New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-11-01
Az 0rERcRoKnEn srRWAy.

| Many and wise as the precautions taken
by the marlborough company TO prev ent INJURY
/ TO passengers in the subway it is permissible
10 doubt whether these safeguards 20 far
! enough. Careful observation Of the conditions
existing at a few points during rush hours
since last Thursday night may well excite
uncomfortable misgivings. Everything consid-
cred, thu traffic has been handled wonderfully
well. but there is SUCCESSFULLY close approach
TO the line which separates safety from danger.
For a portion of every day the patronage at
tains extraordinary proportions, although such
a result cannot be regarded as surprising. and
the facilities for meeting its requirements prove
inadequate.
The principal difficulty is with the expresses.
They not long enough or run often enough
! to accommodate the people who want to ride
in them. At several stations the operation of
loading delays a train from one to four min
utes. AS these effects are cumulative. 1t is i'm
possible to adhere to anything like schedule
time. Above Ninety sixth-st. both locals and
expresses use the same track. and the arrange
ments for switching at the temporary terminal
uptown are so imperfect that the situation
is still further aggravated thereby. In the
mean time sOuthbound expresses often become
punched near the other end of the line, and it
is often possible for the local trains to deliver
their passengers sooner than those which are
nOminally much faster. Now, this veXatious
tardiness the struggle to get on and off the
cars and the necessity for standing when
once on board a train involve nothing but in
convenience or discomfort Perhaps the public
can afford to submit patiently; at any rate, it
does so. On the other hand, if excessive crowd
ing of the station platforms, in combination
with little unruliness, forced few persons
off the edge in front of an approaching train,
the company would be severely blamed for its
neglect to avert the accident. Moreover, the
verdict would be just one
Whether or not n mistake has been made in
not having doors in the sides of the cars as
we'll as at the ends cannot yet be decided. The
question may be ignored for the present. Ultl-
mately, when the trains are composed of seven
or eight cars instead of only five, those who
wish TO embark will be enabled to do so more
quickly than they can now. If the INTERIOR
ough company has not yet secured as much
rolling stock as it wants, time will doubtless
rectify the evil. Operations may have been be-
gun prematurely, but it is hardly worth while
to stop them and wait until the additional cars
which are needed are delivered. There is one
remedy however. which can be applied at
moments notice, and which would unQuestion-
ably prove eficacious. BY having inspectors
continually on the alert, and authorizing them
TO stop the sale of tickets when a certain de-
gree Of congestion develops, the risks would
be greatly diminished. The execution of such
a policy may call for the exercise of high
degree Of discretion, but the inspectors could
easily be made to understand that. in case of
doubt, it was their duty to err on the side of
caution 1t would be an infinite pity if the
limit Of safety were discovered only through
fatal demonstration. No one can foretell how
many lives might thus be sacrificed in the in
terests of scientific investigation.
In the adoption of further precautionary meas
ures the Interborough company will naturally
be guided by the normal proportions of its bust
ness when ephemeral curiosity has ceased to
operate. TheOn which is here suggested, though
is not only practicable Immediately, but 1t is
made the more desirable by that very powerful
factor.