The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-15

AhOAo ~ pOhhopo, nv ~ yam -
passenger tunnel work anywhere in the world.
and It IL doubtful II any moro perfect tunnel
could be constructed.
The tunnel runs under fremont street, and
Its extensions are to 60 under Cornhill. Han
over street, and Washington street. passing
right through tho dense business and shopping
districts, and thus securing every advantage
that o road might have II It ran through Broad.
way. Fourteenth street and Twenty-third street,
and part Of Sixth avenue. And yet, In the face
Of all these advantages, three months expert
onoe has shown that the Boston subway is not
popular. that people will not go into II ex.
oept when they have to. and that the subway 10
Q failure, save 30 far as 1t was q necessity to re-
heve tho congestion of traffic on the street.
NEEp OF II SUBWAY.
Bostonians are proud of the subway. They
take strangers to sec II, just as they take them
10 soc Bunker Hill Monument; make them ride
che length of it back and forth, and call atten-
tion to all Its fine features-and then they keep
away from It themselves, just as they do from
the monument. That this result is OF interest
20 New Workers there can DO no doubt. The
building Of tho subway grow out of O public need
which was as absolute and pressing as the need
Of this city for some addition to its traffic
facilities.
When, about ten years ago. the West End
Street Railway Company began to transform tho
old horse car lines of Boston into electric troll.
10y lines tho narrow streets in the heart of
Boston were already choked with the daily rush
Of vehicles. Boston has to-day the most ex-
tensive and comprehensive electric car system
IN the world. The added cars which were re-
quired for tho now service fairly filled
the streets of the little central city
where they were oil concentrated. These
car lines serve a suburban population of
nearly q million persons. and It 10 possible to
take o car for any part of the territory covered
Without going moro THAI a quarter of a milo in
he city. Under q special act of the Lcgisla-
kure the Boston Transit Commission was ap-
congestion.
H OPERATIVE
Under this commission the subway was
planned and is being built. The city OF Boston
pays for It and leases 1t to the West End Street
Railway Company for twenty years at an an.
nual rental which is not to be less than 47s per
cent. upon the net cost of the tunnel. or more
than A7s per cent. upon tho sum of 81, 200. 900.
II the tunnel should cost SO much, and the COM
pany agrees to pay. In lieu of interest, q toll of
D cents for each car that passes through the
subway. In case the aggregate of tolls should
exceed the interest charges. Tho railroad COM
pany cares for 1t, lights 1t, ventilates it. and
keeps 1t free from water.
"sso W oh ot nv ouo"oy vi htS Sog
1895. and on Sept. 1 of this year the first sec
ton was put into use. A second section was put
into use on Sept. 80. The main part Of the sub
way now in use lies under fremont street, be-
tween Park street and Boylst2n street. This
section is 1900 feet long and contains four
tracks. At both ends are stations. built
commodiously under ground and approached
from the surface by wide. easy stair
ways. wnich are protected by small or
napna0tal atoua huildinpa Az tha povl.
ston street station the tunnel divides into
two two-tracked sections. Ono of these con-
tinues under fremont street for about 1900
feet, when its comes to the surface and empties
Y its cars upon the tracks in fremont street and
0hawmut avenue, which here diverge. The
other branch turns sharply to the westward.
runs under the edge of tho famous Common, to
the Public Garden beyond Charles street. where
i comes to the surface, 1000 feet from the
Boylston street station, and it's cars 60 on their
Il way down Boylston street.
HIGH OF
The tunnel is kept almost as light as day
from end to end. At the stations 1t is lined ON
the sides with enamclled white brick. Through.
stations 1t is painted white. At tho sta
lions and through the tunnel electric
sure that these shall not all fail at any one time
they are divided and fed by two separate cir.
Cuito VI ~ p'biuC thCoo Pit hACu III tu0
are kept lit in making the, tunnel passage. As
every minute aimost all the time. their lights
alone would keep it fairly we'll Illuminated.
frosningly cool during the warm weather in Sep
TEMPER Just after It was opened. and In cold
. It. and the moment a person gets to the stairs at
Y . station he Is oRt of reach Of storms. Only one
s Sss Si G The sis ssnnsi, ana has t Sss dif e Is pssli IL tac
will DO remedied. This was,, for the time
7 lasted, a very great trouble: 1t occurred
change Of 25 OF. 80 degrees in temperature.
Tho weather had been cold for three or four
mel had got chilled until i was pretty nearly as
cold under ground as on the surface. Then came
degrees. The warm air. drawn into the tunnel
by the ventilsting fans. struck against tho
| thing began to weep. The cold roof and sides Of
the tunnel, condensed the moisture in tho
w wSSs%lsr Interior sir; and alis a9 q s @fth t moistu 'Rs
A. the stations the condition was worst and pro.
I and Of course gave uD the greater ter I part of It's
moisture. Most OF tho moisture collected on the
ceiling ssrs. P nsa disip Wsa d S"S I OF 'h nIs waiting Mps "sissn:
T upstairs found themselves exposed to trick
ling streams below. 1t was SO bad that the
IN, 'S down '0ItHhp the roofs ss' and men sides ie w WITH r sfpSR;
squcezers to get rid Of the moisture. Even
road officials do not believe that 1t would prove
OF serious conseqnenSe. because there are not
changes OF temperature are wide enough to
produce the drip.
REFUSAL OF THE PUBLIC TO USE 1T.
The portion of the subway use at the pres.
ent time Is open for travel from g o'clock 4. Nj.
70 IL midnight during each day OF tho week.
There are at present 1862 trips per day being
run through the subway.
Yet here is the significant fact: n study OF the
daily travel in tho subway. hour by hour and
day by day for months. showed conclusively. in
the Judgment OF those who arc most closely con.
cerned, that the subway Is not popular. and that
few persons. use II, except when they have TO.
President Little declares that this Is u much
more serious matter than IL would appear TO the
uninitiated.
THE FANCY TRAFFIC AVOIDS 1T.
"In the rush hours. he said, recently. in dis,
cussing tho matter, 1.-The people must take
every means OF conveyance that there is al
hand. In these hours they flock into the sub.
way as freely us they do 10 the cars running on
the surface, and during these hours we carry
about as many in the subway as IL IL possible
for US to handle there a the present time"