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| L Road Head Sees Jam
at Rush Hour
President Hetzler Convinced That the Present Service Is Inadequate. Gives Ideas for Relief. Suggests Longer Loop Platforms and Stub Terminals for All the Lines. Source: Chicago Daily Tribune, 25 January 1910, pg. 3. With all the evidence of passenger traffic congestion in the loop district looming big and black before him, President Howard G. Hetzler of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated railway company buttoned his topcoat about him at 5 o'clock last evening and strode boldly into the midst of the great mass of men and women who were pulling, hauling, pushing, wrestling, and fighting for a chance to get a seat or decent standing room in a homebound elevated train. He was taking a leaf from the book of Theodore Shonts, who went into the New York subway and found much knowledge. Two hours later, away out at the Marshfield avenue junction of the Metropolitan lines, Mr. Hetzler emerged from the swaying, crushing mixup of human beings. He had been through Chicago's evening "rush hour," and he was still alive. His topcoat was intact, his hat no dents in it, and he smiled contentedly as he mounted the crossover balcony, and pointed down to the trains that were moving with clocklike regularity. "Now, isn't this a pretty fine system?" asked Mr. Hetzler. It was, but Marshfield avenue is two miles from the loop. What happened between 5 and 7 o'clock is the story of Mr. Hetzler's "rush hour" inspection of the downtown elevated passenger service, in the quizzical company of a reporter and an artist for the Tribune. Makes Suggestions for Relief. Before the story goes too far here are some of the things Mr. Hetzler said while he was back up against the railings of crowded station platforms, elbowing his way through overloaded cars, or riding, pilotlike, on the front end of a Metropolitan train: "The first necessary step toward the permanent improvement of elevated passenger traffic is the construction of stub terminals by all the elevated roads now running into the union loop. "The immediate lengthening of the loop platforms is a pressing emergency, but it has no important bearing on the final solution of the traffic problem. "The downtown merchants created the loop district and brought the people into it, and they should not object when we ask for facilities that will aid us in getting the people out of the loop. "The interests of railroad companies and of merchants are alike secondary to the interests of the whole people. "The people have the right to demand of the railroad companies the best possible service, and the companies should do their utmost to supply such a service. "The passenger traffic problem will best be solved not by the building of subways but by the continued improvement and extension of elevated railroads." Train Waits Between Stations. The LaSalle street elevated station was the starting point of the trip of inspection. Mr. Hetzler chose that point because that is where the Metropolitan trains enter the loop. The "rush hour" was just beginning to warm up. The train supply at that moment was equal to the passenger demand, and this left a little time for a bit of quick action question and answer on the subject of extending the station platforms. A Metropolitan five car train drew up at the station. Behind it was a South Side five car train. There was not room at the platform for both trains, so the South Side train had to wait between stations for the Metropolitan train to pull out. Other five car trains pulled in, and the waiting game was continued. "That shows the necessity for extending the station platforms," Mr. Hetzler said. "Each platform should be long enough to accommodate two trains. Or at least, there should be room enough at each platform for one six car train. If two trains could stop at a platform at the same time it would eliminate the stops between stations, and that would increase the effectiveness of each train." Loop Almost Full of Cars. "But," it was suggested, "these trains appear to be running close to one another. If you had the extended platforms, how many more cars could you crowd on the loop structure and still maintain a safe train service?" "Not many more," replied Mr. Hetzler with entire frankness. "A few more trains on the loop would create the condition of a practically continuous train, and that would not permit safe railroading. The ultimate train capacity of the loop is nearly represented by the trains now using it. The lengthening of the platforms to accommodate six car trains is the thing most desired." "Well, if you had the lengthened platforms, would your company be able to run six car trains?" "No, we would not. All the platforms on our own lines are built for five car trains, and we would have to do a lot of reconstructing in order to take advantage of the added platform space on the loop." "Would your company be ready and willing to enlarge your platforms in time to use the added platform space on the loop as soon as it might be provided?" "It would." Argues for Longer Platforms. At this point a Metropolitan train arrived. Mr. Hetzler made a second thought rush for it and missed it, and while waiting for another train he told what he thought of the merchants who, he said, are opposing any extension of the unsightly loop platforms. "Platform extension," he said, "is demanded in the interests of the whole people. The merchants object on the ground that lengthened platforms will further darken their stores. Personally I do not think that there would be any considerable difference in the matter of light. At any rate, the interests of the people come first, and neither the merchants nor the railroad companies have the right to ask that their interests be considered first. "Look at that steel platform extending out there. That has been there for years, and it was intended to accommodate extensions of station platforms whenever the traffic should demand such extensions. Do you think a platform laid on that bed and a root covering the platform would make enough difference in store light to outweigh the increased train service that the people would receive during the rush hours?" Scramble to Enter Cars. Mr. Hetzler had just begun a justification of the ugly appearance of the loop structure on the ground of the general homeliness of all railroads when another Metropolitan train arrived and president, reporter, and artist scrambled on to the front platform, right up where the cowcatcher ought to be. "We can get a good view of things from here," said Mr. Hetzler. Nothing was said about the danger of a hind end collision with the train that was only a few steps ahead, but nothing happened, so it was all right. As the train made the round of the loop stations the congestion of traffic steadily increased. The train was stopped several times between stations because of the line of trains ahead, and at every succeeding station there was an ever increasing number of people, and the fight for place on the trains became greater. At Quincy street, the last loop station for Metropolitan trains, the inspection special was allowed to go its strap hanging way, and Mr. Hetzler broke a path into the Fifth avenue station on the Metropolitan stub terminal system. This was where the other elevated roads got a hard jolt. Thousands of west siders who could not find place on the loop trains of the Metropolitan were streaming through six turnstiles to the stub terminal trains, and they all looked cheerful and happy. Many Use Stub Terminal. "This is a complete duplication of our loop service," said Mr. Hetzler, with a show of pride. "We have maintained it for five or six years during the morning and evening rush hours. The trains leaving this terminal during the evening rush hour carry about 12,500 passengers. They pick up 3,500 more at Canal street, another 3,000 at Halsted street, and still another 3,000 at Marshfield avenue. If we were to discontinue this service the union loop, with or without lengthened platforms could not carry the 12,500 passengers who are received at this station every evening. "This is how near to its ultimate capacity the union loop has come. And beyond this, and more important, there will be no permanent relief of the congestion in elevated train service until the other elevated roads shall have constructed stub terminals similar to ours. We have a four-track system running straight into this Fifth avenue station, and the four tracks continue out to Marshfield avenue junction." Casual observation showed that every one of the Metropolitan terminal trains were loaded to capacity, and strap-hanging was not altogether absent. When Mr. Hetzler's attention was called to this he said: "That is an added reason for the early construction of more stub terminals." Frowned On by Strap Hangers. After a ticklish third rail walk to the Metropolitan terminal switch tower and return, the inspection party boarded a terminal train, bound for Marshfield avenue. Mr. Hetzler got into the wrong end of a car, and in leading the way through to the other end he had a little straphanging experience of his own. Men and women who were jealous of their swaying room did not like the idea of a big and wrinkling their garments, and there was plenty of grumbling and frowning en route. The reporter started to ask something about the number of persons in the car, but Mr. Hetzler saved an answer by directing attention to a Metropolitan loop train that was passing on a parallel track. "Notice the difference?" asked Mr. Hetzler. There certainly was a difference, for the passengers were packed into the loop train like figs. There was no need for them to hang on to the straps, for they couldn't have fallen down if they had wanted to. "Another argument for more terminals," said Mr. Hetzler. And that was about all he said until he reached Marshfield avenue. |
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