The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-29
IN THE HORSELESS FUTURE.
o,rlT CHANGES COMING TO NEW
voBK WITH THE AUTOMOBILES.

Nv York will be a transformed city in ten
ears Ten years Is q mighty short time. but
tho last decade has seen the passing OF the
horse car and the rise Of the cable, and now the
nossins Of the cable and the rise Of the electric
nowor and with electricity still in it's infancy
hare are some who profess to see its passing
"a street motive power and the rise OF other
nowers that can be manufactured moro cheaply.
Tsn wears may really be a long time for the
bringing about OF the transformation that Is
nromised, II the last ten years may be taken as
showing the possibilities Of development.
The horse is to be driven out OF trade. There
"a no doubt about that. so far as the city Is con-
csrned. What the cable and electricity have
donc for the street railroad systems electricity
Ar air or gas or some other power is to do for
ali manner OF street traffic. The horse Is to go.
md with him are to go dirt and dust and cob
hlestones and all the clatter and bang and noise
of street traffic as people know 1t to-day.
The cable and electricity wrought wonderful
changes, but It was only in ono line. With the
rossipg of the horse from trade as wonderful
changes in many lines are to come. Probably
no one mind at the present time can conceive
all the changes that are to be, but many Of
them are obvious and will occur to almost
every one.
The first and most important will probably
he IN the matter vi SllttJ DdNluR. NtW Olh
has made wonderful strides in the way Of i'm
proved street paving already. Every year for the
mast ten years miles and miles of asphalt have
been aid in place OF the old cobble or Belgian
block pavements. There isn't any question
about the superiority OF this pavement over the
old style, but under present conditions its
availability is limited to the streets where the
traffic is not the heaviest. 1t is not available in
Broadway or the streets along the river fronts.
for instance. The heavy trucks with iron or
steel tires will cut into it, and the cost Of keep
ing it in repair would be tremendous If it
should be laid in the streets whore heavy
trucking makes up the greater part Of the
street tranlc. With the passing Of the horse and
the introduction of vehicles that carry their
own motive power. steel and iron tires also
20, and the rubber and pneumatic tires
cont into universal use. Asphalt pavements.
no matter how heavy the traffic. will then be
available. They will also be necessary. The
pavements may not be OF asphalt. They may
be Of steel or iron or some other substance.
but they will be smooth like asphalt. Cobbles.
Belgian blocks and granite blocks will go with
the horses and the iron and steel tires. The
whole city will be smooth paved. Bicycling
will be possible everywhere. Cab riding will
be pleasure no less than bicycle riding. It
will be possible to ride and talk at the same
time without straining your voice. and we'll
all go gliding along instead of humping and
jolting along as now In wet weather there
may be as many wet feet as there are now. but
there will be no more OF the shiny. greasy
black mud that makes a wet day in the city a
terror. particularly TO women.
More important from the point OF view Of
health and general comfort and pleasure than
the new will be cleanliness. The
streets will be kept clean without breaking the
bank accounts Of the taxpayers. In the first
place. as everybody knows. asphalt or smooth
basement Is easy to keep clean. A man with n
broom can sweep three times as much smooth
pavement in a given time as block pavement.
III is q good sweeper and does his work thor
oughly. when he finishes the pavement is clean:
but In the case OF block pavement. no matter
how thoroughly he does his work. the pave
ment will not be nearly so clean as the asphalt.
1t Is not necessary to hire men with brooms to
sweep asphalt. An asphalt pavement can be
flushed and made clean In q sixth Of the time
that 1t takes to sweep it and no dust is raised in
the process. So all the danger that arises from
inhalinG the dust Of the street now stirred up
In the process of cleaning will be done away
with. II. as the doctors say. much OF the dis
ease that exists is due to the inhalation of dust
and dirt the death rate should certainly be
lowered considerably.
But there is another element in this matter
OF clean streets. Two-thirds of all the street
art that at the present time aflicts New York
Is caused by the horses themselves. and with
the passing OF the horses this two-thirds Of the
art Will disappear. 1t costs the city Of New
YORK now nearly $4,000. 900 a year to clean the
streets. and with all respect to the Street Clean
ing Commissioner it may be said they are not
nail cleaned. New York streets never have been
nVaP am 10 $780, ~ -
eht condItions should continue without the ex-
~penaIture OF a vastly greater sum than the
Dig sum that Is now expended. There were
complaints even when Col. Waring was at tho
mead otthe Department Of Street Cleaning and
was working wonders. With the new pave
"ehts and the cause OF two-thirds OF all the dirt
removed the cleaning Of tho streets would
veaSe 10 be the great problem that it Is now
fory miles OF the best asphalt pavement.
suaianteed to last fifteen years. can be laid for
te amount OF money it costs New York an
nuaIy Tor half cleaning the streets.
ASthe streets will be clean there will be
p~ractlcally no dust. What a boon that will be
su'oooy who Is compelled to 60 out on q windy
aay can testify. Every housewife can testify
zoo, Costly draperies and curtains worth
thousands upon thousands Of dollars are dam
akeu every year by the plague Of street dust
w oultI5. w lllOWb uubI
opened properly to air a house. and the dust
"mcomein in. There is no escaping it.
mere Is still another point in the matter OF
veahhhess That is to come with the passing Of
~ morse from trade. 1t ia that cleanliness
Dteeus Cleanliness. Clean streets will tend to
s'oa'ei heatness on the part of the community
generally.
w. III importance to the cleanliness and
= pa'enents that will follow the passing OF
i. morse Is the reduction OF tho noise and
later OF the street traflc. That has also to do
" 'ho general health OF the community. The
sa'er ana bang Of the present traffic. the doc
A. eSay' has much to do with many nervous
H!'eaSeS prevalent in the city. Trucks travel
49, sO,er asphalt pavemen don't make half the
i,a 'n"y 20 whom they bang along over gran
w DOCKS Rubber tired vehicles travelling
,Ia, aspliIt or smooth pavement are prac-
n""y hoIseIess. Stand in Fifth avenue any
a.. VI" and you Will be impressed with this
nDIr oo'ch a'tor coach will roll by, tho
No. No. NOISE being made by the iron-shod
No" oi the horses that draw them.
ia ana 'hen there will come one that
ho,"a noiselcss MS "A horscless rig. The
o., s are shod with photographed shoes.
A. course. noise will not be wholly done
~"n' with, but the cIatter and banp will give