The first of these roads built in New York City was known as the Ninth Avenue Road. At first it was a good deal ridiculed, but improvement succeeded improvement, until its utility became acknowledged. It starts from Whitehall Street and runs through Greenwich Street and Ninth Avenue to Fifty-third Street, where it joins the Metropolitan (Sixth Avenue) road. This latter road also starts from Whitehall Street, and running within a block or two of Broadway reaches the Sixth Avenue, along which it continues until it, reaches Fifty-ninth Street. It makes over two detours to gain Eighth and Ninth Avenues, and continues on to the Harlem River. On the east side of the city the Third and Second Avenue Roads run from the Battery and City Hall,and by transfer enable their passengers to reach different parts of Harlem River. These roads, notwithstanding they were very speedily erected, were strongly built, and are well equipped.

In the construction of the elevated railroads the combination of solidity and lightness was an important object, and it is believed that in each case the problem has been satisfactorily solved. The foundation for the supports are laid in concrete, stone, and brick-work. Four long rods pass up through the heavy foundation-stones, and around these is built up the brickwork, inclining gradually inward from the base to the top. The rods extend several inches above the brick-work, and fit into holes at the four corners of the heavy iron castings in which are the sockets for the reception of the supporting columns. The castings are secured to the rods by means of screw nuts. The columns, light in appearance, are calculated to bear a strain more than double that to which they will be subjected, so that the margin of safety is large. The columns are connected and strengthened by longitudinal and transverse bracings of iron. These in their turn aid in supporting the roadway of parallel iron bars. Across these bars are fastened the wooden ties, upon which are affixed the rails. The latter are very heavy and of best quality. On both sides of each rail are strongly fastened heavy parallel timbers to prevent derailment. The engines and cars are so constructed as to admit of curves in the track with a radius of ninety feet; and for greater safety the outer rail on all curves is raised six inches.

Elevated Railroad. New York City -View At Chatham Square.

Some idea of the enormous business done on the New York elevated roads may be had by perusing the statistics of the Metropolitan "L" road on Sixth Avenue for one year. This road having been run on 313 week days, being closed on Sundays, 15,060,401 passengers, or on an average of 50,000 per day. For one month the average was 52,803 per day. The receipts, as verified, were $1,213,845.52, or about $4,000 per day, the average being $4,200. The fifteen million passengers have, on an average, paid eight cents fare. Had the road been running on Sundays over 2,000,000 more passengers, or 17,000,000 in all, would have been carried, and the receipts would have been $200,000 heavier. This little piece of road is only four and a half miles in length, and it is remarkable that $1,250,000 should have been paid in twelve months. On this short road the trains have run 1,327,994 miles. Out of the fifteen million passengers carried not one has been killed or injured through any fault of the road. Estimating the saving of time effected by each of these fifteen million passengers, the total grows into something enormous.