Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-04-12

Madison street. from Franklin to State.
Adams street, from the river east 10
State.
Harrison street. from the river to State
Twelfth street. from State TO the lake.
Dearborn street, from Harrison TO Tay-
Tor. and east on Taylor TO State.
Besides these there are connecting lateral
feeders on South Water. La Sale. Jack
son, Monroe. Congress. Van Buren, and
river streets, and Michigan and Wabash
avenues
Remarkable Work
Some of the most massive Office buildings
I'm Chicago are In this district. One OF the
assertions put forth by the opponents OF
the enterprise was that such a work could
not be done without endangering the foun-
dations Of these structures. Engineers
took measurements a few days ago and
found they Tailed exactly with those made
before the first spadeful of dirt had been
excavated. mo Appian way" says Presi-
dent Wheeler, was ever better construct
cd. This is work for all ages and will
stand TO the end OF time. We have moth
ing to conceal now. but ~ We had an
nounced when the project was undertaken
that We intended TO construct forty feet
under the city. under every main alley and
street the largest municipal tunnels I'm the
world, we would have been a target for
blackmailers and an object OF ridicule for
the doubters. The life OF our franchise Is
thirty years and the compensation to the
city is 3. and 10 per cent OF the gross in
come after the first ten years. We are not
getting something for nothing. and at the
same time il is a self-evident proposition
That the people of Chicago will I'm the end
be the largest gamers.
Primarily the object of the promoters OF
TINS enterprise is to use the subways as
conduits for the cables and wires OF the
new telephone company, which is to begin
business about July !. Telephones in Chi
cago now cost slo0 year for business
ArtaEy a s-r
I'd SlCo for private residences. The new
company proposes to put automatic pho tes
INTO every business house and residence
In the city without extra charge. A meter
will be attached to each phone and when
ever a call is made the meter will register
toll of cents When the total - ~ A
year for business concerns and $40 for
residences no further charge will be made,
III the call amounts TO less than these
hgures the user OF the phone will be gamer
IL Is this prospective relief from the eNac-
uons of the monopoly that has made the
new company popular and rendered Il
hazardous for the city officials TO take
any steps to stop its subway building In
explaining the new service President
Wheeler said:
1T would. of course be useless to expect
any number of people to use our system I'M
less we have a good-sized exchange to start
with. We shall not wait 10 get subscribers.
The utility of telephone service lies In the
number Of people to be reached. The larger
the number the more valuable the service
1t is with this knowledge that we shall in
stall free phone in every business build
Ing In Chicago, and when this Is done we
Will at once extend the service TO residences
In this way we shall begin in July next
with at least $1,000 phones in operation"
Use for the Subway.
But the telephone service will In reality
be small part OF the new enterprise. Its
subways are of such size that small cars
may be run through them. and on these Il
is proposed to transport the mails from the
general post Office to the various railway
depots and substations: to deliver news
papers to the railway depots and TO dealers
instead of sending them by wagons as is
now done. and to carry package freight
from the downtown stores to the outlying
districts. No effort will be made to do a
passenger business. The tunnels are not
constructed to accommodate it, and IL they
were there would he violent opposition from
the merchants, who insist that their pros
perty depends upon the people Deing kept
on the surface of the streets. The removal
from the surface roadways of the mail
newspaper and package freight traffic will
materially lessen the congestion that now
affects the downtown section, and this re-
lief will be greatly enhanced by using the
subways for the passage of the heavily
laden drays, which are now the main source
of trouble, owing to frequent breakdowns.
BY payment of or 10-cent toll these
teams will be allowed to use the subways
and thus get clear right of way that will
greatly expedite the handling of heavy
freights, or the subway company will haul
the freight itself. Men who have studied
the problem say that in the present con-
Eested condition of the streets IL would be
a good investment for the wholesale inter
ests of Chicago il they could have a sub
way system of their own.
1t Is a peculiar feature of this work that
not a dollar has been asked from the pub
lie. No stock or bonds have been offered
for sale. and none will be- Every dollar Of
the cost Is being met by the original in
vestors, who are c. ID. Simpson and T. IL.
Watkins Of Scranton, Pa: J. Il. Russell OF
Wikesbarre, Pa. and c. 3. Eddy of Ala
mogordo. n. NJ. This is the syndicate that
controls the New Mexico Railway and Coal
Company. the FL Paso and Northeastern
railway. has large holdings in the Mexican
Central and Colorado Fuel and Iron. and
owns immense anthracite coal fields in
Pennsylvania The company has nothing
II exploit or sell. 1t has put Sl3.SsocbD into
the work thus far and intends to furnish as
much more may be necessary to COM
piete the entire system.
It's big thing" said Chicago banker.
land the best of il Is 1t didn't cost cent
for the franchise It's probably the only
case record where right of this mag
nitude was presented free to anybody by
city council don't believe the aldermen
knew what they were giving away
And they didn't. The atmosphere in the
vicinity of the city hall has been sur
charged with profanity ever since the dis
covery was made that the downtown SUBJ
way system Is completed, and that the
company is so well within its rights that
IL cannot be interfered with. On the other
hand. the merchants are happy, because
they see in the new system surcease from
the agitation for a depression of the street
railway tracks. This latter move, which
promised to be immensely profitable for
some of the aldermen and city officials, is
now an impossibility, as there is no room
left for street subway.
Children's Illusions