New-York tribune., 1901-07-23
CTPIOSITIES OF CAR LINES.

One evening last week a traveller in New
York had occasion to go from the City Hall to
the Grand Central Station. He elected to go by
way of the Thirdave. elevated railroad At the
City Hall station he just missed n local" train.
The train at the other side of the platform was
an express" which would not stop at Forty
second-st.. so he waited for another TO come in
on the local side. In n few minutes one came,
but just as 1t steamed In the signal lantern was
turned so as TO announce that this too was an
express" So he had TO wait still longer. The
express" at the other side departed, and
another express took It's place. Then In due
time the express on the local side also
went, and local" at last came in. But, OF
course, this last did not depart until after the
express" at the other side had gone and
another had come in to take its place. The net
result was that the traveller, going from one to
another of the most important places in the city
had to wait more than quarter Of hour for
a train, while three trains We're sent out not
one of which would serve his need.
Later the same evening the same traveller
wanted TO return from Forty-second-st. to the
City Hall, and this time chose the Broadway
trolley cars. He got upon a car which was
marked broadway" and which bore no sign to
indicate that 1t would not run all the way
down Broadway. But when the car got pretty
well downtown the conductor flshed out n sign
from some place, and hung 1t upon the dash
board, announcing that the car would go no
further than to Houston-st. Accordingly when
the latter street was reached the traveller was
compelled to get out and tramp through the
mud to another car standing a little distance
ahead. on which he completed his passage
Finally, he set out for Brooklyn by way of
the Seyenth-ave. trolley line. He had to wait
of tha briI e.
than twenty minutes before a seventh-ave. car
came along. Even then 1t was not a Seventh
ave. car but a Crosstown car-one of those
venerable relies of the vintage of 1882 or there
abouts; closed car, with windows that could
not be opened at all; and it was still an hour
before midnight of the hottest and stickiest
evening of the week! However he was assured
that this Crosstown ear would go out Seventh
ave-, and so he got into it. 1t started, and went
its length. Then the lights went ont and u
stopped. Again 1t started, and again the uphts
went out and it stopped. The traveller counted
the number Of times 1t went through that ner
formance while crossing the bridge II was
thirty-seven. Then he got tired Of counting
and let the performances go on unnumbered
for the rest Of the journey. The explanation
was that the little wheel had been broken off
the end Of the trolley pole, and the conductor
had to propel the car by FISHING" with the
rope and giving the broken end Of the pole sucb
occasional and fortuitous contact with tbe ,,;ro
as was thus possible
Having thus patronized each Of the tbroa
great transportation companies of the city the
traveller at last reached his destination For
that he gave devout thanks-not to the comma
nies aforesaid when he next went forth no
walked. But what lot of queer experiences =
man can have in this city, between work time
and bed time, simply by becoming patron of
the various rapid transit concerns! And wbat
a showing those concerns can make. when tbev
try, for the second city of the world.