New-York tribune., 1910-06-19
Homeward Rush
States Dash for Dinner De
mands $4,000 Horsepower.

More than one and a quarter millions of
people are hurried home from their offices
within two hours each weekday in the
year by the street railways Of this state,
according to figures that have been COM
piled from the reports Of the Public Service
commissions at the headquarters Of the
Street Railway Association of the State or
New York IN this city.
Of the four million passengers that now
make up the total human traffic for every
day in this city alone fully one-ffth are
registered as relying upon subway and
streetcars to rush them from one TO twenty
miles between o'clock and dinner time.
To save seconds for the hungry horde that
storms the conveyances for a couple of
hours each afternoon enough cars, power
and crews are to-day maintained by the
street railway men of the stae TO carry
three times day every man, woman and
child in the Empire State.
To move this multitude power plants
capable of generating more than 10000
horsepower are now held ready throughout
The state to exert their utmost strength
during this short stretch of rush hour
demand. Twelve thousand cars, the ma
3ority Of which must stand idle during the
greater part of the day and night are
maintained to cope with the crowd that
must be carried for these few trips Every
one Of the 5000 conductors and motormen
that are reported TO be employed in this
state is thrown into the sudden service OF
this short emergency period. for which it is
impossible TO hire and train extra men with
out paying them full time wages.
That the average American crowd is
intent on saving seconds rather than get
i, n hos f1saar7
reported to the Street Railway Association
of the State of New York by every one
Of its members. by whom a searching
study of the rush hour problem is being
made. With every car filed and all the
tracks utilized by persons anxious TO hurry
home, it is shown that from two 10 five
minutes are saved each day by every pas
senger, as against the time it used TO take
him TO reach dinner
With an average gain of even three min
,,tes 2 day to each of the million and
ouarter rush hour passengers by modern
e1uipment and special rush hour arrange
ments. it is estimated that more than sixty
thousand working hours are saved each
weekday to the people of this state
II the American worker We're willing TO
wait for a seat each night the final
seating of this great crowd were physl-
callv possible, it is figured that it would
he after 10 O'Clock before the last ones
could be carried home to a cold dinner.
Plans to facilitate further the homecon-
ing of New York States rush hour crowds
by arranging Office hours that would sepa-
rate by minutes the great outpouring OF
thousa nds of workers are to-day being con-
sidered by the street railway men, VINO
hope TO obtain the cooperation OF employ
ers TO this end. In Albany and Troy
where the public has just succeeded IN IN
ducing the Public Service Commission 10
withdraw an experimental order restricting
the number OF persons allowed on each
car, from five thousand to six thousand
workers IN one instance are dismissed at
the same minute, and have to be carried
away within quarter of an hour.
In these cities. as well as towns all over
the state. scientific study OF the perpiexing
problem of the rush hour is being made
by the trolley men with the hope Of max
ing the speedy homecoming demanded by
Americans even quicker and more COM
Portable.