The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1899-06-21
FIFTY MILES OF CARS
THIS NUMBER CAN BE SUPPLIED BY
GREATER NEW YORK.

United In n Single Train, They " ""i'
Reach From YonlSers Almost Tn pough
keepsie-They Would seat 100000 FER
soss.
To convey New York's three and a
half million people, and the iran
sients and strangers within New
York's gates over its 295 square miles
Greater New York uses altogether on
the surface and elevated railways over
5000 cars. Half of them are on the
Island of Manhattan alone. Here TOO
can be seen the whole range OF va
riety. for Manhattan's transportation
system runs the gamut from the ram
shackle horse car antedating the civil
war, through the ranks of the elevat-
ed, cable. overhead trolley, under
ground trolley to the car propelled by
compressed air. There is nothing too
good or too mean for Manhattan.
The variety that this island offers In
a hundred other ways is not denied IN
the matter of street cars. one can
pay his FIVE cents and take his CHOICE
IL he is Indifferent as TO route, speed
and the previous condition OF servi-
tude of the car. The only horse cars
in Greater New York are on proud
Manhattan. So, too, are the only un-
derground trolleys and the only COM
pressed air cars. While Manhattan
has representation on the list Of over
head trolley cars, yet the line is short,
and Manhattan leaves to the other
boroughs, particularly Brooklyn, the
pleasure of being vivisected by the
overhead trolley. Manhattan has twice
as many 81" cars as Brooklyn, but 1t
hasn't as many surface cars.
The Manhattan 81" has 1,151 cars,
the Brooklyn 81" 29S and the Kings
County 81" 236. On the Metropolitan
lines in Manhattan are 1858 horse
cars. and all of the 1872 cars of the
Forty-second street, Manhattanv'lle
and st. Nicholas Avenue railway are
pulled by horses.
OF other methods of propulsion,
which include cable, underground troll
ley or compressed air, the Metropoli-
tan has 1,216 cars, the 7 lird Avenue
line 800, the Union or "Fuckleberry,
in the Borough of The Bro X, 1S9 cars.
This makes, for the old ty of New
York, 1,245 horse cars, 20 J other sur
face cars, and 1.151 cars for the ele-
waited rosd total of 4,491.
Across he East River the Brooklyn
Heights me has 1862 cars, the Coney
Island IL Brooklyn 242, the Long Is
land ] -ic 80, the Nassau line 694,
and the Va 7~unt and Erie Basin line
6; a total of .S34. Adding the two ele-
waited lines 534 cars, there is a total
of BAGS.
The Long Island City Railroad has
228 cars, and on Staten Island the cleo
trio line has 20 cars and the Midland
II.
All told, then, there are within the
limits of the present city of New York
1928 cars for local traffic. If all these
cars were couDled together on a single
track thew would extend from Brook
Ign fiftv-four miles. TO Patchngue.
Starting f~ow The Flathreh avenue
station of the Long Island railroad.
these cars would block every street
crossing the track, and every cross
road for all those miles. Through ia
maica, Springfield, Valley Stream,
Lynbrook, Rockville Centre, Freeport,
Massepequa, Amityville, Babylon Bay
shore, Islip, Sayville. and Bayport. to
Patchogue the unbroken line would ex-
tend, making a barrier impossible for
humber vehicles. 1t would be mon
ster train that would extend through
cities and villages and farms and
swamps and woods and counties.
In those miles of cars, if they all
were available at once. $4,000 per-
sons could find seats easily. The 81"
cars would hold over 175, 900, the horse
cars over "a 1000, and the other surface
cars more than 237 600. Over 100000
people means more than the popula-
ton of Buffalo or Cincinnati. or Cleve-
land. 1t means more than the popula-
tion of Colorado OF hnode Island. OF
South Dakota, of Utah, or of Washing
ton. 1t is more than twice the size OF
the volunteer army in our war with
Spain.
If these persons were put into ordi-
nary railroad cars, locomotive to
draw them would have to be $50 times
as big as the passenger locomotive OF
to-day. That is, il would take 3S6 en-
gines to draw this train, making each
section of ten cars
A good sized army of more than 15.-
900 men is required TO man these cars
and their wages amount to more than
$10,000,000 a year. Besides this army
$500 horses find employment for their
board and keep.
If this street car population of near
ly 10000 were to be moved by horses
entirely, as in the old days. 10000 cars
would be needed with 10000 men, aud
doubled salary list.