New Britain herald., 1929-02-15
construction of underground

the construction of underground railways is being given serious con
 siders ton. Of the four smaller cities
 having subways, Budapest. Glasgow.
 Madrid and Boston. the two tirs,
 named have more than million populations; while the recorded pop
 ulation of Boston. applying to a re-
 stricted area, does not indicate the
 magnitude of the crowds daily de-
 pendent on the city's rapid transit facilities. The Madrid underground
 system Is of limited extent.
 ''Of the sub-surface city railway systems. those of New York and
 London. the two cities which vie for the title of world metropolis, far surpass all others in extent. Yet in
 plan and operation these two great metropolitan systems are in some ways strikingly different. London
 was the pioneer and some of her early construction was found later to lead to marked inconvenience and expense. Thus her earliest tube tunnels were constructed at great depths, making it necessary to supply batteries of elevators and es- calators at the stations. New York took up subway construction late, but profited by the experiments of those earlier in the field. She adopt cd the Budapest plan of placing the tunnels as close as possible to the surface so that elevators would be unnecessary.
 Another radical departure from the older methods, adopted in New York, was characteristically Amcri- can. This was the virtual building of two subways in one, by the pro- vision of four trains, two devoted to express and two to local service.
 London Cars Have Lighted Maps
 'In London the sub surfaced railway system is known as ''the Un- dcrground- subway is applied only to pipe tunnels, footpaths un- dcr-streot crossings, and the like. Some details making for the con- Noniencc and comfort of passengers stand out in the operation of the Underground. Stations arc moro or ramental and less starkly utilitarian than most of those in New York: and in some, as in the newest Pca- dlly Station. striking mural paint ings adorn the walls. The Picadiliy Station is virtually an underground square, brilliantly lighted surround ing which arc well appointed shops.
 "The best feature of the Under ground to a stranger in London l however. IS the remarkably sensible method of keeping him informed Of bis whereabouts. It is not necessary to peer out at stations seeking 10 make out dim numbers or names on posts and walls. Suspended | from the ceiling in the middle of 1 each car is a larse-scale map Of | the system with a tiny electric bulb | at each station. When the train ap- breaches a station the bulb for that | station flashes on, and remains 1 lighted until the train starts again. | Lights more conspicuous than the ordinary ones flash on at the trans- fer points calling the passengers at- | tenton to those important ccntcrs.
 New York has more than 300 | miles of subway tracks and this will | be materially increased when the | new independent subway system is placed in commission. In both Lon don and Paris tho underground trackage is close to 200 miles. In Chicago the construction of a pas senger subway has been discussed for many years but at present only surface and elevated lines are lb use. Chicago has a possible nuclcus for a subway system in it's almost unique freight tunnel system. Un- der the streets of the business sec ton of the city exists gridiron or C0 miles of tunnel, six feet wide and seven and half feet deep. On two-foot tracks in these small tun nels busy railway traffic is carried On every day while few Chicagoans are aware of its existence. By the system freight is delivered to the of stores. and and thou I sands of tons of ashes and refuse are removed annually"
 One cubic foot of salt water