Year: 1872

as in the successes Of the past. is the promise
of the future.


The Horse Disease and the Rapid


Transit Problem.


The great inconvenience that has resulted
from the temporary disabling Of large num-
Der of horses in the city has had the effect Of
recalling public attention to the question Of
rapid transit. So long as there was means
at hand of overcoming the difficulty Of trans
portation desire was evinced to shirk the re-
sponsibility Of dealing with a question which
every one was agreed demanded solution. But
with the sudden advent of the epizooty the
necessity Of rendering ourselves independent
81 horse flesh has made itself pretty generally
felt Under the most favorable circumstances
the horse railroads do not furnish the pleas
ATTEST or most desirable mode of con-
veyance. But, with nearly one-half their
available horses unfit for service, the
inability Of the lines to meet the demands
upon them yesterday rendered travelling
ALMOST unendurable. Every car was closely
packed with human beings to whom some
form of transportation is an absolute neces-
sity. And SO severely tested were the tensile
properties Of the street car that the supersti-
ton, which was becoming respectable from
age, that they could always accommodate one
more, was completely exploded. No amount
Of conductorial ingenuity could have squeezed
one more unfortunate, though no bigger than
Tom Thumb, into any Of the cars which took
the business men to their homes at the Harlem
end of the island. In this crush the ladies
were the principal sufferers. 1t was absolutely
pitiful to see the groups of helpless women
gathered at the street corners in the hope that
some Of the cars would have q little space;
but car after car rolled by, packed tight as q
herring barrel with able-bodied humanity,
until, losing patience and hope, the ladies in
many instances were obliged to make their
way home afoot through the slushy streets
No such sight could have been possible in any
other important city in the world.


In order to increase the horrors of the stu
alton that virtuous body known as the hack
men raised their prices to such an outrageous
extent that carriage became q veritable lux
ury in which only the rich could afford to
indulge. We have before called attention to
the want Of such regulations as would convert
the hack system from being nuisance into o
real convenience to the citizens. To do this
it is only necessary that we should follow ex-
isting examples, such as we have in London
and Paris. The rapidly-increasing extent of
the city and the necessity for cheap and
rapid means of conveyance must eventually
lead to the establishment of some system
which will secure to the citizens the same
facilities Of conveyance, at fixed and moderate
rates, that are enjoyed in the Europea.. cities
This is matter which affects deeply the bust
ness and convenience Of the citizens, and ought
to occupy the attention of our next Mayor It
will be well if the functionary and his alder
manic assistants in the government of the city
can be persuaded to abstain from mixing up
in the political squabbles Of contending par
ties, and be induced to devote themselves to
forwarding the interest Of the city. This is
what. the mass of the citizens expect from
them and among the reforms which we look
for next year this close attention to the affairs
Of the city by the municipal authorities is not
the least desirable or important.


No satisfactory solution Of the rapid transit
question will be effected until we have COM
muication by the steam cars from the Battery
to Harlem, both on the west and east sides of
the island In combination with these a line
passing through the blocks, such as we sug-
gested last year, and having stations at Union
square and at the Central Harlem depot,
would complete system Of communications
which would confer infinite benefit on
the population and contribute in degree
scarcely dreamed of to the prosperity of the
CITY. There is no occasion to wait until private
enterprise comes forward to do for the public
what the public ought to do for themselves.
Rapid and cheap transit is Of as much import
ance to the inhabitants Of New York as lighting
the streets, building piers, or any other branch
of the public service. If the city may con-
struct boulevard for the convenience and
benefit of the citizens, there can be no logical
reason why the city should not build such
lines of railroad to facilitate communications
as may be necessary for public convenience.
Under properly organized commission such
an undertaking can be carried out as economi-
cally by the public as it could be by private
corporation, and with this advantage. In
the former case the people would have
to nav for the railroads, and would not
only have the advantage of travelling on them