Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-18

with the subway is the effect upon the traf-
fc and earnings of the elegated and sur
face Iines-both of which have increased
since the subway way opened-instead of
decreasing, as everybody expected. During
the first quarter of the current year-Jan-
uary February, and March-the elevated
trains carried 90, 105 006 passengers, which
was an increase of 1925, $50 from the cor
responding quarter of 1893 and 1,162io
from the corresponding quarter of 1904.
The earnings of the elevated roads during
the same period show a net increase or
$294, 1856 over last year. l have not peen
able to get the figures for the surface lines,
but the officials at headquarters say there
was no falling off in business and estimate
that they have carried or . per cent more
passengers during the six months that the
subway trains have been running than dur
ing the corresponding period Of the previous
year. and they assert that this increase
would have been very much greater put
for the unusual severity Of the winter Inc
surface cars are used chiefly for Snort
hauls. There are several theories to &C
count for this increase of traffic The most
reasonable is that 1t is due to increased
population and to the fact that many peo-
way Is SO quick and comfortable. when
they would have written letter or used
telephone year ago.
Twice as many people use the express
board local at the most convenient sta
ton, ride to an express station and trans
fer there. There is always a crowd at the
uptown stations waiting to board the ex-
press trains. composed Of people who have
ridden eight or ten blocks on a local and
then go the rest of the way down town on
an express.
Land Values Much Increased.
The effect of the subway upon real estate
fp he Of
very marked Rents have increased and
the prices Of both business and residence
property have advanced from 10 to 20 per
cent since the underground system was
opened, and the success of the experiment
for 1t was an experiment-and the salts
faction of the public are so great that
broad plans have been adopted for its ex-
tension. The rapid transit commission,
which is a permanent body under the jul
risdiction Of the legislature of the state, has
laid out a comprehensive system embrace
ing something like two hundred miles OF
tunnels reaching to every part OF the OLD
cities of New York and Brooklyn, with not
less than five new lines paralleling the
present tunnels and occupying almost the
same streets as the present elevated roads:
First avenue, Sd avenue, Lexington ave-
nue., 18th avenue and 9th avenue The plan
for Brooklyn covers that city like spiders
web. The board of estimates, which con-
sists of the mayor, the presidents of the
several boroughs constituting Greater New
York and the president of the board of
aldermen, which, under the law, must
ratify the plans Of the rapid transit COM
mission, have the new scheme before them
and are expected to approve 1t some time
during the summer, so that estimates may
be prepared and bids invited before the
LIST of January next
The extraordinary success Of the present
subway will excite lively competition for
NJ Thn icrin, l,n,
assurances from at least three other large
corporations that they will take their
chances in the bidding. They include the
companies that own the New York surface
and Brooklyn surface lines and the New
York and Port Chester Railroad Company
The Policy Of the City.
There has been. and will continue to be-
great deal of discussion as to the VS.
dom of the policy of the rapid transit COM
mission In connection with the present sub
way, and you will find all shades OF ouin-
Ions concerning it, There is not the Slight
est doubt that Mr.. August Belmont and
his associates. who compose what is known
as the Interborough Company have secured
a gigantic monopoly on very liberal terms.
They not only own the subway but also
the elevated roads, and the former was
practically given to them; but the c'rcum-
stances under which the transaction oc-
Belmont is the only man who had the
courage and the money to assume the risk
involved In the enterprise. In the opinion
of men whose judgment is of the greatest
value. the city got the best terms possible
under the circumstances; and while Mr..
Belmont is now object of envy, he would
have received no sympathy If he had
failed He stepped forward and did what
no one else would do and what the public
demanded.
1t was the greatest public enterprise ever
undertaken, and but for Mr.. Belmont the
board OF rapid transit commissioners would
have failed to accomplish the purpose for
which they were appointed They offered the
franchise to dozen or more heavy railway
men, syndicates and promoters: to Pier
pont Morgan. TO the Vanderbilts and to
William G. Whitney, who controlled the
surface roads. and Widener and EIkins of
Philadelphia, who owned more street car
lines than any other men In the world. 1t
was offered to George Gould and his as
sociates, who at that time controlled the
elevated system: but none of them would
touch 1t. ExMayor Hewitt, Andrew H
Green, Alexander f. Orr and other eminent
citizens who were interested in rapid trans
1t argued personally with big banking con-
Germs and practical railroad men. and at
one time 1t was thought that the only way
TO get an underground rapid transit sys-
tenn would be to offer a liberal subs dy.
Finally II was decided that as an induce
ment the city government should furnish
all the money necessary for construction,
and lease the road when finished to the
builder for fifty years on terms that would
pay the interest and provide sinking fund
to meet the bonds issued for construction
at maturity.
There only one bidder, even on those
terms John B. Mcdonald, a Tammany con-
tractor, who had built the Baltimore tun-
nels and was then at work on the Jerome
Park water works reservoir. bid S36, 500 coo
for twenty miles of subway and the privi-
Iege Of operating it for fifty years, with a
renewal of twenty-five years upon revised
terms. He took the risk. He completed
his contract on time and in such a man
ner as to satisfy a critical public. Mr.:
Mcdonald was n man of comparatively
small means, and when he placed with
his bid the required forfeit of $50, coo cash,
II practically absorbed his resources At