Album of photographs showing construction of the cable road on Broadway, New York City, in 1891 - NYPL Digital Collections

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Album of photographs showing construction of the cable road on Broadway, New York City, in 1891

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Description: Photographer C. C. Langill worked in partnership with William Gray on these 55 albumen print photographs documenting the long-gone cable road on Broadway. Built in 1891, the Broadway Cable Railroad ran north along Broadway, from Bowling Green at the southern end of Manhattan, uptown to 36th Street. This early form of mass transit operated by means of two giant cables (powered by centrally positioned steam engines), which ran just below street level, pulling the cable cars along the track at a steady 30 miles per hour. Unfortunately, the underground cables-and hence the trains themselves-could not be slowed down at all, even when turning corners; the sharp turn at Union Square (at 14th Street) became known as Dead Man's Curve for hurling passengers around as it navigated the bend. Constant accidents and numerous breakdowns ensured the rapid demise of the Broadway Cable Railroad.
Names: Langill, C. C. (Photographer); Gray, William, active approximately 1890-1900 (Photographer)
Dates / Origin: Date Created: 1891; Place: New York
Library locations: The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection; Shelf locator: MFZ+ (Langill) 82-435
Topics: Broadway (New York, N.Y.); Street-railroads -- New York (State) -- New York; Railroads, Cable -- New York (State) -- New York; Railroad construction & maintenance; New York (N.Y.)
Genres: Photographs
Physical Description: Albumen prints; Extent: 55 photographs : albumen; 15 x 21 to 21 x 26 cm
Type of Resource: Still image
Identifiers: RLIN/OCLC: NYPG82-B8114; NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b10753250; Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 5a39e290-c6f5-012f-5a89-58d385a7bc34

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