The evening world., 1909-02-17
TO FORCE USE
! Of TANDEM-DOOR
CARS IN SUBWAY
commissioner Eustis Says In
terborough Officials Will Not
Be Allowed to Queer Them.
: TRIED TO, HE ASSERTS.
Accuses Hedley of Using "Mid-
get" Grew to Bring Side
Doors Into Disfavor.
TRIED TO, HE ASSERTS.

Tandem doors for Subway cars have
come to stay Commissioner John f.
Eustls-the "sidc.docr" member of the
Public Service Commission - told an
Evening World reporter to-day that the
test had proved the cars to be 4 success,
and that in time all Of the cars In SER
vice on the Subway express tracks will
be equipped with tho extra doors.
General Manager Frank Hedley, of
the intcrborou9h road. cannbt queer
the experiment for the simple reason
that all precedent Is against him" said
Air. EuStiS with a dry Chuckle. AL
most similar doors are now In Use In
the trains Of the Hudson AMI Marhattan
Railroad Company under the North
River, Philadelphia is using side doors
In It's subway, While Chi, ago ard Bos-
ton both have them.
Ten DAYS ago Mr.. lIed,ey seemed to
be recanf'ed 70 the s!de-ioor equipment,
mental train with picked crew OF tail
men in order TO give the proposition q
fair test lie also suggested that 1t
fright be well ID break the crew in on
express tracks before putting the train
in use fo- passengers.
Used Mdgets for Crew.
Instead. Mr.. lledlev. am told. sup
piled the experimental train with a
picked crew OF small men'-the midgets
OF his train men. Tall men are in a DO
alton TO see over the heads Of the av-
eraGe passengers and can better observe
when TO push the lever to open the new
doors for exit purposes, while pulling the
old doors open at the same time for the
entrance Of passengers.
"Mr. Hedley also put the train over
tho route for passengers with q crew
which had not boon previously drilled
In opening and shutting the side doors.
Mr.. Hedley some days ago wanted |
us to open both doors for the exit OF |
passengers. and then allow the use of |
both doors for the entrance OF passen-
gers. He claimed that the public could |
not DO trained to use one door for en-
trance while an exit was bens made |
through the other, But we thought dr. |
ferently, and finding that we were 60
ing 10 prove our case in our own way, |
and not let him bungle It, lie sought by |
other means. such as I have previously
stated, to make the tests unsatistac.
tory.
The Test Successful.
Yet In spite of this bold attempt to
bring rdicule on the efforts Of the
Public Service Commission and its
engineers. the initial trip was genu-
Inc success.
"The eight-car train will remain In
service and In time all OF the Subway
ca-s used on the express tracks will
be similarly provided.
The pneumatic device by which the
exit uoors are opened Is so simple tina.
child could operate II. Two kinds OF
patents are used on the experimental
train. When all the doors are closed n
buzzer rings In the motorman's box nj |
the head of the first car, and until then |
he must await 1t as a signal to start
the train In every way the test full
filled the promises OF our engineers.
very scon-in fact before another
winter is hero-the marlborough will
hevo 70 incfcaro itt equipment by not
less than one hundred aaG ffty new
subway cars. Tho Improvement in the
switohlng devices at Ninety -s.xsn
street will permit additional trains. ond
! propose thGs all those now cars shali
DO equipped with extra doors.
Inc increase, In cost Will be slight,
and az the whole objection of the In,
book, ! Do Nor SEE WHERE IL RI PV ChN
FURTHER DENY NEW. YORK Al
IMPROVEMENT IN SERVICE con-.
MON IN THE OTHER LEADING
CITIES OF THE COUNTRY.
AS for RENTING the subway cars now
in use with 'sde-doors,' the work ia
slow at the best. 1t took fifty men sixty
days to get out the first train OF eight
cars, even after the material was AZ.
sembled.. The Interborough's construc-
tion head, Mr.. Doyle. Is to DO congratu.
lated on the work he turned out. Mr..
Doyle IS now at work on the second
train Of eight cars ordered by thu Com.
mission as an experiment.
Ono Train at a Time.
Ihe commission proposes to have the
company work In one train at a time
until the arrival Of the next batch of
new. cars. This would find 81 xtra,ns.
or forty-eight cars. with slde-doora in
service at the end OF the first year
Perhaps during the summer months.
when travel Is lighter, better progress
could be made, but IN all fairness TO
the operating company II needs ali Of
IN cars at the present time.
AS for Mr.. Hedley, he Is not WORM.
mg the Commission at ali-he win
probably see. a great light before long.
and 20 an ardent advocate Of side doors
OF some pattern, II not Just the kind
recommended by our engineers"
Bion j. Arnold. chief consulting an.
stnser e the Commission, and the butt
q Mr.. Hedley's remark, "a dead one
from Chicago" said to an Evening
In SPITE Of q hostile operating com.
pany end . public trained TO AZ tho old
trains, our side doors are a great suc-
cess. NY assistant, Mr.. Damon. and
myself may come from Chicago, but on
ne side-door. proposition we are live
wires, and Mr.. Hedley knows II. 10
Iemodsl each Of the old steel cars will
coet the company 5000, while to
build nav cars with side doors viii
poE cD each above the former cost