Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-10-27

| under the middle of the street. Here
| the roof of the subway is but few
| feet under the pavement. The detail
ed work Of constructing the tunnel
| was done by means of sub-contracts,
| the route being divided into sections
which were advertised by the chief
contractor. AS extensive borings had
| been made along the entire route, the
contractors were enabled to judge very
accurately the character OF excavation
to be made, but in some OF the sub
divisions unexpected obstacles and
! conditions We're found. The tragedy OF
the entire work, which up to date has
cost abo go lives, lies practically in
| the diviss f-on Park avenue In the
tnirties ara forties. A series Of mis-
fortunes and accidents befeH this sec
| ton, causing number OF deaths, en-
failing many damage suits and finan-
| cially running the sllb-contractor, who.
| to crown the one dark chapter on the
subway story, finally lost his life in a
| blasting accident.
The history of the subway is one of
pluck. skill and energy. Even with a
| full realization of what it meant when
completed, New York has anathema-
tized it daily for four years when
blocked streets, dirt and all the thou
sand and one Inconvenience and an
noyances incident to work of such
magnitude, have been forced upon
them, but today when swiftly moving
express trains glide thru the miles of
brilliant, tile-lined tunnel, and the
dream of From the City Hall to Har-
, lem in Fifteen Minutes" is reality,
! there remains only the pride in the ac-
complishment which was manifested
in the ceremonies of the opening.
The term tunnel with its generally
conveyed meaning of dark under
ground passage, is lily applied to the
subway. 1t is not only means OF
transportatio but thing of beauty
In the whole project the esthetic has
been kept in mind, and it represents
the highest type Of such work. Thru
out it is lined with white glass tiles.
the iron work is tasty and as far as
possible has been designed with an
eye to the artistic as well as strength
and durability while the stations are
treated in color schemes with ceramic
tiling. Each station has it's own dis
!
scheme is varied in each. This was
done not only for decorative effect but
in order that the prevailing color may
indicate the locality to the underground
traveller whose usual means OF know
ing his whereabouts are not available.
The stations are commodious and brill
liantly lighted, and the finishings are
all of bronze, brass and other metal,
woodwork being eliminated as far as
5hossible. The sTstem is electrical, one
great power house developing the re-
quired energy. The cars are OF the
latest type, being especially designed
for the system, and are either copper
or steel sheathed. Every known de-
vice and every idea suggested by skill
and experience, have been provided to
insure safe transportation. COM
plete signal system is in operation, ana
( for weeks the trains have been running
regularly in order to train the motor
men and guards in their duties and Ia
miliarize them with the road. When
| Mr.. Mcdonald secured the contract for
|! constructing the subway, group OF
capitalists organized the New York
Rapid Transit Construction Company
with a capital of s6,0oO000. This con-
cern furnished S4,000,00O of Mr.. NC
Donald's s5,O00,OOO bond to the city, the
other million being placed in security
companies. Two years later the COM
pany formally took over Mr.. McDon-
AIDS contracts, and it is under 1t that
the subway will be operated for the
fifty years provided in the agreement
The rapid transit system, OF which
the subway opened today is but the
first stage, when completed will make
New York unique among the worlds
cities. It's twenty-six miles of under
ground track. elevated structures and
viaducts. over which will run express
trains at nearly a mile minute, VIII
reach to the city's northern and south
ern limits, and diving under the East
river make the extreme skirts OF
BROOKLYN as accessible to the great
business districts, as the apartment
house crowned heights Of Harlem. 1t
ia estimated that over this vast system
and those of the Metropolitan Street
Railway Company and the Manhattan
Elevated Company, will pass annually
more than nine hundred millions of
passengers. Crossing this huge system
of public utilities will be the great
$50 900 900 private tunnel of the Penn
sylvania Railway Company, which,
crossing the Hudson river from the
Jersey shore to Manhattan Island will
go under the city, dive under the East
river and furnish an exit to the great
Long Island country. Other links in
this giant system are the New York
and New Jersey railroad tunnel, the
Hudson and Manhattan railroad tun-
mel. the New York and Queens tunnel,
the New York Central Terminal tun-
mel, the Williamsburg bridge, the Man
haitian bridge and the Blackwells Is
land bridge involving all told an ex-
penditure of about s205,000,0 900.
The Rapid Transit System proper,
however. which includes the present
subway and it's extensions already ,au-
thorized, is owned by the city of New
York 1t has not expended dollar in
it's construction, and the terms provide
that it shall be operated by the con-
tracing builders for a period OF fifty
years with the privilege of renewing
the lease for twenty-five years longer.
Stock Market Affected.
New York, Oct. 27.-The stock mar
ket opened weak and lower today ON
the acuteness of the Anglo-Russ1aa
crisis The whole list showed declines
of point or more. Heavy blocks OF