PUBLIC-SPIRITED CITIZEN 237) 
Half-a-dozen miles north of the city, the village of Harlem 
had been expanding steadily along the valley of the Harlem 
River since early Dutch times and was now well grown. Ob- 
viously the natural direction of expansion for New York was 
northward to include Harlem. The surface lines of the New 
York & Harlem railroad, which had been absorbed by the 
New York Central, gave inadequate service for commuters 
and the poorer classes. 
Apparently the city had reached the limit of the growth pos- 
sible by the slow horse-cars, the omnibuses, and the surface 
steam-lines with their interference of the life in the streets. 
For several years there had been efforts to build and operate 
an elevated railway over the heads of pedestrians on the 
streets in order to avoid traffic delays. A trial had been made 
in putting up the “steel stilt” railway on Ninth Avenue on 
the west side, and a franchise had been granted for an east- 
side line on Third Avenue near Field’s home. There were 
attempts also to build lines on Second and Sixth Avenues. 
But many difficulties had been encountered, and only short 
sections of lines were in prospect, with no unified system and 
without adequate finances. Severe legal difficulties were 
threatening, and the terrifying depression from which the 
nation was just emerging had made investors exceedingly 
cautious. The financial hurricane had wrought havoc in 
values and had deadened initiative. 
‘There was need for a public-spirited promoter to complete 
and unify the elevated lines—a broad-minded man in whom 
the people would have confidence. Field, although nearing 
sixty, decided to supply this leadership. As with the cable 
project of twenty-odd years before, he did not foresee the 
complicated difficulties that would be met. As with his en- 
tanglement in the firm of E. Root & Company, which over- 
shadowed his early married life, he did not realize what he 
was getting into. 
The New York Elevated Railroad Company, which had 
