. where, as u rule. the
most travelling Is done. Many have good enough
systems for getting il or out ui the CITY, hut few
have what we would consider gnud facilities for
getting about the city, Ana there l. always the
Limitation Of the number ~ passengers To the
HumhDr uf seats. In Paris You can't even sCrim-
mage Tor a scat. You buy a numbered ticket
at the umhIuU, station, and take your chance
Of there ever hcinE enough scata or enough Om-
nihusrs for your number To be reached. Per