New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-11-21
CHICAGO ALDERMEN
MARVEL AT SUBWAY
Inspect Underground Work
to Get Ideas for Their
Own Guidance.
ARE NOT IMPRESSED
BY OUR BUILDINGS
Two Cities Not To Be Compared,
Says Healey-Calls East
Side Disgraceful.

Chicago's committee Of engineers and
aldermen visiting here 10 get ideas OF
subway and railroad terminal construc-
ton which may be useful in solving their
own traffic problems spent strenuous day
yesterday under the tutelage of engineer
ing officials Of this city, who sought TO
give out instruction and rules for their
guidance The Chicago men expressed
wonder at the magnitude Of the work
done here. and declared they were gaining
much valuable information. To-day they
will continue their tour of the city's I'M
derground passages and railroad terminals
and study the way the roads operate trains
by electricity
The delegation is composed Of a COM
mittee Of engineers whose particular duty
IS to study railroad terminal electrical
methods They are ]. J. Reynolds, City
Engineer; II. H. Evans and Bion j.
Arnold, OF the Chicago Board of Engi-
neers, and twenty-five aldermen. sur
vey Of New York Harbor also will be
made. as we'll as an inspection of Boston's
subway system.
Some Of the Western city officials had
never visited this city before and did not
try to conceal their appreciation Of the
immensely of the underground system and
of the buildings observed during hurried
motor trip through the streets. Others.
however held that nothing could exceed
the wonders of their own city on the
lakes.
"Of course, the two cities cannot he
compared in many ways" said W. j.
Healy. alderman of the 18th Ward but
we have got you beaten in some respects.
Why. your streets aren't as clean as ours,
and many consider ours Joke in this
particular Your streets and sidewalks
are almost impossible in some parts OF
town. Corners are filled with fruit stands,
bootblack outfits and other distractions
20 traffic This condition would not be
permitted in Chicago.
I'VE took a ride through the lower East
Side to-day, and 1 can't imagine such a
state of things being tolerated. It's a
disgrace TO civilization. The idea OF pen
ming up human beings in the tenement
houses in that district is atrocious. 1
didn't see a fire escape from one end Of
the district 10 the other. / can say from
what little I observed that at least your
sense Of what is due TO humanity is not
equal 10 ours. We have no such condi-
tons in Chicago, and we have pretty
big town out there, too"
The buildings and the busy aspect OF
street life didn't appear 10 impress the
Western visitors either
We're pretty loyal and Jealous
bunch though" admitted one Of the al
dermen. land we hate TO think our city
can be overshadowed in any way, so,
perhaps. you'd better not take our re-
marks too seriously. l, for one never
saw New York before. and ! must say
that personally I consider it's boomer"
The party was chaperoned by Travis
II. Whitman. secretary and others of the
Public Service Commission. The Chicago
men inspected tunnel construction in vari-
Gus parts OF Manhattan and Brooklyn
and were entertained at luncheon at the
Chamber Of Commerce in Queens Borough.
where addresses were made by Edward
E Mccall and others.