Alfred Ely Beach
Encyclopedia
Alfred Ely Beach was an American inventor, publisher and patent lawyer
, born in Springfield, Massachusetts
.
, Massachusetts
and was the son of a prominent publisher, Moses Beach
. Alfred Beach worked for his father until he and a friend, Orson Desaix Munn I, decided to buy Scientific American
, a relatively new publication. They ran Scientific American until their deaths decades later, and it was carried on by their sons and grandsons for decades more. Munn and Beach also established a very successful
patent agency. Beach patented some of his own inventions, notably an early typewriter
designed for use by the blind. After the Civil War
he founded a school for freed slaves in Savannah, the Beach Institute, which is now the home of the King-Tisdell Cottage Foundation.
's first subway
, the Beach Pneumatic Transit
.
By the 1860s traffic in New York was a nightmare, especially along the central artery, Broadway
. Beach was one of a few visionaries who proposed building an underground railway under Broadway to help relieve the traffic congestion. The inspiration was the underground Metropolitan Railway
in London
but in contrast to that and others' proposals for New York, Beach proposed the use of trains propelled by pneumatics
instead of conventional steam engines
, and construction using a tunnelling shield
of his invention to minimize disturbing the street.
Beach was also interested in pneumatic tube
s for the transport of letters and packages, another idea recently put into use in London. With a franchise from the state he began construction of a tunnel for small pneumatic tubes in 1869, but diverted it into a demonstration of a passenger railway that opened on February 26, 1870. To build a passenger railway he needed a different franchise, something he lobbied for over four legislative sessions, 1870 to 1873. Construction of the tunnel was obvious from materials being delivered to Warren St near Broadway, and was documented in newspaper reports, but Beach kept all details secret until the New York Tribune
published a possibly planted article a few weeks before opening.
In 1870 state senator William M. Tweed introduced a bill for Beach's subway that did not pass. By the end of 1871 Tweed's Tammany Hall
political machine was in disgrace and from then on Beach, in an effort to gain support from reformers, claimed that Tweed had opposed his subway. The real opposition to the subway was from politically connected property owners along Broadway, led by Alexander Turney Stewart
and John Jacob Astor III
, who feared that tunnelling would damage buildings and interfere with surface traffic. Bills for Beach's subway passed the legislature in 1871 and 1872 but were vetoed by Governor John T. Hoffman
because he said that they gave away too much authority without compensation to the city or state. In 1873 Governor John Adams Dix
signed a similar bill into law, but Beach was not able to raise funds to build over the next six months, and then the Panic of 1873
dried up the financial markets.
During this same time, other investors had built an elevated railway
in Greenwich St and Ninth Ave, which operated successfully with a small steam engine starting in 1870. The wealthy property owners did not object to this railway well away from Broadway, and by the mid 1870s it appeared that elevated railways were practical and underground railways were not, setting the pattern for rapid transit development in New York for the rest of the 19th century.
Beach operated his demonstration railway from February 1870 to April 1873. It had one station in the basement of Devlin's clothing store, a building at the southwest corner of Broadway and Warren St, and ran for a total of about 300 feet, first around a curve to the center of Broadway and then straight under the center of Broadway to the south side of Murray St. The former Devlin's building was destroyed by fire in 1898. In 1912 workers for Degnon Contracting excavated the tunnel proper during the construction of a subway line running under Broadway. The tunnel was completely within the limits of the present day City Hall
station under Broadway.
Much of the Beach subway story was recalled as precedent by Lawrence Edwards
in his lead article of the August 1965 issue of Scientific American, which described his invention of Gravity-Vacuum Transit.
The Beach tunnelling shield was used in the construction of the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada's first St. Clair Tunnel
between Port Huron, Michigan
and Sarnia, Ontario
. This tunnel opened in 1890.
Patent attorney
A patent attorney is an attorney who has the specialized qualifications necessary for representing clients in obtaining patents and acting in all matters and procedures relating to patent law and practice, such as filing an opposition...
, born in Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
.
Early years
Beach was born in SpringfieldSpringfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and was the son of a prominent publisher, Moses Beach
Moses Yale Beach
Moses Yale Beach was an American inventor and publisher who started the Associated Press.-Biography:He was born in Wallingford, Connecticut. His father was a plain farmer, and gave him an ordinary education. He early showed a mechanical aptitude, and at 14 was apprenticed to a cabinetmaker...
. Alfred Beach worked for his father until he and a friend, Orson Desaix Munn I, decided to buy Scientific American
Scientific American
Scientific American is a popular science magazine. It is notable for its long history of presenting science monthly to an educated but not necessarily scientific public, through its careful attention to the clarity of its text as well as the quality of its specially commissioned color graphics...
, a relatively new publication. They ran Scientific American until their deaths decades later, and it was carried on by their sons and grandsons for decades more. Munn and Beach also established a very successful
patent agency. Beach patented some of his own inventions, notably an early typewriter
Typewriter
A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical device with keys that, when pressed, cause characters to be printed on a medium, usually paper. Typically one character is printed per keypress, and the machine prints the characters by making ink impressions of type elements similar to the pieces...
designed for use by the blind. After the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
he founded a school for freed slaves in Savannah, the Beach Institute, which is now the home of the King-Tisdell Cottage Foundation.
Subway
Beach's most famous invention was New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's first subway
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
, the Beach Pneumatic Transit
Beach Pneumatic Transit
The Beach Pneumatic Transit was the first attempt to build an underground public transit system in New York City, USA.-History:In 1869, Alfred Ely Beach and his Beach Pneumatic Transit Company of New York began constructing a pneumatic subway line beneath Broadway...
.
By the 1860s traffic in New York was a nightmare, especially along the central artery, Broadway
Broadway (New York City)
Broadway is a prominent avenue in New York City, United States, which runs through the full length of the borough of Manhattan and continues northward through the Bronx borough before terminating in Westchester County, New York. It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to...
. Beach was one of a few visionaries who proposed building an underground railway under Broadway to help relieve the traffic congestion. The inspiration was the underground Metropolitan Railway
Metropolitan railway
Metropolitan Railway can refer to:* Metropolitan line, part of the London Underground* Metropolitan Railway, the first underground railway to be built in London...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
but in contrast to that and others' proposals for New York, Beach proposed the use of trains propelled by pneumatics
Pneumatics
Pneumatics is a branch of technology, which deals with the study and application of use of pressurized gas to effect mechanical motion.Pneumatic systems are extensively used in industry, where factories are commonly plumbed with compressed air or compressed inert gases...
instead of conventional steam engines
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
, and construction using a tunnelling shield
Tunnelling shield
A tunnelling shield is a protective structure used in the excavation of tunnels through soil that is too soft or fluid to remain stable during the time it takes to line the tunnel with a support structure of concrete, cast iron or steel...
of his invention to minimize disturbing the street.
Beach was also interested in pneumatic tube
Pneumatic tube
Pneumatic tubes are systems in which cylindrical containers are propelled through a network of tubes by compressed air or by partial vacuum...
s for the transport of letters and packages, another idea recently put into use in London. With a franchise from the state he began construction of a tunnel for small pneumatic tubes in 1869, but diverted it into a demonstration of a passenger railway that opened on February 26, 1870. To build a passenger railway he needed a different franchise, something he lobbied for over four legislative sessions, 1870 to 1873. Construction of the tunnel was obvious from materials being delivered to Warren St near Broadway, and was documented in newspaper reports, but Beach kept all details secret until the New York Tribune
New York Tribune
The New York Tribune was an American newspaper, first established by Horace Greeley in 1841, which was long considered one of the leading newspapers in the United States...
published a possibly planted article a few weeks before opening.
Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society...
political machine was in disgrace and from then on Beach, in an effort to gain support from reformers, claimed that Tweed had opposed his subway. The real opposition to the subway was from politically connected property owners along Broadway, led by Alexander Turney Stewart
Alexander Turney Stewart
Alexander Turney Stewart was a successful Irish American entrepreneur who made his multi-million fortune in what was at the time the most extensive and lucrative dry goods business in the world....
and John Jacob Astor III
John Jacob Astor III
John Jacob Astor III was the elder son of William Backhouse Astor, Sr. and the wealthiest member of the Astor family in his generation...
, who feared that tunnelling would damage buildings and interfere with surface traffic. Bills for Beach's subway passed the legislature in 1871 and 1872 but were vetoed by Governor John T. Hoffman
John T. Hoffman
John Thompson Hoffman was the 23rd Governor of New York . He was also Recorder of New York City and Mayor of New York City...
because he said that they gave away too much authority without compensation to the city or state. In 1873 Governor John Adams Dix
John Adams Dix
John Adams Dix was an American politician from New York. He served as Secretary of the Treasury, U.S. Senator, and the 24th Governor of New York. He was also a Union major general during the Civil War.-Early life and career:...
signed a similar bill into law, but Beach was not able to raise funds to build over the next six months, and then the Panic of 1873
Panic of 1873
The Panic of 1873 triggered a severe international economic depression in both Europe and the United States that lasted until 1879, and even longer in some countries. The depression was known as the Great Depression until the 1930s, but is now known as the Long Depression...
dried up the financial markets.
During this same time, other investors had built an elevated railway
Elevated railway
An elevated railway is a form of rapid transit railway with the tracks built above street level on some form of viaduct or other steel or concrete structure. The railway concerned may be constructed according to the standard gauge, narrow gauge, light rail, monorail or suspension railway system...
in Greenwich St and Ninth Ave, which operated successfully with a small steam engine starting in 1870. The wealthy property owners did not object to this railway well away from Broadway, and by the mid 1870s it appeared that elevated railways were practical and underground railways were not, setting the pattern for rapid transit development in New York for the rest of the 19th century.
Beach operated his demonstration railway from February 1870 to April 1873. It had one station in the basement of Devlin's clothing store, a building at the southwest corner of Broadway and Warren St, and ran for a total of about 300 feet, first around a curve to the center of Broadway and then straight under the center of Broadway to the south side of Murray St. The former Devlin's building was destroyed by fire in 1898. In 1912 workers for Degnon Contracting excavated the tunnel proper during the construction of a subway line running under Broadway. The tunnel was completely within the limits of the present day City Hall
City Hall (BMT Broadway Line)
City Hall is a local station on the BMT Broadway Line of the New York City Subway. It is served by the R train at all times except late nights and by the N train during late night hours...
station under Broadway.
Much of the Beach subway story was recalled as precedent by Lawrence Edwards
Lawrence Edwards
Lawrence K. Edwards is an accomplished American innovator in aerospace and ground transportation. Early in his career, he pioneered cutting-edge technologies for U.S. space and missile defense programs. He went on to invent and promote high-speed Gravity-Vacuum Transit and monobeam rail transit...
in his lead article of the August 1965 issue of Scientific American, which described his invention of Gravity-Vacuum Transit.
The Beach tunnelling shield was used in the construction of the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada's first St. Clair Tunnel
St. Clair Tunnel
The St. Clair Tunnel is the name for two separate rail tunnels which were built under the St. Clair River between Sarnia, Ontario and Port Huron, Michigan. It was the first full-size subaqueous tunnel built in North America. -First tunnel :The St. Clair Tunnel Company opened the first tunnel in...
between Port Huron, Michigan
Port Huron, Michigan
Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administratively autonomous. It is joined by the Blue Water Bridge over the St. Clair River to Sarnia,...
and Sarnia, Ontario
Sarnia, Ontario
Sarnia is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada . It is the largest city on Lake Huron and is located where the upper Great Lakes empty into the St. Clair River....
. This tunnel opened in 1890.
Popular culture
- The song "Sub-Rosa SubwaySub-Rosa SubwaySub-Rosa Subway is a song written by the Canadian progressive rock band Klaatu, from their album 3:47 EST, describing the efforts of Alfred Ely Beach to create the original New York Subway. His work is described as secretive...
", from the 1976 album 3:47 EST3:47 ESTThe album ends with a mouse squeak.-Origin of the title:In the 1951 science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still, the alien emissary Klaatu arrives in Washington, D.C. at 3:47 in the afternoon Eastern Standard Time...
by Canadian progressive rock band Klaatu, tells the story of Alfred Beach building his subway.
- The second noted appearance was in the 1989 comedy Ghostbusters IIGhostbusters IIGhostbusters II is a 1989 science fiction comedy film produced and directed by Ivan Reitman. It is the sequel to the 1984 film Ghostbusters and follows the further adventures of a group of parapsychologists and their organization which combats paranormal activities...
.
- The set featured artistic features (Specifically the vaulted arches and replica Guastavino tileGuastavino tileGuastavino tile is the "Tile Arch System" patented in the US in 1885 by Valencian architect and builder Rafael Guastavino...
featured on the set) which were inspired primarily by the 1904 City HallCity Hall (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)City Hall, also known as City Hall Loop, was the original southern terminal station of the first line of the New York City Subway, built by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company , named the "Manhattan Main Line", and now part of the IRT Lexington Avenue Line...
station. The main inspiration from the real pneumatic railroad (excluding the history) was the tunnel entrance, featuring keystone dedication of "Pneumatic 1870 Transit".
- The history of the station would have been included in a deleted scene of dialogue between Dr. Peter VenkmanPeter VenkmanPeter Venkman, Ph.D. is a fictional character from the Ghostbusters franchise. He is a parapsychologist and member of the Ghostbusters, appearing in the films Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II and in the animated television series The Real Ghostbusters...
and Dr. Egon SpenglerEgon SpenglerEgon Spengler is a fictional character appearing in the films Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II, and in the animated television series The Real Ghostbusters and later Extreme Ghostbusters. He is a member of the Ghostbusters, and one of the three doctors of parapsychology on the team...
as Dr. Ray StantzRaymond StantzRaymond "Ray" Stantz, Ph.D., is a fictional scientist and member of the Ghostbusters, appearing in the films Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, and Casper and in the animated television series The Real Ghostbusters . He is one of the three doctors of parapsychology on the team, along with Dr. Peter...
began to descend into the tunnel.
- Peter: "NYPR?"
- Egon: "The New York Pneumatic Railroad, fan forced air trains, built around 1870."
- It is not known if this scene was filmed as Ray entered the station, or, as suggested by The Real Ghostbusters in Ghostbusters II when Ray removed a manhole coverManhole coverA manhole cover is a removable plate forming the lid over the opening of a manhole, to prevent anyone from falling in and to keep unauthorized persons out....
bearing the initials: "NYPRR".
- Beach's Subway also makes an appearance in the fictional anthology Wild CardsWild CardsWild Cards is a science fiction and superhero anthology series set in a shared universe. The series was created by a group of New Mexico science fiction authors, but it is mostly pulled together and edited by best-selling author George R. R. Martin with assistance by Melinda Snodgrass, also a...
by George R. R. MartinGeorge R. R. MartinGeorge Raymond Richard Martin , sometimes referred to as GRRM, is an American author and screenwriter of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He is best known for A Song of Ice and Fire, his bestselling series of epic fantasy novels that HBO adapted for their dramatic pay-cable series Game of...
. In the episode "Down Deep" by Edward Bryant and Leanne C Harper, the character Sewer Jack has refurbished one of the ornate subway stations as a private abode.
- Alfred E. Beach High SchoolAlfred E. Beach High SchoolAlfred Ely Beach High School is one of the oldest public high schools located in Savannah, Georgia, USA.-History:In 1867, the Beach Institute was established by the Freedmen's Bureau with funds donated by Alfred Ely Beach, editor of Scientific American...
, located in Savannah, GeorgiaSavannah, GeorgiaSavannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, is named in honor of Alfred Ely Beach.
- A recent appearance of the Beach Subway was within An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan IslandAn American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan IslandAn American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island, titled in the film as An American Tail III: The Treasure of Manhattan Island was the first direct-to-video and third film in the An American Tail series. This film was first released in the UK in 1998. It was released by Universal Studios Home...
. In the film, Fievel Mousekewitz and Tony venture into the disused 'Beachs pneumatic railroad' (sic), visiting the station; looking at the car and traveling into the tunnel. A brief and accurate description of the system was given by Tony, however due to the lack of surviving photographic reference of the real railway some artistic licences in design was taken by the artists, including a station entrance on the street which resembled the cast iron kiosk entrance used on the IRT SubwayInterborough Rapid Transit CompanyThe Interborough Rapid Transit Company was the private operator of the original underground New York City Subway line that opened in 1904, as well as earlier elevated railways and additional rapid transit lines in New York City. The IRT was purchased by the City in June 1940...
in New York.
- It was mentioned on CSI: NYCSI: NYCSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes...
on 9/27/2006, as one of the many unused tunnels under the city.
- Alfred Ely Beach and a fictional version of his subway work is a prominent feature in Neal ShustermanNeal ShustermanNeal Shusterman is a popular and successful American author of Young Adult literature.Shusterman was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Even from a young age, Shusterman was an avid reader. At age 8, Shusterman sent a letter to E. B. White, informing him that he believed Charlotte's Web...
's young adult novel, DownsidersDownsidersDownsiders is an award-winning 1999 novel by Neal Shusterman.-Plot summary:The Downsiders which is located underneath New York City, is a secret community of over 5,000 people that are never allowed to travel to the Topside...
.
External links
- Alfred Beach's Pneumatic Subway and the beginnings of rapid transit in New York by Joseph Brennan
- Alfred Ely Beach -- Beach's Bizarre Broadway Subway Klaatu's detailed background article, explaining the technical and political details of the project.
- NEW YORK’S SECRET SUBWAY - American Heritage