US870618A - Underground railway system. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED NOV. 12, 1907.

I J. H. PARRAR. UNDERGROUND RAILWAY SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED MAB-.18, 1907.

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hindrance to the growth of such cities.

JACOB HAMILTON FARRAR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

UNDERGROUND RAILWAY SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 12, 1907.

Application filed March 18. 1907. Serial No. 362,984.

To all 'whom it may comer 11:

Be it known that I, JAooB HAMILTON FARRAR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of .Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Underground RailwaySystems; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to makeand use the same.

This invention relates to a novel construction in underground railroading, the object being to provide simple, efficient and cheap construction, particularly adapted to the needs of large cities and which combines with said railway other features of construction necessary to large cities, and consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a railway tunnel constructed in accordance with my invention taken on the line l-1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

In. all of the larger cities, the congestion of traffic on the streets has become a very serious problem and a It has therefore become necessary in order to relieve such congestion to dispose the street railways either upon elevated structures or in tunnels disposed underneath the streets. The elevated railroads are very objectionable by reason of the fact that such structures shut off a large part of the light and further that the supporting pillars also constitute serious obstructions in the streets. Such elevated structures are also conducive to great noise and are in all ways undesirable. The construction of underground railways on the other hand is exceedingly expensive owing to the fact that it is necessary in the excavation to close the streets to traffic during said time and removeall of the underground conduits, such as sewers, gas and water pipes, electric wires, etc., and transferthem to other points. Furthermore, in order to enable the tunnels thus formed to bear the weight of the overhead traffic, the roofs of said tunnels are required to be of great strength and carrying capacity. Such underground railways are also undesirable for the reason that daylight is entirely excluded therefrom and the ventilation thereof is rendered exceedingly diflicult so that from a sanitary stand point they are exceedingly unhealthy and adapted to breed diseased germs and are a menace to the public health.

To. overcome all of the objections above noted, I have invented an underground railway system which is comparatively cheap to construct and maintain and which is illuminatedby day light and is well ventilated besides being relatively cheap to construct and easy of access. My said railway contemplates the use of space underneath sidewalks instead of underneath the streets and having the cars running in opposite directions on opposite sides of said street. This will enable access to the sub-ways thus formed to be had through the buildings adjoining the same and said sub-ways could be readily illuminated by means of transparent sidewalks during the day and by electricity at night. Such sub-ways could at the same time be used for other purposes, such for example as for the laying of a main sewer, which simultaneously could also constitute a conduit for gas and water pipes and electric wire conduits. My said railway comprises the sub-way A formed underneath the sidewalk B, the latter being composed of glass in any practicable manner whereby its strength would be maintained. The said conduit A is separated from the pavement or street C by means of a wall of reinforced concrete D, which latter is thicker at its base than at its upper end and the upper end of which forms the curb-stone E of thestreet. The other wall of said sub-way would be formed by the foundation walls F of buildings and the railway proper would be disposed below the level of the platforms G for the passengers so that the car floor H would be disposed on a level with said platforms G, thus permitting passengers to step on or alight from the cars I with great ease and rapidity.

The rails J are disposed upon the free end portions of brackets K of reinforced concrete formed integral with said wall D and with the wall L, such practice at the same time constituting portions of the roof of a large underground conduit M disposed underneath said subway A and communicating with the latter through successive openings adapted to be closed to maintain said conduit M, sealed by means of the covers M. The said conduit M is preferably substantially circular and within the same, mid-way between the top and bottom thereof brackets O are disposed upon which pipes P for gas and water and conduits Q for electric wires or the like are supported. The said curb wall D and said brackets K and O and the inner wall L of the railway are all suitably reinforced by means of metal reinforcing devices of well known construction.

The car I is preferably devoid of a roof thus rendering the ventilation thereof very free and obviating the necessity of artificially illuminating the same.

Ventilating shafts R are provided at the building wall side of the subway and at the highest points in the latter. Incandescent or other lamps S are disposed adjacent said shafts R and are adapted when lighted to increase the ventilating effect by heating the air adjacent said shafts.

My invention is particularly advantageous by reason of the relatively low cost of excavation incurred owing to the relatively little depth of the subway. Owing to the fact that the foundation walls of buildings may I be had thus rendering my system very advantageous for freight as well as passenger service. Access to the subway could also most advantageously be had through the adjoining buildings in which space for stations could be had.

In all respects my said underground railway system presents features of advantage over known systems by reason of its location. A particularly novel and advantageous feature of my railway system consists in the provision of open, roofless cars which carry no illuminating, heating or ventilating apparatus, the latter being suitably provided as fixtures of the subway, thus rendering'the weight per passenger to be transported very much less than in any other known system.

I claim as my invention:

,1. An underground railway system, comprising a subway disposed between the curb-wall of the street'and the building line, a transparent roof on said subway forming the side walk, there being ventilating openings establishing communication between said subway and the outer air.

2. An underground railway system, comprising a subway disposed between the curb-wall of the street and the building line, a transparent roof on said subway forming the side walk, there being ventilating openings establishing communication between said subway and the outer air, said subway communicating at intervals with buildings bordering the same to aiford entrance and exit for passengersv An underground railway system comprising a sub Way disposed beneath a transparent side-walk between the street curb and building walls, rails disposed in said subway on which cars are adapted to run, and a platform in' said subway disposed substantially on 'a level with the car floor, there being ventilating openings establishing communication between said subway and the outer air.

4. An underground railway system, comprising a subway disposed between the curb-wall of the street and the building line, a transparent roof on said subway forming the side-walk, a conduit disposed in the bottom of said subway and communicating with the latter through openings covers for said openings, rails resting upon the top wall of said conduit on either side of said openings, and cars'traveling on said rails.

5. An underground railway system, comprising a subway disposed between the curb-wall of the street and the building line, a transparent roof on said subway forming the side-walk, a concrete bottom for said subway having a conduit formed therein, there being openings inthe top of said conduit establishing communication between the latter and said subway, covers for said openings, rails resting on the upper walls of said conduit on either side of said openings, cars traveling on said rails, and a platform disposed at a higher level than said rails between the latter and said'building line.

6. An underground railway system, comprising a subway disposed between the curb-wall of the street and the building line, a transparent roof on said subway forming the side-walk, a concrete bottom for said subway having a conduit formed therein, there being openings in the top of said conduit establishing communication between the latter and said subway, covers for said openings, rails resting on the upper walls of said conduit on either side of said openings, cars traveling on said rails, and a platform disposed at a higher level than said rails between the latter and said building line, said concrete beingreinforced vertically and horizontally.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name in pres ence of two subscribing witnesses.

JACOB HAMILTON FARRA RQ Witnesses RUDOLPH WM. Lo'rz, A. FRANCKPHILIPSON.

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