New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-09
IN FAVOR OF THE TUNNEL.
p,p,n TRANSIT INVESTIGATORS AP'
PROVE THE UNDERGROUND ROAD

TT rs NEEDED THE COMMISSIONERS i
THE PROJECT is PRACTICABLE. NO sATis-
r.cyDopv OBJECTIONS HAVE BEEN
RAISED TO 1T. AND THE foAD
sYoI,Lp BE BUILT AT ONCE.
= ,,,,iseioners appointed by the Appei'a'e
r>,..,.,or y, the Supreme Court TO pass upon III.
r-oc,,cabiity. desirability and adVlsaO'','
s,rrc,ion and operation Of the ralroao "p
loved bv the Rapid Transit Con'iiii'''''-N
rresented 10 the court yesterday vi.
ub,cb "a the outcome Of their protIa0'eN "
cation into the merits Of the ques'io''' 1900,
n them. The report is TO the elec' '''a' Wv
&c MANNED ought TO be constructed anu
In the series Of public hearings oy INC -,
s,oners. the report points OUT 'he pans N
psnh Transit Commissioners were
,i. -. lov,,e,s professedly representing an ag
croeate value Of S2.171,OO0 OF properly %" '''e
49, =, tho proposed road. out OF total assessed
i'''e sfo- 700 33O On the other hand. the
,ars ~ $40 04o 200 worth of property II was
shoun annroved the construction OF the iai
road
TUE NEED FOR QUICKER TRANSIT
with reference 10 the first question 'ii'i' "a'
a,,v arises whether there is neeo LOT nioi ea''u
rsn,d transit facilities. the report oeciaie' ''N
the necessity recognized by the supreme Ooui'
To- 1900 az then existent is still greater To-Day
and beyond any reasonaole o"u' ~ "
future rapidly increase
"Tbe nopulation of New-York and the Voiu'he
o.ts business and traffic" the report proceeds
N,.a s,aaduv increased for upward of a century
,,,r,rs the twenty-five years last past the popu-
,o,too q, the city has doubled but the travel on
a.. ,r,oce roads and elevated raili Dads has WITH
=, che saroe time increased fourfold. during the
,or ,,ears last past such travel has Increased al
,na rate Of twenty million passengers per an
,o The confederation OF Manhattan Island
ord the distribution Of its business and resi-
DENTAL sections make 1t probable In the yer!
highest degree that the rate Of increase or travel
both absolutely and relatively to the increase OF
nopulation and especially the rate or increase
o, comparatively ong-distance travel between
the upper and lower parts Of Manhattan lsano
and between the parts OF the city nor'n OF 'he
Harlem River and the southern part OF the CITY,
must enormously increase in the near tuture' II
Is difficult TO suggest more immediate PeremP-
tory public need than the need for rapid transit
facilities Their postponement, 1t is not seriously
omen 10 question would be a great public calam-
ity. And II must be added that the difficulties IN
,ba wav NJ actual construction Of the road will
he seriously increased by delay. CONSTRUCTION on
Elm-st can now be had without material public
inconvenience; and in most Of the other streets
construction will be cheaper and less inconve-
nient now than at a later time when sub-surface
conduits and structures will have seriously IN
creased IN amount as they must inevitably in
PRACTICABILITY OF THE ROAD.
There IL no serious contention that the road
a, proposed by the Rapid Transit Board Is not.
from an engineering standpoint. entirely prac-
ticable," continues the report The criticisms
OF detail are not substantial. and we have found
none OF them to be we'll founded. The Rapid
Transit Board determined upon the routes now
proposed in the light Of the deter mination OF
this Court made in 1896. and in view OF the
searching criticism to which the routes then
proposed were subjected The substantial criti-
cfsm then made arose out Of the proposal TO
construct along the most crowded part OF
Broadway from the City Hall to Thirty fourth
ST., tunnel seventy feet wide reaching on each
side within FIVE feet OF the building line. The
principal difficulties which led 10 the rejection
of that plan seem to US to have been eliminated.
The Board in its present plan has completely
deferred to the criticism made by the Court in
1896"
The cost Of the road now proposed. the Com
missioners are satisfied will be only about $780,.
600 600 and will not the EXTREMIST limit. reach
S35 600 600 as against the $50. 600 900 Including
contingencies contemplated by the former
plans I'VE are clearly of the opinion" they
say that the Rapid Transit Board has in sub
stance devised the best and most practicable
rapid transit railroad for the city Of New-York
which can be built within that limit Of expense.
We are also clear that that the limit OF expense
ought to be observed.
Our own observation" the report proceeds.
no less than the testimony submitted here
with, has convinced US that no adequate solu-
ton Of the rapid-transt problem In this city be-
low the Harlem is practicable except by an un-
foreground road. The criticisms generally made
upon tunnels not applicable to the tunnels
contemplated in this plan. Experience In other
cities including our personal examination of
the Boston subway, has convinced us that,
where the motive power involves no combus-
ton and where suitable light without combus-
ton is provided. travel In tunnels be made
thoroughly wholesome and agreeable Even II
II were to be less so, It is not too much TO say
that the construction Of high-speed railroads 10
occupy the surface OF the streets OF New-York
Is open to grave objection"
OBJECTIONS REFUTED.
The report then takes UP seriatim and replies
TO the objections SET UP Dy opposihs property
owners These objections are three in number:
~ that the proposed road will cost about S20.-
100000 more than the estimate; ca that the
road II built will not for a long time to come
pay operating expenses. interest on construction
bonds and annual contribution TO the sinking
fund required by law. 90 that the financial con-
dition OF the city renders 1t impossible for It
10 undertake the work.
The Commissioners say that they find
son for according credence 10 the interested rep
reservations Of witnesses attacking the accu-
racy Of Mr. Parsons's careful estimate Of the
cost Of construction Of the proposed road. That
estimate represents careful. minute and con-
mil q