this criticism. Incidently, because of the actual conditions, the Rapid Transit Commission and its Chief Engineer, who at that time was Mr. George S. Rice, immediately began an investigation the results of which are embodied in the formal report of the Hoard of Rapid Transit Railroad Commission for the City of New York for the year ending Dec. 31st, 1906, and published on or about Jan. 1st. 1907. copy of which is available for inspection by anyone in the Library of the present Public Service Commission at the Tribune Building. In this report on page 81 this statement appears: "The first advent of warm weather showed rather an unexpected condition of the atmosphere of the subway." Here we see that the designers proceed upon the false assumption that the subway would ventilate itself, or, in other words, that the agitation of the air by train movement and any excess heat of the air within the subway would be effectively provided for by egress and ingress of air through the passenger stations which perforated the tube at more or less frequent intervals.
In justice to the designers it might be noted in passing, that, at that time, subways were somewhat of a novelty and this one being the first in New York, it might have been assumed that the conditions were so peculiar that results would obtain here which did not obtain in subways of London, Paris and Boston. On the other hand it is quite as evident that engineers, expert in ventilating, were not called into consultation.
Technical Reports
As a result of the investigation made in the Spring of 1905 by the Commission, it was decided to call in one of the foremost sanitarians of this country, if not of the World. Accordingly Prof. Geo. A. Soper of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute of Troy was retained by the Commission to make a scientific report upon the actual conditions of the subway relative to the health of the employees and the travelling public. In addition to this, the Chief Engineer of the Commission conducted certain practical investigations with his own staff, and also made a report to the Commission already referred to. It is very evident from a reading of these reports that Dr. Soper confined his investigations strictly to the scientific aspects of the matter and left the practical details fully in the hands of the Commission's Chief Engineer, Mr. Geo. S. Rice, all of which Dr. Soper takes some pains to make clear in his report.
It is now necessary to anticipate the findings of these reports in order to make clear the physical conditions governing this matter of ventilation or lack of ventilation. As it was later developed, more than 85% of all the energy generated at the power stations of the subway is dissipated in the form of heat inside the subway itself in the stopping
