The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-08-14

II
"a Central-the busiest travel center in
American the heart Of New York
city, Is being enlarged and rebullt
on a tremendous scale without impeding for
q momen, the movement of the seven hun
dred trains that carry sixty thousand pas
sengers in and out OF it every day. When
this marvel OF engineering skill is completed,
eighteen months from now. Il will be by far
the greatest railway passenger terminal in
all the world. No other railroad gateway in
existence or projected is half as large.
These millions Of dollars are being spent
primarily for the safety, comfort and con-
venience OF travellers The new Grand
Central will be the eastern terminus Of the
dozen noted lines that, stretching north
and east and west for more than thirteen
thousand miles. form the New York Cen
trail System.
For more than five years an army Of
men has been at work night and day with
batteries Of rock drills and squadrons Of
steam. shovels widening and deepening the
acres Of yards in the old terminal The
greater part OF this work Is now done
Nearly three-fourths Of the wonderful two
stored system Of tracks, covering seventy
acres below the street level. are in opera
ton. On the Lexington Avenue side some
OF the group OF massive terminal buildings
"a splenddly equipped temporary" sta
ton, the general Offices OF the railroad
companies and the branch post Office
are occupied and in active use. The old
Grand Central station that has been Ia
mllar TO nearly two generations Of travel
ers is being demolished and by autumn the
main building of the magnificent terminal
that is TO occupy its site will begin to
shoot upward.
Altogether this vast gateway 10 America
In the heart Of the metropolis will cover
a space OF about twenty city blocks. One
feature of 1t alone-the waltng-rooms for
passengers-will have a total area Of more
than six and n half acres The thirty-twO
miles OF tracks will be rooted over on the
level with the streets and will be covered
by a group OF magnificent and monumental
buildings unequaled in beauty by any city
In the world. Some Of these structures
will be used for station purposes; others
will be devoted to commerce and others
20 the arts. The new terminal will be
different from any railroad station in exis-
tence. All its complicated machinery-the
signals, the tracks and the hundreds Of
electric trains-wil be below the street
level and less in evidence than the heating
and lighting plant Of a great hotel.
So carefully has this new Grand Central
Terminal been planned that, despite It's
vastness, no incoming or outgoing traveller.
no matter how inexperienced is likely 20
become confused or to have the least cause
for trepidation There will be no great,
hlgh-roofed train-shed, filed with smoke
and kissing steam and distracting noises.
There will be no jostling uncertain crowds
moving in opposite directions. The incOm-
ing and outgoing travellers will pass to aud
fro without meeting or minglng
The principal part of every big railroad
terminal is that which is devoted to the
use OF passengers who are just starting on
their journeys There will be two great
waiting-roOms in the new terminal, one
for the suburban passengers and the other
for those going through TO more distant
points. Each will be on the level Of the
tracks that It serves and will be quite
distinct from the other. These waiting
rooms are entirely apart from the hurrying
crowds. They are literally places Of rest
waiting rooms and nothing else. Pas
sengers need not go through them to get
10 their trains Those who are waiting
for the suburban trains and those whose
tarrying is for the through expresses or
hiers need never see each other or mix in
going and coming. The entrances and
exits and everything else are distinct and
separate. This Is one OF the many unique
features Of this great terminal.
The passenger who is in a hurry and
arrives at the station when his train Is
made up and waiting for him will 20 direct
to one or the other Of the two great con.
courses Like the waiting-rooms one OF
these is exclusively for suburban travellers
and the other for those whose journeys
will carry them many miles farther aielJ
Each Of these concourses will have its own
ticket Offices, information bureaus, baggage
checking-places, parcel rooms and all the
facilities for travel The outbound con
course will hold fifteen thousand people at
a tine without crowding and within the
boundaries Of the inbound concourse eight
thousand people may move about comfort
ably. AS the waiting-rooms will hold about
Eve thousand more, nearly thirty thousand
people In all can gather In this enormous
station at any one time without crOwding
In the least
The essence Of the idea that has run
through all the designing of this mag
nlheent terminal and has been the subject
Of years Of study on the part OF the most
expert men in America who are concerned
In 1t Is this: TO build a station so that
anybody-one who has never been in New
York. for example. can step from his train
and proceed to his destination in the city
with the least possible confusion and the
utmost tranquility and peace OF mind
This hitherto unreallzed ideal has been
practically achieved at last.