New York Pneumatic Tube

In the 1870s, a “pneumatic subway” briefly ran under Broadway in New York.

New York Pneumatic Tube
Proposed pneumatic subway, from Scientific American (March 5, 1870)

It sounds like something out of Jules Verne or The Jetsons, but in 1870 a “pneumatic subway” ran under Broadway in Manhattan.

Built in secret so as to not to arouse the ire of Tammany Hall, only a block-long segment between Warren and Murray Streets was completed before an enterprising reporter for the New York Tribune exposed its existence.

Apparently, over 400,000 New Yorkers took a joyride underground during the three years the pneumatic subway was open for demonstration.

Head over to io9 to read more.

Leave a Reply