The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-28

lers below ground began to thin out. At
| 7 o'clock the sale OF tickets at all stations
began and the greater public took possession
| OF It's own.
When they began taking in money at the
Brooklyn Bridge station there was line OF
people six deep all the way from the door
Of the kiosk to Mail street; Inspector
Titus, In command Of the police detail at
the Bridge station, estimated the crowd at
10000, Others put the figure lower, Thou
sands did not 80 home to dinner at all after Ter
line and waited patiently in the cold until
the word came to throw open the doors
Titus had Capts John and Steve 0'BIien
and $50 men to handle the crowd. Inc
thousands of subway-crazy folk we're
shepherded safely into the hole and onto
| the trains.
The rush lasted about half an hour:
In that time there was serious danger OF
some people getting. hurt, so fierce was
was not one report of an accident. Lots
of people had their toes bruised and the
breath knocked out of them in the first rush,
but everybody was good natured and took
the annoyances as part OF the evening 8
| fun.
Brooklyn Woman Was First.
Tho first ticket at the Bridge station was
| bought by a middle aged woman from
Brooklyn, who had waited two hours at
| the head OF the line. W hen the sprint down
! gave a yell and went down the rubber
covered steps three at time and beat every.
| body else to the window. Somebody asked
| her for her name.
Not for mine she said. IN enjoy
| this little experience all to ilyself. don't
| want my name in the papers -,
| Second in the dash for tickets was small
boy who had very dirty face and very
ragged rel Jersey. He did his best b. get
| the first ticket, but the woman from Brook
lvn would not be deuie1.
General Manager frank He3lev was In
charge Of the Bridge station personally
He was everywhere at once, shouting
warnings ~ the overan xious, keeping an
eve on the running of the trains, instruct
ing the guards how to handle the crowd, and
arsNrring questions twenty to the minute.
Things are going as smoothly as II the
suHwa" had been running FOR a year,
ssid lie after & while. There hash been
hitch % any kind. Every employee is
trairei thoroughly TO his duties and tie
systen is running like piece Of well oiled
machinery.
Is 900 From the Bridge In Half an Hour.
In the fist halt hour trains running from
the Bridge station n l46th street took l5,OcJ
people Every car In that half hour WAS
janme! full. According to Mr. HejleHs
estimate every train carried about SOD
persons. The local trains ran on three
miaute schedule and the express trims on
four minute schedule.
When the rush was over the average
treinlosd fen away consider ably. but the
estimate Of the hourly traffic from the
Bridge station for the night until IL O'Clock
was from 1000 to 5000.
Thousands bought two tickets, putting
one in the box and keeping The ether as a
souvenir. largo part of those who took
in the subway before. and The appearance
Of the place waS revelation to them.
Scmc OF the comments were amusing.
One woman cha'tering away to the man
who a. exhibiting the subway to her, said.
thing like this. thought 1t was just
dirty little hole in the ground that they
shot you through as quickly as possible
General Manager Hedlty was standing
cloee to her. His enjoyment Of the com
ment was intense.
Brooklynites in the Van.
Probably half the people who bought
tickets at the Bridge station last night,
particularly during the rush, Were from
Brooklyn. There was steady stresm
from Er!dgc cars down into the subway,
I'm very glad. said d. MY; . Hedley
7 o'clock as the hour Of starting the
wheels. II the subway had been opened
to the public during the daytime, say at
: O'Clock, there might have been serious
t.OuDle IN nanCllng tne cTOWO.
Just take a look at the whole thing now
and say what strikes you right away. The
first impression any one gets, am sure.
is that it must have been running for years
1t the Bridge station. as elsewhere, the
arrangements were such that II was i'm
possible to go astray. Guards and callers,
spick and span in their new uniforms,
guided the line. reared out the destination
OF trains. shouted the proper exits and
answered all sorts Of questions. The en-
Il Nl..- -, H.,
as If the systemhad beenrunning for years
Everything was shiny and new: but there
wasn't hitch in the operation OF the trains
or the handling of the crowd.
At all the stations IL was the Same story.
When the station at City Hall was thrown
there. The crowd extended from the two
subway entrances well out into Broad
way. 1t kept constantly increasing up. to
7:3O, in spite Of the great stream moving
Then from 7:9o on to O'Clock there was
a decrease, until only small knot Of people
were grouped about the entrance.
Only local trains run into the City Hall
station.
At Fourteenth street people began to as
kiosls soon after o'clock Fifteen minutes
before O'Clock a bunch OF from fifty to a
hundred stood at each opening,
The crowd was restless but happy. In
three minutes after the opening the police
had to shut of the flow from above. After
q little 1t began again. II was estimated
that 100 persons entered the subway at
Fourteenth street in the first six minutes.
After that they came at about twenty
minute for each entrance.
Down below trains were sliding in and
out, swallowing hundreds Of bows and girls
and men and women-especially boys.
Some OF the youngsters made a cage OF
monkeys OF the front car. 1t was noticed
that the gates were opened and closed more
quickly than on the elevated, the guards
evidently fearing that the first crowds
THEY'RE ALIIs CHALMERS ENGINES.
Milwaukee. Oct. "a.
An Interesting fact about the New YORK Subway