New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-01-09
ELECTRICITY IN THE SLOT
rur UNDERGROUND TROLLEY THE
FUTURE TRACTION FORCE.

x,-MBER OF RAILROADS IN MANHATTAN WILL.
SOON RE USING THIS SYSTEM AND IN
TIME 1T WILL DIsPLAcE THE
BROADWAY cARLE-woRK OF
THE METROPOLITAN
TRACTION COM
PANY.
visitors 70 what must be spoken OF IA the
aoroush OF Manhattan. even if they came from no
n,-,her away than the Borough OF Brooklyn. have
s..n wont 10 say for several years that "New-York
ras behind the times" when they saw numbering
IA ho-secars traversing many OF the streets and
..,,lng on their way AZ a pace suggestive Of that
:, q robust snail engaged In six days walking
--latest Electric cars have become such everyday
.s,rs in other cities. and In many towns
,oast,ng Of only a few thousands OF Inhabitants
and are seen TO be such q vast advance. especially
1, ,o,nt O., speed upon more primitive means Of To-
.,,otfon that 70 is not strange that people coming
~ the metropolis from other places have been
.ra.ed on seeing horsecars still in use here and
nave openly expressed their wonder as to when
N. trolley would he adopted substitute for
them. That there some purpose OF keeping
s., With the procession here has been shown by
,ss laying Of cables OIL three Of the lines running
,orth and south through the island. but. then,
,horoughly up-to date people have for the last two
a, three years been looking on the cable as more
or less Of back number"
The reason why the trolley wave which swept
aver the country did not carry the late city Of
New-York with it is plain to all familiar with the
course OF things in this eghborhood The OF
re overhead trolley implied the erection OF large
number Of poles 10 carry the conductors AMI New
y,,k had entered on a crusade not only against the
setting up OF new poles. but In favor Of the re-
moyal Of those in existence When Mayor Grant
caused a large number OF telegraph poles to be
ba -,Dl,-
tanned by public sentiment What folly It would
have been after that exhibition for the city
thorties 70 give their consent 10 the installation
OF a system Of electric transit that would have
caused the erection Of poles by the thousand.
Fortunately as 1t turns out. NewYork was saved
ron, the overhead trolley. at least respects Man
haitian Island and Is at length to have In the
place OF It another system Of electric traction
far superior that some people are already predict
INK that the time will come when all the railroads
equipped with the overhead trolley within the linn
It's Of Eew-York will be required to substi-
tute the underground trolley. and it is seriously
proposed that when extensions OF electric systems
IN remote parts Of the city are sought the COM
panles shall he required 10 use the underground
instead OF the overhead system.
THE OVERHEAD TROLLEY PRACTICALLY
UNKNOWN HERE.
The overhead trolley has been kept entirely off
OF Manhattan Island with the exception Of short
line in the upper part. where peculiar c.rcum-
stances existed that caused a relaxation OF the
rule otherwise lnHexibly adhered TO- The under
ground trolley has been In use for three years or
more in Lenox-ave and the upper part Of Lexing-
ton-ave as well one streets but
until within few weeks the people OF Manhattan
in general have had little opportunity 10 get &C
quainted with IT. Cars have been operated with
this system In Fourth and Madison ayes. for abou:
two months. coming far downtown Astor
nd hv and of law c,ad
that the electric cars will be running all the way
to the Postoffce They viii then come into fair
competition with the cablecars In Broadway and
Thirdave In the mean time, the work OF Install
Ing this same system several other lines Of the
Metropolitan Traction Company IS in progress
1t was not without mos: careful consideration
that the company. when II resolved on making
change IN motive power a number OF It's lines.
decided In favor Of the underground trolley The
overhead trolley being ruled out for reasons al
ready explained. a series % experiments made
10 determine the feasibility OF using compressed
air. which would have obvious advantages as
motive power, particularly becaus. no excavation
OF the streets would be necessary. The expert
men:s. however. proved that compensatory motors
soud not be depended for the heavy traffic that
would have to be provided FOR and the only alter
native was the adoption of the underground cleo
trlc conduit system. This had been tried on three
or four Ines north OF Central Park but had no,
given entire satisfaction. II believed however,
thar The faults developed were due rather TO I'M
proper construction than essential defects IN the
system
L. addition to the Madison and Fourth-ave. line.
the longitudinal lines to be equipped with the
dersround trolley those In Second. Sixth and
Eigh b ayes. and work has also been under way
for some time IN Twentythird and Fifty-ninth SITS.
When all these roads are electrified" about sixty
Of the 22s miles OF railroad under the control OF the
Metropolitan Traction Company will be equipped
with mechanical pov ,r-that Is. either electricity
or cable.
NOT so SLOW AFTER ALL.
While apparently slow progress has been made on
sore OF IN, lines in introducing the new system,
there hav. been no delays which the company
could avoid. Self-interest dictated that II should
DO rs work quickly as possible. for in the case
Of the Fcurth-ave road. for example. the running
o. entirely suspended while the changes
were being made. Some Unexpectedly serious OBJ
stsc.es encountered In pipes Of all kinds that
had either o be moved 20 one side or sunk deeper
In the earth 10 make room for the heavy yokes.
which 20 down in the ground more than two feet
and hall.
At Fourth-ave and Twcnty-:hrd-st. for instance.
the UNDERGROUND conductors that had 10 be dealt
with included one Pinch Edison pipe two 2a-inch
Edison pipes one 3-inch Manhattan light pipe. ten
;nch electric subway pipes. TWO 4-inch Western
Union ppss one finch saspipe. seven 6-inch gas
pipes, ,wo s-nch gasppes, one lo-inch gasppe, one
2nch gasppe and one large ;runk-line sewer pipe
In spite OF these things rapid progress made
D. the section between Astor Place and Forty-sec-
ont-s' Traffic was stopped here on August 81
Within an hour hundreds Of men and teams were
busy along the line and in twenty four working
days THIS part of the road was competed so tnat
horsecars were running over IL again on September
about half mile long, where every thing had TO be
earried IN ana out at the ends. On the lower part
81 n, Inc where II runs through the Bowery.
G,and Broome and Centre SITS. and along Park
Row special dniculties have been met with on &C
,oun, % the other railroads that have 70 be
erossed-a mum Der OF curves ard the putting IN of
, crossoyer al the terminal by the Postofce
Nevertheless Il Is expected that all the work VIII
be finished and the electric-cars IN operation by |
or before the beginning OF February
FAST TINE IN THE FOURTH-AVE. TUNNEL
Ore who takes a ride on the completed part OF
this East SIDE electric line can have the sausIac-