New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-04-19
be some objection, because to have subway
dug along one street is net at all pleasant.
LEXINGTON-AVE. BEST ROUTE

dug along one street is net at all pleasant.
LEXINGToN-AvE. BEST ROUTE
Il should not enjoy having Lexington-aVe.
chosen myself. But think 1t is the best choice
1 am afraid. however, that the people along
Lexington-ave. will think fate serves them
badly There never such a street which
was so badly opened, for instance as LeXing-
ton-ave. Work has been done from time to
time section by section. SO that on piece Of
property belonging to me- for example, have
paid three several assessments. and two more
were paid before 1 had bought it. Only lately
/ we were assessed for opening beyond One-hun-
dredth-st. Five assessments for piece of
work is bad management So that If you pile a
subway on top Of that, as a Lexington ave
property holder must say 1T seems more than
our share.
"On the other hand. where are you to put It?
1t should certainly through the centre Of
the region and not off at one side. in First
ave. along the park Thrd-ave. would do.
The present construction is being run under the
Metropolitan system tracks in various parts Of
the city. But the sufficient bar to Third-ave.
is found in the columns OF the elevated rail-
road, below which the excavation would have
TO be dug. Supporting that structure would be
too much Of an undertaking. So / say LeXing-
ton-ave. is the proper route for the subway.
'On this avenue the work would not be all
blasting through rock by any means. Up TO
Murray Hill earth and rock would be encount-
cred From there to about Fifty -ffth-st. is clay.
From Fifty-ffth-st- to about Sixty-fifth-st there
on to Seventieth-st. the land is hard clay,
while further up there is return to rock.
1T is the location Of the park that is really
at the bottom Of this present difficulty. / al
ways wanted the park at the river fronts. That
is where il should have been placed. 1t would
have been made easily accessible would have
had many natural advantages, and would not
have cut the city in two by a rather impossible
barrier.
AGAINST NATURAL DIMENSION.
But a greater mistake than was made IN
laying out the park was made in 1904. when
the eight hundred city blocks were set with the
long dimension east and west. The long di-
mension of the island is, of course. north and
south, and the blocks should have been drawn
IN conformity. AS it is now. the surface trac-
ION lines VIII always nave double work to do,
and no amount of relief can ever alter that con-
oItion- The inhabitants continually on the
move up and down the island. particularly Of
course, at night and morning. If the blocks nad
been set with the long side parallel to the
arteries of movement. the efficiency of our rapid
transit would be easily double what it now is
For this reason the Metropolitan system Of
which L am a large stakeholder. viii not lie
affected unfavorahly by the operation Of sub
way lines. The surface lines are destined al
ways to have more passengers than they can
readily carry.
The only interests that will be adversely af-
fected will be the elevated railroad and prob
ably that will be merely temporary. For to
judge from all Indications this city is growing
so rapidly that rapid transit relief will not be
permanently adequate.
Il am in favor of a subway to run down the
East Side from The Bronx to a connection at
whatever point may be thought best with the
line TO the City Hall. But j go further than
this for it seems to a mistake TO have
topped the line at the City Hall. OF course.
know the lower Broadway region is mainly silt
and is hard stuff to do permanent work in A
disaster there would be incompara bly, worse
than the one in Park-ave. But these are merely
engineering difficulties, and all be met
The East Side should have rapid transit from
the Harlem to the Battery