The sun., 1897-10-12
HAVE NO CAUSE TO KICK.
DEPUTY WILDss REPLY TO AMSTER-
DAM AVENUE PROTESTERS.

TIE Metropolitan Company's Tracks Arc neinE
Laid Properly and In tho Safest Manner
Possible. Hs Decinres-Mr. wild Hacks
Mts Declaration Up with Facts. Too.
Tho Peoples Committee, which ts made up
Of folks living In the vicinity OF Amsterdam
avenue who have become agitatod over the
fact that the Metropolitan Traction Company
IN building its new electric road without ad'
herring TO its original plan OF leaving hve feet
between tracks, Is going to have mass meet
ing In tho parish house OF, St. Michacl's Epis.
copal Church on Thursday night for the pur.
pose Of protesting against the continuation OF
tho work This was announced in several
places on Sunday and yesterday, the idea of tho
projectors of the scheme being to make as big
a demonstration as possible. On Sunday morn
ing, in tho West End Presbytor Church,
the Rev. John Balcom Shaw, announced tho
meeting from the pulpit
Tho basis Of tho protest against the Metro.
politan Traction Company is that tho original
plans filed at the time tho Department OF Pub
lic Works granted a permit for the tearing up
of tho street, provided ifor space OF hve feet
between tho tracks. The Peoples Committee
holds that It is Illegal to deviate from these
plans. A Sun reporter called on Deputy Com.
missioner OF Public Works Wilds yesterday and
asked for an explanation Of the matter. Mr..
wilds said:
'"The whole trouble with tho people who arc
making all this fuss Is that they will not under
stand things they 1t is all very simple,
and as soon l explain. you will SEQ that it
would be impossible TO have more than -four
feet between the tracks of the new electric road
without endangering life to a far greater ex-
tent than 1t viii be endangered undor the pres
I'm tho first place tho tracks of the Metro
politan Traction Company are inside of tho
vii In md irhn
controlled by the Third Avenue Railroad peo-
pie. II we followed out the plan Of having tiyc
leave three and half feet between the electric
road tracks and the tracks Of the horse car line
right where they are. You can't move them, so
the only thing:to do is to make the best of tho
g our This ws have 70 done by
space of four feet between uptown and down
town tracks. That leaves four feet OF space on
two companies. Wi III only three and a. half
feet between the electric cars and the horse
cars 1t would positively be dangerous
''As to tho illegality OF the proceeding. ! want
to say that when the Metropolitan Traction
Company fled led Its plans proSyidins for a i've;
that such notifications Of the plans might be
made as would h be required by the Commis.
who state that we have no right TO change the
plans under the original agreement say what is
''As to danger from four feet between tracks
there Is no moro than has been encountered
daily Tor years by the citizens or New Nork.
All Of the following roads have four feet OF
space between tracks, The Broadway cable
road from Bowling Green to Fifteenth street
and from Seventeenth to Thirty-ifth streets,
the Columbus avenue road from Seventh avenue
TO Columbus avenue on Fifty-third street. the
Lexington avenue cable and electric railway
from Twenty-third to l3oth street, tho Fifty
ninth street railroad from river to river, and
the Twenty-third street crosstown railway from
the East River to Lexington avenue, and from
Broadway TO the North River.
IF the people who arc trying to make trouble
over this thing will sit down and think It over
seriously for moment, they will see that the
very best possible thing is being done on the Am
steruam avenue road"