New-York tribune., 1908-02-27
MAD00 TUBES JAMMED
JERSEY POURS THROUGH
Thirty Thousand Tickets Sold in
Tscclre Hours.

"A
please
This was the call every few minutes yesterday
and last night down in the 18th street station
o. the new tubes under the Hudson River. From
the moment the first public train started, at a
minute after midnight Tuesday, the trains
were crowded, and, there doubt that Jer-
scymen and New Workers had accepted with an
almost literal whooD of satisfaction this new
convenience liz transportation
Everything about the system. from the uni
forms of the guards TO the varnish on the ticket
booths and the russet leather straps in the cars
was new. In fact, the clean, spick and span
appearance caused persons blase regarding the
subway to test by the of touch all the
fittings The closest the guards came to being
affected was when Handsome Bill at the Ho-
boken terminal, teased by pair of girls into
giving them buttons from his uniform coat as
souvenirs.
The history of the tunnels first day of public
operation showed its transition from novelty
or show place real business proposition. In
the first hour of its operation two thousand
tickets were sold, and il is safe to say that go
per cent of the passengers made the trip to
crafty their curiosity Every train until D
O'Clock in the morning seemed contain a great
picnic party. There were songs and cheers and
the drinking of toasts by those who carried
fasks-and they were many. But after getting
either HoboBen or 18th street most OF
the passengers boarded another train and
turned TO their starting point.
Up TO clock yesterday morning $50 tickets
were sold in the Hoboken terminal. Then the
nerry-makers and celebrators of tunnel day
disappeared and the first real rush hour of the
new system began. From to : o'clock :, 500
tickets were sold in Hoboken, the line of per-
sons stretching from the booth up into Hudson
vice Corporations trolley tracks. The trains
had been put on a three minute headway at
O'Clock. and even at that there were straphang-
and pole sW-ingers'' in every car. The
system has a type Of standee in its cars,
for certain number OF surplus passengers have
q chance TO link their arms around vertical
steel rod and swing gracefully the motion of
the train.
From = 70 O'Clock about thirteen thousand
tickets were sold, and even then the rush did
not diminish although It took different color.
The workers had gone TO Manhattan, but they
were followed by the shoppers. mostly women.
The fact that the tubes land their passen
gers right in the heart OF New York's shopping
district had its effect on New Jersey women and
from O'Clock until the middle of the afternoon
the trains for New York filed with bargain
seekers. After 3 o'clock the tide set back TO
Jersey, and to judge by the number of packages
the women carried they had not wasted their
opportunities in the big stores of New York
There had been much speculation as to what
extent the new tube service would cut into" the
patronage Of the ferries that from the Dela-
ware Lackawanna & Western terminal which
IS beside the tube terminal in Hoboken- 1t was
noticed yesterday that more than 30 per cent Of
The commuters coming in on the Lackawanna
1ra rs into the tube to continue their jour
ne. to Manhattan, although they could have
gone aboard ferry from the trains without
paying an extra fare An official of the COM
pany in discussing this. said: We don't seem
10 have lost an appreciate percentage OF our
local t-aff1c-that is; of persons living in Ho-
boken or nearby points who come here by troll
ley ca.s. In fact, comparing the number of such
passengers carried by our boats to-day with
those carried a week ago there is almost diff
ference.
I can't understand how. with many per-
sons travelling in the tube, we have not felt a
reduction OF pressure on our boats. but you can
sos for yourself that every boat is filled Per-
sons who work downtown in Manhattan fnd
thai they save time as well as fares by taking
our Cortlandt street ferries and Christopher
street ferries. II we affected at all before
the tubes from Jersey City 10 lower Manhattan
are cr,ened and operating il Will be in our I'D
street service"
1t the office Of the Hudson & Manhattan Rail
road Company a representative Of Nj McAdoo
said that during the first twelve hours OF
operating the system about thirty thousand
tickets were sold of which about two-thirds
were sold in Hobozen. For the present. it was
said no further figures regarding ticket sales
WOULD be given cut. A1r. McAdoo denied the re
port tha, q thirty story hotel would be erected
over the so street terminal which is under con-
srr,lction. Just what sort OF building there will
he oyer i has not yet been decided.
The greatest crush OF the present Manhattan
terminal at I9th street and Sixth avenue, began
n = o'clock yesterday afternoon, when the thou
sarde of persons living in and near Hoboken
started for hcme. \ mounted policeman and
w, men -, foot were needed 10 keep the crowd
IN order as the lire reached from the ticket
booth far out along the street
The tremendous westbounG or homebound
,~s4fir csfscd the saloons in Hoboken TO do a
land Office business. and many places were com
y,e3led /, put on extra bartenders TO take care
of the thirsty crowds. The tide of traffic turned
-o,.-a-d Manhattan at : .. and many theatre
-,a-tjes called tunnel box parties" by the
rfcFset choppers came over from Hoboken The
-r,.,,-de that rode back and forth between
-, and Il T. m. were mainly sightseers. but
.r,ar lI;.o p m. there big rush west
80 ID ,rl,en the Hoboken theatre parties started
for home.
r-tcvo was much congestion at the station on
- . do of 10Th street and Sixth avenue
,.-ta-, f;,e crowds lined up TO purchase tickets
The tvo ticket windows, which are SIDE ny
.fae we're no better than one would have been'
- - ;r,,,, railing prevented the purchasers from
T., ming 2 Iine on each side MI Dayton the
s.arfon master. said another ticket window
,.,,,,ld I,s opened to-day. The trains were com