Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1904-10-27
NEW YORK
SUBWAY
OPENED
Great Rapid Transit Line
Under City'S
Streets

1
sal undertaking of its kind in the
worlds history, was formally opened
today with imposing ceremonies. The
exercises took place under the point
auspices of the Interborough company
and the board of aldermen. In CITY
Hall park, where the great downtown
terminal is located, and where the
first spadeful of earth was turned. the
principal ceremonies of the day took
! place shortly before noon. The park
and city hall were lavishly decorated.
Bishop Potter opened the ceremonies
with prayer, and was followed by an
address by Alexander E. Orr. presi.
dent of the Rapid Transit commission.
who turned the subway over to the
city. Mayor Mcclellan accepted the
trust, and then turned the road over
to August Belmont, president of the
Interborough company, who also made
a brief address. Archbishop Farley
closed the ceremonies.
AT l clock The first train was
started over the road, operated by
Mayor Mcclellan in person. Bands of
music were stationed at all the prin.
cipal stops along the route. Included
among the passengers on the first train
were the city officials, officials of the
lnterborough company, a large party
of distinguished engineers and other
invited guests. Promptly at midnight
the road will be opened to the general
public. That part of the road that
will be operated for the present in.
cludes the whole of the main line from
City Hall park to the Harlem river TO
traffic within a month OF so, and also
the east side branch to the Branx.
The great subway today consists of
2l miles of railroad under the city's
teeming streets. The actual work of
construction has taken just four years
and the cost has exceeded $4,000, 600
When the entire system is complete it
will enable one to travel from the
limits of Brooklyn to the northermost
end of Manhattan entirely under.
ground.
I dazzling array of facts and figures
tell the story of the building of the
mammoth underground road. For in.
stance, more than 100000 cubic yards
of dirt and rock were blasted and dug
from the streets of the crowded city
To tear away the rock, 100000 pounds
, Of dynamite were used. Eleven thou.
sand men were employed in the work
and Of this number several hundred
lost their lives through accident, pre-.
mature explosions, cave-ins and falling
rock.
J 1t is estimated that the road will
carry 115,OOOOOO passengers year
The fare is cents. When the ex
tension to Brooklyn, under the East
river, has been completed, il is esti
mated that the road viii carry 2OO,-
100000 passengers a year.
: Express trains will run through the
subway at the rate of mile a minute
for the benefit of the long hauls from
the Bronx TO the busiest sections of
the city below Fourteenth street Lo-
cal trains will stop at all of the un-
derground stations, every half dozen
blocks along the route. The tunnel
is ventilated by a system of electric
fans, and Illuminated the entire route
by ineandeseent lights.
! A trip through the great tunnel is
all that is necessary to convince one
Of its entire security white ensmeled
bricks wall up the sides to a brieked
arch overhead. Everything else is Of
stone and steel and heavy plate
glass at the stations TO let the light
in from the street overhead. II would
seem impossible for a disaster TO oc-
cur where everything is as new and
strong and perfect, apparently, as it
is within the power Of man TO con
trive. The pneumatic block system is
pronounced by experts 10 be the most
wonderful thing of its kind in the
world, and il is calculated to make
collisions impossible.
The ears have steel bottoms copper
sheathed sides, and there is very lit
tie wood in their construction. The
lighting system is entirely separate
from the power plant that will move
the trains by means Of the third rail
The route Of the main line is up
Fourth avenue TO Forty-seeond street.
then up Broadway until One Hundred
and Fourth street is reached. There
it branches into two sections. The
first continues straight out Broadway
to Kingsbridge, distance Of more
than IA miles from Battery park. The
second section runs east, cutting Of