Car interiorBeach Pneumatic SubwayCar interior





Warren Street Station
Warren Street station and car at departure.

Overview:
Location: Corner Warren Street/Broadway to Murray Street, New York City, New York, USA.
Timespan: 1870 - 1873
Description: First subway of New York City. It seemed to have a single station located in Warren Street. Passenger were carried in a car pushed forward by the pneumatic pressure generated by a huge fan. At the end of the tunnel, the car stopped. The "motorman" rang a bell to signal the fan operators to reverse the flowing. The car was then "sucked" back to Warren Street station.

The Beach Pneumatic Subway was very similar to the Crystal Palace Pneumatic Railway, tested almost at the same time in England.

Timeline:
1867 - Alfred Ely Beach demonstrates his pneumatic subway principles at the American Institute Fair at the Fourteenth Street Armory.

First experiment in 1867
Beach demonstration at the American Institute Fair in 1867



1868 - Start of digging in the basement of Devlin's Clothing Store in Warren Street.
1870 - February 26: Inauguration of the Subway.
1873 - Closure (to be confirmed).
After 1873 - Tunnel is converted in a shooting gallery, then in a storage vault.
1896 - Death of Alfred Ely Beach.
1912 - Rediscovery and destruction of the Beach tunnel by the workers digging the BMT tunnel on Broadway.

The Warren Street station of the Alfred E. Beach Pnumatic Subway System of 1870.
The Warren Street station layout showing the steam powered blower.

Additional information:

  • Tunnel length: 312 feet
  • Tunnel diameter: 9 feet
  • Track gauge: ?
  • Construction costs: 350 000 USD (70 000 USD paid by A.E.Beach himself)
  • Car seating capacity: 22
  • Ticket price: 5 cents

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    The car:
    An interesting comparison between a 1870 engraving and a picture of the car remains in the tunnel in 1912:

    Car interiorCar remains in tunnel

    Tunnel Portal:
    Another interesting comparison between a contemporary engraving and a picture of the tunnel portal in Warren Street. (Note the candelabra on the left of the picture).

    Tunnel PortalStereoscopic view

    Tunnel remains in 1912:
    In 1912, workers digging the Broadway subway came across the Beach tunnel. Nothing is reported about possible remains of the Warren Street station. However remain of the car (see above) and the shield used for the construction were found in the tunnel.

    Tunnel Remains in 1912 with some damage to the ceiling resulting in a pile of dirt on the track

    The straight part of the tunnel under Broadway in 1912 shows some signs of subsidence. Note the change in tunnel lining, on the right is the curved part toward Warren Street station using iron rings.
    Unsolved mysteries:
  • Warren Street: are there any remains of the Warren Street station under the sidewalk?
  • Tunnelling shield: what happened to the tunnelling shield after its removal from the end of the tunnel and its transportation to Cornell University?


    • A portrait of Alfred Ely Beach
    A Portrait of Alfred Ely Beach.



    On-line resources:
  • Beach's Bizarre Broadway Subway - the famous Klaatu Article.
  • Beach Pneumatic Transit - Brennan's interesting comments and theories about possible existing remains of the tunnel and Warren Street station.
  • Beach Pneumatic Subway - A well written history on the subject altogether with an extensive pictorial gallery.

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    Bibliography:
  • Beach, Alfred. "The Pneumatic Tunnel Under Broadway." Scientific American, March 5, 1870: 154.
  • Beach Pneumatic Transit Co. Illustrated Description of the Broadway Underground Railway: 1872.
  • Bobrick, Benson. Labyrinths of Iron. New York: Newsweek Books, 1981.
  • Cudahy, Brian J. Under the Sidewalks of New York: The Story of the Greatest Subway System in the World. Lexington: The Stephen Greene Press, 1988.
  • Hood, Clifton. 722 Miles: The Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993.
  • Kaempffert, Waldemar. "New York's First Subway." Scientific American, February 24, 1912.
  • Scientific American, Jan. 11, 1896, no. 74, p.166.
  • "Under Broadway," Harper's Weekly, March 12, 1870, p.164.

    • A slide show about the subway system with the song 'Sub Rosa Subway' by Klaatu.

    Here is a midi version of 'Sub Rosa Subway'.

    And a slightly different version.

    MP3 version of 'Sub Rosa Subway' by Klaatu

    Hold down your left shift button as you click on the link to save and play the song.

    Sub-Rosa Subway

    (John Woloschuk / Dino Tome)

Back in 1870 just beneath the Great White Way
Alfred Beach worked secretly
Risking all to ride a dream
His wind-machine
His wind-machine

New York City and the morning sun
Were awoken by the strangest sound
Reportedly as far as Washington
The tremors shook the earth as Alfie
Blew underground
Blew underground
He blew underground, yeah

Ahh
All aboard sub-rosa subway
Had you wondered who's been digging under Broadway?
It's Alfred
It's Alfred
It's Alfred
Poor Al, woh no Al

As for America's first subway
The public scoffed, "It's far too rude"
One station filled with Victoria's age
From frescoed walls and goldfish fountains....
To Brahmsian tunes

    At this point there is some Morse Code in the recording which several interviews over the years have not been able to uncover the meaning of. I have also heard of people who have tried to decipher it themselves without any luck.

    Well, you are in luck! Steve Radley has pointed out that one of the editions of their fan club newsletter, The Morning Sun, gave the answer to this great question! Here's what it says the Morse Code translates into: 

    From Alfred, heed thy sharpened ear,
A message we do bring,
Starship appears upon our sphere,
Through London's sky come spring.

    The mystery is solved..... or is it? What do you think? Let me know!