The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-30
OUR SUBWAY BUILT FIRST,
LONDON STILL WRESTLING WITH
F., TUNNEL PROBLEMS.

Tunnels Doing Business. With an nj
Ventilated Electric Tube System M
an Adjunct-Hope Set On Next Year.
While New Workers. are rejoicing in their
fine new subway, with its excellent ventils.
ton, swift electric trains. easy accessibility
and clean, we'll lighted stations, the great
city OF London, which had a system Of
underground railways In operation twenty
three years ago, In still getting along some
how with that same system OF railways,
operated in the same old way and supple
mented only by q deep tunnel electric road,
about which there are some complaints.
London IL hoping for better things soma
time next year. But to-day New York Ia
ahead.
1t seems hard to believe, but great as vas
the other city's start and large as are in
resources the metropolis OF America has
left the English capital far behind. We
only began really TO get busy four years
ago, but we have an electric subway going
and we have nothing but good to say Of it
London, which has been talking Of under.
ground improvements these fifteen years,
hasn't got very far yet
The same old type OF locomotives, burn
ing soft coal, are running through the same
i'll ventilated, crowded tunnels, The same
untidy, inconvenient stations are doing
business in the same old way. The same
old system Of mileage fares is in use and
the vastly more convenient one of a uniform
fare has not even been Professionally &C.
cepted.
There is the new deep tunnel, the 'tup-
penny tube" running from the Bank out
to Shepherds Bush.
1t consists of two parallel tubes, each
with single track. side by side at deep
level. When it was built the only ven
tilation provided was at the stations. the
idea being that the passage of the trains
would keep the air moving and the tunnel
would be self-vent ilating without artificial
aid.
But this theory was only carried half
way, for passages were cut at intervals
between the tubes, and the result is that.
whether the principle is good or not, the
tunnel does not ventilate itself. The bad
air stays down there.
Then 1t is not so easy 10 get to the stations
in rush Of traffic. Passengers are carried
down in elevators, and as travellers well
remember, elevators OF lifts in England
are slow. So the traffic capacity Of the
tunnel is limited, This particular tunnel
can be improved upon in future tunnels,
Londoners realize the fact and admit it
sadly.
But the old system OF underground steam
railroads--the sewer" Londoners call it
because OF its bad ventilation is very
much worse. Into these old tunnels the
wretched London fog penetrates as it did
when they were first built. The fog mnges
with sulphurous fumes from the engines.
1t becomes laden with the SCOT from
the locomotive smoke and spoils mems
linen and women's dainty dresses. Winter
and summer the air is bad, and long and
loudly Londoners ha We complained
That is about to end, however, though
New York has beat ten London in point Of
speed in solving its transit problem.
new system OF electric tunnels is being
constructed by an English syndicate
headed by Charles T. Yerkes, once Of Chi
cago and now of New York 1t is to be an
elaborate system when complete, and the
first lines are expected to be in working
order some time next year.
At the same time the same syndicate,
aving got possession OF the old under
ground steam railroads, is electrifyng them
on American principles, and hopes to have
that done, too, some time in 1905 Then
the steam roads. with their SCOT and sulphur
fumes, will be things Of the past, and London
will begin a new era Of underground trans
portation as New York has already. But
New York is first
A uniform fare had been planned to GO
into effect with the new system, but that
has failed because the Yerkes syndicate
failed to get one Of its bills through Para-
ment. But that, too, is expected to come
and by that time the entire system OF under
ground railways in London is likely to be
in the hands of one organization and the
transfer system, which New York adopted
long ago, will be introduced there.
In the meantime there are many roads
most Of them in the hands OF the Yerkes
syndicate. with wholly diverse interests,
and the unification process is slow.
The syndicate is building enormous
power houses capable Of operating all the
traffic Of underground London against the
whole Of it. Under the stimulus of its plans
suburban real estate is increasing in ralue
1t is hoped to put all the underground
railroads in communication with each other
and to make the surface lines, now mostly
run by horse power. but being electrified
with the railroads, feeders to the rapid
transit lines under ground
The new tubes being constructed are an
improvement upon the old one, and they
are expected to solve the transphrtation
problem and the ventilation problem at
the same time. Whether they will or not
only test can show.
But London is very tired of subway
experiments, A royal commission was
appointed rather more than a year ago
to look into our whole question of London
traffic. Some OF its members came over
here to inspect the subway, then building,
and they were appalled, by the mess that
New York was permitting in it's streets.
Later William Barclay Parsons, the chief
engineer Of the Rapid Transit Commission
was summoned to London to testify before
the commission concerning New iorks
transportation methods.
Royal commissions take their time, ann
this one has not made its report yet In
the meantime, the new interests in London
tunnel railroading are going on with Their
plans, and the Londoners are praying that
they may be quick IN carving them out
New York has solved it's problems first.