The New York Rapid-transit Subway

Proceedings.] DISCUSSION ON NEW YORK SUBWAY. 55 pre-eminently useful—a service such as all engineers would greatly Wolfe Barry, desire to see in London, if only it were attainable. When he turned to the details of the work, he found so many things that might be discussed that he hesitated even to begin to refer to them. But the Paper would remain as a record of a highly successful and well-thought-out work, and all the members—at least those of them who ever saw any more London railway-work would turn to it for information and guidance hereafter. One point which struck him peculiarly was the way in whicli the Author had restricted the width of the subway, by the use of steel. Owing to the difficulty of constructing shallow railways and subways in streets, a great advantage was gained when the outside widtli of the structure could be reduced, because the engineei was then ab e to leave, outside the walls, spaces for the accommodation of sewers and gas- and water-pipes, and for fortifying-works for adjoining structures. Therefore, the Author’s success in making efficient side wal s of 3 width of 2 feet or 2 feet 6 inches instead of 5 feet, as in London, meant that he had saved a 5-foot strip all along tlie railway, which was an immense advantage. He could speak from practical knowledge of the far greater ease there must be in building a subway of that width, as compared with a subway of the width adopted in London. When the side walls of the Metropolitan and Metropolitan District railways were designed, there was not so much experience of the use of steel for such structural purposes to guide the engineers, and in that respect the Author had much im- proved upon older practice. The height of the subway did not ci er more than about 6 inches from the height of the Metropolitan and Metropolitan District lines, so that in that feature they were not dissimilar, and the London lines accommodated the ordinary rol mg stock of the country. He thought he was right in saying that the stress the Author had put upon the steel was certainly higher than was put upon similar work in England, or than engineers would be allowed by the Board of Trade to put upon it. He believed it worked out to about 9 tons pei square inch, which was considerably more than English engineers would be prepared to adopt. The results of the traffic had been very en- couraging, and he thought the Author was right in saying that the great success of the New York system of subways was due largely to the introduction of the express service. From the financial point of view lie was quite certain it must have a very important efiect ; and if on the Metropolitan line in London the same service could be given to the suburban passengers as was given in New York, the receipts would be much larger than they were at present. People were