The San Francisco call., 1904-10-28
Main Artery of the Great
Tunnel Is Completed and
Cheering Crowds Greet
Inauguration of Service
DREAM OF YEARS
J. NOW "A REALITY
Four Years and One Hundred
and Twenty Lives Are Con-
sumed in the Construction
of the Tremendous Shaft

Of Manhattan's great subway system
wassopened to the public. The formal
opening exercises held in the City Hall
this. afternoon were attended by in
vited guests. Mayor Mcclellan presided
and addresses were made by Chief En-
gineer Parsons. Rapid Transit Commits
>sioHers Orr and Starin, Contractor Nc
Donald and August Belmont, president
of the operating company.
Following the exercises a special
train left the City Hall for the One
Hundred and Forty-f1fth street ter
minus carrying invited guests. The
Mayor turbed on the current and the
trip was made without event.
The actual opening of the subway to
the travelling public took place to-n ight.
Long before z o'clock, when the first
train was scheduled to leave the City
Hall, the Park surrounding the hall
was jammed with a 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 to football
tactics were adopted by those ambi-
tious to ride upon the first train.
WELCOMED BY THRONG.
Promptly at z o'clock the first of the
crowd were admitted to the station,
and when the first train dashed In
sight around the loop a hearty cheer
went up. AS soon as the five cars had
been filled the train was sent away.
AT Brooklyn bridge an enormous crowd
had gathered and the train was given
vociferous reception.
From station to station the train was
heralded with noisy acclaim AS it
proceeded uptown the number of those
who desired to ride increased, and
when the terminus was reached every
available inch of space was occupied.
The people turned out en- masse to
christen the new road, and 1t is esti-
mated that nearly 10000 rode during
the evening. Hundreds of policemen
had been stationed along the route, but
the crowd was so orderly that many of
the reserves were sent back to their
precinct quarters.
The run to Brooklyn bridge was ac-
complished in twentyrsix minutes,
which included eight. stops. Running
at times at a speed of a mile a minute
in the half darkness of the tunnel, the
train dashed by stations which could
only be distinguished by a glare of
light and the black mass Of spectators.
WORLDS GREATEST SYSTEM.
The subway is the consummation of
years of study of the transportation
problem on Manhattan Island and
marks the completion of the first stage
of what will be the most comprehen-
sive system of rapid transit in the
world.
In the shape of an irregular Y, with
the stem resting at the City Hall, the
tunnel runs north to Forty-second
street, where it bends sharply west to
Broadway and out that thoroughfare
to One Hundred and Third street. This
portion of the tunnel is four-track
system, two tracks for local and two
for express train service. At One Hun
dred and Third street two tracks di-
verge in a generally. northeastern di-
rection, cross under a corner of Cen
tral Park and on to the Harlem River,
under which 1t passes by means of a
tunnel made famous by the engineer
ing skill called into play to complete
1t. After passing under the river 1t
continues to Third avenue and One
Hundred and Forty-fifth street, where
the tunnel ends and the line is contin-
ued upon viaduct to Bronx Park.
Nine miles of this total of about four
teen were ready for traffic to-day, but
it is expected that the East Side divis-
ion and the remainder of the West
Side line will be ready in about three
months.
OWNED BY THE CITY.
Ground was broken for the tunnel
March 25, 1900. 1t had been decided by
a municipal ballot that the city should
own the system, but that it should be
constructed under private contract. A
commission, of which Alexander E.
Orr was president and William Bar
clap Parsons chief engineer, was placed
in charge.
The contract under which Mcdonald
undertook the work provided that he
should construct the subway road in
four years at a cost of $35, ,000, 900 and
that he should have the right to oper-
ate it under certain conditions for fifty
years.
Throughout the subway is lined with
white glass tiles, the ironwork is tasty
and, as far as possible, has been de-
signed with an eye to the artistic as
we'll as strength and durability, while
the stations are treated in color
schemes with ceramic tiling. Each sta
ton has its own distinctive color idea
and the decorative scheme is varied in
each. The stations are commodious and
brilliantly lighted and the finishings are
all Of bronze, brass and other metal,
woodwork being eliminated as far as
possible.
The system is electrical, one great
powerhouse developing the required
energy. The cars are of the latest type,
being especially designed for the sys-
tenn and are either copper or steel
sheathed.
DEVICES FOR SAFETY.
Every known device and every idea
suggested by skill and experience have
been provided to insure safe transpor-
tation. A complete signal system is in
operation and for weeks the trains
have been running regularly in order
to train the motormen and guards in
their duties and famiIiarize them with
the road.
When Mcdonald secured the contract
for constructing the subway. GROUP
of capitalists organized the New York
Rapid Transit Construction Company
with a capital of s6,000,000, and tooH
over McDonald's contracts and it il
under it that the subway will be .oper-
ated fur the fifty years provided in the
agreement. ~
III IL