From the Kearney Files
Norwood News, Penge and Anerley Chronicle and Advertiser for Selhurst and Croydon Saturday November 7th. 1908
The Crystal Palace Tube "Discovery of the Promoters"
Estimated cost £4,000,000.
At Tuesdays meeting of the Upper Norwood Ratepayers Association, Mr. M. J. Martin the Honary Secretary, referred to progress in the London and local press respecting the construction of a railway tube from Victoria to the Crystal Palace.
Mr. Martin seriously assured the meeting that he had received a letter from the Engineer of the proposed railway to say that a Bill would be presented to Parliament this month; he had also received a letter from a firm of Solicitors who said that there was a strong financial backing.
Mr. Kearney. the inventor of the Kearney High Speed Railway then brought his system of tube railways before the association as being applicable to the proposed route for a tube railway.
He expressed his interest in the announcement made by Hon sec as he had made enquiries all over the city, but could find out nothing about the rumoured tube railway. He thought the schemes projected could never come to pass because it would not pay. He estimated such a project would cost £4,000,000 in cash. All the tube railways in London were in a very bad state financially and this was due to the fact that the working expenses of an ordinary tube railway were out of all proportion to the receipts they obtained. No one would suggest that the Crystal Palace Tube would only carry the density anything like the London tubes. Taking the average of the City and South London Tube 20,000,000 passengers a year at 3d would be £250,000. The working expenses he estimated at £200,000 leaving £50,000 for payments of rates. taxes etc. These trifles would wipe the £50,000 and the shareholders would get no return. Did they think that under such circumstances philanthropists would be found to provide four million sterling for a tube to the Crystal Palace.
At the close Mr. Kearney was thanked for his explanation.
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