Year: 1870

The Real Relief or the City.


A rapid and convenient mode of transit from
the lower end of Manhattan Island to
Harlem river-taking in, OF course, the Park
in its track-has become matter of absolute
necessity. There Is not a resident upon the
island, nor is there one among those involun-
tary exiles who is compelled to migrate every
evening to Long Island or Jersey towards his
homestead, that is not equally convinced OF
this fact. But how to accomplish it is the diff
ficuIty. The Arcade Railway is defunct,
thanks to Governor Hoffman's sense OF the
duty which he owed to the city. The other
underground plans are buried deeper than
those who designed them ever expected to see
their pet projects. As for the one-legged ele-
waited concern in Greenwich street, ten tons or
pig iron settled all the scientific questions in
volved in that scheme. It has to come down,
greatly to the relief of the foot pas
sengers, wagoners expressmen and others
who had to cross the transverse streets
and must have looked up tremblingly
to this sword of Damocles suspended
above their heads. If any portion OF this aerial
monstrosty is allowed to stand it will serve to
remind our classic readers and Oriental travel
lers of the famous ruins of Balbec, with its
line of gaunt pillars telling the story of what
| once was but is not any more.


| But, considering the facts that the arcade
| plan and the pneumatic bore and the rlckety
| concern in Greenwich street are all vanished,
is there no plan by which the two ends of tho
/ L. nlo al ,rxsk vxytn ia
and with comfort? We think that there is
skill enough and engineering power enough in
| this community to devise such plan without
destroying our principal highway and endan-
| gering millions Of property. 1t seems pretty
| evident that neither sub-surface nor a sur
face railroad, run by steam, is acceptable,
even if practicable An elevated railway, sub
stantially built is manifestly what is required.
| Whether it is constructed on double pillars OF
corrugated iron, spanning the centre of such
streets as Chatham, the Bowery and Third
avenue, as has been proposed, well braced,
built on solid foundations, with such appliances
on the track as would render it impossible
for the cars to overturn, or whether the
road should be built on arches of solid
masonry running over the houses, and through
the blocks, when necessary, as they do in Lon
don and other cities, is question which does
not perhaps affect the main fact that the only
way to obtain true relief for the city in the
matter of intermural travel is by means of an
elevated railroad. By such mode there
would be no interference with sewers, or old
underlying water courses, or water mains, or
gas pipes. A road of this kind would affect in-
iuriously no interest in the city, nor would it
inconvenience anybody. The property taken
for the purposes of the road would, of course,
be paid for OF the two modes of travel we


think there can be no doubt about the advan-
tages of. road run through the blocks built on


arches of substantial masonry. 1t might be


costly at the outset it is true, because the pro-


iect would necessitate the purchase Of a large


amount of property, and considerable outlay


in building stone arches but in the end 1t


would prove economical, because it would be


permanent and free from danger. They had


the same difficulties to contend with in Lon


don, yet they have made their elevated masonry


railroads great success aud an enduring


comfort to the population.


We need such means of speedy transit here


quite as much as they do in any city in the


world, to relieve our overcrowded streets and


give the increasing traffic of the city fair


chance on the limited upper crust of Manhattan


Island. The real relief to be obtained for the
city, then, ahead Of all other schemes and pro-
, jects, is the construction of an elevated rail


road, running over the houses, securely built


on solid masonry, susceptible of bearing any
I weight, and capable of carrying passengers
+ with both speed and safety from the Battery tt
, | Harlem river:


ssRaIe Ousd" Fighting StOclx-Napfer ant
s O'Neill.


Canara1 Gaorra Nanier Of the British