The Race Underground: Boston, New York, and the Incredible Rivalry That Built America's First Subway

by Doug Most Narrated by John H. Mayer

Overview

In the late nineteenth century,*as cities like Boston and New York grew larger, the*streets became increasingly*clogged with horse-drawn carts.* When the great blizzard of 1888 brought New York City to a halt,*a solution had to be found.*Two*brothers-Henry Melville Whitney of Boston and William*Collins Whitney*of*New York City-pursued the dream of his city being the first American metropolis to have a*subway and the great*race was on.*The*competition between Boston and New York*was*played out*in an era not unlike our own, one*of*economic upheaval, job losses,*bitter political*tensions, and the question of America's place in*the world.

The Race Underground is*peopled with*the famous, like Boss Tweed, and Thomas Edison,*and*the not-so-famous, like the countless*"sandhogs" who dug and blasted into the earth's crust, sometimes losing their lives in the process of building the subway's tunnels.*Doug Most chronicles the science of the subway,*looks at fears people had*about travelling underground and tells a story as exciting as any ever*ripped*from the pages of U.S. history. The Race Underground is a great American saga of two rival American cities, the powerful interests within,*and an invention that changed the lives of millions.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

An almost flawlessly conducted tour back to a time when major American cities dreamed big.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred)

“A remarkably well-told story filled with villains, heroes, and events of the Gilded Age...While many books have been written about New York City's subway, few have documented Boston's herculean accomplishment in beating New York. Most deserves credit for setting the historical record straight. This felicitous tale of American ingenuity and perseverance serves as a useful reminder today of our past commitment to improving our infrastructures as we now face the challenge of stopping their deterioration.” —Library Journal

“[Most] delivers a fun and enjoyable read about a vital, transformative period.” —Publishers Weekly

“Our subways are the vital lifelines of our greatest cities. They are also symbols of our indebtedness to earlier generations who through innovation and perseverance took us from horse-powered transportation to subterranean rail. Doug Most's The Race Underground is a fascinating account of how New York and Boston tunneled their way into the future. This book proves again that American history is a treasure trove of great stories, this one filled with drama, sacrifice, loss and unimaginable success.” —Ken Burns, filmmaker, creator of the PBS series The Civil War and many others

“A terrific book that makes us take a second look at our past and makes us wonder about possibilities for the future. This a love poem to the power of the human imagination.” —Leigh Montville, New York Times bestselling author of Ted Williams

“Combine the propulsive energy of Devil In the White City with the meticulous detail of The Great Bridge and you get The Race Underground. Most's addictive tour de force infuses a story that changed the course of American history with all the drama and excitement of a great thriller.” —Seth Mnookin, award-winning author of The Panic Virus: The True Story Behind the Vaccine-Autism Controversy and the bestseller Feeding the Monster: How Money, Smarts and Nerve Took a Team to the Top

“Imagine my disappointment when my college professor assigned Notes From the Underground and it turned out to be a mere existential novella. Finally, we get the book I wanted – The Race Underground—a history of Boston, New York and the building of America's First Subway. Give me Doug Most over Dostoyevsky anytime.” —Dan Shaughnessy, author of Francona, The Red Sox Years

“The Race Underground is a great American tale, filled with moments of surprising drama and unforgettable characters fighting against impossible odds. Doug Most hasn't just written a book for history buffs and train lovers; he's written something wonderful for us all.” —Keith O'Brien, author of Outside Shot

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2014-01-04
A deputy editor at the Boston Globe recalls the visionaries, moneymen, engineering wizards, and the economic and political struggles behind the creation of the subway in America. In 1888, horses operated 90 percent of the 6,000 miles of America's street railway, with all but a fraction of the rest run by cable-pulled streetcars or small steam locomotives. The urban transportation system—filthy, slow, dangerous and unreliable, straining at the explosion of immigrant populations, at the mercy of snow and ice—needed rethinking. As far back as 1849—34 years before the Brooklyn Bridge opened—Alfred Beach, publisher of Scientific American, had proposed the idea of a "railway underneath" New York. However, the psychological barriers to subway travel ("like living in a tomb," critics said) and the formidable engineering challenges would take decades to overcome. By the time Boston and New York opened their subways—in 1897 and 1904, respectively—a remarkable story had unfolded, one Most (Always in Our Hearts: The Story of Amy Grossberg, Brian Peterson, the Pregnancy They Hid, and the Baby They Killed, 2005) chronicles with grand style and enthusiasm. Famous names flit in and out of his narrative—Boss Tweed, Thomas Edison, Edwin Arlington Robinson, piano manufacturer William Steinway and Andrew Carnegie—but he focuses on two lesser-knowns, brothers, both transportation magnates: Boston's Henry Whitney and New York's William Whitney, who tie together this subterranean transportation tale of two cities. It's a story of blizzards and fires, accidental gas explosions and dynamite blasts, of trenches tortuously dug, of sewer and water pipes rerouted and cemeteries excavated, of political infighting, of turnstiles and ticket-taking, of ingenious solutions to staggering problems. Inventor Frank Sprague, who perfected the electric motor, financier August Belmont, crusading New York Mayor Abram Hewitt and engineer William Barclay Parsons also play prominent roles in this colorful Gilded Age saga. An almost flawlessly conducted tour back to a time when major American cities dreamed big.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169063530
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	02/04/2014
Edition description:	Unabridged

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