The record-union., 1899-06-06
BOSTON'S SUBWAY.

Boston has solved the question of the
congestion Of street traffic in her CEN
trail section Her subway system is
declared to be simply perfect, as it is
the most elaborate and convenient IN
the world. Sooner or later, and we
example Will be followed generally in
towns and cities where there is such
considerable street traffic as to make
congestion frequent at central points
In London. Paris and some other cities
subWays for passenger travel are in
Use, and have been for years, but no
where is there any system at all COM
parable, in excellence with that of Bos-
ton, nor one that was constructed un-
der such great difficulties owing to
the frregularity of the street courses,
the character of the sub-soil, and the
network of pipe lines interlacing the
whole body of the substructural soil.
Indeed engineers rightly regard the
Boston accomplishment as one of the
highest possible examples of fine en-
cheering work. The advantages of a
subway over surface roads are enor-
nous; greater speed can be secured
greater safety to passengers and en-
ployes; the clearance Of the street for
freer passage Of vehicles not moving
upon fixed tracts; it gives us admirable
ha G11h at
of electric wires, steam pipes, ETC., en-
ables sub-soil pipe lines to be more
easily reached and repaired, and re-
moves from the politics of the city
never-ending contention over grant
OF franchises for the most desirable
centers to occupy with car rails the
surface of streets.
Boston having so conclusively de-
monstrated the manifold virtues of
subway transit it must be that her ex-
ample viii be followed by other Amer
lean cities, and that when we build new
cities and towns We will make provi-
sion for subway systems, thus render
ing their construction when the time
comes for their building greatly more
economic. Of course it is not necessary to
make subways throughout entire street
systems, nor are we for a moment en-
Pertaining the thought that such an
idea Will be promulgated. The sub
way, as in the case of Boston, is ne
cessary only to the longitudinal ex-
tent of the blockading of traffic. Thus
1T is probable that in the larger cities
Two or three miles Of subway in the
heart OF the town where the jam is
greatest upon the streets will be sufi-
Gent. Boston's great work is less
than two miles in length, but it has
solved the problem of congestion of
street traffic in the heart Of that city.
Her subways do not at all resenb bic
the damp, vault-like and ill-smelline
tunnels and subways of European cit
les. On the contrary they are dry,
wel-lighted. admirably ventilated.
and are roomy, and so built as to make
a high rate of speed through them
quite as safe as a Flooding one. There
was great deal to amuse and to an
noy in the building Of this first of the
really ideal subways in America First
ana foremost was the necessity of
passing through two or three old cerue-
teries. and the hot and often ludicrous
contentious between the Commission
ers and the friends Of the dead and
gone Bostonians buried in these plats
which followed. Thus there We're MANY
lawsuits and interminable wranglings.
all after a time happily Strengthened
out after contests full of humor ss
fwell as bitterness.
IN the next place there was the
trouble with the gas and water pines.
which had to be removed and passe!
over and under the new subway, ana
yet without cutting off the supply of
material for moment This feat was
achieved; but only with enormous diff
Guilty and was not complete without a
terrible accident. as will be remem-
bered. when leaking gas in the exca
yations caused the explosion in 1897
at the corner of fremont and Boyl-
ston streets.
When the excavation works encum-
bereu the streets and compelled the
commission to close some of the small
ones for few days at a time, and re-
suited in confusion because of the at
tempt to- keep car, truck and other
vehicle traffic open while excavation
work went on there was the merriest. of
times with the multitude. AS a result
any number of lawsuits We're begun,
and the builders of the subway had ia
hight all of them to finish. As the
work progressed and the tangle of
traffic became worse and more
intricate by reason of the exca-
walton work taking up good part Of
the highway. complaint became COM
mon, loud and profane, even for Boston
The commission was hourly consigned
to hades by the indignant citizens,
who could not understand engineering
promise with sufficient clearness to
gather patience from it.
But when the great work was COM
pleted at cost of nearly $4,000, 900
the people of Boston could not restrain
their enthusiastic expressions of delight
over the result, nor could they praise