New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-04-30
SyRVAY IN PARIS AM HEh lie
,-,s,r1xc FRENCH ENGINEER COMPARES
,.,,v rpoR1 EMS IN THE TWO CITIES

| THE PROBLEMS IN IRE wv
>, ,,,o-,.or,,,o engineer in chief OF the oi's u
pie nbo with Felix Roussel muh0'f'a'
| 81 ,d NJ Iocherer, assistant ehei"o
| como ~ this country % make a S'u"' .,f
ic,n underground railroads. 'NP''>'-u .,,a1
=. highly impressed with the scope Si4 IL
nj the subway system in process Of e''iS'' ~
| in this city , ~. botb
| Paris and New-Iork wish 10 pe $50.
| fror,, their place Of occupation 10 'neii
! ,,,, a,d comfortably" said NJ BlenNehue'
| = -r-,,,,,a rerorter at the Holland House last
| -. ..one has practically exhausted the PoIll''
~ similarity The problems for achleFlhs INV
Same end that Of collecting ana olspeiSliie nv
mass Of business people at certain hours o '"s
/ 6av-Uhat you call rush hours present "i
| s,ssf,,f1ar aspects This city has all 'he au
van+aeas and inconvenience of great ie'ls''
| and little BREADTH while Paris approaches
more nearly circular form OF course, this Is due
| .r;,,- - eeographical reasons. but also to
| historical ones. New-York after occupying one
! .-5 n +he island as long as early stage OF
| 6avelonr,ent lasted has moved north with resu-
| lar precision and. roughly speaking at one
sudden jump like water shot into tune,
| ION the other hand Paris has grown up in
central city with surrounding towns gradually
coalescing through long periods of history Inns
has led to the adoption here of as many paraIIel
lines as possible running up the island In
Paris we have decided upon the cross as the
general figure of our system, most likely 10 af-
ford efficient service.
M associates and myself have looked over
the subway You are building to-day with great
| interest The work in my judgment. is adVanc-
ing admirably, and when this enterprise IS COM
pleted the city should have good cause for pr1de
and satisfaction. The general conception OF me
| rlsn as 2 whole is worked out with thorough
| grasp of the necessities of the case, and the
! constructive methods in detail show the enter
nrise and ability of your engineers.
THE great mass Of rock which they have 10
out through is something we happily are spared
| in Paris There much of the underground work
| i through sand. It does not take an engineer
! 10 appreciate the difference in energy and out
/ Law and incidental damage Another matter
| that strikes q Frenchman is the general use of
steel and iron in construction. We use masonry
almost entirely and this difference again Is
dicta ted by local condition. Metal work is cheap
| est here and masonry with US.
| Another point Of contrast is in the financial
undertaking and management. We have joint
control by the company which operates the
! road and the city which builds II. The gross
| nrofrs are divided between the two, and the
cirv thus paws itself for the original outlay by
| -be returns Of the business, while the company
makes its earnings by receiving proportion Of
the same The fare for each passenger is one
| centime
The arrangement of our underground lines in
| the general form Of a cross is dual. there being
one main cross and another smaller one in
Guided within as supplementary The main
cross is run from east TO west not far from the
Seine and north and south at right angles
IN the river the intersection being near the
| Louvre The east and west line Is IN opera
tion The extreme outer points Of this cross
arc connected by semi-circular lines on the
north and south. The senli-circular line at the
north will be completed before the end Of the
wear This makes the plan in the rough a cross
contained within circle, as contrasted to the
,ara1leI lines of New-York narrowing to a COM
mon point.
1 ..O- one NAV saw that have encompass
; circle at the outskirts cut into quadrants.
With the dividing lines passing through the
cer+ra If the city To supplement this the north
| section has another cross. the east ana west
| line saeging toward the south, and the norm
and south line detected to the east passing
+broueh the Place de la Republique to the Place
| d'Italie across the river.
Again from the Opera as it we're, IN 'he
,,,-+,,,,,ost Quadrant. two lines to be run
that cur across from northeast TO southwest
Taken altogether this makes rather com
,,.+aa criss-cross on the map. but it gives, OF
| course anv number Of coordinate points on tht
east and west and north and south lines ina
| can he connected time may suggest Win
resulting amplificaton Of the system ,
In New-York the problem is to carry th'
a,orn,ous number of people up and down town
And I must say that the crowds 10 ne seer,
saw for instance. on Brooklyn bFidee. al uSi
hours are prodigious and unique. but IN fail'
E n was necessary to move people about cry
that extends in all directions, without any sucf
si,%, aim in destination. This plan of cross
| tnInad al IT'S extremities by a circle supple
d.. | yoented within and connected at any number o
- | desired points by interlacng lines, has seemed
| the hest adapted 10 the peculiar needs OF IN
| case ,-- -.
! NJ Bienvenue. NJ. Roussel and NJ Locherer ex
e nect to remain in the city until THURSDAY Whel
e - IN co to Boston and other cities of tn
/ | country to study methods of municipal trans
+ narration NJ Rousse will communicate IN
e results Of their observations in report TO IN
= | ,,ornicinality of Paris upon their return.