New-York tribune., 1908-08-24
SCHEME TO COOL TUBE
5DVISES WALL IN SCBHAI
ID 7 Arnold Recommends Long
Partition as Means of Tentildtion.

--,. building of e solid and continuous centre
,,.a.n the north and south express tracks
,..en o6tt street and the Brooklyn Bridge is
..conrneuded by Bion ]. Arnold, consulting en-
,ee- 70 the Public Service Commission, as the
.-,os+ economical and most effective way OF Sc
-f-o nroper cooling and ventilation Of the
b7-ev Such a wall Mr.. Arnold estimates.
,,l5 he brilt Of s-inch terra Gotta block at cost
= -,o+ more than s. % running foot, or about
ezene0 all told. Mr.. Arnold, whose investiga-
+,ons have led him to the conclusion that 1t is
In hot in the subway during the summer. says
. concrete wall could be built for not more than
s720oa0 but adds that 1t would give no better
a-1-;ce than the terra Gotta structure. besides
being more expensive, although a better guard
IN the case Of train jumping the track The
wall Mr. Arnold says could be constructed
1,icIIv because the express trains do not run
in the early morning hours Although the i'm
movement might prevent easy passage by en-
moves from northbound TO southbound tracks.
or vice versa this seeming argument against Its
construction could be overcome by installation
al stations and whenever necessary of vertical
oounterweighted sliding doors. and If thought
advisable the upper half of the wall at stations
couId have vertical counterweghted sliding win
dovs for observation
Mr. Arnold recommends the building of the
wall because he believes Il would be the best
vav of obtaining piston ventilation AS at pres
ent constructed the opposing train movements
c1urn and whip the air. producing opposing
pressures and rotating effect of the air about
the train In single tube construction, on the
other hand where the trains travel IN the same
direction as in the tubes under the East River,
the section Of the subway between SD street
and Grand Central Station. and the Hudson
tunnels the air is made 10 travel in the same di-
rection the trains each train pushing out a
large quantity of air as II approaches a free
opening and drawing tn considerable air as It
passes the fopenins.
Such wall could easily be built on the H"
section plate and angle columns of the subway,
and it would add greatly to the strength Of the
subway Should 1t be built. Mr.. Arnold says.
during the night operation, the twenty-five ex-
haust fans. which now have all they can do 10
take care Of the heat, would he able to take
away some Of the stored heat The result would
he that three times much cool air would be
taken into the subway as at present, thus aiding
materially to decrease the temperature, which
averages in the summer six degrees higher than
the air in the street. This wall would have to
he built under the contract. extra, the
1nterborough company doing the work and pay
ing an increased charge on the cost, which would
be betrayed by the city
Mr.. Arnold's plan for making the subway
more tolerable as TO temperature and quality of
air will soon he taken up by the Public Service
Commission with the officials Of the INTERIOR
ough Rapid Transit Company. In case the con-
struction Of the centre wall should be delayed
owing 10 expense MT. Arnold recommends the
installation at early date Of large fans at the
Grand Central and 18th street stations TO draw
the air from tIc street through the kiosks and
force il in large quantities down into the sub
way As there is no great congestion Of trans
fer passengers from local TO express trains, and
vice versa, at I'D street, and the Goth street
station has many free openings 70 the street, Mr..
Arnold thinks that the piston action of the
trains would be sufficient at these points -Four
disk fans could he installed at each station a
cost Of 5000 for each station or $4,000 alto
gether.
Another recommendation of Mr.. Arnoid's
which has received the commissions approval
and which they Will order carried out at once
IS the blocking open of the automatic iauvres
or Slated openings connected with the fourteen
ventilating chambers at the sides Of the subway
between seth street and City Hall When these
chambers and louvres were constructed it was
expected that the operation Of the trains would
create sufficient air pressure 10 discharge the
heated air and draw the cooler air from the
street into the subway at the stations Be
cause of the conflicting air currents set up by
the opposite train movements (Which would be
and the slow speed OF the trains in approaching
some Of the stations, the necessary air pressure
TO open the louvres is often lacking Mr. Arnold
says they are open only % per cent Of the time.
and suggests that devices be installed to keep
them open during the day and to allow them
TO operate at night, at present, so that the
exhaust fans could be used 70 remove some OF
the heated air. Such an arrangement would. In
his opinion, add an area for free passage Of air
equal TO one-half the area OF the present ef-
fective station openings. and would allow large
quantities Of the cooler street air 10 be drawn
into the subway.
in his report Mr. Arnold says that no mate
rial changes have been made in the condition OF
the subway despite the introduction OF grated
Openings exhaust fans and automatic louVres,
since DR. George A Soper made his report TO
the Rapid Transit Board. in February. lSo In
discussing methods Of cooling the subway by re-
frieeration either by the rapid expansion OF
compressed air or by the evaporation of volatile
lio7,idE he concludes that the results obtained
would not be such as 10 justify the large e1-
penditure the installation Of a plant for the
second method costing 100000 alone ana
$4,000 yearly 10 operate it