Daily Dose from Dr. Odd--Future of NYC Underground

JF Ptak Science Books        Daily Dosage from Dr. Odd 1

This remarkable cutaway (1910) shows what might have been considered a possible future for the future of possible New York Citys .  This one features a very highly respectful continuous conveyor belt of humanity coursing through the Great Underneath, replacing the ideas of subway transport.  A seat would always be available if it was so, just a=one giant beltwork of seat stretching from SOuth Ferry to Uptown and to Brooklyn and so on.  But since it was always moving it would have to move a little slowly for people to hop on and off, so a trip to the then-Uptown might take some time. 

Source:  New York Public Library Digital Collection, here.

Not to be out-belted, there was also an image of moving sidewalks (1903):

Source:  New York Public Library Digital Collection, here.

Comments

[Spacearcheology]

Reminds me of Heinlein's story 'The Roads Must Roll' (1940).

[Ray Girvan]

> But since it was always moving it would have to move a little slowly for people to hop on and off

Not *that* slowly. The pictures don't make it clear, but the captions explain that the platforms are made of several parallel moving sidewalks, each 3mph faster, that you cross successively to bring you up to the 12mph of the seated conveyor. Definitely not for the un-agile.