The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1897-01-21
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
Mrs. Abeey's Generous Act Under
ground Trolley For tho Metropolis.
The Rapid Transit Problem.
Especial correspondence


There is popular delusion that the
stockholders of tho Metropolitan Trac-
ticn company spend the greater portion
Of their timo i'll clipping coupons and
drawing enormous dividends. That this
was mistake recent developments
showed beyond the possibility Of doubt
Ono Of the lines, the Broadway, is an
enormous money winner, but most OF
the others are nothing to brag of. The
elaborate system Of transfers which now
prevails on the many lines of this COM
pany makes necessary an expenditure of
only cents. where formerly 0 and some-
times even Is cents was necessary. AS Is
result. while the traffic is said to have
increased greatly, the receipts have not
grown in proportion. Besides this there
are the fixed charges in the way of guar
antees to the former owners of tho leased
lines, all tending to limit the dividend
earning capacity so dear to the street
railway owner.
Tho Day of the Horse Past.
1t has been pretty we'll demonstrated
that the day of tho horse as motive
power is past. The faster car travels
the greater its possibilities. Tho only
point at issue with the Metropolitan
traction people has been the exact mo-
two power to be adopted. The cable,
while quite successful on Broadway, is
not cheap and is besides so apt to get
out of order and cause vexatious delays
that it was decided that it would not
do. Tho compressed air motor cars have
been given a trial by one of the COM
panics and appear to have worked salts
factorily, but tho Metropolitan has de-
termincd to uso the underground troll
ley, similar i'll most respects to that at
present employed on their Lenox avenue
branch, which most people do not seem
to think has exactly filled the bill. This
fact leads to the supposition that u
number of improvements must be in
contemplation, for the lines OH Fourth
Sixth and Eighth avenues will all be
equipped with the underground trolley
as soon as possible, which means that
the work will be inaugurated i'll the
spring and that we shall have q long
period of torn up streets.
The Rapid Transit Problem.
The interesting feature of this deter
mlnation on the part of the Metropoli-
tan Traction, however, is that the prob
lem of reasonably rapid surface transit
seems no nearer solution now than it
was five years ago. Another is the
tempting opportunity offered to persons
of an inventive turn of mind to devise
the scheme which, when perfected by
those who understand the technical part
Of the work, will result in the better
ment Of tho present transportation ia
cilltles i'll large cities. To any one who
may succeed in accomplishing this IL
fortune is certain TO come within an in
credlbiy short space of time Naturally
the knowledge of this fact has prompted
hundreds 10 cudgel their brains system
atlcaliy for the solution, but, as they
have not yet found it, there is still room
for others. especially since the history
of inventions shows that the greatest are
credited to people who had no remark
able technical knowledge of the subjects
on which they laborcd and succeeded i'll
making better.
Mrs. Ebbey's Goodness OF Heart.
1t so seldom occurs in this selfish
world, where almost everybody is en-
gagged i'll the mad race for wealth, and
where money is the god which so many
worship, that ono can be found who
voluntarily does what is common JUS
tice th2t the fact is worth recording
When Henry +. Abbey died, il short
time ago, 'as was expected his estate
had practically No value. owing to re-
cent disastrous theatrical speculations
with tho resultant failure which imme.
diately preceded his demise. His widow,
from whom he had separated only a
short time before. and to whom he had
agreed to pay il certain sum per annum,
of course suffered with the rest Still
she had quantity of furniture, said 10
be worth T25, 900, to say nothing Of
some very valuable jewelry acquired
during the days of her husband $ great.
asst prosperity. Mr.. Abbey left tlaugh-
ter by his first wife. This child had
been reared ia luxury, and the expense
of continuing TO give her all that she
had been accustomed to, or even a 1.-THE
of it, would have been very great. Still
there was no legal means of accomplish
ing that end. At this juncture tho no
bility of Mrs. Abbey's character assert
cd itself
Back to the Stage.
Without any solicitation she came
forward with an offer to turn over 10
the daughter of her husbands first wife
half OF what she had saved from tho