New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-01-16
RADICAL SUBWAY REPORT
City Club Has Many Suggestions to
Improve Conditions in Tube.

The City Club yesterday sent the Rapid Transit
Commission a long communication on ''conditons
existing In the present subway which should bo
ooViated In future subways." The document 60 4,
the form OF report fIUn a committee OF the club
The club suggests that future subwavs 10 baya
better ventilation should be built IN separate tubes
another suggestion is that the floor should be con-
StFucted out Of such material and in such a man.
rer that II shall have a surface throurhopt
the entire length OF tho subway The club vants
smooth Sidewalks and straight platforms With
reference to tho latter. the report saws:
The present curved platforms at MANY stotiors t
our subway have caused come deaths and more on
t go s, Ihey are Internationally dangerous In
ways be straight. may i
The club thinks that If block signals had booD
used on the local tracks, the same as on the CIV
press tracks there would not have been = fa+oI,t.
az l-eth street and Lenox avenue on November q
last Emergency walks 10 allow passengers g.,
stated trans to walk out Of the subway are sug-
gested and the club thinks It would be a eood
thing If the third rail, or power rail ware overheod
so as to make IL less DANGEROUS
Inc committee thinks 1t is highly important that
there should be hydrants In the subway t,seIf
within easy reach II fire were caused NV arv Co.,
dent and that there should be attached to these Nv
drants a hose which would be In readiness for uso
Inc average stop at stations of the suhwe,,
trains curing the rush hours, the report saws
Is ABOUT thlTty seconds for local trains and over
forty seconds for express trains To sava mora
time the COMMITTEES suggests that side doors he
used. 1t says that for the last three yeara tho
Illinois Central Railroad has used for its sub
urban traffic at Chicago an all steel car with n
Side door at each TWO seats, so that the whoIa
train is unloaded and reloaded In the time thar
1t takes eight persons to file out of the cars and
the corresponding eight to get into the car The
stop required for the Illinois Central trains
is about seconds.
On the subject OF the construction OF tho cars the
committee says
The present cars designed so as to secure "a
maximum standing space with a minimum nlmber
or sittings. From the standpoint OF transnortinay
as many passengers as possible, regardless OF
are to be operated with the comfort of passengers
chiefly In mind the design OF these cars should be
so changed as to secure maximum number Of sit
ttngS and minimum standing Cars can
easily be designed that viii carry practically as
many passengers as the present cars seating
nearly all of them.
The committee says there should be moro signs
the trains, that II would be easy to ascertain
their destination. 1t also recommends that signs
There should be several telephones on every
train" the report says These could be attached
10 circuit running outside of the walls OF the SUR
way by means OF plugging in, or contact could be
This would make it possible at all times for a
Inotorman TO inform the manag cement OF the oa,ss
for any delay in his train"
The committee says many wait until they
stumps of their cigars, then throw them upon the
track This habit should be corrected saws the
committee, and it recommends: ut might be an
experiment worth trying to place in the centre OF
lie, 1ers, something. of this import: DO not spit
" on the tracks"