New-York tribune., 1896-10-24
ELECTRICITY OR AIR?
THE TWO MOTIVE pow
ERs FOR THE UNDERGROUND ROAD.
CHAMPIONS or THE DIFFERENT MOTORS AT
woRK-A PROJECT OF W. II. WANDER

CHAMPIONS or THE DIFFERENT MOTORS AZ
wonK-A PROJECT OF w. II. WANDER
pILr-rHE SYSTEM IN BOSTON.
Tho o,es,,o, ~ wbetber electricity or compressed
air shall be used on the proposed Elm-st' uloei
ground railroad IL 10 be considered by 'he f'@p'u
Transit Commission When William S'eih"1' VIC"
president OF the Commission. he declared .nd' w.
tricity would be the motive power useu' 10" '"a
compressed air has come suddenly TO :he front an
open field Is afforded for the conten'o" oe'
the General Electric Company under the oii
Of J. Picrpont Morgan. and the Whitney WING o
the Metropolitan Traction Company. in favor o'
compressed air
II was learned Yesterday that the strongest pos
e,ble efforts being made by the champions Vi
each OF these two motive powers 20 secure us u
in the underground system. The reason IS INA. .'o
underground road affords fine field for either
power 10 demonstrate its efficiency from all points,
except when ice may form upon rails.
That the contention deeply interests the great
steam railway companies was shown yesterday IN
the statement made by an official or the ->e"-io'N
Central Railroad Company that that corporation
had been carefully watching the experiments WIN
the electric locomotive on the Nantaskct oranch oi
the New-Yorls New-IIaven and Hartford fa'iroa"'
John NJ Toucey the general manager OF the Ne"
York Central Railroad. when asked about this said
that the electric locomotive was being run NJ '"e
eame time with steam locomotives on the Nam
tasket branch and that II seemed TO he dong wen.
j. Pierpont Morgan IS a director N the "e"e'"i
Electric Company and II. Nick. Twomby was one
until recently II Is understood That he retains hs
interest in the corporation. IT said Mt the
Grand Central Station yesterday that the proposcn
underground route would be acceptable 10 the New
York Central Railroad Company. William H. VAN
derbt In fact. laid plans. soon after the elevated
railroad proved such SUCCESS In this city. 10 con-
etruct an elevated steam railroad from the Grand
Central Station to tho City Hall. Mr.. Toucey VINO
was then general superintendent Of the road. SAID
OF this yesterday: Il had the plans prepared Tor
Mr. Vanderbilt. for a heavy steel structure some
thing like that used In tho Park-dve improve
ment, for three tracks. tho mddle one an express
track The road was 10 go down % rour th r, ~
ting through the blocks 10 Crosby-st.. thence 10
Marion-st.. through lot of old buildings the:n 10
Centre-st. and thence down Centre-s: TO Guy taI!'
trail Station was to he six minutes; the express
trains TO down mornings and until p. M say
and up in tho afternoon ard evening.
'"rhe plans had been completed. and MI Nanner"
as he not feeling well. One Monday he took
up a New-York newspaper and read an account or
an attack upon tho project by the Rev pr WASH.
burn of the calvary church. In Fourh have. at
Twenty-second-st in which things hardly compli-
mentary were said. and Mr.. Vanderbilt, at once
wired me to abandon the plans That was the last
Of tho project
The feasibility Of constructing the road from the
surface END within year, as stated ny MT. STEM
way was commented on favorably yesterday by
John D. Crmmins. who said: IAN the Commission
vsi. a1 TO Roson and see What /. being done there
with the Subway Railroad Even the sacred pre-
cincts of Boston Common have been temporarily in
vaded. The road is the surface, as Mr.. Stein
way has said the one here is TO be. Boston will
have an ideal tinders round railroad syseu
pieted while New-York is talking about it,.