New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-12-14
NEW SUBWAY R0ADBED.
NEEDED, SAY DOCTORS.
Heath Department Advisers Call
Present One URsanitdry.

-; -, +he subway was discussed at q
.,ssfi1. Of the advisory board of the Health De-
-.-tnent held Y, ,sterday. Il was learned that
- ooneensus Of opinion Of the physicians was
So, new roadbed must be put in to get rid
:. ,be impurities OF the air.
,gose who were present at the meeting were
~.,r,issioner Darlington. Dr. Edward G. Jane
,r who was chairman; Dr.. Bates DR.. Francis
> rinniou: Or. Abraham Jacobi DR.. i. En-
-, Holt. Or Henry ?. Loomis DR.. John A.
n,-co-kle. DR.. T. Mitchell Prudden, DR.. J. Win
-, Pranuan and DR.. Simon Baruch
vbsa Dr. Henry P. Lcomis was seen at his
home later he said:
4, .he meeting we discussed the subway con-
.;tions All were in favor of having the road
ID changed IL front of the station platforms
end about fifty feet on each side. The present
-osdbed Of stone is bad and should be RENE
died Asphalt is the thing for the subway dI
the stations. and then things can be cleaned up
AS il is now. cigars. cigarettes, etc. work 90" Il
m the stone and make 1t unhealthfuL -,
A report is being made and viii be made Ptpo tI,o
lie shortly. This Will contain the results OF 'ile
inquiry which we have made on the suDJe0''
DR.. Jacobi said arterward at his home that
the meeting was held TO discuss the oohol-
,ions aspeciaUv the sanitary. OF the sub
45o ss55 that the report which DR.. Ckan-
der had made relative TO the air IN the subway
"a rot ,,a, been accepted by Commissioner
harrington Continuing. DR.. jacob declared:
The general public nave mistaken idea Of the
faults of the subway There Is plenty or oxygen
The members Of the advisory board Of the
Health Department have gone through the sun
~ many times 20 examine the air and this
vss discussed al tie meeting. We are making
pnort of The conditions and in a few weeks II
gig be made public. This report is being made
r the advisory hoard and also by the chemists
Health Depart UfeIt.
The consensus of o,lnion Of the members OF
,be advisory board IS that there must be a new
eoor in The subway. j must he changed The
Aoar or ROADWAY was made wrong.
The floor should have been made smooth so
that II could have been swept and thus kept
clean The floor is Al present made of broken
stone and this was the greatest mistake that
was made.
Tis impossible TO keep this clean when cigars
or cigarettes are thrown into the roadbed. Men
also spit on the roadbed, and this, OF course.
Is extremely bad for the air.
There WIFI he, without doubt, more impure
sr in the subway in the summer than In the
winter but the public, I think. need feel no
alarm at present The conditions at the present
tine in the subway worse than on crowd
"a elevated trains, in large halls or even surface
cars when filed with passengers. I mean by
ths that the air is moro impure. 1t cer-
tEirly will be worse in summer unless changes
are made in the subway.
The report which IS being made by the adj
vsory board and the chemists Of the Health
Department viii be very lengthy, and will be
10 the point. The report will be complete in
every detail, and Will give the comparisons OF
the air IN the subway, in the elevated trains,
surface cars and halls. We have prepared tables,
which viii show just what the air in those places
contain, how much oxygen there is. and in fact,
give very complete analysis.
There Is one thing that can be said now, and
wzaA great Emphasis that that
bed must be changed, the present crushed stone
rsnoFed and smooth flooring placed in its