The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-17
WILL THE r. T. TUNNEL PAY?
"sTREET RAILWAy JOURNdL" CITES
REASONS EOR SAYING NO
The Money in City RniirondinE IL In Short
Ride Observation-Disclosures Figures From
the Metropolitan and the Manhni-
al nulI f.pt

The Money in City RaiIrondinr IL In Short
Ride ADMINISTRATIONS Figures From
the Metropolitan and the Manhht-
tnn-Busin-ss the Tunnel Would Get.
Tho Street Roilyiny journal FOR December
contains a carefully prepared editorial reviow
Of tho possibilities Tor profit OF the proposed
UNDERGROUND rapid t-ansit route aud the conclu-
sions which it draws are not calculated to en-
uo,IrnRe persons who are Contem plating be-
coming bidders under the advertised contract
for the building aud operating II The road
II seems to havp been generally assumed
that II tho whole ROAD were built ~ II is laid
OH, from the CITY Hall to the Grand Central
depot III broadway to- lOjth street and thence
hy branches running north to Eingsbridge
and east and north into the heart Of the
borough ~ The Bronx. II must OF necessity be
u paying road. and recently. when it
was suggested that "a delay on tho
pnrt OF the Rapid Transit railroad Com
mission TO order the building OF more than the
downtown section would act ~ dsadrnntaE"
to the contractor. friends OF he scheme de-
clarcl that this section would be veriiatle
gold mine in itself and that the contractor
would l., lucky il h. secured delay in proceed.
lug hcyond H. with thu work
The STREET Edjhrdv .Io,Trdi not only dlsagrees
with this latter conclusion, hut distinctly fails
to nud anything encouraging to the contractor
IN my part of the scheme. In considering the
matter II takes MP the road section by section
md asks Would section / from III" City Hall
70 Fifty ninth street he rroftablc'
"Wo have no doubt uron this point." II save.
1T will never be protabl" to opcrntc this Soc
tipn nlone until the time comes when both SUR
face and elevated cars operating in the lower
end VI the city shall be- So Ovcrcrowdel that
passengers are absolutely forced in self
tn pl ii "a
Tentative route.
The reason givon for this conclusion is that
IN the araa which this section would reach it,
tranr would all be local or short distance rid
ing aud that tunnel ROAD could never compct"
IN checritiiEcss OF convenience with the ole-
waited and surface roads. It, Disadvantages
wuulI lie ruhup"cd ircausc u would have no
connections south % the CIV Hall aud non" en-t
~ west. while IN" suriac" roads offer 10y
,nrH for sing" yS Voc f 5ra Tnlmg a"n,
Sections and Together reaching To l3ith
street on the West Side and To- ,l3ath street on
The East side. mud reviewing the character %
the hablta'ions 81 the section and ia" other
transit facilities shore. II SAYS;
get from this district nor. than the through.
or long distance, travel. In competition with
transfers 10 any TART of the Gi,y below Fifty
ninth street. and the elevated lrrs. giving II
service almost as rapid. as tn" underground.
with three-cent transfers over The upncr
Broadway surface line. and many others Va tho
city The tFnngi I''lwny WI mis- The profit
The MAJOR part OF III" iaci'cs shopping travel.
and q thr cl.v INSISTS upon cxrr"ss train ser
ycc throuihog, th" day. a. !: qprcsts Groha;
at a heavy loss, Thu only salvation
for sGS'nn1 tia, 1 hFous their raT2a
nprcr broadway from Forfr-sncnni street
orh vii, 6"G%ms s sr'' 9sa aE; siyG% em
happen, Tor many years 20 come al east Tor
The feeder district 10 such street is narrow
would resent IN" introduction of the business
element INTO this region,
tensions 81 The, roaa moth and east. and OF
thee the N5W R1'hrdy J2u.nai says: -.
per end OF Manhattan Island. and in com
rarn;ivcly. short time after the completion Of
city, II is probable that the tunnel railway
could SECURE PRACTICALLY all Of ths business
Island and that It's morning and evening
ttnins, both .exrress aud local, would be
1S sE fR rSa' ,T,ve TereD @ for
his kind is profitable for such an enormously
costly railway q. : the rr9po:el tngnel line;
New York must he Gocorda~, lndrcd."
The road it says :, you'd Not cost not less than
run for long-distanca traffic on n tlve-cent fare
basis, could hardly We op"rated for less than 20
interest on tho cost Of equipment would ha
Sl.aOuOOu wear. and to meet this IN. road
amid which it would operate earn about
S2j.D0OOOO year gross.
such "a has been described, and without food.
ers or cIoS-,own connection. earn oue.hrh
shall have 70 fully orcrowg ~ surface and
elevated facilities. ut least NJ travel ~ - BE-
forced to tax" 70 the underground Tor short
distance riding.
The STREET Ecihray IournaI then considers
TOSSihl q Manhattan rt AvN-
nuc or Metropolitan companies building the
HHIndrrErn,nd real an concludes that the
ing such system 70 the cl@vn'ah ronls. while
It doubts " ~" surface roads arc prepared to
scr"n, me nMrd.i o, catering 70 long distance
Thu" function of mo su"'A'e lines ot New
handle the shot d-ance ,raiillc. nnd ,hcir III H n.
tcres's "" ~ IN" dr""tinn ol ,"rcnc To- IA,
" Sp ,onr or r@nnG lines III" les, nroilt
this view p' the case, some fail"s printed IN
another M Of tie same ruhlicaiiioN ar" in,cr.
eating. These show The 'irlnriul history ~ the
Manhattan, the M"tr1u"Iitnnnud mira hv"nU"
M". " "a "H9Tr y%S wIn IL" chang,
Income and expense NJ operation. III" signifl-
cant features In thrs" Tables show 'hnt while
the Metropolitan Street Hallway Corruany has
than SO OOOO in 1888 10 nearly So, 300 900
,hn I'm IN ITS %nSrnmE SyncnsG: hys Fz 20, n
while in tho cnae of IN" elevated roa is. which
have been getting more md moro M the long
earnings have fa"n OF since 1896 when the
surface roads began their strides
tn" Sueet Hd,'rup .JuuIrpI concludes IL ro-
view % tho Underground tr0J"ct ne follows:
IT ~ wit IN" greatest relurtance that we
have been forced T. the conclusion that tho
Rapid Transit Commits ions present rnns and
PROPOSED contract do nor rfrori sufficient in.
iuceinaht 10 capital 70 warrant tho confident
hope that III" tunnel viii be- built We sin
"crcly hope that our view Of the case may he a
mistaken one, aud that tho risk NAV
he assumed. for ccT'Rinly New York
Guy needs now and will in tho
future even more urgently need, every
transportation agency which can h" crOwdeu
into Manhattan Island II responsible PARTIES
can he 'Gnnd I" undertake. the task upnu the
present basis, SO shall ho heartily clad and
will be flrSt Ia congratulate" the Rapid Transit
Hoart on ~ succ"ss; though We should not al
wise tho widows md OrphanS' 10 invest THAR
money In socmritlcs OF sunh a rnllwnv - ''