The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-10-28

over the surprise and to realize what
the surroundings actually are. The
lighting effects are most tasteful and
for once in great, practically NUM-
cipal undertaking beauty has been
made an important element in the
work.
Every station along the route has
an entirely different color scheme in
glazed tiles and marble, and In addl-
lion the walls wherever possible, to
their name. The Astor station, for
instance, is decorated with the bea-
yer in mosiac-the Astor emblem,
and at Columbus Circle, the decora-
tions are caravels.
1t will not be necessary for pas
senger going up or down town to
strain his ears SO that he may I'M
derstand what station the conductor
is calling. He can look out of the
window and see the color scheme of
the station he is approaching and
know at once where he is. But if
this evidence fails him, an ingenious
electrical arrangement, suspended
from the roof of his car, lights up
automatically on approaching the
station and shows the name in cleo
:ric bulbs.
There are not only dispatchers'
offices, fully equipped at every sta
ton, but by a novel electrical sys-
tenn the moment an engineer of a
running train takes his hand from
his lever, for any purpose, or acct
dentally loses control, the air brakes
are applied by automatic pressure
ard the train comes to a gentle stop.
1t is impossible for train to swerve
from the rails under any circum-
stances.
Express trains to Harlem will run
at the rate Of from forty to fifty
miles an hour and cover the distance
to the river in fifteen minutes. The
cry of "Harlem in fifteen minutes
thought only few years ago to be
an idle dream, is now an accomplish
ed fact. Local trains, stopping at
the various stations, will make the
run in thirty minutes.
Between One Hundred and Sixty
eighth street and the city hall there
are facilities for running the express
trains at even agreater speed than
fifty miles, if necessary. There is a
fifth track at Forty-second street,
one at Fourteenth street and third
al Spring street, so that cars can be
switched off at these points. In ad-
dition the system has loop at the
city hall and double loop at the
Battery The cables containing the
electricity used for power are built
in duets into the side walls of the
subway and run in from the oppo-
site side to that provided for the
lighting wires both systems being en-
tirely separate in operatiaon.t
Many of the subway stations are
finished in the most artistic manner.
lockwood pottery, Faience and mar
ble are used in many tints and in
tricate designs. The glass roofs at
the stations provide dazzling light,
which is diffused from the glazed
tiles. The platforms are built in the
most substantial manner, to accom-
modate great crowds. From one end
of the subway to the other the pas
sage is nothing less than great
broad arcade, lit with much brillian-
cy and broken at short intervals by
the ever-changing color schemes of
the various stations.
The third-rail system will not be
used throughout, the rail, however,
being protected by a hood for its
entire length, making accidental con-
tact impossible. This is only one of
the precautions that have been taken
by the way Of safety. On no railroad
ir the world has the chance of acct
dent been reduced to such mini
mum as in this subawy
Inc WOTk as IL now STANDS COM
pleted, covers distance of twenty
four miles thirteen and one-half
mileoeelfsav 81 shrdlu mfwy mfwyu
miles Of subway proper, five and one
half miles Of elevated viaducts and
Eve miles OF deep tunnels The main
stretch Of track from city hall to
One Hundred and Fourth street is
81 miles long and four-track all the
way. Following onto this are a
three-track system Of IA miles and
a double track system Of 90 miles
making a total length Of twenty-fou,
miles. The entire track length is
seventy miles. The portion Of the
i L. L 4