I - \ V 1' V \ vJA * V V m "' \ i * Remarks by Lawson N. Fuller on the Value and Util- ity of Cable Roads at the Opening of the New Cable Road on Tenth Avenue, New York City, August 29 , 1885 . They are clean, benefit property and can accommodate the public ; and every street should have them. Mr. President and Gentlemen: The people of Washington Heights have been waiting and wanting and advocating a railroad for thirty years, and it has at last arrived — one of the best roads in the country. The Third Avenue Railroad Company deserve great credit for the enterprise that they have manifested in employing the best engineering ability in the country to go to Chicago with the President of their road and thoroughly investigate the merits of the cable system. It is a fact worthy of note that Mr. Lyon, the President, of one of the richest and best conducted and most extensive horse railroads in the country, went with the engineer to Chicago with the determination that if the system appeared to him practicable in the City of New York, notwithstanding the opposition that had already manifested itself here in certain directions from the horse railroads, to adopt it ; and having the courage of his convictions, being fully satisfied that the system would work well in New York, and the engineer having come to the same conclusion without consultation with each other, they immediately recommended it to the Board of Directors of the Third Avenue Railroad Company. They have gone to work, and in about eighteen months they have built about three miles of double track, commencing at Eighth avenue and One Hundred and Twenty- fifth street, running to Tenth avenue, turning up Tenth ave- 2 nue and running out to One Hundred and Eighty-seventh street — a considerable portion of the way chiseling their way through solid rock, not being allowed to blast on account of the road’s proximity to the Croton water-pipes. Notwith- standing all the arguments that have been advanced by the different horse railroads and the heads of departments, from the Office of the Commissioner of Public Works, from the Board of Health, from the Eire Department, from the Cor- poration Counsel’s Office with the aid and support of the Mayor against the cable system, they have overcome every obstacle, and successfully completed their road without inter- fering with sewers or pipes, so that the foolish arguments of the croakers against the cable system have utterly failed. They have not broken a pipe, nor damaged a pipe, nor interfered with the Croton water-pipes, and have found no difficulty in adjusting the gas-pipes to the conditions of the road. Mr. Jacob M. Long, an able engineer, who has been about twenty-five years with the Harlem Gas Company, gave his testimony before the Commissioners who w^ere appointed by the Supreme Court to consider this cable system, testified that he had adapted all the Harlem gas-pipes in One Hun- dred and Twenty-fifth street and up Tenth avenue as far as the road had been completed to the conditions of the cable road, at an expense of only two hundred dollars, which he considered a liberal consideration for all the work that had been done. For these gas men and gas companies to send their attor- neys before the Commissioners to oppose a system that was so well calculated to give the needed facilities to the traveling public of New York is a perfect outrage, when it is taken into consideration that they pay not a single dollar into the treasury of the City of New York for the privilege of putting down their pipes wherever they want to ; and that this Cable Company, by the conditions of their charter, are obliged to pay the expense themselves, if any expense is necessary in altering pipes, changing them and adapting them to their system. ro &» L o Tsi.vj\oy J 6 3 d d d There is one thing that the completion of this grand road ' on the Tenth avenue settles, and that is this — that all of the /; arguments that the horse railroad and the heads of the ^different departments in the City of - New York have urged against this system are without foundation and utterly false — and here is the road to prove it. Look at the condition of the Tenth avenue to-day over which this cable road runs as far as they have completed it ! It is as perfect a road as anybody would wish to walk on or drive over, and it is the first time in thirty years that I have seen any portion of it to any considerable extent fit to drive over. Their tracks have been laid ; they have put in concrete and asphaltum, leveling right up flush with the rails, so that there is no trouble in driving back- wards and forwards across them without any inconvenience to horses or carriages. Even better than that ; it is the best place to drive on the track and the smoothest for the horses between the rails ; even if they .travel right on the slot there is no danger of inconvenience ; and if all the principal streets in the City of New York could have a cable road, and have it finished up in the style that this Third Avenue Railroad is finishing up the Tenth avenue, it would be a great blessing, advantage, convenience and economy, not only to those who drive private carriages, but to hacks and all kinds of vehicles, whether trucks or carts, or any other description of carriage. * Another thing to be noticed is that they use a different rail from what the horse railroads have adopted. They promised to do it, and they have done it. What did Jacob Sharp do in regard to Broadway ? He pledged his word before the Commission which sat to hear testimony , in favor of and against the two systems — the horse railroad and the cable road — that if he got permission to lay his horse railroad in Broadway, he would use an improved rail, he would have a better style of cars, and that he would use the best horses. What has he done? Put down one of the most wretched tracks, a centre bearing rail that would take a carriage wheel on either side and hold it almost as firmly as the grip used 1 24384 4 on the cable road ; not paved up flush on either side with the rail, but two or three inches on either side to catch a carriage wheel or truck wheels, or any other wheels that are used in business or for pleasure ; and his cars are no improvement in any way, with the exception of a little change in the color of the paint, and the horses are no better than he has always used, and they are unable to accommodate one-half of the people who want to ride, but a continuation of the same packing process. Instead of having a grand cable road on Broadway, the rails of which would amount to no considerable inconvenience, splendid cars, such as have been built for Tenth avenue, that are a credit to the system and a credit to the city, and which will be the admiration of the passengers as well as their con- venience and comfort — cars that do credit to the inventor, Mr. J. H. Bobertson, Superintendent — such cars, in fact, as have never been and never will be built for the horse railroad, will now be used on the cable road to the entire satisfaction of the ' traveling public. In fact, I have never seen a prettier car, and one built with greater taste, with an eye to convenience and comfort, than the car that has been put on to this Tenth avenue as probably the style that will be most generally in use. Another improvement that this company has adopted. Their cars are not all of one pattern. The grip-car adapted to its use is well built, the model is beautiful, and it is comfortable. The basket-car, which is intended for an open car during the summer, with panels made for the side, to enclose it in winter, so that it can be adapted to all kinds of weather, looking to the comfort of the travel- ing community. The other car, which is enclosed, is made higher than the ordinary liorse-car ; consequently is more attractive, more convenient, and seats a larger number of passengers. In fact, their cars are everything that could be desired, and there is not a fault to be found with them ; and they do credit, not only to the President of the road, but to the gentleman, Mr. Bobertson, who drew up the models and watched over their building to completion. \ There is another lesson to be drawn from this step in the interests of the public by this Third avenue horse railroad adopting this cable system. It shows that those gentlemen had the courage of their convictions ; that the increased travel in the City of New York, the overcrowded condition of the cars demanded some improvement in the way of greater facilities than could be given by cars drawn by horses ; and having made up their minds to that they have given a chal- lenge to the horse railroads ; and if this road works as well as they anticipate that it will, they contemplate cabling their, entire system, and if they do do that, it revolutionizes the railroad business in the City of New York, and it is a revo- lution that has long been looked for and needed, and in a very few years at the remotest every competitive road now worked by horse-cars will have to cable their roads in order to compete with the cable system and afford the same conven- ience to the traveling public, or else they will have to go out of the business. There is one advantage that I apprehend these gentlemen discover in this cable system — the capacity for carrying an almost unlimited number of people with the perfect and duplicated machinery which they have adopted. They can increase their carrying capacities to almost an unlimited extent if the emergency requires it. This the horse-cars have never done and will never do sufficiently to meet the public demand. For this reason, supposing the Third Avenue Railroad Com- pany, or the Sixth Avenue Railroad Company, or the Eighth Avenue Railroad Company should keep fifty extra cars to put on in case of great demand, that would necessitate keeping eight horses for each car, which would be four hundred horses. If you increase the number of cars or decrease the number of cars you increase or decrease the number of horses, so that the thing would be impracticable. How is it with the cable system ? They have a reserved force of power. They can have fifty, or a hundred, or a hundred and fifty cars on storage at a very slight expense. They eat nothing. In case of great demand they could switch all these cars on to their tracks, use a few additional bushels of coal, generate a little more 6 steam and carry double or treble the number of passengers. When the rush is over they can return their cars to the stor- age-house and wait for another emergency. When I was in Chicago examining the cable system, I was told by the superintendent of the road that one evening the circus was in the city and there were about fifteen thou- sand people present. They had every car ready to sweep around the tent the moment the performance was over, and those fifteen thousand people came out, and in about fifteen minutes were distributed to all parts of the city by the cable road. The horse-cars could not have distributed one-quarter of the number in the same length of time, and with the growing population of our great city and the constantly increasing demand for railroad convenience, there is no other system that will answer the purpose or meet the emergency. On the 8tli of this very month, we had one of the grandest processions that was ever witnessed in this city or probably ever will be witnessed. It marched from the Battery to River- side Drive, calling into requisition all the facilities that were at hand — and probably not one-half the people could ride. On all such occasions the cable system will afford, if properly organized, as they propose to do with the New York Cable Company, with main lines and transverse roads to carry the people, all the facilities needed under any circumstances will be furnished, and for the fare of five cents, from any one point to any other in the City of New York. This Third Avenue Railroad Company have done for the people of New York a grander thing than they imagine. They have built six miles of road on the upper end of the Island, on the crown of the hill, almost up to and looking towards Kingsbridge. We waited thirty years patiently — they have built the road ! One-half of it runs through what you might almost call a wilderness for the want of these very facilities ; but they probably apprehend, as they will realize in the near future, that their road will make the desert to bud and blossom with public improvements. \ And there should be some reward given to these people in some way or other for the bold step that they have taken. They have suffered the criticism and the reproaches of croakers and fault-finders, but in the face of all the opposi- tion and criticism and embarrassment they have gone on quietly, persevering until they have completed the road. There is one link lacking under the present system that is sadly needed by the public, but which unfolded itself so recently that it was not provided for or taken into consider- ation in the building of their system of cable road. One of the grandest men, and the most distinguished Generals that this country or any other has ever known, and probably beloved by more people in this country and all others than any other man that ever lived in our day, desired to be buried in this city because this city befriended him in the time of his need. This city owes a debt to that man — the man who did more to save his country and to perpetuate its honor and its glory than any other man living — the man who never wrote a line or spoke a word in his official career as President or as General that was not a credit to himself and a credit to liis country. In view of these facts and in consideration of all that he did, and in view of the fact that the Riverside Drive was selected by his family to deposit his remains — one of the most beautiful places probably in the universe — the Hudson river at the base of the hill, the Palisades stretching out on its western shore, with a view up the river and down as far as the eye can reach ; with the beautiful drives stretching out at the south ; with the East river, the Sound and the Harlem Flats spread out in full view on the east, there should be given to the thousands and tens of thousands and hundreds of thou- sands, and millions of people that will come from all direc- tions by every method possible, as has already been seen — by excursions that have come from the East and West to visit his tomb — the best facilities should be given them, out of consideration for what that man did to perpetuate their liberty, their freedom and the glory of their country, to reach his grave conveniently and comfortably. 8 At present it cannot be clone and there is but one way that it could be done and that way it should be done. This company, who have built this splendid road in One Hundred and Twenty-fifth street should be given the privilege, and it should be considered a great advantage to the public that they take the privilege of extending their road westward through One Hundred and Twenty-fifth street, crossing the Boulevard at One Hundred and Twenty-fifth street, over private property but a few feet, up the hill on to Riverside Drive, running over the roadway leading down to Manhattan- ville, reaching the brow of the hill near Claremont Hotel, running northward round the brow of the hill outside of the curbstone on to the west side along the banks of the Hudson, as near the curb and the Drive as they could conveniently build their road, directly west of the monument, running south as far as One Hundred and Fifteenth street, and turning east through One Hundred and Fifteenth street, back to the Boulevard and north through the Boulevard back to One Hundred and Twenty-fifth street, crossing the Boulevard, which has a horse railroad on it ; eastward across the Tenth avenue, which has a horse railroad on it, and will soon have an elevated railroad ; eastward across the Eighth avenue, which has a surface railroad and an elevated road ; across the Fourth avenue, which has a depressed road ; across Third avenue, with its surface road and its elevated road ; across Second avenue, with its surface and elevated road ; and to the East river, which would give the people of the City of New York every convenience and comfort that would be required in reaching Riverside through all these elevated and surface roads, riding on to the ground of Riverside Park and back again, taking the axial lines and distributing the people to all parts of the city. This needed cable road extension should be granted and built at once. We don’t want to wait one, two, three, four or five years for this great improvement. It is needed to-day, and if you will go with me any day, morning, afternoon or evening on to Riverside Drive and see the thousands and tens of thousands of people that visit that place, you will 1 fully agree witli all that I have said. Any day you can see decrepit old men and women climbing up the hill on the north and on the east side to reach the tomb of General Grant ; and many and many a one have I seen give up before they had reached the top of the hill and return to the cars because they were not able to make the journey and not able, probably, to hire carriages to take them there. Now in this cable system every facility can be given, every advantage afforded for comfort and convenience to reach the grounds for the sum of five cents, and if they are not able to walk they can ride entirely around the entire plot, having a complete view of the whole grounds without getting out of the cars. Now, if that is what is needed it is what will have to come, and the quicker it comes the better for New York and the country at large. If we are disposed for an instant to look at this question from a selfish standpoint, a pecuniary stand- point, or with a view to public improvements, the apprecia- tion of real property and improvement of the upper end of the Island and the annexed wards, this cable system as it is proposed by the New York Cable Company, and recom- mended unanimously by the Commission, and which will prob- ably be recommended by the Supreme Court, and as inaugu- rated by the Third Avenue Horse Railroad Company, will give such an impetus to improvements and advance to property as has never been known. The elevated railroads accomplished wonders for the city. They run through a limited territory compared to what will be covered by this cable system. This cable system, with its transverse roads, will improve it from the east to the west side, so that the whole question will be covered, and there will be a movement all along the line, from the East to the North river, and from the South Ferry to Kingsbridge and over to the annexed territory. So, what possible argument is there to be given against the adop- tion of the cable system, as inaugurated by this Third Avenue Railroad Company ? No argument but the argument of the horse railroads,' and, what does that mean but oppression, 10 inconvenience, crowding and packing without one-quarter of the advantage to real estate and to public convenience that is given by the cable system. What are some of the advantages of the cable system over the most improved facilities the horse railroads can give us ? One is an unlimited capacity at times when greater capacity is needed ; another, the ability to run at any rate of speed that municipal authorities will allow ; and still another, greater promptness in stopping and starting than with horse- cars ; still another, greater saving of expense ; and a fifth, freedom from interruption by snow, the power being below the surface, snow and ice won’t impede the cars, for if the wheel won’t revolve, they can slide — but they have to go. Another thing is greater cleanliness, affecting both health and comfort. With the increase in population the additions must go further and further from the centre of business, necessitating a constantly increasing ratio of travel to population. The increase from 1880 to 1884, without any increase in the trans- portation facilities, was 72,893,514, being 34 and T Vper cent., upon which basis the travel would be in 1890, 450,000,000, against 384,000,000 last year ; in 1900, 956,000,000 ; in 1910, which is not far away, 2,031,000,000. If the cable roads should all be built by 1890, and should attract only 75 per cent, of the increased travel, they would carry 102,000,000 passengers and earn $5,100,000, gross, of which 60 per cent., or $3,000,000, would be net, being 6 per cent, on $50,000,000 capital. There is room and demand for all these increased facilities, and they will pay a large dividend on all capital invested, to say nothing of the enormous increase to the value of real estate along the line of the roads. We were told before the elevated roads were built that they were not needed. In 1875 they were needed only to the extent of carrying 920,571 passengers. In 1885, which was ten years later, they were needed to the extent of carrying 96,702,620 passengers, less than 1,000,000 in 1875, and nearly 97,000,000 in 1885, showing the enormous increase of travel, a much more ^apid increase 11 £ iii travel than in facilities afforded to the traveling com- munity. The average selling or market price of the stock and bonds of the surface or horse railways, exclusive of the Harlem or Fourth avenue line, is $388,900 per mile, while on the basis of earning six per cent, net, the value per mile would be $472,000 per mile of road. The same roads doing the same traffic by cable would earn net at least $44,200 per mile or six per cent, on $735,000 per mile. The market value of their bonds averages $110, and that of their stock averages $165, which argues that no safer or better investment can be found than in a city railway. There is no cause of alarm to the roads that are already built that roads will be built so rapidly as not to afford a handsome income for the investment. The fact is that for the last forty years, to my certain knowledge, the facilities have been twenty-five years behind the demand, and that there are more people, that there is a larger percentage of the traveling community who have to ride holding on to straps and on the rails in the rear of the cars than there were twenty-five years ago, and that there is no relief from this bondage in any other way but in adopting the cable system. We of the heights congratulate ourselves, we congratulate the Third Avenue Railroad Company, we congratulate the city at large that the system is established here, that it has come to stay, and that it has come right here on the heights ; and this part of the city is as beautiful and sacred to us as Jerusalem was to David — that it is the very perfection of beauty and the glory of all lands. And further, having got this good thing ourselves, we are willing to do all that we can for our neighbors, the citizens of New York, and to spread this blessing; and we hope that these apostles of the Third Avenue Railroad will continue their good work. The President of the road, Mr. Lyons, savs that they could build feet down the Third avenue while they were building inches on the Tenth avenue, on account of the rock and many other obstacles that they encounter on the l 4 4 heights that they would not encounter in the lower portions of the city ; and it is safe to say — it is safe to promise the 400,000,000 of people who ride on this island — that in the near future the system that has been so successfully inaugu- rated at this end of the island will be extended to the lower, end of the island, and from the east to the west side to a sufficient extent to give the traveling public what they have so long prayed for — a seat that will be comfortable, a speed that will be satisfactory, and all for a five-cent fare. What more could be desired or asked ?