The sun., 1900-12-21
RAPID TRANSIT SURPRISES.
0vr 4 rROrOsyb rfvvgt rSDrR THE
GHtND fgNfRtT sTtTfON,
riimInaNns FORTY second ~ Get Vfom fhs
Rout. and tuli,inE rof't seventh a"
OniNat Complaint that the trs' SIDE
Cut .. vcak.rinH AdJoinins nuiIiinT',

Onitiai Complaint rhs, the tsst sids
Cut Q. Weakening AdIoinins nuiIiinr.
Members NJ tho Rap 4 Transit tommls-
zion have denied that there vas any thought
~ changing tho route ~ tho tunnel at Forty
second street tp avoid that h"r"ughfafe
Yesterday u VIVA announced 'Iat ~" ES"cu-
tive Committee 81 uc BOARD u Directors
of tho New York Central. consisting Of W.
X Vanderbilt, I W Vanderbilt. senator
Dcpew. \ 7 BarGcr. J rivtpuut Morgan.
" Mch Twomhly. = T. CnllaWav aud VIII
I liam Rockefeller. had boon directed to CON
suit with the commission on u proposition
Z from the commission 10 run III" subway
under tho Grand Central station to Forty
seventh street. aud through tlat street :"
Broadway The proposition was mad" I"
the railroad company month ago, accord
ing to Secretary Worcester The Forty
second street excavation has occn regarded
as one OF the hardest engineering problems
to be solved In the construction ~ the road
on account of the street ear lines and sub
surface structures The question # bur
rowing under a." Grand Central station Ia
complicated by the fact thHt tho ground ia
owned by the old Manhattan Railroad. which
leased 1t 10 the Central for 5oo years
All that the Commissioners have been WILL
Ing to admit il that they were contcrr lltiug
an underground connection letween the
Grand Central station and tho subway.
The Commissioners received Yesterday
letter from John A Doonrr Superintendent
of Buildings, who Informed them that the
construction work on the subway has weak
ened great many buildings along the route
and that tho inspectors Of his department
report that in some instances this Weakening
l. very marked. Surt poonor said that tho
buildings most effected were those on Elm
street and some on Fourth avenue He did
not give specific Instance and hi| communi-
cation did not go into any "details. except that
II was the impression Of the inspectors In the
department that In some cases the injury
to buildings was caused by the fact that the
side walls OF tho subway were 40 near the
curb lines that there was not sufficient earth
left between them and the building lines.
The continuing bond which Contract or John
i. Mcdonald gave 10 the city was designed
to cover Just such damages as the Building
Department reported Yesterday The con-
tractor assumes all liability for damages done
to buildings along tho route Tho suhcon-
tractors IN turn rivo bonds 10 the general
contractor. The board referred the letter
TO the contractor FOR his Information
Friction has already developed between
the contractor md commission on one hand
and tho Municipal Assembly The law re-
qures that n" tunnel route shall not he
changed without tn" consent of the Municipal
Assembly. and thnt BODY has had before Il
for some time tho application Of the cornm!--
sion for permission To alter the line ~ the
road az ?I5ih street in order 70 eliminate
curve Eirn-Prcsidcnt Mccall. the Tammany
lender on the floor, at the llst mcc'ing de-
Cl1rpi his belief that the rrOpOsod clnnge