The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-14
THE CONGESTION OF NEW YORK.
Even the New Tunnel VIII Afford but
Temporary Relief.
New York Evening Post.

New York Evening Post.
1t has become apparent, within a very
brief space of time, that the means o. trans
portation within the city proper and to and
from the suburbs, are painfully consested.
The difficulty of getting up and down town
in the rush hours has been serious for
two years or more, and all persons who
have depended upon the eles ated trains for
movement have been looking TO the rapid
transit tunnel for relief Row, however.
the apprehension has forced itself upon all
minds lest the tunnel, when in full opera
ton, shall only suffice for me surplus of
passenger traffic which will have accumu-
lated while the work has been in progress
and that soon thereafter the congestion
may be as great as it is now. In the morn
ing hours the south-bound elevated trains
on the West Side usually arrive at Seventy
second street filed inside and outside, so
that passengers at that station find stand
ing room only, and not always that.
1t is but few years since Seventy-sec-
ond street was itself a suburb-a far-away
place distinguished as the site of the Da-
kota building, mark of the folly or the en-
terprise OF one daring investor. Now the
Dakota is only one of a dozen gigantic
structures that lie within a stones throw,
and IL the explorer takes the roof of that
structure for his point of observation, he
sees new city stretching north and north
westward. and new buildings under con-
Moreover, these are not altogether OF the or
binary type OF American family residences.
They are largely and increasingly apart
ment houses, intended to accommodate each
dozen families or more. in the space
of four blocks on Eighth avenue among the
Nineues there are buildings now under
way; or iateiy nnlshed. with room for eight
hundred TO one thousand persons, aid these
rooms have mostly been engaged in advance
OF completion. This is only an example of
what is taking place both west and east Of
CanfrQI IN, RI ho IIor ,.f,-
The downtown congestion in the morn
ing is surpassed by the uptown move
ment in the evening. This happens because
than the business mems rush, returns
simultaneously with the latter. Hence the
slow-moving, overloaded trains on the
elevated roads and the long blockades of
surface cars between the hours of and T.
The difficulty Is aggravated by the cross
town, which has the same right of way
as the uptown traffic. The bockades on
(Twenty-third, Thirty-fourth and Forty
second streets) are not only wasteful Of
time and temper, but dangerous to life and
limb. And how is the congestion to be
relieved? Where is 1t to end?
1t may be said that the crush will pass
away with the holiday season. There will
be some relief, no doubt. Many people
have come into town for few weeks only.
They have filled the hotels and apartment
houses temporarily. but will return to their
own homes, and then New Workers can
move III THEIR OWN streets.
But that is a very short-sighted view of
the situation. 1t neglects the growth of
New York city itself, which is more rapid
now than ever before. And where is this
growth to stop? 1t is in fact limited only
by the facilities for housing and moving
the people who desire to come here. Facili-
ties for housing are practically unlimited,
because space north and east and west Of
the rivers which surround the borough of
Manhattan is unlimited, and there is still
a good deal of vacant space in Manhattan
itself. The question of the occupation of
vacant land will settle itself. Not so the
transportation question.
AS we have said, the rapid transit tunnel,
when finished, will not in all probably re-
lieve the congestion very long. 1t is neces-
Sary TO take into consideration other
means of moving the people who desire to
live in New York. This is an engineering
problem, and only engineers can supply
the data for its solution. Yet the nom
professional class may point out what
seems to be feasible i'm broad way. The
lieving her congestion by means of deep
lying tubes, for which both the fan-shaped
topography and the subterranean forma-
ton are well adapted. We have a long
narrow island for our main thoroughfares.
and a substratum of rock to pierce i'm any
endeavor to multiply lines north and south.
This difficulty may be avoided to some ex-
tent by tunnelng under the two rivers
| east and west To this end the tunnels
| Pennsylvania Railroad tunnel will be a
great advantage in demonstrating the pos
| sibilities and cost of construction, and the
| resulting effects of traffic. The franchise
| now held up ought to be granted for this
reason, If for other