New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-11-14


opened conditions they are to-day will be
representative Of the subway in working ORDER
That X gives additional transit facilities TO this
town with more real rapid transit than any
other line there is no doubt. Even the complaints
of the people who have found various faults IN
the new line, from it's air to its officers. do not
DENY that 1t takes them TO Harlem more COM
fortabiy than the older systems. But that II
has relieved the elevated roads and the surface
lines TO a large extent, the suffering, struggling
,,straphanger' or "standee" says is impossible;
and the officials of the elevated and surface sys-
tens bear him out.
The elevated roads are not running any fewer
trains and say they do not intend to decrease
,he number The surface roads are running
their capacity during rush hours, as they have
been forced TO do for several years Yet in
spite of the number of people carried by the
new transit system in the rush hours, night and
morning, it is almost as impossible for many to
obtain seats as It before the opening of
the subway. The elevated road is undouhted-
" carrying fewer passengers; ticket agents at
various stations have noted falling off in their
sales. In one case this amounted TO about $50
a day. representing six hundred passengers.
Yet in the great number of the rush hour
passengers what relief the subway has given
is almost iihpercepti0le" to use the phrase
Of an official.
NUMBER CARRIED BY THE SUBWAY.
With its elaborate schedule, quick trains and
short stops at stations. the subway is carrying
only some two hundred thousand to two hun
dred and fifty thousand people day. The elevat-
I'd and surface lines il is estimated. carry from
four TO five times that number When the
Lenox-ave. or East Side. branch is opened next
week there will be vast new field, now i'm
perfectly furnished with transit facilities. from
5hich the subway will draw an additional one
hundred thousand a day. To handle this in
creased number its service local and express,
VIII be practically doubled. Even now the man
agernent is planning for longer and more fire.
quent trains.
For the first few days Of subway operation
the line carried record breaking crowds which
were drawn by curiosity from elevated lines and
surface roads. Those who travel by the tunnel
now are simply those who find il con-
venent than any rother route. OF these, the
officials estimate, about 80 1-3 per cent are
drawn from the elevated lines, a total of from
seventy thousand eighty thousand persons
This number, however, among the people who |
use the elevated lines in a day is small, and |
makes little impression on any condition save
that OF gate receipts.
Just how many people have deserted the sur !
face systems for the underground it is impossi- |
be to estimate. The upper West Side lines
have been affected the most. OF these it is
estimated that the Broadway line and the Co
lumbus-ave line have lost about 10 per cent Of
their passengers. With all this. however. there
IS a large proportion Of the subway's traffic
accounted for, except Oh the supposition that it
is new business" AS TO this General Manager
Hedey says that New-York can never have too
many transit facilities, for as long as new roads
are built people Will patronize them.
The extension Of the subway to the Battery
VIII be running by next March, it is thought,
and with this branch tapping the great WalI-st.
and downtown Office building district gain Of
some one hundred thousand passengers is ex-
pocted. Many of these. Of course, Will come
from the number who the elevated be-
cause its stations are more convenient. To han
Ole this increased traffic enlarged service
VIII be put into operation. There is sufficient
equipment to enable the subway to run eight
express trains at shorter intervals than
under the present schedule, and an increased
local train service.
THE SERVICE NOW EXCELLENT.
Uneven and subject to 'tie-ups" at first, the
train service Of the subway now is in excellent |
condition. The expresses run close TO schedule. |
The locals occasionally depart from the schedule
scneH hat. but usually run in good time The |
Management IS receiving complaints save !
from cranks who have patent devices of various |
xmas winch they would like to substitute for |
similar arrangements in in the subway.
The expresses are far buster than the locals |
ENen IL the rush hours, when the expresses are |
hlied With persons standing, one get a |
seat in a local. II is a favorite plan for |
The short distance traveller, if he goes above |
Fourteenth-st-. 10 take the express to its first |
STOP then continue by the local. although he |
may not save any time.
The employees of the subway are well salts |
hea with the road. Only one mana motorlnan |
mas left II since il began a regular SER |
wee de said he was sick all the time. but |
could assign no specific reason for it. Applica- |
lions are being received from locomotive engi-
lleeis ana motormen on other systems for places |
IN Inc subway AT first some of the emploves |
found the flashing lights of the stations I'm con-
trast with the comparative gloom of the hodv |
81 the tunnel with the dancing iron pillars try-
ing TO their eyes but TO this they readily became
accustomed The cars themselves are fairly |
well lighted and will be as we'll heated AZ v-ere |
the elevated cars last winter, when many found
them uncomfortably warm.
The air in the tunnel has been a troublesome |
subject 10 the management Much study was
expended on this phase Of the construction work
10y William Barclay Parsons the engineer and
Mr. Bryan, the vice-president of the INTERIOR
ousn before the work was begun even When
hey visited Europe TO study subways they ex-
afLlLed carefully to the air supply in each
4Aey thought that this tunnel was to be
specially built Of cement and stone and brick,
caIeIuIly prepared to shut out dampness and
vas large, with frequent stations. the air would
- normal In Paris, the kiosk entrances have
ooors. No doors were permitted at the en-
frances here and IL believed that the air
kept III circulation by the constant passage Of
Ga.As. would keep itself pure by circulation
WIN the outer air through the station entrances
Inc cars Themselves being less crowded than
Ne elevated cars, and larger in proportion than
Ile surface carg, would contain enough air m
prevent discomfort TO the passengers -
But complaints arose. complaints of headaches
90 nausea some or which went TO the Health |
department. and scientists physicians and
chemists took up the subject with widely di- |
Fefgelt views. Fearing some defect the man |