held on adjournment by the Public Service Commission on July 30th. The public interest was manifested by the presence of a large number of citizens, several representing important civic organizations and the engineer of the president of the Borough of Brooklyn appearing officially for him. The form and specifications of the contracts were discussed and opportunity was given all who desired to be heard.

This completed the requirements by which, in due legal form, the city, through its proper authorities, was committed to the project, leaving only the preparation, and the approval as to form by the Corporation Counsel, of the contracts with the successful bidders upon which actual operations might be begun.

While recognizing the obligation thus undertaken by the city, this Commission, after mature deliberation concluded that at this point there rested with it a responsibility of which it could not divest itself; namely, that its approval was involved and necessary in the final acts of letting and executing the contracts and overseeing the prosecution of the work. A sub-committee was thereupon appointed to examine carefully into the merits of the project. Much time was given to conference between and by its members with many citizens whose views were sought regarding it..

Route.- The subway was shown to extend from the westerly terminal of the Manhattan bridge (now being constructed and expected to be finished during the winter of 1909-10) across same to Fulton street, through Ashland place, across Atlantic to Fourth avenue and through this to Fortieth street, South Brooklyn; a distance of 3.84 miles. To that point the plans are for four tracks. There the subway divides into two branches, each with two tracks, though provision is made by which enlargement to four tracks is possible when required. One line continues down Fourth avenue to Fort Hamilton, a further distance of 3.13 miles. The other line proceeds through Fortieth street, New Utrecht avenue, Eighty-sixth street and Stillwell avenue to Coney Island at Surf avenue, a distance of 6.02 miles from the dividing point at Fortieth street and Fourth avenue. The whole line in Brooklyn, with its two branches, is but a fraction short of thirteen miles.

Section Traversed.- The trunk line passes through the thickly populated sections of the Third, Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh wards and beyond traverses the Eighth, Twentieth and Twenty-second wards, the line to Fort Hamilton reaching the Thirtieth, as does also the Coney Island branch to the south and east, which in addition extends to the Thirty-first ward. This territory embraces an area of twenty-six square miles in extent, with a present population estimated at more than 350,000 and capable of housing conveniently a million and a half of people, with a density of population of ninety-two to the acre, the average of the Twentythird ward of Brooklyn, or even of about 2,500,000, with a density of population of one hundred and forty per acre, the ratio in the Twenty-second ward of Manhattan, neither of these being crowded districts.

The whole area lies within a radius of nine and three-quarter miles from the City Hall, about the distance of One Hundred and Eighty-first street in Manhattan to the north. It has a water frontage on the Narrows and ocean of about seven miles. It is well adapted to industrial and commercial development of unusual extent and of immense importance to the future progress of the city. Already promise and indication of this are to be found in the extensive docks, factories and warehouses constructed by private enterprise and in the immense piers of over 1,500 feet in length about to be built by the city, which will outrival all others. Further, the line will bring within the easy and economical reach of our vast population the seashore resorts and amusement places which constitute an important factor in the health of the city and its attractiveness to its thousands of visitors.

Advantages of Route.- The question of rapid transit in New York is large and involved. It may well include the considerations of:

(1) Relief for travel in the sections of congested population.

(2) Distribution of such congested population by means of facilities for access to other sections.

(3) The promotion of the city's growth by providing facilities for reaching the outlying and suburban districts.

(4) The financial advantages accruing to the city by the development of such sections resulting in increase of taxable values.

All of these, from the standpoint of the city at large, may fairly be said to be met in the determination of this route, and, withal, the exceedingly important local advantages of the diversion of travel from the overcrowded and overburdened Brooklyn bridge and its terminal in Manhattan, by way of the Manhattan bridge, to the business sections further uptown in the region of Canal

street.

Besides these points no small weight was to be given to the fact that this route is to be the trunk of interborough traffic, so far as the Boroughs of Brooklyn, Manhattan and The Bronx are concerned, into all of which through travel is by it made possible, with easy transfers to all parts of the city by the several connecting or intersecting lines. Still further, it is a convenient route by which connection with the Borough of Richmond may be made, there being included as part of the plan for this route an extension by tunnel from Fort Hamilton, under the Narrows, to the opposite shore of Staten Island.

Construction Ordered. These considerations, varying in the emphasis of importance of the several points in the minds of the Commissioners, in conjunction with the fact that the city authorities had already authorized it, entered into the final determination by the Commission favorable to the project of the Fourth avenue subway. Its approval was given at a public meeting on October 2d. While there was some divergence of views and votes the Commissioners were as one on the general proposition of the desirability of the route, their difference going mainly to the point of the relative importance of this subway and the time for its construction as compared with the requirements of other sections of the city. The Engineering Department was thereupon ordered to proceed with the revision and preparation of the contracts, following the record of the public hearing already given.

Enlargement of Original Plans. In the meantime the Commission had determined on the appointment of Mr. Henry B. Seaman as chief engineer, to take effect on December 1st. In

view of the great and rapid changes which are almost continuously being brought about by invention and progress in methods, appliances and equipment for transportation, the Commission believed it to be a wise policy in the construction of this and other subways to make provision for possible enlargement and improvement to admit of meeting future demands. It, therefore, on November 19th adopted a recommendation by Mr. Seaman that the original plans for the subway should be changed from a height of 14 feet to a height of 15 feet from the base of rail, giving a clearance of 14 feet 6 inches, above the top of rail instead of 13 feet 6 inches, and a clear width at narrowest point of 13 feet to each track.

Elimination of Grades. The original plans also involved a number of heavy grades, some of over five per cent. These adversely and greatly affect the facility and economy of railway operation. The Commission determined, therefore, to change these features so as to eliminate all grades of more than three per cent. except those leading to and from the bridges, which are unavoidable in the nature of the case. The plans and specifications embodying these important improvements, and some changes in the number and location of stations, are now nearing completion. At an early date the contracts for construction under them will be ready and offered for bids in sections. Promptly on the letting of them operations will be undertaken and pushed vigorously forward.

It is believed that the brief delay necessarily caused will not prolong the opening of this subway beyond the estimated time. The Commission is of the opinion that this subway, at least in one of the branches, will be ready for operation by the time of the opening of the Manhattan bridge and the connecting so-called loop in Manhattan. The latter is so related to the Fourth avenue subway that it may be regarded as a part of the same.

1.

C. NEW SUBWAY ROUTES.

BROADWAY-LEXINGTON AVENUE ROUTE.

The urgent need for the immediate construction of other rapid transit subways needs no proof. Every person who uses the present lines knows they are congested, that the conditions of

over-crowding are indecent and that every improvement that can be made will hardly be sufficient to keep pace with the growth of traffic prior to the time when a new subway may be opened, to say nothing of relieving the congestion which now exists. The question is not whether a new subway is needed, therefore, but where a new line may be located most advantageously and which of the several routes that are needed should be constructed first. During the past six months this question has been under constant discussion. Public hearings have been held at which the residents of every borough have been given an opportunity to appear before the Commission and state their views. Local organizations of citizens in different districts have been granted separate hearings, and suggestions from individuals have been freely made and carefully considered. The plans prepared by the Rapid Transit Board have been examined and the importance of the various routes laid out fully discussed.

The Route Described. The Commission concluded toward the close of the year that none of these routes seemed to meet the present requirements so nearly as a new route called the BroadwayLexington avenue subway, running from the Battery up Broadway or Greenwich and Vesey streets to the Post Office, thence up Broadway to Tenth street or thereabouts, thence under private property and public streets to Irving place, thence up Irving place and Lexington avenue to the Harlem river, thence under the Harlem river to 138th street or thereabouts. Dividing here into two branches, one line will go up Mott avenue to East 151st street, through 151st street and Gerard avenue to Jerome avenue and thence up Jerome avenue to Woodlawn cemetery; the other line will pass east through 138th street to the Southern boulevard, and up the Southern boulevard and Westchester avenue to Eastern boulevard.

From the Post Office, and possibly from the Battery, the subway will contain four tracks until it reaches 138th street. The easterly fork will contain at least three tracks and likewise the westerly fork as far as Jerome avenue, where there will be four tracks again. This is considered wise because at some future time a subway will probably be built in Eighth avenue to connect with the line up Jerome avenue, and then four tracks will be