New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-21
THE TWO NEW CABLE ROADS
WORK IN BROADWAY AND THIRD-AvE.
OBSTACLES MET IN THE CITY's MAIN ARTERY
cost OF THE WORK AN UNKNOWN

city That is 20 say. from the Battery 10 Ftyninth
st. through Broadway and Seventhave.. distance OF
Ave miles double tracks befdg put In, while from
the Postofhce t. 0De-hundpd-and twenty 'nlnth-st,
| through Park Row, the Bowery and Thirdave., ags
miles from terminus 10 terminus preparations for the
two tracks for the cable Of the Third Avenue Rail-
road Company are being made. The work Of changing
the systems Of the two companies from horse 10 cable
traction Is one the magnitude Of which can hardly be
appreciated By the ordinary observer cf street opera
tons aud when It's extent and difficulties known
the wonder that II has been far done with so te
comparative Inconvenience 10 the public.
Work on the Broadway and Seventh-ave. line was
begun on May IS, and has reached the following stage
Of progress From Fityeighsh 10 Ffty-6rst sts. the
rails are laid and TIE rosdbed and street rpaveA;
from Tftleth-st down to Forty third-st tie work "
nearly completed from Pory thirdst down b Thirty
fourth ST. the work is we'll under way, ard much has
been done between Thirty fourh and Twenty third SIS
I'm the lower part OF the city, the rails are laid from
Rector.st south to Bowling Green. on last Wcdnes-
dav work was begun on the section n0rthvaT from
Pectorst and also upon the section between Twenty
third. st. and Union Square while on ThurSday morning
the aboers began upos the section leading rom Four
tesnth-st southwark. From THIS II VIII be seen that
within short tme the whole route throughout It's five
miles will either have been completed or be in the
hands Of the Worimen.
In company with John d. CHmmins, who has the
contract for doing the work Of the company and Engi
neer George ". McNuty, a reporter Of The Tribune .
few DAYS ago inspected considerable part Of the line
and learned some things which may not be uninter-
esting 10 the general public. These are best presents
ed perhaps, in the words Of ar. Crmmihs himself who
In the first place called attention 90 the pan OF con-
struction.
al want you 10 notice." he said, q" the care that
Il being taken b have the work perfect and
durable in every respect While II IS diflcuit 10
explain except TO an engineer ali the details
OF the plan OF construction, ] may say IN
general way that II is Improvement upon any THAI
has ever before been used. and combines all the goo
points Of other plans When the project Of laying
a cable road through Broadway was finally determined
upon the Philadelphia people who, understand, are
the heaviest stockholders in the controlling syndicate,
and who hsvo for years been engaged In cable
road building in various parts of the country, set TO
work and made their plans for the broadway plant.
These plans excellent, far as they went but
II was thought here In New York that they might 10
improved upon that while the method Of construction
was nearly enough perfect for small cities, II woud
hardly answer for such city this, where the traffic
over the line Is something almost incaculable, ard
where the expense Of repair and alterations is both
enormous and ATTENDED with grave difficulties En-
gineer McNuty, therefore, took the plans In hand.
The result is the present work you see it going on,
and over 100000 worth Of material ordered when the
first plan was adopted subsequently discarded az
useless when the Improvements in construction were
perfected.
"An the iron and steel for the rails and supports
made upon special orders and special plans for this
woFK the rails laid carefully and scientifically
as the spans OF an iron bridge the rosdbed is spirit
levelled along the entire line, and everything done 70
secure the smooth running of the lack Of friction
and the most enduring results. Under all tho
curves IN the road the rails supported by
brick archways of exceptional strength while the pave
ment between aud outside the rails is laid Of carefully
selected granite blocks
"The obstacles in the way Of this work are such
would be met In other city In the country, and
In no other street in New-York. Broadway is the
great artery Of the metropolis, underground,
In fact than above the surface. Beneath its pave
ment the most complex system of pipes that you
can possibly imagine Here are centre Croton- water
MAINS gas mains. steam pipes, pneumatic tubes and
the electrical subway system. Many OF the pipes
laid long ago, and being as bear the surface a.
possible, we have been compelled TO lower them In
order to make the necessary excavations for our ne
Others we have been forced 10 move 10 one side.
Along Seventbave we have had to change the position
of the water MAN, and to change the service to every
hotel and dwelling along me street. In meeting those
distractions and In changing the position OF the various
delivery pipes, we must all the time keep The gas.
the electric and water service intact or else be SUD-
eoeod to the complaints OF property owners and ten
ants on both sides Of the route 1t is worth saying
think. that during all the time we have been at
and considering the magnitude of the enterprise,
am surprised that complaints tire part Of the public
of street obstruction and Inconvenience have been SO
few and 50 mild.
Except for these distractions I have named. We
have met little difficulty In our labors. We have bad
to do some blasting in the neighborhood Of Thirty.
sixtist.. but that work is all done now. and not
window has been broken IN the process.
"The cost OF the lob Really. can't say. Ny
Instructions from the company are TO build tue best
OF course In the employment Of labor at reasonable
rates and getting fair and legitimate return for the
wages paid. My contract with the company amounts
to about this: They furnish the money and do the
But can't you speak approximately Of the cost !
Will it amount to bali million, million or Two
Well, You may say two million dollars. If you wish,
but do not name that figure aad, in TACT, do not
hnSS 5ff e Sae cost OF the chpse of
The reporter found Il impossible TO get anything
definite on this p ana 90 se aa 70 xenye s
peTlence in contract work probably had some GOOD
SUFFICIENT sSS m met sUS %SF the
way aud Seyentlave. line and the only Italians am2a
h% a about 4 % BE- y the
road viii be In operation though the actual work OF
oabe-laying win probably lie completed before Janu'
The sixth Avenue Railroad Company, whose tracks
s s ct tes y0RRaaS
latter company to ia, q% Sc cS ss Win ' Ss
u
iscting corporation being, II Is said; TO make secure
lis own right Of way In event OF MS wishing 10
rhance It's plant into an electric or cable system.
On che Thirdsye line work on the new sCy cable cable
So"ks previous the contractors had been en-
gagged IN shitns the tracks PREPARATORY to tbs
Hne Is in fine exclusive hands OF William Wharton, ir,
& Co. of Philadelphia This firm bnlt the Markets.
cable line in that city and has built numerous Other
tines in many Western cities. IL owns It's rolling
mills a Bessemer steel plant ETC.. and furnishes all
The material as well performing all tho work Of con.
stpction The contract calls for nearly eight miles oil
double track making with the switches at the uptown
teriinus about sixteen miles in all. The track work
proper is completed from one hundredth ST. 10 one
frlndrd and xteenth-s and the laying OF the pave
me,1t has been begun. Excavations are being mado
from Fifty nnth-s south, and in the course u week
or tvo work will be begun az the upper end OF ths
Bowery Explorations for pipes and mains have been
made nj all the street intersections but aside from
What S iound at the ntesectng points the contractors
expeet TO meet extraordinary difficulties In putting
In the cable plant. . ,.
" They have had little II any trouble as vet though
small amount Of blasting VIII be necessary In the rock
south OF Fifty ninthst. The plan Of construction ior
adnDtpd by tho firm other cities