The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-10-28
Crowds Struggle TO Ride on
First Car
WAS A GIGANTIC PROJECT
Nearly Four Years Have Been Re.
quired In Building and 120 Lives
Have Been Sacrificed
BY the Work.

! New York, October 27.-"City hall to
Harlem In fifteen minutes" became a
reality today when the main artery Of
Manhattans great subway system was
opened to the public The formal OPEN
ing exercises held in the city hall this
evening were attended by invited guests.
Mayor Mcclellan presided. and addresses
were made by Chief Engineer VIM. Bar
clay Parsons, Rapid Transit Commits
sioner A. e. Orr. John H. Starin, Con-
tractor John B. Mcdonald. and August
Belmont, president of the operating COM
pany.
| Following the exercises, a special train
left the city hall for the 145th street ter
minus, carrying invited guests. The
mayor turned on the current and the
trip was made without event.
The actual opening of the subway to
the travelling public took place tonight.
Long before o'clock, when the first train
was scheduled TO leave the city hall the
park surrounding the hall was jammed
with good-natured crowd. Thousands of
persons fought with one another for the
privilege of purchasing the first ticket
Flying wedges, center rushes and almost
every means of progress known in foot
tious to ride upon the first train. Squads
of police were stationed at the entrances.
, and they were compelled to meet the on
ward rushes with similar formations.
First Train Dashes Into Sight.
, Promptly at 7 o'clock the first of the
crowd were admitted to the station, and
when the first train dashed in sight
: around the loop hearty cheer went up
the train was sent away. At Brooklyn
bridge an enormous crowd had gathered
: and the initial train was given a vocifer-
GUS reception. From station to station
the train was heralded with noisy acclaim
AS 1t proceeded up town the number of
those who desired to ride increased, and
when the terminus reached every
available inch was occupied.
The road was inaugurated with three
minute schedule for locals and a two-min-
ute schedule for expresses. The outer
tracks were given over to the former,
while the two center tracks carried the
express trains.
Ground Broken in 1900
Ground was broken for the tunnel on
March 25, 1900, after years of agitation
and legislation out of which the present
project grew. 1t had been decided by a
| municipal ballot that the city should own
the system, but that II should be con-
structed under private contract on money
loaned by the city, ITO be repaid by the
contractor with interest. It required six
years TO lay out the route and plan the
size and character of the tunnel and the
viaducts. the work being under the SUI
pervision of a commission of which Alex
ander E. Orr was president and William
Barcliff Parsons chief engineer. This ac-
/ complished, bids for the gigantic work
was issued. There were but two respon1
ses, that of John b. Mcdonald, a New
York contractor, being the lowest at
$35,000000
Only Two Bidders.
In spite of the splendid franchise in
VOWED, the enormous difficulties of driv-
ing great tunnel under the crowded city
the blasting and inevitable suits for dam-
ages for injured property and the possf-
bility of a great catastrophe with its at
! tendant liability, deferred all others than
Mcdonald and Andrew Onderdonk. whose
bid was four millions in excess of the sue
cessful bidder. The contract under which
Mcdonald undertook the work provided
| that he should construct the subway
= | road In four years at cost of S5OO0000'
Il that he sould have the right to operate
g | 1t for fifty years: that the city would fur
: nish him with 600 by an issue OF
: bonds bearing 315 per cent interest and
{ that in fifty years he should repay tho
!. $35.O000OO and interest by annual INSTALL
IS ments. The entire property would be-
q long to the city, and at the end of the
lease the city could release the system
on its own terms to whom II pleased. The
= contractor was to make his profit out Of
IT the construction and operation of the
e road
u Involved Immense Difficulties.
d The construction of the tube has in
IS volved difficulties Of a character prob
ably never before faced in such a work.
z Portions of II passes under skyscrapers,
@ involving costly and specially designed
d supporting systems. and practically its
' whole length lies under a crowded city
r requiring the solution Of such problems
as those involved in the displacement OF
hundreds of sewers. many of them great
main trunk conduits, masses of intri-
cate and interlaced electric wires. gas
! water and steam pipes, and all without
seriously interrupting the service Of these
essentials to the life Of a great city.
+ Many Feats of Engineering.
} Old foundations were encountered in
unexpected places, and quick sands.
: strongly flowing springs and long forgot
ten streams frequently called into play
every device of modern engineering ge-
MUS to meet perious emergencies. About
three million cubic yards of excavation
: were made for the tunnel. one-third OF
which was stone. As this required blast
ing. another serious obstacle was encoun-
tered in deVisng means for the safe use
of explosives, particularly in those por-
, tions of the work which in the form
OF open excavation, or ditching. In pre-
serving the grade the depth of the tun-
mel underground varies largely. notably
along upper Broadway where it driv-
, under the middle of the street. Here
the roof Of he subway is but a few feet
: under the pavement. The detailed work
l of constructing the tunnel was done by
I means of sub-contracts the route be-
I ing divided into sections. which ad-
@ vertised by the chief contractor. AS ex-
o tensive bor.ngs had been made along the
!, entire route. the contractors were ena-
Z, bled to judge very accurately the char