Railroads for Broadway

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If Broadway, the great aristocratic street of New York City, was a living identity, and could appreciate the attention and devotion of its admirers, it certainly would be filled with a most intense conceit of itself. Broadway is a crowded street, and to relieve it from confusion, various schemes, from time to time, have been proposed, railroads being the suggested remedies. Railroads on the street, a railroad over the street, one on each side of the street, and one under the street, have all been planned and proposed. Various suspension railways have been invented, and some oi them are not of a very recent date, but we never expect to see an elevated railroad in it, although almost every inventor who has given the subject attention has concluded on suspending his rails. The owners of property are the persons to consult about allowing such a railway, for there is nothing impracticable in it. The only railroad to relieve Broadway that has received any favor, has been one of two tracks to be laid in the street. The present Common Council— sometimes in irony called Ali Babi's gang, granted to a certain company in this city, the privilege of constructing such a railroad, for a certain equivalent, and measures were taken to prosecute the work; but some of the citizens believing that our magistrates acted wrong in granting such a privilege, especially as higher offers were made for it, brought the subject before our courts, and obtained an injunction to restrain its construction. Our Common Council in their prosy wisdom, treated the decision of the court with great contempt, and for so doing were found guilty of misdemeanor. The case, however, is not finished yet; it has formed a fine fat job for the lawyers, for it is still banging away in the Superior Court, and no one can tell when it will be finished up. In the mean time let us say to those inventors who have recently proposed so many elevated railways for Broadway, exercise your patience, not a little, but a great while longer, and wait the progress oi events in the case of the railroad now at law. If it gets out of such a place without being the greatest rascal that ever rode upon a rail, we are greatly mistaken. We believe that a good railway would be a benefit to Broadway, and we have so expressed ourselves, but we have also said, and entertain the same opinion still, that no railroad should be constructed through any street against the will of a majority of the owners of property in it.

Scientific American Magazine Vol 8 Issue 42This article was published with the title “Railroads for Broadway” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 8 No. 42 (), p. 333
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican07021853-333b

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