I
Ho no a u Count# Council.
THE RAPID TRANSIT SUBWAYS OF NEW YORK.
Report by Mr. J. Allen Baker, Chairman of the Highways Committee, of the
Inspection made by him of the Rapid Transit Subways of New York.
(Ordered by the Riyhways Committee to be printed, 13th October, 1904.)
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15th December, 1904.
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T F
co., i.m.
,'tei) fob THE LONDON COUNTY COUNCIL uv FOUTiiwooD, SMITH &
Anil may be purchased, either directly or through any Bookseller, from
P. S. KINO AND SON,
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Agents for the sale of the Publications of th' London County Council.
No. 820. Prico, la. 6d., post free, la. 8£d.
870]
[S.S./370
SLontron County Counctl.
THE RAPID TRANSIT SUBWAYS OF NEW YORK.
Report by Mr. J. Allen leaker, Chairman of the Highways Committee, of the
Inspection made by him of the Rapid Transit Subways of New York,
x
(Ordered by Ihe Highways Committee to be printed, 13th October, 1904.)
\
15th December, 1904.
)
PRINTED FOR THE LONDON COUNTY COUNCIL BY SOUTHWOOD, SMITH & CO., LTD.,
* And may be purchased, either directly or through any Bookseller, from
p. s. king and son,
2 and 4, Great Smith-street, Victoria-street, Westminster, S.W.,
Agents for the sale of the Publications of the London County Council.
No. 820. Price, Is. 6d., post free, Is. 8Jd.
87°1 [S.S./370
Electrical row eh Station, Fifty -Eighth and Fifty-Ninth Streets.
lonttott Cflttittg (Council.
NEW YORK LOCOMOTION SERVICES.
The Council on 26th July, 1904, decided to accept the invitation of the Board of Rapid Transit
Railroad Commissioners to attend the opening of the New York rapid transit subways, and appointed
me as its representative for the purpose. As requested by the Highways Committee, I now submit a
report on the results of my inspection of the subways.
I arranged to visit New York with the intention of being present on 15th September, the date
announced for the official opening of the new subway system. Owing, however, to unexpected and pro¬
tracted strikes in the building and other trades engaged on the constructional work of the subway stations,
the actual opening of the lines for traffic was delayed until 27th October. I found it impracticable to
remain until that date, but was afforded the fullest possible facilities for examining in detail the construc¬
tion of the subways.
Mr. Wm. Barclay Parsons, the chief engineer, who has advised the Board of Rapid Transit Commis¬
sioners from the beginning, and has since carried out the work, kindly placed at my disposal one of the
engineers of his staff, and also himself conducted me over the new Brooklyn extension now being carried
out under Lower Broadway and the East River. Nothing could exceed the kindness and attention
shown me—drawings, photographs, and detailed descriptions of the work, completed or in progress,
were given me, one of the large engines in the new generating station was put in operation, and I
travelled in a special train over the completed lines, stopping at intervals, as required, to examine the
subway work and the various stations.
This great enterprise, which presented what might be considered almost insuperable difficulties,
has been carried out in four years, and must be considered one of the great engineering achievements
of the age.
The construction of this Rapid Transit subway will, undoubtedly, be a great factor in the solution
of the problems of street congestion and transportation in the foremost city of America ; and as there are
many lessons that may be learned by London, where the same problems are pressing, by the experience
of other cities, the following particulars may be of service.
Development of Rapid Transit in New York.
The transit facilities of New York include a very complete and extensive system of elevated street
railroads, as well as one of the most completely-equipped and modern systems of electrical surface tram¬
ways. These might have been considered sufficient, and are, perhaps, an improvement upon the means
of locomotion existing in any other city in the world, but with the continued steadily increasing commerce,
and the consequent street traffic in the commercial portions of New York, the present facilities have been
found inadequate for the city's needs.
As long ago as 1872 the Legislature incorporated the New York City Rapid Transit Company,
authorising Cornelius Vanderbilt and his associates to construct and operate an underground railway,
which would have connected the City Hall with the Grand Central Station. This corporation was duly
organised, and the necessary surveys and plans were made for the construction of the railroad. Un¬
fortunately, however, the criticism which this grant produced in the newspapers and elsewhere, brought
Commodore Vanderbilt to the conclusion that he would not construct the proposed underground railway,
and to this decision the members of his family, who succeeded in the management of the New York
Central Railway, uniformly adhered, although they, as well as he, always insisted that the extension
at that time ought to have been made, and would probably be profitable, at least to the New York Central
Railroad.
In 1875, what is known as the Rapid Transit Act was adopted, under which the elevated rail¬
roads were constructed ; these relieved the congestion to such an extent that no substantial complaint
existed until the year 1884, when the need for an underground system again became apparent.
It then became evident that underground rapid transit could not be secured by the investment
of private capital, but that, if such a work was carried out, it would need to be dependent upon the credit
of the city, and that the property so constructed must belong to the Corporation of New York.
These views were communicated to the Council in the Mayor's message of 1888, but did not
receive its approval.
In 1891 the pressure placed upon existing travelling facilities had become so excessive that some
action was demanded by public opinion—the result was an Act appointing a Rapid Transit Commission,'
and in October of that year they reported, recommending a scheme of underground rapid transit that
was duly approved by the Board of Aldermen and the Supreme Court. Tenders were invited for the
construction of the work by private capital, as required by the Act, but this attempt failed, and the
whole scheme was practically abandoned.
The Act of 1894 substituted a new Rapid Transit Board, which consisted of six members, with
the Mayor and City Comptroller as ex-officio members. Mr. Alex. E. Orr was appointed President, and
Mr. Wm. Barclay Parsons Chief Engineer. The Act required that after obtaining the requisite consents
by the local authorities to its plans, the Board should submit to the qualified electors of the city " the
question whether such railway or railways shall be constructed by the city and at the public expense."
870]
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In the event of their approval, it was stipulated that the construction " should be and remain the abso¬
lute property of the city." In this respect chiefly (the using of municipal credit), the Act of 1894
differed from its predecessors. .
Pending the popular decision which was to define the powers and duties of the Board, Mr. Parsons
went abroad to study the systems of rapid transit adopted by certain cities in Great Britain and on the
Continent.
The election of November, 1894, showed an overwhelming majority in favour of municipal con¬
struction, 132,647 voting for and 42,916 against.
Rapid Transit Act.
The Rapid Transit Act required the city to prepare plans for a rapid transit railway and to
invite public tenders for the contract for the work. The contractor was to construct and operate the rail¬
road, as the lessee of the city, for a term of not less than thirty-five and not more than fifty years, at
an annual rent sufficient to pay the interest on the bonds, to be issued by the city, to raise the money
necessary to construct the rapid transit roads, and one per cent, in addition thereto. The balance of the
rent was to be applied to the city's general sinking fund for the repayment of debt or to
a sinking fund for the redemption at maturity of the bonds. The contractor was to supply the
equipment at his own expense. As security for'the due performance of the entire contract, the con¬
tractor was to furnish a bond to the city in an amount to be determined by the Board ; the city was
to have a lien upon the equipment furnished by the contractor ; and the contractor was also to
deposit the sum of one million dollars with the City Comptroller, which was, however, to be returned
when the railroad was constructed and,equipped. All details as to the construction and operation of the
railroad were left to the discretion of the Rapid Transit Board, with the injunction that such matters
should be provided for by the contract; and the further duty was imposed upon the Board of supervising
the construction and operation of the road.
Other portions of the statute exempted from taxation the equipment of the railroad to be fur¬
nished by the contractor, and authorised the city to issue its bonds to raise the requisite funds for the
enterprise ; with the proviso that the total issue should not exceed the sum of fifty million dollars.
f; 1 v; The statute preserved to the Board the very important power to grant additional franchises to
companies actually operating the railroads within the city.
The power houses are subject to taxation, like other real estate. The subway itself, which be¬
longs to the city, the franchise, the interior equipment of the subway (rails, cables, etc.), and the rolling
stock, which belong to the contractor, are untaxed.
Route of Subway.-
The question of the actual route oj the subway from south to north was one requiring much con¬
sideration and careful surveys. " The opinion of the Board was to the effect that" the " commercial
advantages of using Broadway would more than offset the difficulties and expense of constructing a
railroad beneath its surface, that sooner or later a Broadway route was inevitable, that the cost of con¬
struction on that route would then be less than at any later time."
It was, however, decided that in order that the cost might not exceed a limit of $35,000,000,
which the Court had intimated would be the maximum that would be approved as a proper
expense for the municipality to incur, the southern terminus should be fixed at the General
Post Office, and thence four tracks were laid out along Park Row, Centre and Elm streets, Lafayette
Place, Fourth Avenue, 42nd Street, and Broadway to 104th Street. At tffis point the line divided, the
"West Side branch continuing with two tracks under Broadway to Fort George, and thence with a viaduct
along Kingsbridge Road to Kingsbridge. An East line extended under 104th Street, Central Park,
Lenox Avenue, Harlem River, East 149th Street to Third Avenue, and thence by a viaduct over West¬
chester Avenue, Southern Boulevard, and Boston Road, to Bronx Park. Subsequent to the letting of
the contract a third track was added to the greater part of both the East and West lines, so as to
furnish an express service in the direction of principal traffic, which is south in the morning and north
in the afternoon.
The street mileage of the completed subway is about 20-81 miles. Of this extent, a length of 6-7
miles has four tracks, 6 7 miles three tracks, and 7'7 miles two tracks. The length of track in all
amounts to about 62 miles.
Types of Construction.
The form of construction of the subway was the subject of long and careful investigation and
study.
In his report to the Rapid Transit Board, Mr. Parsons stated that the general design of the
structure itself is, so far as possible, of the shallow excavation type—that is, with the rail level as close
to the surface of the street as gradients and local conditions will permit. In the original study of the
problem, three general types presented themselves for consideration.
First, the deep-tube type, a form of construction that had been employed in London in 1885-
1890 in the City and South London Railway, and, subsequently, in the Waterloo and City, the Central
London, and other lines, now under construction or projected, and also in the Glasgow District Subway.
Second, an arched masonry tunnel, constructed in open excavation, but at such depth as to avoid
the necessity for re-adjusting the water mains, gas pipes, electric conduits, sewers, and other sub-surface
structures. This is the general type of the Metropolitan and District Railways of London, the first " under¬
ground " railways to be constructed.
Completed Foor Track Subway, showing Cross-over South 01 Eighteenth Street Station.
9
Manhattan Valley Ar.cn, 170 ft. Span, Showing Viaduct Form of Construction Spanning Conduit Tram-lines on
Street Surface.
Manhattan Valley Viaduct.
MILES _ 'T) , , / ,
ELM FOURTHV£-;AVE
LAFAYETTE PL. ,
4 T ft AC k b 6 * 4 TRACKS "
TRACKS TRACKS
TRACKS
(STORAGE fARD)
PROFILE
OF
RAPID TRANSIT RAILROAD
MANHATTAN AND BRONX LINES.
BOULEVARD U
2 TRACKS
TRACKS
TRACKS Private Double Cast Iron
Property Circular Section
Steel Beam Sl Concrete Construction —
_J< JleJ _
| Cone. Cons.,
i i
I i
Tunnel Construction, with Cast Iron Shell
Reinforced Concrete Construction
FLATBUSH AVE.
| Reinforced Concrete
U.
Cons.
Loop
PROFILE
OF
BROOKLYN EXTENSION
13
Third, a subway built as close to the surface of the street as possible: This involves a flat roof
in order to avoid the loss of head-room in the curve of an arch, and also the complete re-adjustment
of all sewers, mains, pipes, and other similar underground works. This type was projected in the plans
of the " Arcade," " District," and other private railway schemes proposed for New York from fifteen
to thirty years ago ; and was adopted as the type for the Glasgow Central Railway, constructed in
1888-1894 ; by the Rapid Transit Commission of New York in 1891 ; by the company that built the
railway in Budapesth in 1894-1896, and in 1894 by the Boston Transit Commission for the subway in
that city.
Each type has its advantages and disadvantages. In general, it may be said that the advan¬
tages of the deep-tube type are the avoidance of interference with street traffic during construction,
and the necessity, and expense, of caring for, or re-adjusting, the other sub-surface structures ; and the
ability to build the railway on any desired profile without regard, except in a moderate degree, to surface
topography. In addition, the works can be taken under private property without serious encroachment.
The disadvantages are that elevators are necessary to convey passengers between the platforms and
street surface, and the cost of tube railways is apt to be greater than those constructed in open excava¬
tion on account of the greater expense attending tunneling operations, even when the expense of re¬
adjusting the sewers and mains, and the incident surface work, is taken into account. The elevators
are expensive to instal and to operate, the cost per passenger being an appreciable amount when fares
are limited to five cents, they involve delay and cannot accommodate the occasional maximum rush
on special occasions.
The arched tunnel at moderate depth is usually a compromise, without attaining the benefits of
either the deep level or shallow types. The trench is dee]), with a cost per lineal foot substantially as
great as tunnelling. The sub-surface structures have to be supported during construction, if not re¬
adjusted, and though elevators are avoided, the distance from street to platform level is too great for
convenient or easy walking.
The third type is a subway as close to the surface of the street as possible. The great advantage
of this form is that the distance from the platform to the street level is reduced to a minimum, thus
rendering access most easy. The disadvantages are the inconvenience to the owners of abutting property
and to street traffic during construction, and the necessity for, and the expense of, re-adjusting all sewers
and mains encountered along the route. To the method of constructing railways in open excavation
the name of " Cut and Cover," originally given in England, is now universally applied.
These three types were considered by the Board. After weighing all the advantages and dis¬
advantages, their engineer recommended the adoption, so far as possible, of the shallow excavation
type on account of the greater convenience when completed, and the probable lower cost of construction,
a recommendation subsequently adopted by the Board as the basis of the general design for the system.
Topography of Route.
Owing to the great and at times abrupt changes in topography and geological formation, it was not
possible at all points to adhere to the general scheme for shallow construction. In preparing the design,
while this method was adhered to whenever possible, radical departures were made locally. At 33rd
Street, in order to avoid interference with the tunnel of the Metropolitan Street Railway Company, the
Rapid Transit Subway was divided into two two-track tunnels, and driven beneath Murray Hill, one at
each side of, but below, the street car tunnel. On the East Side, a two-track tunnel was planned from
Broadway to the main drive in Central Park near Lenox Avenue, in order to maintain reasonable grad-
ings, and similar tunnels were found necessary on the West Side line between 150th and 155th Streets
and 158tli Street and Fort George, and in the Bronx-park route on 149th Street between Gerard
Avenue and the Harlem Railroad yards. On the other hand, in order to overcome depressions,
viaducts were introduced on the West Side line, between 122nd and 135th Streets and North of Fort
George, and on the East Side line north of Third Avenue.
A most serious undertaking was the construction of the tunnel under the Harlem River, which
was very successfully curried out, concrete arch construction being employed for the approach and
twin cast-iron tube construction directly under the river bed—a total length of 1,500 ft. The War
department stipulated that only one-half of the river might be closed at a time, so the crossing was
built in two sections. The river bod is composed of mud and sand much of which was in such a fluid
state that it was ejected by a jet. Piles were driven to support the structure.
Construction of Route.
The street lengths are as follows :—
Cut and Cover, or lines laid within a few feet of the street surface ... 10-46 miles.
Tunnel work through hills or elevations, or under streets where other
underground tracks had to be avoided ... 4-55
Viaduct at the extreme north ends of the two branching lines 5-8 ,,
Total ... ... 20-81 miles.-
The accompanying map and profile show where the several types occur. The following general
description of the work, taken from a report by Mr. Parsons, will be of interest :—" In designing
the structure, it was decided to secure the absolute minimum of depth; the allowed limit of clearance
between the street surface and the top of the subway being the depth of the yokes of the surface
of the electric conduit street railway, which was 30 in. The roof of the subway was made flat and as
14
tliin as possible. To meet the latter requirement, columns were introduced between each track, so that
the roof beams need only be deep enough to span one track, an arrangement that was found to be econo¬
mical in expense and, by making individual members smaller, facilitated erection. The standard type
was, therefore, a rectangular structure, consisting of a concrete floor with steel ribs set 5 ft. apart, with
arches of concrete turned between them. In executing this design, the procedure has been to lay down
a bed of concrete, and on that erect to a height of several feet thin side walls of hollow brick. On
this floor and against the walls is then spread the waterproofing, consisting of alternate layers of felt
and asphalte, in number from two to six, according to the amount of ground water present. On top
of this waterproofing course is spread another layer of concrete, and on top of the latter are set the founda¬
tions for the walls and centre column. Then, against the side walls are laid up terra cotta ducts for
the electric feeders or cables, in double row, the hollow brick outer wall with the waterproofing being
carried up in advance. Then the steel frames are erected, the jack arches turned and a waterproofing
spread over the roof, over which is laid a protecting layer of concrete. The waterproofing has thus been
protected from outside damage by the tliin guard walls of brick and the top layer of concrete."
The tunnel work required in many parts the utmost care. Blasting through rock was done
early in the morning by a night shift who prepared the headings with percussion drills. The day
gang removed the debris ; a large part of the rock being crushed for concrete. On this, and indeed
many parts of the work, day and night shifts were constantly employed; the construction being
carried on with the utmost rapidity. In some parts the irregularity of the strata made the danger
of slips a serious one.
The viaduct is largely of the four-column (tower) form of construction and of the two-
column bent viaduct type. One most important feature is a two-hinged arch of 168| ft. span which
carries platfoims shaded by canopies. The station building is on the ground, and the platforms are
reached by moving stairways.
Street Difficulties.
Many serious difficulties presented themselves in carrying out this great work.
Along the route adopted there occur five crossings of the elevated railway, on four of which the
elevated structure had to be under-pinned and a new surface put in.
Four surface electric railway tracks, of the conduit type, are located on Park Row, and there are
double conduit tracks on Centre Street, Fourth Avenue and Lenox Avenue. On 42nd Street and
Broadway there was, when the route was adopted, a double track horse line, but this was changed to elec¬
tric conduit before the commencement of the subway construction. On Westchester Avenue and Southern
Boulevard there was also a double-track electric street railway. In all 81 miles of the Rapid Transit
Subway were constructed under streets with surface electric lines, and it was stipulated by the city
authorities that neither the ordinary street traffic nor the street car services should be interrupted
during construction. This made the work more difficult and costly than it would otherwise have been.
Two great buildings, one the Hotel Belmont, twenty-two stories, and another the Times Building of
twenty-three stories, were erected simultaneously with the subway which runs directly underneath a
portion of them, specially constructed steelwork being required to support them.
Further difficulties were presented owing to the fact that a large proportion of the excavation
(about one-third in all), was through solid rock. The rock portion begins at 12th Street, and runs north¬
wards, while the soil underlying Elm Street and southwards is of sand and gravel mixed, the latter being
found in large quantities. There are also some deposits of clay, and clay and sand mixed.
At Union Square, the surface conduit tramway was laid directly upon rock, and, in order to
avoid the possibility of crippling the lines when blasting, it was decided to move the tracks to
the side of the street. After these tracks were moved, the contractors blasted out rock sufficient
for the south-bound local and express tracks, and for the intermediate side track which is to be con¬
structed at this point, and after completing the subway, removed the surface lines to their original position.
The local difficulties in this section in connection with the mains and sewers were of a serious and
varied character. The ducts of the street railway company, which had to be maintained in service in
connection with the tramways themselves, contain not only the ordinary low-tension feeders, but also
high-tension cables, having each a pressure of 6,500 volts. Although in many cases rock in direct contact
with these ducts had to be blasted, it is gratifying to state that in no case have the cables been broken,
or the tramways service interrupted.
Sewer and Pipe Difficulties.
The New York system of sewers also presented a serious problem that required to be dealt with.
This system is on the " combined " plan ; that is, both house drainage and storm water are admitted into
the same conduit, so that some sewers are necessarily very large, and require that their capacity be
maintained at all times during any re-construction, to provide for a sudden heavy rain-fall. Fortunately,
for the most part the route followed closely the top of the ridge that runs centrally north and south
with the city, so that only in a few cases were large cross sewers intercepted. The notable cases of this
character were at Canal Street, West 45th Street, West 81st Street, West 96th Street, West
110th Street, and at Railway Avenue. Of mains, pipes, and electric cables of all kinds, there
was the usual assortment to be met with in a large city, but in regard to which New York
stands rather pre-eminent in the way of variety and complexity of arrangements. The gas
pipes varied in size from 4 to 30 in. diameter, the water mains from 6 to 48 in., while the
electric duct-ways contained cables carrying power ranging from the delicate current required for
telephones to the current in the powerful high-tension mains of the Street Railway with 6,500 volts.
15
Subway Construction at side and iselow Electric Conduit Tramways, Surface Traffic being maintained during
Construction.
Broadway, looking South from Vesey Street. Working Platform and Shaft. Excavation for Subwaymn Progress
under Street Surface (without Disturbance of Surface Tramways or General Traffic).
17
Large Sewer divided into three farts in order to gain Headroom to cross under Subway,
Each fart is a Cast-iron 1'ipe surrounded by Concrete.
Hundred and Tenth Sikeet and Lenox Avi nue.
Elevated Railroad Columns being kupfobted during construction of Subway
immediately underneath.
19
Pite and Main Obstructions.
Subdivision oe Oas Mains over Eooe of Subway at Sixty-Sixth Strei t, Broadway.
CtIRTHiRS OVER Sul'.WAV TO SUPPORT THE HOTEL BELMONT.
F=l_AfNl A NO SECTON
Showing ——
RELATION OF RAPID TRANSIT
SUBWAY AND TIMES BUILDING.
sccr/an oa' a a' look we ■south
Subway beneath 23-Storey Building.
hotel
2/
PLAN AND SECTION
—— SHOWING
RELATION OF RAPID TRANSIT
SUBWAY AND HOTEL. BELMONT.
*** ave.
PLAM
sect/oh 0/v aa
25
In addition there were the compressed-air tubes of the postal system, and the lines of the New
York Steam Company carrying a pressure of 90 lbs. per square inch. All of these lines had to be main¬
tained in operation without material interruption of service, and most of them moved to new locations
in the same or other streets, in order that both the Rapid Transit Subway and the pipes themselves could
be accommodated.- As, unfortunately, the pipe system of New York has grown up without any attempt
at systematic arrangement, resulting in the various mains being interwoven as best they may at the time
of their being laid, the readjustment scheme for the mains and pipes had to be carefully worked out. In
all, the lengths of sewers dealt with and reconstructed were—longitudinal, 7-17 miles ; and lateral
6-16 miles.
Interference with Property.
During the progress of the work many questions arose as to the right of way under private pro¬
perty, and proceedings were resorted to in order to secure easements. At one point, a large building
had to be taken down and re-built.
On the other hand, at various points along the route, requests were received from the owners of
property abutting on stations that they might be permitted to open a doorway from their premises
directly on to the station platforms. Arrangements to this effect have been made in connection with
the acquisition of rights of way through private property at the stations at 8th Street, 18th Street,
23rd Street, 4th Avenue, 42nd Street, Park Avenue, and Broadway ; and on the extension line
(known as Contract No. 2) at the stations at Fulton Street and Wall Street, and in Brooklyn at
Hoyt Street. It is believed that those passageways will prove a great convenience to the travelling
public, and also an undoubted advantage to the adjacent business property.
The city, in making the arrangements referred to, has received some consideration in connection
with the grants of rights of way. As a general rule, however, the city exacts no financial consideration,
beyond requiring the owners concerned to allow the public free and unrestricted use of the connections
thus granted, and stipulating that connections shall only be made with buildings of a character that
will permit of such general use by the public.
Pipe Conduits.
The question of separate conduits or galleries for carrying gas, water, etc., mains, had very care¬
ful consideration, and was recommended by the Engineer and embodied in his plans.
In the original plan which included Broadway, the Board concluded that it would be advisable,
even from the standpoint of Rapid Transit, to construct pipe galleries on either side of the proposed rail¬
road from Park Place to 34th Street. For, although it was clear that the construction of such galleries
must encroach upon property owners' vaults, and that it would add very materially to the expense, the
Board was of opinion that, as there must, in any event, be a costly re-location of the pipes, it would
be wiser and cheaper in the long run to construct pipe galleries as a part of the Rapid Transit plan, thus
avoiding for ever the necessity of further excavation of the streets for the purpose of repairs.
In November, 1900, the Board was notified by the New York Commissioner of Sewers that he
objected to the proposed plans for the pipe galleries, and they were subsequently abandoned. The Board
stated: " It was our own belief that the building of these galleries would be the inauguration of a great and
urgent reform in the construction of underground works. The proposed pipe galleries are not, however,
in any way essential to the Rapid Transit road. The road will be as safe, as complete, and as efficient,
whether the pipes and sewers are placed in galleries or are buried in the earth. But the public, and es¬
pecially the property owners along the line, are vitally interested ; first, they are interested in the proper
maintenance of all the innumerable underground conduits on which the life of a modern city so largely
depends ; and, second, they are interested in avoiding the incessant disturbances of street surfaces
which existing methods necessarily entail. The experiment of pipe galleries may now be tried on a fairly
large scale inElmStreet, under exceptionally favourable circumstances, because the work can be performed
as an incident of constructing the underground railroad, and because it can be done without expense
to the City. As the matter is one not directly affecting the construction of the Rapid Transit Railroad,
it is the opinion of this Board that the city authorities—representing the public generally—ought to
declare whether they wish the experiment tried or whether they prefer to adhere to the present system
of burying the sewers and pipes. Whatever conclusion the city authorities may reach in this matter,
the Rapid Transit Board will be disposed to adopt."
The Electrical Power Station.
It should be stated that the terms of the contract between the city and the operating
company, provided for the latter furnishing the entire equipment in connection with the supply of
power and the working of the lines, that is, the power-heuse with plant, the cars, electric cables, signal
apparatus, &c.
The provision of the most economical and up-to-date generating-station for operating
the subways was the subject of long and careful investigation on the part of the Rapid Transit Construc¬
tion Company, and studies were made of all the large power-stations constructed, and in process of con¬
struction, in the United States and other countries.
The type ultimately adopted was a single row of large engines and generators in an operating
room, placed alongside of, and parallel to, the boiler house.
The site selected occupies the block between 58th and 59th Streets, and 11th and 12th Avenues,
and has an area 800 ft, long, and 200 ft. wide. It is located as nearly as possible in the electrical centre
26
of the system, and is on the river front, which is of great advantage for condensing purposes, and facilitates
the economical delivery of coal, and the removal of ashes.
The plan of the power-house included a method of supporting the chimneys on steel columns
76 ft. from the ground level, instead of erecting them through the building. This allowed of the placing
of the boilers in the spaces that would otherwise be occupied by the chimney bases, and by this arrange¬
ment it was possible to place all the boilers on one floor level, in two rows, with a centre firing-aisle. In
this respect the station differs from all the other large stations in New York. There are six brick chimney
stacks, 108 ft. apart, in line with the centre aisle. The chimneys have an interior diameter of 15 ft. at
the top, and a maximum height of 225 ft. above the fire grates, or 162 ft. above the supporting steel
platform.
The economisers were placed above the boilers, instead of behind them, which economised space
in the width of the boiler-room. This room is well lighted and ventilated, and the difficulties arising
from escaping steam are reduced to a minimum.
The location of the chimneys in the centre of the boiler-house, between two sets of six boilers,
divides the coal bunker construction into separate pockets, enabling trouble from spontaneous combust-
tion to be localised, and the divided coal bunkers provide for the storage of different classes of coal.
The architectural design of the power-house was carefully considered by the directors of the
operating company, in view of the future value of the property, the general environment, and the fact
of the future ownership of the plant by the city.
The general style of the exterior is what may be termed " French Renaissance," and the colour
is light in character. The base of the exterior walls has been finished with cut granite, above which the
walls are faced with a light coloured buff pressed brick ; similarly coloured terra cotta is used in the
pilasters, about the windows, and in the cornice and parapet work. The 11th Avenue fat^ade is decorated
with marble and medallions of terra cotta, and by a title panel over the front of the structure. The
main doorways are trimmed with cut granite, and the entrance lobby is finished with a marble
wainscot.
The present building is 693 ft. long by 200 ft. wide, having been extended from 585 ft. when the
Rapid Transit Construction Company obtained the contract for the Broadway and Brooklyn extension.
The power-house will, therefore, when completed, contain eleven instead of eight generating units, and
be capable, when working to its fullest capacity, of producing 132,000 effective horse-power, including
subsidiary engines.
The main engines, which are of the compound combined horizontal and vertical type (a
similar type to those now being constructed for the Council's generating-station at Greenwich), have each
a capacity of 7,500 to 11,000 horse-power.
The generators (Westinghouse) are nominally rated at 5,000 kilowatts, but are each capable of
delivering at times of maximum load 7,500 kilowatts. These generators are of the three-phase alter¬
nating current type, 25 cycles per second, they run at 75 revolutions per minute and operate at 11,000
volts. The current is distributed from eight sub-stations, conveniently situated along the line of route,
four being on the main, or four-track, line, and two on each branch line. Each of these stations has
a superficial area of 100 ft. by 50 ft. The current is transformed and converted into direct current and
delivered to the third rail conductor at a potential of 625 volts. The third rail for carrying the
electric current is covered so as to prevent injury to passengers and employees from contact.
The power-station machinery is arranged in six units, each unit consisting of one stack, twelve
600 horse-power boilers (each having 6,008 ft. of heating surface), and two engines. The boilers are of
the Babcock and Wilcox water-tube type.
The coal consumption is estimated at 1,000 tons per day of twenty-four hours, and there is storage
capacity in the hoppers for 25,000 tons.
The coal is unloaded from barges by a movable coal tower, which runs on a track placed on the
pier at the foot of 58th Street. The coal is taken from the barges by a steel clam-shell bucket, which
hoists it to the top of the tower. This bucket is raised by a 200 horse-power direct current- 250-
volt motor, directly connected to the hoisting drum, and is unloaded into a hopper, which delivers the
coal to crushing rolls, and thence to weighing hoppers.
Beneath the track upon which the tower runs is a belt conveyor, upon which the coal is delivered
from the weighing hoppers. This conveyor takes the coal to the bulkhead line, and unloads upon a
similar belt conveyor, which runs through a tunnel under 58th Street to the westerly end of the power
station, where the coal is elevated by a series of inclined conveyor belts to the top of the coal bunkers.
Iron chutes take the coal from the bottom of the bunkers to the firing floor in front of the boilers.
Two lines of flight conveyors are also provided, and placed beneath the coal bunkers, so that different
classes of coal, placed in individual bunkers, may be distributed to all or any of the boilers, as desired.
The ashes drop from the grates into hoppers, below which are tracks for steel ash cars, drawn
by storage battery electric locomotives. The cars are run to the west end of the building, and across
12th Avenue to a dumping pit, whence the ashes are carried across to an ash bin on the bulkhead
line by an ash conveyor. From the ash bin the ashes are loaded into barges.
The foundations for the buildings and machinery rest on solid rock.
The contract for the main engines was given on 1st September, 1901, previously to which the
question of the adoption of " steam turbines " had received careful consideration; No turbo-generator
of the required capacity was then being manufactured, nor were the results obtained from the use of
smaller turbines considered to be of a character which would justify the purchase of a turbine equip¬
ment for the plant in question, requiring successful operation on the opening of the road beyond all
question of doubt.
30
City Hall Station—Ticket Office and Bakkiek.
City IIai.l Station.
31
The recent improvements, however, that have taken place in connection with the use of steam
turbines'1 have indicated the possible desirability of turbines for the future increase of the generating
plant, and arrangements have accordingly been made in the western extension (108 ft. in length) of
the station, for the installation, if desired, of steam turbines of 8,000 or 9,000 kilowatts capacity.
The cost of the generating station was stated to be $6,500,000.*
The Contractors:
Only two tenders were received for the construction and operation of the Subway, the lower
being that of Mr. John B. Macdonald amounting to $35,000,000 for the 21 miles of lines.
The other tender was submitted by Mr. Andrew Onderdonk, and amounted to $39,000,000 ; each
tender was accompanied by a deposit of $150,000.
The contract was given to Mr. John B. Macdonald, who subsequently, in conjunction with Messrs.
August Belmont & Co., formed a syndicate to carry out the work under the title of " The Rapid Transit
Subway Construction Company." A further syndicate was also formed (of which Mr. Belmont is pre¬
sident) for the equipment and operation of the subway, called " The Inter Borough Rapid Transit
Company."
The contract was signed on 21st February, 1900, and the work was actually commenced on 24th
March, of that year. The stipulated date for completion was four-and-a-half years. Sub-contracting
firms were employed on various sections of the subway, so that the work was carried on simultaneously
along the whole line.
The cost of the construction of the most expensive portion of the four-track work approximated
to $4,000,000 a mile including stations. The two-track tunnel portion, exclusive of stations, averaged
$1,320,000, and the elevated portion, also exclusive of stations, $528,000.
The cost of the equipment of the lines, generating-station and plant, rolling stock, signal and
lighting apparatus, etc., which was at first estimated at $7,000,000, is stated to have amounted to
about $17,000,000. This increase was due largely to the installation of a much more extensive
plant than was at first contemplated, with a view to future requirements, and also owing to the
decision to purchase the highest grade of every class of equipment.
The contract for building the subway contains the following provision :—" The railway and its
equipment as contemplated by the contract constitute a great public work. All parts of the structure,
where exposed to public sight, shall therefore be designed, constructed, and maintained with a view to
the beauty of their appearance, as well as to their efficiency."
It is everywhere evident that the contractors have spared no effort or expense to fulfil the spirit
of this provision—every part of the subway and equipment displaying dignified and consistent artistic
effect of a very high character. This is particularly noticeable in the power-house and electric sub¬
stations. The special quality of the materials used and the excellent workmanship of the entire
construction and equipment, are indeed everywhere manifest.
Further Extensions.
Almost concurrently with the commencement of the work under the first contract, the demand
for an extension subway from Park Place along Lower Broadway, under Bowling Green, State Street,
Battery Park, Whitehall Street, and South Street, and under the East River by tunnel to Brooklyn, became
urgent and it was decided by the Rapid Transit Board to carry out this additional work. The extension
is now under construction, and is expected to be completed during the next year. The length of the
Brooklyn extension is about 3.1 miles, having 8 miles of single track, and the estimated cost is from
$8,000,000 to $10,000,000, exclusive of terminals. A tender amounting to $7,000,000 for construction
and $1,000,000 for terminals was received from Mr. John L.Wells on behalf of the Brooklyn Rapid Rail¬
road Company, and another from The Rapid Transit Subway Construction Company (who constructed,
and are operating, the lines under the first contract) of $2,000,000 for construction, and $1,000,000
for terminals and acquisition of property, or $3,000,000 in all.
The latter tender was accepted and the work was begun on 8th November 1902.
It will be seen from a comparison of these tenders that the value attached to the operation of the
Brooklyn extension for the fifty years of its franchise, by the Construction Company, in connection with
its main lines in New York, was so great that their tender was some 5 or 6 million dollars below the
probable actual cost, notwithstanding the stipulation by the Rapid Transit Board that the uniform
fare of all the lines, including the Brooklyn extension, should not exceed 5 cents.
With the completion of this extension, the value of the main subway scheme will be greatly in¬
creased, and the convenience and advantage to the travelling public, and especially to the inhabitants
of an important part of Brooklyn, will be very great.
On the completion of the extension it will be possible for a passenger on payment of one 5-cent.
fare (21d.) to travel by the subway either by local or express trains, or both, from the outskirts of Brooklyn
on the south-east under the East River, the entire length of Manhattan Island (New York proper), and
under the Harlem River to Bronx or Kingsbridge in the north, a distance of about 18 miles.
Stations.
On the lines as now completed, there are in all 49 stations, 37 on the subway and 12 on the viaduct
portion?
There are two general types of stations on the four-track line from the Post Office to
96th Street; one for both express and local traffic, and the other for local trains only.
*A note is appended to this report indicating the principal points of difference between the Manhattan
power-house and the Council's generating-stat ion now in course of erection at Greenwiclii
870)
32
The express service stations are about 1| miles apart. The fast trains are composed of eight cars, and
the stations are 350 ft. long, necessarily much larger than stations provided for the shorter and more
frequent local trains. The local stations through which the express service passes without stopping,
are situated at intermediate points, with intervals of a quarter of a mile. The platforms are 200 ft. long.
The local stations usually have separate platforms, located at the outside of the tracks, from which the
passengers enter or leave the north or south-bound trains, as the case may be; in most cases no provision
is made for crossing from one platform to the other. At two stations, there is an underground passage
connecting the platforms, while at five others a bridge over the subway tracks (below the. street surface)
connects the platforms.
The local stations from 50th Street south have the platforms arranged symmetrically on either
side of the cross street, where the station is located ; a portion of the cross street being excavated to
accommodate the waiting rooms, ticket offices, etc.
In order to facilitate entrance to, and exit from, the stations and to prevent overcrowding, each
platform has short wide stairways, and a separate entrance and exit, at the north and south ends of each
platform.
The entrance stairway leads from the pavement to the rear of the waiting room, where the ticket
office is located ; the passenger then passes straight through to the platform. The exit stairway leads
from the back of the platform directly to the street.
At the stations where Broadway is very wide, the platforms do not come beneath the pavement,
and as the congestion is not as great, each platform is reached by one wide stairway. Along some portions
of the railway, the tracks do not lie below the middle of the streets, so that only one platform is under
the pavement, the other being under the roadway ; as these stations occur in the commercial district
of Harlem, two wide stairways are provided.
It will have been noticed from the route section that the railway in some places passes through
tunnels under elevations ; in these cases, the ticket offices, etc., are immediately below the pavement,
and elevators (with a carrying capacity of 3,500 passengers per hour) and a stairway, lead down to the
station, which consists of a wide arch spanning the tracks and platforms. The elevators descend to a
bridge crossing the tracks, so that access is provided to either platform.
There are, of course, modifications in individual stations to suit the local circumstances ; for
instance, in the case of the City Hall and Columbia University Stations.
The express service stations have two large island platforms, situated between the express
and local tracks. Access to these is obtained by bridges over the tracks but under the street, by under¬
ground passages, and by stairways communicating directly with the street. The island platforms at
these stations serve either local or express trains, and the passengers may use them to transfer from one
train to the other, without additional charge.
As regards the elevated stations, on the portion of the route where the lines are carried on
a viaduct, the waiting rooms and ticket offices, etc., are situated in the street, and the platforms are
reached by stairways or elevators.
The plan has been adopted of having the decoration of each of these stations varied and distinctive,
so that no two of them are alike. This greatly improves the appearance of the stations, and has the
further advantage of greatly facilitating the recognition of a station by the passengers from the car
windows.
The floors of the platforms are constructed of concrete, while the walls are of brick, with enamelled
tiles (fiiience or terra cotta), and plaster ceilings. The base of the walls for a height of about 30 in.,
consists of very hard vitrified but light-coloured bricks, to withstand the hard wear to which these portions
of the walls are subjected. Above this brick base, the main treatment of the surface is white tiles,
divided into panels by decorative work in coloured tiles, fiiience or terra cotta. The name of the station
is displayed by large decorative tablets at intervals, and the number of the street, if numbered, or the
initial letter, if named, is worked into the design of the cornice at spaces of about 15 ft.
As stated above, advantage has been taken by various owners of property abutting upon certain
of the stations to have direct entrance to their stores or buildings from the station platforms, and at the
23rd Street station an arcade with numerous shops has been constructed directly adjoining the platform.
No doubt with the further extension of these subways in New York, this feature of their usefulness will
be largely developed. At present, on the Lower Broadway and Brooklyn extension now under con¬
struction, a foot subway is being carried from a large 20-storcy building, which is in course of erection,
for more than a block to connect with the Wall Street station platform. New York owners of property
already recognise that the presence of the Subway adjoining their property materially appreciates its
value.
Train Services.
There are two distinct services of trains on the New York Subway.
The Express Service Trains, which stop at stations \\ miles apart below 103rd Street, and
at such stations above as traffic may require ; these trains run with two minute intervals, at the rate
of about 30 miles an hour. They run on the two inner lines of the four-track road to 104th Street,
alternate trains going to the east and west branches. The express trains have eight cars—five motor
and three trailer cars. The weight of the entire train is about 270 tons.
The Local Service Trains stop at all stations (about £-mile apart). They run at one minute
intervals, at the rate of about 16 miles an hour (the same speed as on the Central London Railway,
where the stations are twice as far apart as in New York). Alternate trains go to the east and west
Tiiree Track Tunnel Construction, with Station in Distance
35
Side Wall Treatment, Sluing Street Station.
Bleeckek Street Station, Showing Tiain at Plattorm.
39
branches of the line, after the junction at 104th Street. The local service trains consist of five cars—
three motor and two trailer cars.
The motion of the trains is exceptionally smooth and steady, and there is scarcely any vibration.
Cars.
The cars for the New York Subway were built for use under unprecedented conditions and
limitations. The limited height and width of the Subway had to be considered, as well as the clearances
on curves and in tunnels.
The cars were required to be exceptionally strong to carry a large number of passengers, and, at
the same time, to be exceptionally light, owing to the great speed attained and the frequent stops.
Two cars were first built to illustrate various details of construction.
For the operation of the present lines, 700 cars were ordered, of which 430 arc motor cars and
270 trailer cars.
The first order was for 500 car bodies, which are identical for motor and trailer cars. These
were constructed on a steel under-framing, which ensures a rigid and strong structure for transmitting
the heavy motor-power stresses.
Four steel sills extend from end to end of the cars. The entire under-surface is sheathed with
specially treated asbestos board, one-quarter of an inch tliick, and steel plates, and the sides of the car below
the windows are sheathed with copper to eliminate the risk of fire. Although the car is finished with
wood—Southern Pine—white oak and maple being used for the flooring and facing over the steel sills
^nd framework, the risk of fire is reduced to a minimum by the precautions which have been taken in
arranging and installing the electrical apparatus and wiring. For the lighting circuits flexible steel
conduits are used, and the boarding of the roof is protected by iron plates. The wires under the floor are
carried in ducts of an asbestos compound. Great care lias been taken to insulate all the circuit wires.
No power wiring, switches or fuses are placed in the car itself, all such devices being carried out¬
side in steel insulated compartments.
Steel Cars.—An order has recently been executed for 200 additional cars, built entirely of
steel. As the result of experiments and much careful calculation, cars have been built which are
absolutely fireproof, exceptionally strong, and which do not weigh more than the older type of wooden
car. These have already proved so entirely satisfactory, that a further order for 100 cars is now being
executed.
In the steel cars it was found that to carry the weight of the car by the sill members would require
very heavy construction, so the weight in the steel cars is carried by the side-framing, which is made
to serve as plate girders, from wliich the floor load of the car is carried.
These cars are all alike in general dimensions and appearance. The length over buffer plates is
51 ft. 2 in ; the greatest height is 12 ft., and the maximum width, 9 ft.
The cars have each a seating capacity of 52 passengers, with cross and side seats, arranged as in
the Manhattan elevated cars and in the rolling stock of the Central London Railway.
The motor cars are provided with 200 horse-power Westinghouse motors, specially designed for
this service, and the cars are equipped with Westinghouse air-brakes. Motor-driven air-compressors
supply air for the operation of the brakes. The controller of the motors is so constructed that,
when the train is in motion, the motornum must keep his hand on it, or the power is cut olf and the
automatic brakes applied. The trucks which bear the car bodies arc arranged for nose suspension,
and the tracks have a gauge of 4 ft. 84 in. The wdieels are of cast iron, with steel tyres.
The platforms of all the cars are of vestibule design. At the side of the platforms, sliding doors
are provided, which are operated by levers on either side of the front doorway of the vestibule. The
doorway at the end of the vestibule of the motor cars is provided with a swinging door, which usually
covers the master controller and engineer's valve. The vestibuled platform is used as a cab on the
motor cars, and, when the cab is in use, the swinging door closes the doorway in the end of the vestibule.
Each car is provided with twenty-six 10 candle-power incandescent lamps in each vestibule.
The motor cars have two destination signals placed at each end of the train, the forward lanterns showing
white lights, and the rear ones red.
Each car is provided with twenty-four electric heaters, placed in pamls under the seats. A
heater is also placed in the front of each vestibule in the motor cars. The heater circuits are so arranged
that eight, sixteen, or twenty-four amperes may be used in heating the cars.
Automatic Block Signal System.
The subway lines are being equipped with an electro-pneumatic block signal system, supplemented
by automatic devices which are arranged to set in action the emergency brakes of any train which may
disregard a danger signal. The system includes, also, electro-pneumatic devices for the operation and
interlocking of track switches and switch signals.
An alternating current track-circuit is used for operating the signal relays, in order that they may
be irresponsive to any difference in direct current potential occurring in the rail.
The current for working the signal rail and for lighting the signals is supplied by transformers
placed at the exit end of each block. The transformed primaries are connected across 500-volt, 60-
cycle mains, which are supplied with power from seven 30-kilowatt motor-generator sets, located in the
sub-stations.
The signal relays above-mentioned serve to open or close local circuits controlling the valves of
the air cylinders from which the signals are operated. These local circuits and the circuit for operating
the admission valves, the switches, and the automatic safety stops are supplied with current at 16 volts
from storage batteries;
870]
40
A 2-in. air pipe runs throughout the length of the line for supplying air at 60 to 75 lbs. pressure
for the operation of the pneumatic cylinders in signals, switches, and automatic stop devices. Air
is supplied to this pipe by eight 35 horse-power motor-driven air-compressors, also located in the sub¬
stations.
Besides the extremely elaborate system of isolating and fire-proofing, and the automatic block-
signal system to prevent accidents, the subway is well provided with danger signals placed in ticket
offices and man-holes in the subway. When the danger signal is given, the electric current is
instantly and automatically cut off from that section, and an alarm gong reports the location of the
trouble at the sub-stations which supply the power, at the train-dispatchers' office, and at the office
of the general superintendent.
Subway Lighting System.
Current for lighting the Subway passenger stations and the tunnel itself is supplied from three
1,250 kilowatt turbo-generators of the Westinghouse-Parsons type at the 58th Street power house.
These generators deliver three-phase-current at 11,000 volts potential and with a frequency of sixty
cycles. The entire system for generating and distributing light is independent of the power equipment.
In case of emergency, however, current can be obtained from the railway circuit for lighting purposes.
The total number of lights on the entire system is about 8,700, of which about 3,000 are for the
illumination of the tunnel. Each underground passenger station is provided with about 120 lights,
of which about 50 are 32-candle-powcr incandescent lamps for illuminating the platforms, and the
remaining 70, 60-candle-power lamps for illuminating the ticket offices, stairways, etc.
As already indicated, the subway was constructed in all cases as near the street as possible, with
the result that 20 out of the 37 subway stations are so well supplied with natural light that very little
artificial illumination is necessary during the day, and even at night they are not absolutely dark.
This result was accomplished by constructing the pavement of glass wherever the platforms are at a
short distance beneath it.
Plans for Future Extensions.
So assured were the members of the New York Rapid Transit Board, not only of the public neces¬
sity, but of the financial success of the subways (now completed or under construction) that they
instructed their engineer in 1903 to prepare further plans for a comprehensive and complete system of
Inter-Urban Rapid Transit for the whole of Greater New York.
In accordance with these instructions, on 19th February, 1904, Mr. Parsons presented his report and
plans, which embrace a general scheme, as he states, " for the development of the underground railways
and the increase of the carrying capacity of the present railways, in the boroughs of Manhattan and Bronx."
On 12th March following lie made a similar report for the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens.
In presenting this report, as regards the New York extension, Mr. Parsons says •:—" The plan
to be submitted accords with the general and far-seeing programme which the present Board enter¬
tained from the very time of its organisation in 1894, and toward the completion of which its efforts have,
in spite of many difficulties and obstructions, tended as rapidly as the means at the disposal of the Beard
have made possible."
The report on the subject of the Manhattan and Bronx section states : " The plan proposed
not only extends the subway, but makes it an evenly balanced system with separate east and west fines,
and with inter-communication between such fines. If the Board should carry out these suggestions,
the city will own a railway system complete in itself, covering 37| miles, with 100 miles of track,
exclusive of side tracks. On the other hand, the plan proposes to afford the greatest measure of relief
by the only way in which such relief can be afforded—that is, by the expansion of existing facilities."
The estimated cost of these extensions (together with a further 30 miles of track which it is
proposed to construct beyond the Corporation limits) is between $45,000,000 and $50,000,000, about
one half of which would fall on the city.
In addition, the Board has considered the question of extensions in Brooklyn. Owing to the fact
that until recently Brooklyn and New York were separate municipalities, two distinct systems of transit
were developed without any co-relation with each other. Brooklyn has at present 30 miles of double
track elevated fines, and 479 miles of single track surface street railways. These converge upon the
Brooklyn Bridge with one pair of tracks for the elevated trains, and one pair of tracks for the surface
cars, the four tracks carrying annually about 110,000,000 passengers. This is the heaviest traffic,
proportionately for the mileage, carried upon any railway system in the world.
In connection with New York City Improvement schemes two further bridges (the Williams¬
burg," now completed, and the "Manhattan ") have been under construction, and these will greatly
relieve the congestion over Brooklyn bridge, and its two termini. The elevated and surface street
railways will have running powers over the new bridges, and it is largely for their use that they have
been projected.
The Brooklyn proposals of the Rapid Transit Board include subway connections with the elevated
system and the elevated fines that will run over the new Manhattan Bridge. The topography of Brooklyn
is such that connections can be made with every elevated fine, so these will run into a subway with¬
out serious interference with cross streets. A subway is proposed under Nassau and Orange Streets,
and the East River to Maiden Lane in New York, with a station near William Street, and thence
under various streets to and across the new Manhattan Bridge, thus providing a loop for the elevated
railways of Brooklyn by way of this bridge and the second Brooklyn tunnel.
With this subway a similar connection is proposed to be made -with the elevated tracks on the
Manhattan Bridge, when the latter is completed, thus providing a second loop. Two tracks are proposed
for the whole route, except under Centre Street, where there will be four.
41
Side Wall, Astor Place Station.
41
Twenty-Third Stkeet Station, Connecting with Building on S. W. cornek Twenty-Thikd
Street and Fourth Avenue. Showing Corridor extending under
Twenty-Third Street Sidewalk.
45
Further subway and elevated extensions are proposed which will connect with the terminus at
Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues, of the present Brooklyn Subway now under construction (No. 2
Contract), and thus reach the more outlying districts.
The proposed Brooklyn extension will cover 37 miles of streets, and the total length of the
track will be 120 miles.
The estimated cost is $52,000,000, of which about $31,000,000 represents the approximate
estimated cost of extending the subway and of constructing the second tunnel with its Centre Street con¬
nections in Manhattan. If this scheme is carried through, this portion of the work will be undertaken
by the Municipality.
Electrification of Steam Railway Terminals in New York.
Concurrently with the construction of the Rapid Transit Subway, the Board of Rapid Transit
Commissioners have sanctioned other extensive schemes which will have an important bearing on
the traffic problem of New York.
Hitherto, the barrier presented by the great rivers surrounding Manhattan Island has
necessitated the employment of ferries for the conveyance of passengers to New York from the
various Jersey City terminal stations of the Southern and Western lines.
The peculiar topography of the City and the excessive cost of property have also presented
serious engineering and financial difficulties. The successful development of electric traction for
ordinary railway work has now made it possible to bring these termini, by means of tunnels, into
the centre of the City. The most important proposal for meeting the difficult}' above indicated is that
of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. The acquisition by that Company of the control of the
Long Island Railway enabled it to prepare a scheme for a terminus in the City to deal with local,
New Jersey and Long Island traffic, as well as to establish through connections with the New
England railway lines.
The State Legislature passed an Act in April, 1902, conferring the necessary authority, and
the certificate of approval was issued by the Board of Rapid Transit in October of the same year.
This tunnel project is the largest of the kind that has ever been undertaken. The Jersey to
Manhattan tunnels under the North River consist of two tubes side by side with 37 ft. centres, each
tube being 23 ft. in outside diameter and containing a single track. The sub-river section will be
4,860 ft. in length. The Eastern division of the tunnels, giving connection with Long Island and
with the New England lines, begins at 7th Avenue and consists of two double track twin tunnels, one
under 32nd and one under 33rd Street to 1st Avenue, where the East River section starts. These
sections will be similar to those under the North River except that they will consist of four separately
driven 23 ft. tubes, each 3,970 ft. in length. At the Long Island City shore, the East River tunnels
emerge into open cuttings, terminating in an immense interchange yard which runs eastward for
about one-and-a-half miles.
The length of the tunnel system under the two rivers and across Manhattan Island, from the
West Portal in New Jersey to the East Portal in Long Island is 5'6 miles, the total length of tunnel
tracks being 15'10 miles, and the length of station tracks being 12-85 miles, thus giving a total
length of track of 27'05 miles.
The terminal station site referred to occupies four City blocks bounded by 7th and 9th
Avenues, and 21st and 23rd Streets. This entire space, measuring 1,200,000 square ft., will be
occupied by the terminal station yard at a level of about 45 ft. below the street surface. The
station proper (which will have 21 separate tracks) will occupy two City blocks, an area of about
eight acres. In this there will be provided a waiting room, 300 ft. long by 100 ft. wide, with a
vaulted ceiling rising to a height of about 150 ft.
The electric power will be supplied from two large stations, one in New Jersey and the other
on Long Island. The express trains will be drawn by specially designed powerful electric loco¬
motives, and are expected to attain an average speed of 30 to 37 miles per hour, the maximum speed
not exceeding 55 miles.
A similar grant for terminal construction facilities was made to the New York and Jersey
Railroad Company in July, 1902, and the work of constructing a double tunnel under the llqdson
River, to serve the lower portion of the City from 15th Street, Jersey City, to Morton Street, New
York, is also now being carried out. These projects for the bringing into touch in a large city like
New York of the local city traffic with the outgoing long distance traffic will be of the utmost
importance in adding to the convenience and efficiency of the locomotion services.
The Completed Subway.
Having closely watched the progress made in the construction of the New York subway
system during the last four years, and having this year seen the great scheme carried through to a
successful issue, I can fully appreciate the apparently insuperable difficulties that have had to be over¬
come, and the great engineering triumph represented by its successful accomplishment.
Difficulties had to be met at the outset which appeared to be almost insuperable ; a consider¬
able portion of the subway had to be cut through solid rock, huge buildings had to be undermined, a
complicated network of pipe mains and cables had to be dealt with, sewers had to be diverted
and reconstructed, and the street railways (elevated and surface) to be underpinned and their daily
running, and the general street traffic, maintained without interruption while the subway construction
work proceeded underneath, Notwithstanding all these obstacles, the railways have been
constructed with unusual expedition, and practically without inconvenience to the public. The
citizens of New York are now provided with a safe and thoroughly efficient system of
rapid transit, which, while relieving the congestion of the overcrowded streets, does not
disfigure the beauty of the city, supplements the overhead means of communication and
46
obviates for many purposes the inconvenience and possible danger which exist in the case of deep
level railways. The ventilation and lighting of the subway leaves nothing to be desired. The
stations to which access is given by short flights of steps frorrf the street, artistic with glazed tiles and
mosaics, are spacious and comfortable, most of them being provided during the day with natural light
from the prismatic glass pavements. The trains rim smoothly, swiftly, and noiselessly, under the busy
streets, without the least vibration. " The Times " correspondent, in his account of the work, said;—
" The New York Rapid Transit Subway is the greatest engineering work ever undertaken in this city.
I made a trip in the subway to-day (2lst October, 1904), from Brooklyn Bridge to 137th Street.
The claim of the Inter-Borough Company that for comfort, ventilation, lack of noise, and speed, the
railway is the finest of its kind in the country, if not in the world, is fully justified. The journey to
137th Street (9 miles) was accomplished in 24 J minutes, and the train ran so smoothly that it was
difficult to realise that it was moving with any speed at all."
The character of the work in every respect, both above and below the street surface, is of a very
high order, and reflects the greatest credit on the New York Rapid Transit Board, the Engineer and
his staff, and the contractors.
At 2 p.m. on Thursday, 27th October, 1904, the official opening took place, and at seven
o'clock the same day the regular running of the trains began.
The number of passengers now being carried on the opened sections averages 200,000 a day
on 9 miles of road, or 75,000,000 a year, as against about 45,000,000 on the 6 miles of the Central
London Railway.
Lessons for London.
The statesmanlike and able way in which the New York Rapid Transit Board have sought a
solution of the street traffic problem in their city, is, I think, suggestive of what should be undertaken
for London, if the same problem which is equally pressing here is to be solved.
No doubt the circumstances in New York are in some measure different from those of London,
inasmuch as the business portion of the City on Manhattan Island cannot further expand, and hence
the " skyscraper " type of building must increase to meet the vast growing need of the city. Concurrent
with this, rapid transit facilities, both surface and sub-surface, must also increase. The New York
City authorities, as well as the operating Companies have fully realised this, and as a result they have
to-day :
1. The most extensive elevated street railway system in the world, recently converted from
steam to electric traction.
2. The most up-to-date and perfect system of surface street railways, comprising 210 miles of
electric conduit lines, and
3. The present Rapid Transit Subway Electric lines, which, with their extensions in both city
and suburbs, will, 1 believe, be far in advance of any other scheme of city transit in the world.
London may expand, is yearly expanding in every direction to accommodate her ever increasing
population, but with the growth outwards, there is also a corresponding congestion in the central and
business districts, and large business blocks are constantly being erected in and near the city as the
old leases fall in. We have detached systems of tramways, suburban train systems, deep level railways,
and omnibuses, but no co-ordinated and harmonious plan that meets the needs of the county as
a whole. Omnibuses in other cities have had to succumb to the more comfortable and speedy electric
street car. Deep level tubes are admittedly less comfortable, less convenient and more costly to construct
and operate than the shallow subway, and I do not think that they are likely to be largely extended
in London. The electrification of the District and Metropolitan Underground Railways, and the lines in
connection therewith, constitutes, however, an important step in the co-ordination of London locomotion.
The real solution, I am persuaded, is to be found in the further electrification and extension of
the London County Council Tramways and in the construction of further subways under some of the
streets in the more central parts to make east and west, as well as north and south, connections. The
authorised tramway over Putney Bridge will soon be constructed, while lines from the south to Victoria
will be constructed when the new Vauxhall Bridge is opened. It is hoped that powers to construct
lines over Westminster and Blackfriars Bridges may be obtained in the next session of Parliament.
The Council's new subway under Kingsway, which will bring the Northern tramways as far as the
Strand, is now under construction. If the connections with the proposed lines along the Embank¬
ment and across Westminster and Blackfriars Bridges are sanctioned by Parliament, north and south
through connection will for the first time be attained by the tramways, which will be of the greatest
value to the Council's system, and of immense benefit to the travelling public.
Powers were obtained in the last session of Parliament for the construction of a line from the
Council's conduit lines in Greenwich to the southern end of the Blackwall Tunnel. The lines along
East India-road pass the northern end of the tunnel and it only remains to obtain authority for a line
through the tunnel to make a further and most valuable north and south connection in the East End.
An east and west shallow subway from Hammersmith to the Bank, with connections with the
present subway at the Strand,and with radiating lines under the City to the tramway termini on the north
and east boundaries of that area, would be a most valuable, and probably profitable scheme. Another
subway from the tramways terminus at Victoria Station to the Marble Arch, under Grosvenor-place
and Park-lane, ccnnecting with a surface tramway fiorn there, along Edgware-road to join the Middle¬
sex lines at Cricklewood, should be carried through. Another valuable surface electric conduit line
would be along Tottenham Court-road, Charing Cross-road and via Trafalgar-square and Parliament-
street to Westminster Bridge. The extension of surface lines, wherever possible, in the west and
north-western parts of London, having connections with the present systems and affording access by
Sob way Construction under Central Park.—Bronx Section, Double Track.
49
Subway to the City should he carried out at no distant date, and then the reproach that now attaches
to London as being one of the most badly served cities in the world, so far as transit facilities are
concerned, would to a large extent be removed. • r
New York has shown us an example of what enlightened civic enterprise can accomplish. London
has the opportunity, with its existing tramway systems, and its first tramway subway under
construction, to extend, connect, and build up a complete and uniform system for the whole of the
county that will be a credit to the Capital of the Empire. .
J. Allen Baker.
Note.—Comparisons between the New York and the Greenwich Power Stations.
• V ' '
Although designed quite independently, there are several points of resemblance between the
power station for the New York Rapid Transit Subways, and the one now being constructed by the
Council at Greenwich.
In each case the engine room is constructed parallel with the boiler room, and the boilers, which
are of the water-tube type, are all on one floor. There is a row of boilers on each side, with a central
firing floor between. The boilers are, in each case, divided into groups of six, and each double set of six
uses the same chimney. The New York station is half as large again as the one at Greenwich, and, in
consequence, there are six chimneys, each 15 ft. diameter, and 225 ft. high, as against four at Greenwich
with a diameter of 14 ft., and 250 ft. high.
In each case, the economisers are placed on a floor above the boilers, with coal bunkers at the top,
but at Greenwich the bunkers are sub-divided much more than at New York, probably giving greater
security in case of fire. In the basement of the boiler house, in each case, are the hot well tanks, the ash
shoots, and the ash conveyors.
The type of engine adopted, both in New York and at Greenwich, is the same, namely, a com¬
bined vertical-horizontal compound engine, with the generator mounted on the shaft between each half
engine. There is this difference, however, between the two schemes. In New York, the horizontal
cylinder is the high pressure, and the vertical the low pressure, while at Greenwich the opposite arrange¬
ment has been adopted. The results obtained by the arrangement at Greenwich appear to be of
distinct advantage, as the engines are more easily balanced, and a more effective and simple system
of drainage is secured. Moreover, there are-no "water-pockets" of any kind, which may, however,
very possibly result from the arrangement of the New York station. The engines at Greenwich also
are entirelyenclosed, and forced lubrication will be used, which results in avery appreciable saving of oil.
There is a marked contrast between the arrangement of the steam piping in the two power houses.
The New York arrangement appears to be complicated, while that at Greenwich, in addition to
being simpler in character contains, moreover, provision for an easy and natural system of
drainage.
The switchgear is of the same general type, namely, that of the electrically-operated remote-
control oil-break switches in each case, and the switchgear is arranged on the long side of the engine
room.
Owing to the configuration of the land at Greenwich, and the construction of the pier, the bringing
in of coal, and the taking away of ashes will perhaps be simpler than in New York, although the scheme,
generally, is the same.