Early cars could drive roughly 10mph.  As such Esther's travel time from Mrs. Dickson's boarding house would be roughly:

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Mrs. Dickson - Mayme = 35 mins

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Mrs. Dickson - Mrs. Van Buren = 60 mins

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Mrs. Dickson - Mr. Marks = 23 mins

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The first underground subway, operated by The Interborough Rapid Transit Company, opened in 1904. The fare was $o.o5 and on the first day the trains carried over 150,000 passengers. The initial enthusiasm quickly faded due to overcrowding and, in turn, longer travel times.