The Race Underground
By Marlina
@marlina (154131)
Canada
September 11, 2016 7:12am CST
Last night, I read until midnight and finished reading one my books that I bought a few weeks ago.
The book is titled "The Race Underground" and is written by Doug Most.
It is the story of how the Boston and New York subways came to be.
I found it fascinating to learn how difficult it was then to convince the ordinary citizen to travel underground. We take it for granted now and it is a daily action for a lot of us. But in the late 1800's people were extremely nervous about the idea of travelling underground.
I found it fascinating to read this book as I am very much into the 1800's early 1900's stories.
Now, on to my next book which is "The Train to Crystal City" written by Jan Jarboe Russell.
A little book "trailer" here:
In the late nineteenth century, as cities like Boston and New York grew more congested, the streets became clogged with plodding, horse-drawn carts. When the...
13 people like this
13 responses
@ria1606roy (2797)
• Kolkata, India
11 Sep 16
If I was one of the first citizens, I would have been apprehensive about traveling underground too! But now it's no hassle. In fact it's very convenient.
Good book trailer! History about these events are quite fascinating!
2 people like this
@marlina (154131)
• Canada
11 Sep 16
@ria1606roy I must confess here that I had to look the definition of "Sepia pics" as I had no clue of the meaning.
Now, I will go to bed "smarter" tonight! LOL
1 person likes this
@ria1606roy (2797)
• Kolkata, India
11 Sep 16
@marlina B/W and Sepia pics really make us nostalgic/reminiscent of the good old days 
1 person likes this
@IreneVincent (15962)
• United States
11 Sep 16
When I actually rode the subway in NY City, it was such an adventure for me, I didn't think about being scared, although I did think about being mugged. There was a uniformed policeman in the car we were in and that reminded me of that possible danger. But, I didn't think about being underground. I couldn't even tell that I WAS underground.
We got off at Coney Island and walked around for a while and then got back on the subway and rode back to the city and went to Rockefeller Center and watched a show. That was my only experience with a subway.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (339496)
• Rockingham, Australia
11 Sep 16
@IreneVincent One you are down there it's not much different to any other station and platform.
@egdcltd (12059)
•
11 Sep 16
London's Metropolitan Line, which was the world's first underground railway, was built by people who were, in retrospect, wildly overenthusiastic. At that time, if one thing was known for certain (thanks to running trains through long tunnels), it was that you couldn't realistically run a steam engine underground. Yet they did anyway.
1 person likes this
@CRK109 (14556)
• United States
15 Sep 16
@marlina Since I can't get to the library, they deliver books to me. I get a bag of books for 3 weeks and then they come and bring new ones and take the old ones back. It's a great system for those in our city who are not able to get out and about easily.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (166718)
• Boise, Idaho
11 Sep 16
It is amazing isn't it? We recently had a subway built here for the buses. Been a long time comming. Saves a lot of space up top.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (166718)
• Boise, Idaho
11 Sep 16
@marlina .....The new here you mean? Not that I know of.
1 person likes this
@epiffanie (11326)
• Australia
12 Sep 16
I would be paranoid traveling under ground that's longer than two kilometers ..
@AbbyGreenhill (45494)
• United States
11 Sep 16
As many times as I visited NYC in my life I never once rode in a subway - I prefer above ground riding.
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
11 Sep 16
was it super dangerous at the beginning or safe?
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
13 Sep 16
@marlina well I more so meant for the early riders! I cant even imagine the dangers for those creating the tunnels
@IreneVincent (15962)
• United States
11 Sep 16
This looks like it would be an interesting book to read. I'll have to see if I can find it at the library.
1 person likes this
