The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-09-18

to the subway after dark when trains
are passing.
One of the most impressive parts
of the subway is the stretch between
One Hundred and Twentieth and One
Hundred and Thirtieth streets or
Whereabouts. There the road crosses
Manhattan valley and is subway in
name only. Northbound trains emerge
from the tunnel at or near One Hun
dred and Twentieth street rush over
steel viaduct more than 100 feet higher
than the lowest point in the valley,
and then, in the neighborhood of One
Hundred and Thirtieth street, plunge
again into the tunnel.
For a part of the way the viaduct
is much like a section of the elevated
railroad. but where the cross street in
the valley is passed there is a great
steel arch as graceful as it is massive,
springing from abutments bedded deep
in the earth, but showing only two or
three feet above the surface.
Just over what would be the key
stone of the arch, if it were of stone,
is a station. Other things being equal,
it would be supposed that no station
would be placed so far above the
ground. The places where the sub
way tracks leave the tunnel to cross
the viaduct would be ideal station
sites SO far as ease of reaching them
is concerned.
The other location is plainly inn
perative, however, when all the local
conditions are understood, but pros
pective subway passengers have been
wondering how they were to reach
the dizzy hight at which the station
is perched. There was no sign of an
elevator, and the bare thought of
climbing so far has almost given heart
failure to hundreds But within the
past few days all forebodings of
breathless climbing to that station
has been allayed.
The ascent is to be made by means
probably the longest in existence.
The only other public escalator in
New York is at the Twenty-third
street station of the Sixth avenue
elevated line. Another one is now
being put in at Thirty-third street,
though. where it will help greatly in
relieving the crush. Several escalators
most famous department stores and
Coney Island boasts of few. The
adoption of the escalator by the In
terborough will doubtless prove
boon to the passengers and also in
crease their number. They are quite
as satisfactory to passengers and
will be more economical to the COM
pany than elevators, since, unlike
them, they require no operators to
run them.
While the acme of progress in HUI
man transportation is being prepared
for in the installation of escalators on
the lines Of the old Manhattan roads
and the elevated parts OF the subway,
the metropolis still tolerates several
miles of the old-fashioned horse care
railroads.
One of these crosses the subway line
far below the station just mentioned,
running alongside the One Hundred and
Twenty-fifth street cross-town line.
ing all the principal North river docks,
has line of horse cars miles in length.
All through the upper stretches of
this streat the horse cars run on the
freight tracks of the New York Cen
trail Railroad. Occasionally horsecar
passengers on this street have to de-
bark in a body while the car is Jump
ed around" a freight car that is stand
ing on the tracks without an engine.
This operation always amazes pas
sengers who chance to be strangers in
town. though old-time New Workers
never bother about It. It's a nuisance
and should be abated, of course, but
your real, genuine New Yorker takes
1t philosophically enough. Possibly
there is no surer way of telling the diff
ference between a New Yorker and
visitor than by applying the West
street jumping" round a freight car"
test TO him. Duane.