The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-09-08
THE LONDON TUNNELS
Rapid TRANSIT THERE INVOLVES
HORRORS OF BAD AIR AND DIRT.
One Man Responsible for Much Dis
tress-Mystic Circles and Endless
Confusion I'm Travel.


One man, In the history of London's de-
velopment. did such injury to the citizens
that it is not easy TO speak OF him dis
p~assionately. That man was John Fow-
Ter. who perpetrated the underground rail-
way, an institution which is regarded by
many as a means of preparation for an
other and an alleged worse world. If one
is young and strong. and IL ones lungs
are in good working order, It is a wise thing
to take one trip on the underground; after
that there will be no temptation to take
another. For my own part, I would rather
hang by a strap in a crowded 81" car
from the Battery TO Harlem than ride
from Kings Cross to Cover street through
London's place of punishment. 1t is some
times a trial to the flesh to ascend those
many steps leading to the aerial platforms
of the New York elevated railroad, whilst
the underground may be gained without
any large expenditure Of muscular force
facihs descensus Averni: but the way to the
underground is also so foul as that other
dread route may be supposed to be. 1t
would appear that the only cleansing pro-
cess which the flth-incrusted descent
knows is supplied by the trailing of skirts
of rash women, who persistently and with a
courage worthy of a better cause invade
this region of horrors.
When landed on the subterranean plat
form, say at Cover street, one experiences
first Of all a construction in the throat and
a sharp pain in the chest. That is the sui
phurous fumes from the belching engines
getting in their preliminary effects. The
delicate membranes lining the nostrils next
begin to suffer and the tortured passenger,
il he be philosophic. buries his nose in his
pocket handkerchief, resigns himself to his
suffering and-getS out at the earliest pos
sible station. Those who have never essayed
this direful trip may imagine the picture
overdone. 1t is not so. TO most people.
especially to those not Injured to the pea
soup atmosphere of a London November,
there are few experiences more physically
painful than an unavoidable journey under
London's streets. 1t is worse than head
ache, toothache or the twinges of govt or
Of rheumatism, though one may have the
moral satisfaction of knowing that it can
be ended at the first stopping place.
OTHER TRANSIT.
And despite these terrors one is occa-
sionally driven to the underground, or, to
give 1t its style and title, the Metropolitan
railway. For myself, / would rather. did
time permit, walk from Whitechapel to
Earl's Court with peas in my shoes than do
penance for ten minutes in the below
stairs train. But the means of locomotion
All lfOiiuOll liz Cdltl diO PdiblQi
slow, and time will not stand still for folks,
even here, where it is not usually regarded
as an important consideration. 1t must be
remembered that in the city proper those
who canno afford to charter the exclusive
services OF the desirable hanson, must
either walk or ride In a bus. No tram
or street car lines are laid down in those
fifty miles of streets, which are crowded
in the day by millions of people and tens
of thousands of vehicles. Therefore is the
omnibus our salvation.
Nor is the London bus an entirely OBJ
jectionable conveyance. Inside 1t is COM
er, the commanding position affords an en-
PERTAINING spectacle of busy streets. Apt
ly named. the omnibus caters Tor all. and
for him who is DESTROYS of studying his
fellow-man ii is an invaluable institution.
On the underground one is. too much en-
crossed with ones physical sufferings, to
be moved to curiosity, even if the late
Chang. the Chinese giant, the two-headed
nightingale or Barnum's bearded woman
backs. In very fine weather outside places
are at a discount-so with inside places
when it is wet. On top, during a rainfall
forms an admirable chute to convey a
plenteous stream beyond and beneath your
shirt collar. Also, even in London, one is
Obliged sometimes to be in a hurry, and
the progress of a laden bus through tor
tuous and congested streets is slower than
the coming of the millennium or the de-
livery of a telegram.
But to return to our muttons-the un-
tried foreigner should have it pinned in his
hat that there are in those neither regions
where the hideous engines of the Metro
politan company tear their fiery way along
an inner and outer circle. 1t is useless
les. The newcomer must work out his own
salvation with fear and trembling. If he
desires to reach a point which is. within ten
minutes walking distance the chances are
all in favor of his embarking on a trip
round the metropolis, which will occupy
just exactly an hour. OF course you will
aSk tho fipkaf nlnrk If Won nQn hn0k for
the desired point. and equally of course he
will answer yea" and will mulct you in
the distance, may strike you out of pro-
portion to the consideration. 1t is said
that there are people who have mastered
routes; / can only say thai / have never
met any of them. An official will never
advise you if you are most palpably wrong;
you are DESTROYS of\observing the scenery.
in this case represented by lightning
glimpses of legends relating to the virtues
To experience the most marked character
ist.cs of the underground it should be Wis
tied when the eight-hours-a-day man is hur-
rying to his domestic hearth. In these dem
ocratic days Utmost everybody travels third
class, and when a great many more than
that place is a third-class carriage on the
metropolitan railway, the result is deplor-
helei me eer, engine iaa fo, Of sn tine pT re;ednigg, train ran
way. The horny-handed one, who is resting
on your corns while he holds by one hand
to the window frame and allows his sway
ing bag OF tools to try conclusions with
your hat at every oscillation of the train,
is not a pleasant companion below ground,
whatever he may be above. The horrible
atmosphere accentuates the traces Of his
occupation, or any lack of attention on his
part to the laws of personal sanitation.
Imagine this man multiplied by twelve and
then-weil, imagine all the rest as well.
HOW II HAPPENED.
And now how does it come that we thus
suffer? 1t is now f~orty-three years since
John Fowler-and fouler deed hath no man
done than this-laid Down b. permission
of a parliamentary bill, and with the as
sistance of a small syndicate, a short line
from Paddington, the great terminus of
the West of England route. to a point
about a half a mile from Kings Cross,
where the Northern traffic starts. Oh. that
he had stopped at this. He did not, how
ever. and the real Metropolitan railway
was opened in 1863 with results disastrous
to the health and well being of the COM
munity. This constituted the Inner cir
cle." AT a later date, with the advent of
the Metropolitan District Railway Com
pany, a more comprehensive line was laid
down by degrees until the outer circle
was established. The trains of these COM
and il Is true that IL one understands the
routes the question OF rapid transit" is
in a measure solved, but IN such an IN
.----1- ne - Ill.