The New York Rapid-transit Subway

96 DISCUSSION ON NEW YORK SUBWAY. [Minutes of Mr. Hudleston. tunnel, and a tunnel was more costly than a tube. After that, care would be required to get round the Middle Level sewer, although it might be managed ; but at Lancaster Gate the task would become hopeless. A large sewer crossed there just below the road-surface, the Middle Level sewer was immediately below, and the subway would then have to change into a tube or deep tunnel again. After that it would get on fairly well, and formerly it could have reached Chancery Lane without much trouble, because the County Council subway did not then exist. Then cameHolborn Viaduct, which could not be passed except by tunnelling, and the remainder of the distance would have to be finished off practically in tunnel. Of all tubes the Central London was perhaps the one that had been constructed on a route which would strike an ordinary man as being an ideal one for subways, but looking at the matter closely, it was practically impos- sible to adopt that form of construction. He was of opinion that if anything more were done in London within the 4-mile radius it must be practically a tube. Outside the 4-mile radius subways could be constructed J and a little farther out it would be really cheaper in most cases to buy the land and make an ordinary open railway. Mr.Boardman. Mr. W. H- BOARDMAN observed that the losses and annoyance to the public in Fourth Avenue, Forty-second Street and Upper Broadway during the period of construction had been not at all exaggerated; nevertheless, that did not prove everything. In Upper Broadway at every cross street wide passages were made, so that the whole street was not obstructed. Amsterdam Avenue was near by, and there were other broad avenues leading to the north. It was in fact a case of the suffering of the few for the benefit of the many. The outrages on Fourth Avenue and Forty-second Street were inexcusable ; the loss to property-owners, dealers, and others had been severe. The subsequent construction, from the City Hall to below Wall Street, which had been alluded to by one of the speakers, had been done without any annoyance whatever to the public. He would not describe the metliod except to say that a little of the cover was moved each night, and all that the man in the street saw was the substitution of tliick plank paving for the ordinary paving. On the curb-line a longitudinal wooden trestle was placed, with exhaust-pipes to take the material away. Except for that, the pedestrian and vehicular traffic was unimpeded. Safety in operation had not been alluded to in the discussion. Where electricity was used for power purposes intense heat arose from short-circuiting, and two instances had occurred already. In one case only employees were concerned, and they took care of themselves; and in the otlier case a train-load of passengers came to