New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-11-16
THE TRIBOR0CGH QUESTION.

THE TRIBOR0UGH QUESTION.
The triborouch subway project comes
before +I,a hoard Of Estimate and Appor-
+iourenf for its consideration next Fri
day In view OF the Mayors reputed
change of position upon this subject and
tho annarenI doubt with which Borough
President George McAneny now regards
the triborough plans some fear is e1-
messed that the board will reject the
! proiect. although the steps in the prep
/ eration OF plans and contracts were ali
taken by the Public Service Commission
/ in cordial cooperation with the rapid
transit committee Of the Board Of Is
innate and ApportiOnment, OF which the
! Mayor is q member. 1t may be well,
therefore, TO examine some Of the arSu-
menus used against the triboroush-
Il is urged that the Public Service
Commission by providing for tube
larger than the present one has unnec-
essarilv increased the cost Of the under
taking The plans call for room for
wider cars than can be operated IN the
present subway This is TO provide Tor
increased carrying capacity, which seems
TO be wise They also call for more
head room-that is, more room be
tween the tracks and the top OF the
tube-than the present subway mas.
This is 10 make possible the running in
the subway Of suburban trains Of rail
roads entering the city, should such rail-
roads at any time desire 10 operate their
trains III the subway. II provides room
Tor larger and more powerful motors
than can be placed II the cars OF the
present subway And it will make for
better ventilation Chicago, Boston and
Philadelphia all have built subways with
greater head room than the present New
+ York subway has. Boston and Phnadel-
phia adopting substantially thesame head
room that the triborOugh plans call for,
and this city has already adopted that
head room in the bridge loop and il the
Fourth avenue. Brooklyn. line, already
built or building. both to constitute
L part of the triborough system. The
Board Of Estimate and Appointment,
having already accepted the II feet g
inches head room on these routes, would
put itself in an absurd position ny reject
ing the IriborOuCh project on this &C
count.
But the really important question 20
he determined Is that raised by the re
Gently published report Of the transit
committee Of the Chamber Of Commerce
as TO whether the cost OF the tribOr0ugh
subway viii not be 50 great that il VIII
prove Improbable TO operate. The
1 Public Service Commissions figures place
/ the cost Of the proposed line much below
that estimated by the Chamber Of Com
merce Committees experts, and the com
missions estimates are entitled 10 ere
dence for they have been strikingly
I justified by the bids on contracts which
were recently opened It is TO be
observed too. that the triborOugh will be
! system iii itself without the extensions
in The Bronx and III South Brooklyn
which are included in the plans The
/ city may wait several Years before ap-
propriating money for those extensions.
! or they may he built by assessment upon
+ benefited real estate. They may there
/ lore be left out Of consideration in de-
J terminins the question now before the
city
I Without them the rriborough, ac-
cOrding 10 the cOmmissiOns figures. VIII
! cost about SII5.00u000 TO build which
! includes the S25.0OO,GO0 already spent on
or appropriated for the bridge loop and
the Fourth avenue, Brooklyn, line. 1t
would cost about S35,000,000 more 10
equip. making Il total Of S15U,OD0,OOO.
: This S35.O00,GtO. however. would only
fall upon the city III case DO operator
should be found ready to furnish equip
ment The present subway cost about
SlO0.000000 TO construct and equip and
i immensely profitable. Without the
& extensions in outlying territory. then.
The triboTpugh would still he big sys-
TEN. running through congested districts
/ in this borough and in Brooklyn, serv-
ing an immense population. and cost
+ Ing TO construct and equip only about
/ - per cent more than the immensely
profitable InterborOugh system. The
question therefore - whether that is a
risky undertaking for the city