New York Underground Preview
Preview: Season 9 | 34s
By the mid-1800s New York City was one of the most crowded places on earth.
By the mid-1800s New York City was one of the most crowded places on earth. Each year tens of thousands of new immigrants were arriving, spilling out into the streets and competing with established city dwellers for space. The congested streets and pokey transportation system were a source of constant complaint.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Corporate sponsorship for American Experience is provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Carlisle Companies. Major funding by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Support provided by:
New York Underground Preview
Preview: Season 9 | 34s
By the mid-1800s New York City was one of the most crowded places on earth. Each year tens of thousands of new immigrants were arriving, spilling out into the streets and competing with established city dwellers for space. The congested streets and pokey transportation system were a source of constant complaint.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Clip: S9 | 2m 59s | Take a boat through the Panama canal with this time-lapse video of the locks in action. (2m 59s)
Clip: S9 | 39s | An animation demonstrating the lock system of the Panama Canal. (39s)
Clip: S9 | 3m | Ride through the Panama canal with this time-lapse video of the locks in action. (3m)
Powering New York's Subway System
Clip: S9 | 2m 6s | Running New York's subway would require the most powerful electrical plant in the world. (2m 6s)
Clip: S9 | 1m 53s | Alfred Ely Beach had an idea for a pneumatic subway, pulled by a rope of air. (1m 53s)
New York's Topography Challenges
Clip: S9 | 1m 38s | New York’s topography presented a special engineering challenge for subway planners. (1m 38s)
Engineering in the Late 19th Century
Clip: S9 | 1m 7s | In the late 19th-century, an engineer was regarded as a god-like figure. (1m 7s)
Clip: S9 | 20s | In June, 1902, subcontractor, Ira Shaler, suffered a fatal accident in the east tunnel. (20s)
Constructing New York's First Subway
Clip: S9 | 1m 23s | At least 7,700 men would be needed to build the Interborough Rapid Transit, or IRT. (1m 23s)
Clip: S9 | 1m 31s | The first effort to build a subway dates back to the 1850s with Alfred Ely Beach. (1m 31s)
Now PlayingPreview: S9 | 34s | By the mid-1800s New York City was one of the most crowded places on earth. (34s)
Andrew Carnegie: The Richest Man in the World
Preview: S9 | 30s | Andrew Carnegie embodied the American dream: the immigrant who went from rags to riches. (30s)
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Support for PBS provided by:
Corporate sponsorship for American Experience is provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Carlisle Companies. Major funding by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.