New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-10-05
HORSE A CURIOSITY IN A FEW YEARS

! our rectangular system of streets thought
! that heavy traffic would seek less con-
gested parallels. Mr. Halls findings 20
] to show that it does not. Certain streets
J become popular, as popular with the
taXicab driver you tell 10 hurry and the
driver of gigantic wagons as with the
usual run OF vehicles, and the parallels,
with just as good surfaces and far less
congestion, are deserted. Mr.. Hall studied
this phenomenon and its significance In
relation to the increase of automobile
traffic and has gathered some interesting
street group statistics. particularly deal
ing with crosstown thoroughfares.
or the Ann, Fulton and John street
group for example all parallels and one
as good as another. the test showed that
Fulton took 59.4 per cent of the traffic
John 2S3 and Ann only 1913.
OF the Hester Canal and Bayard group,
Canal took TAG. Bayard 1873 and Hester
1875 OF the Prince, Houston and LIST
street group. Houston took 50 per cent,
Prince 422 and LIST street rs. OF the 18Th,
18th and 18th streets group, 14th took 47f
OF the traffic 18th 4i.6 and 18th only I9.
or the I'D 23d and oath streets group, I'D
took 49,, I'd took "a and 2ith 20S per cent.
OF the S3d, Sith and 18th streets group,
34th street took 597 35th took 296 and
sd only 1911 or the 4lst. 42d and 43d
streets group, 42d street took 500, 4lst
273 and 43d 1873 OF the 18th and 18th
streets group, 59th took rs of the traffic
and 5Sth 222, and OF the l24th, 18th and
126th streets group, 125th took 9O5 of the
traffic, l26th took just 5.li and 124th AS.
So here is another demonstration of men
being like sheep and following the crowd.
IN CHICAGO.
The horse is disappearing from the
streets of Chicago, too. 1t is interesting
to compare the situation there with our
own case. The citizens street cleaning
bureau OF the metropolis Of the Middle
West has recently completed its annual
traffic census in the Loop. or business
section. This census counts and taou-
lates the various classes of traffic with
a view TO ascertainng whether the horse
is being displaced TO any great extent by
the motor driven vehicle, and consequent
~ whether the amount of dirt In the
Loop-a section containing blocks-should
show a decrease from year TO year. The
first annual census was taken in 1907,
when the motor car was still in the two
cylinder stage and when two automobiles
an hour was the count for an entire day
In Dearborn street, busy central thor
oughfare.
while the total traffic in this area
shows an increase of II per cent In the
seven years. 1s07-'13, the total of horses
shows a decrease OF II and u per cert
for the one and two horse teams" said
Richard T. Fox, manager Of the bureau.
1.-THE automobile traffic shows an increase
of $40 per cent. In other words, l,Ios rev.
er horses moved through these streets
last year than in 1907. while the motors
increased in the same period from LOB
each day TO 1898, gain for the motors
of 6.2g5. This gain in motor driven vehi-
cles is chiefly made up of pleasure We
hicles Auto trucks were a negligible
quantity in 1901
This year, on the few streets Of which
we have taken the census, l,4c0 auto
trucks passed in a single day. The four
horse team has almost disappeared from
our streets since 1907. The three-horse
team is still with us. The coming Of the
era tends to lessen the con-
gestion on our streets, for the motor car
and the motor truck not only take up
less room on the street, but their faster
motion prevents traffic tie-ups."
Now, the strange thing about the autoi-
cation OF New York is that horses, as