New-York tribune., 1902-01-15
TUNNEL PLAN TO-DAY.
A COMBINATION OF ELECTRICITY AND
STEAM TO BE USED.
DETAILS TO BE MADE PUBLIC AFTEH
MEETING OF CENTRAL DIRECTORS
LEGISLATION NECESSARY TO
MAKE THE CHANGE

There will be meeting of the board Of direc-
tors of the New-York Central Railroad at the
Grand Central Station at 10 a. m to-day At
the close of the meeting W. II. Newman, presi-
dent of the railroad. will make a formal an
nouncement of the plan Of the company for a
change of motive power in the Park-ave. tun-
mel Just what the details of this plan are could
not be learned last night. but it may be stated
that complete change to electricity is not con-
templated. 1t is said that the plan to be adopt
ed calls for a combination of steam and cleo
tricity which the directors believe will solve the
problem and make the tunnel safe and clean.
A prominent official of the New-York Central
said last night:
6Srd Do not think that the plan to be announced to
been forcs one he hastily f deysed or that action has
the plan to De announced is one that has been
ready, for, announcement when this accident too oe
what m bun Il 5 az present @ Is IS some s
the public explicit statement of what Is to be
Se men fnoW o @ snd %ih hey 5n5 aPe Pap re m Sn y
say nothing until after the meeting tomorrow. The
and do away with all trouble
A special meeting OF the executive committee
of the New-York Central was held in Chauncey
NJ. Depew's office yesterday. At this meeting
the final plan was gone over. and put in shape
for presentation to the full board of directors.
Those present at the meeting were William k
Vanderbilt W. II. Newman, Chauncey NJ. De-
pew, H Nick. Twombly and j. Pierpont Morgan.
The meeting lasted several hours. None OF
those who took part would talk about 1t. Presi-
dent Newman said decisively:
Come and see me tomorrow. and I may have
something to say. Not word now"
Exhaustive tests have been made with electric
motors to find that would do the work of
a steam engine in the tunnel, and none have
been found, some of the officials say. The third
rail system, owing to the of frogs, switches
and tracks, is thought to be too dangerous. No
smoke consumer has ever been discovered that
could be applied to an engine and work salts
factOrily- The problem is difficult one, but it
was declared last night that combination had
been thought out for using steam partly and
electricity partly. ard that the whole problem
was solved Further than that nothing could be
ascercained
An odd thing in connection with this problem
that coufronfs the New-YOrk Central directory
is the fact that. under the State laws of New
York of 1872 the use of any other motive power
than steam in the tunnel is prohibited. This
law passed to prevent the Central from
attempting to build a principal station at
Mott Haven, and bringing passengers down by
hOrSecarS. At the time the Harlem road. which
owns the tunnel franchise. turned over its right
of way above Forty-SecOnd-st. to the city in
return for the right TO build the tunnel there
the fear that the road might build a station
Mott Haven and the tunnel for hOrSecars-
The legislature wanted to prevent any such pos
si5ility. At that time electricity a motive
power not regarded as practicable. The
legislature wanted insure the running of
trains downtown and made it obligatory on
tunnel to use no other motive power than Steam-
This Of course be changed by the legiS-
lature, and probably viii be, but it is the law
to-day. according TO the lawyers of the railroad