The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-19
Bowling Green Soon TO Be Spanned
by the Metropolitan ST."
BUILDINGS DOOMED 10 DESTRUCTION.
Four Thousand Workmen to Solve Rapid
Transit in this City.

line of the Metropolitan 81 would now be imme-
diately constructed. to have stimulated the
managers of the company to increased activity 1t
has generally felt that the overcrowding the
Third Avenue IL" would not until the busi-
ness properly belonging to the Second avenue 81
would be taken off it's hands. That one road could
never even begin to satisfy the enormous demands
of the entire side traffic has been plainly per-
ceived that movement is already reported being
on foot among Yorkville and Harlem residents to
send formal delegations to the Metropolitan IL
Company in order to urge the fastest possible
completion of the Second line The
estimates as to the probable traffic the
Second avenue I'll" vary greatly and while
perts the subject of rapid transit have put it
low $1,000 day. Others have placed it high as
10000 1t is interesting in this connection to know
that the traffic the Sixth avenue IL" is larger
than that the horse line beneath it, which
was before the al" was opened about so 900
per day. The traffic on the Second avenue horse
car line is now about 1900 day and allowing
a similar increase Sixth avenue also. and for
the natural overflow from the Third avenue IL" the
traffic would not be less than 10000 day. Be-
fore, however, this travel be accommodated
an immense work has to be accomplished and this
has already been begun.
SPANNING BOWLING BROADWAY
While the Ninth IL" the Battery in
|
line will curve from its present New Church street
terminus into Broadway and. passing straight
Bowling Green. launch into Beaver street its
rapid way to the Second branch and on to
the Harlem River Broadway and this ancient land
mark-Bowling Green-will some marked changes
by reason OF this extension of the Metropolitan IL"
to the east side. Buildings to be torn down and
venerable elms of this pretty little of land
scape will be hanked by the handsome iron columns
which mark the progress of rapid transit
way up to High Bridge. The Metropolitan
| az have purchased here from william II.
! Vanderbilt and Others between Greenwich street
and Broadway. several blocks and number of build
ings. costing altogether sl,OOO.oOO, order to
| obtain room for downtown repair shops and for
easy curve '"to Bowling Green. At present the
| Sixth avenn> IL terminates in Morris street, and
in what might be virtually called cui de 1t has
outlet whatever and is blocked up by several high
buildings fronting Greenwich street and running
down some distance toward Broadway. These
old, rickety warehouses. sailors boarding houses.
emigrant boarding houses, tenements, &C., and the
city will certainly not sustain vast loss if they
| pulled down by the Metropolitan 81 Here, at
Morris street, the track of the Ninth a. will
run quite close to that of the Sixth avenue IL
| and people will have the advantage of being
easily transferred from the to the other Those
who are anxious to know at what precise point the
l j
over to the east side need only stop to look
the low cotton warehouse Immediately above the Of
| fee of the New York "L. The latter is numbered
Broadway, aud the cotton warehouse should there
fore be No. 0. but it is very antigua struc-
ture it's correct number is somewhat in dispute. 1t
is the spot that the iron horse, eagerly
looked forward to by thousands of east side residents
will shoot out over Broadway, clear Bowling Green
at DART and rattle over into the other side the
| city The columns will probably be placed on both
sides of Bowling Green the entire span the little
park being shorter than it is on many points the
| Sixth avenue line
| WORKING THE DEBRIS
| As soon the buildings on Greenwich street and
| Broadway had been purchased workmcn were en-
gagged 10 either pull them down cut them away to
| meet the necessities of the curve Then came the
! bitter cold weather and the company with more
kindly socitude tor the well being of their laborers
than soulless corporations are generally credited
with thought that II excavations had to be dug here,
! piers built and columns erected the might
we'll do the work under shelter in the open air.
And thus large force of workmen have been igging
amid the debris OF the already Quilted buildings lay
ing bricks setting stones. placing the iron bases.
| tumble down buildings, still preserving their
likeness to their former condition. but with
terror. present spectacle OF the most picturesque
| confusion. In order that the workmen might not
be disturbed there is from Morris street
New Church street, and the only way pcnetrat-
| ing these strange scenes is by walking along the
track from Rector street to the building abutng the
| Morris street terminus, where private stairway
| leads the visitor into the doomed structures The
effect OF the work upon an unprepared mind is just
| as if one came home and found number of be-
| grimed workmen digging excavation building q
! pier and raising AN iron column in ones dining
| room Close by the first building where these
| changes are being accomplished are the old-tme
residences of John Fox and Matt Brennan. in Morris
street. This first structure. which is to be taken
| down to make room for the H." old gun
store. The next houses, fronting Greenwich street,
used lager beer saloons and emigran boarding
| houses No. IS IL the Hotel Stockholm. kept by
August Lindquest. and still used a rendezvous for
Swedish and Danish sailors and emgrants No. 80
| OF the fashionable res licences of 100 years
| ago No. 81 is swiss emisrant boarding house.
| which still displays the sign Fur Schwcizcr
| Henath' TO the Swiss Homol. No. 20 is q Scand-
navian boarding house. and No. l3-the last of the
| doomed row OF structurcs-a United states bonded
warehouse. The Metropolitan IL Company have
also acquired the property used by the New York
| IL" Company their offices at No. Broadway
after the list Of May and it will be quite odd to
the older company, who have had their offices here
for nearly years, move away and make room for
their young rival. The New York Il" will establish
their offices esew here but will probably retain here
their present sdings for the storage of their Ninth
| roun THOUSAND MEN TO RE rur 10 WORK
When the work here is done and the buildings arc
| either entirely demolished cut away the road will
have obtained smooth splendid curve of 275 degrees
bers street, tor instance, which is only ~ degrees
radius. Meanwhile three large corps of engineers
| have been sent all along the Second avenue line.
| through Beaver. Pearl. Division aud Allen streets,
First avenue Twenty third street and Second avenue
Chief Engineer Skunk will 10 morrow submit the first
batch of foundations, located by his engineers
the Commissioner of Public Works for his approval.
and these matters settled and the pre-
limnary arrangements are completed Vice President
Navarro. of the New York Loan and Improvement
Company (which really builds the roadl says 1000
men VIII be put to work On the Second avenue line,
| with the 1000 men already now at work between
Eightythrd and 10th streets. on the Ninth and
Eighth avenues the company will have in their
ploy ment next month not less than four thousand
men, and wonder. therefore, that people are be-
ginning to credit the statements OF Messrs Garrison
and Navarro that both lines viii be completed to the
Harlem River by August l. As the Second avenue IL,
however. will require entirely equipment. and
it took the company month to equip and finish for
operation the sixth avenue line after it had been
built. it will probably be September before the
Second Avenue IL will be opened for traffic
| to the Harlem River, while the west side ex
| tension will doubtless be- finished and opened by
July l. Messrs. Garrison aud Navarro are deter
mined TO leave nothing undone to bring this
vast undertaking TO speedy and successful
issue and later in the spring when the weather per
! mits, the the Second avenue line will prob
ably work night well day. they did last spring
ON the sixth avenue. The writer found from muir