New York, April 22, 1903. American Mutoscope and Biograph Company A brief clip over an elevated (El) train track. The low skyline of tenement buildings and open space place this view either uptown in northern Manhattan or perhaps one of the growing outer boroughs. Elevated railways [els]. The earliest form of rapid transit in the United States developed in New York City in the last half of the nineteenth century. The first elevated line was constructed in 1867-70 by Charles Harvey and his West Side and Yonkers Patent Railway company along Greenwich Street and 9th Avenue between Dey and 29th streets. Tracks were laid atop iron (and later steel) superstructures about thirty feet (nine meters) above the ground, and cars were pulled by a cable connected to a steam-powered generator at the terminus. The elevated trains were noisy, made buildings shake, and placed those below in constant danger of being hit by falling ash, oil, or cinder, but the necessity of the system assured its continuance. – (excerpts) Fred Eisenstadt / Encyclopedia of New York City edited by Kenneth T. Jackson Recommended reading: By The El / Third Avenue and Its EL at Mid-Century – Lawrence Stelter (The Third Avenue ‘El’ in a collection of great color photos before ‘retirement’ and dismantling. The neighborhood views are amazing.)
