"Odd things going on under the sidewalks of New York...strange universe of power lines, gas pipes, telephone wires, subways and such, as well as the wriggling animals that contentedly exist among these intricate surroundings...a world as fascinating as any found by an oceanic skin diver...among its notables are "Smelly" Kelly ("the Subway Sniffer") and Teddy May ("King of the Sewers")...Alfred Eli Beach, an intrepid and likable pioneer who in 1870 devised the idea of a pneumatic subway but had the misfortune to tangle with Boss Tweed, emerging from the struggle a broken man...Mr. Daley has a nice way with an anecdote, and these and other figures emerge as rare personalities...the author also has an eye on the past...the hour in 1842 when thousands cheered the surging of Croton water into the city"s reservoirs..."The Day They Chopped the Poles Down" in 1888...In 1904 the IRT subway opened, another gala moment...Brings personality to these impersonal services...good humored...water, gas, electricity and subways have a romantic past--in New York anyway." --New York Times Book Review