The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-07-01
WORKING NIGHT AND DAY
TROLLEY MEN RUSHING JOB At
CHAPEL And CHURCH STREETS.
All Precautions Taken I'm Case of Fire
Workmen VIII Drop Tools and Build
Temporary Plank Platform for
Passage of Engines Can Do 1t In Five
Minutes.

| minutes.
| Engineer Punderford and a force OF
about one hundred men, in two relays,
| have put in forty eight hours of swell
tering work on the car tracks at the
corner of Church and Chapel streets.
The net work of rails was set and all
cross tracks and frogs properly laid.
Work was greatly hampered by the GU
riosity of the public, the usual Saturday
| night crowd being out in force and in
sisting upon a personal inspection OF
the work on the tracks, greatly to the
annoyance of the workmen. The rails
and iron work connecting with the
north tracks were completed early yes
terday morning. The heavy switches
connecting the West Haven and main
line tracks were put in position about
2 a. M, Engineer Punderford waiting
until the crowd had gone home and to
bed before tackling the job. Work
was rapidly pushed along yesterday,
despite the intense heat, and much was
have the tracks in full shape for use
by the Fourth, SO that the holiday traf-
fic may be handled as close as possible
to schedule time 1t is expected that
connections will be made so that Savin
Rock cars may, beginning this after
noon, go around the corner from Church
street, up Chapel street and down Tenn
pie street, thus doing away with the
Present crowding and confusion caused
by the reversing and switching on
Church street. Big crowds watched the
progress of the work yesterday and last
evening.
The police had a busy time at this
crowded corner Saturday night, the
torn up condition of the street, the cars
running with great frequency and ir-
regularity and the throngs of shoppers
crossing and recrossing the tracks CIV
ing the officers on duty all that they
could handle. There were several very
narrow escapes from bad accidents;
two men were knocked over by cars,
and a girl, who stumbled and fell while
crossing the rails, barely escaped with
her life. Fortunately nobody was hurt,
however
Mayor Studley has been one of the
most frequent and most interested spec
tators at the corner. He is particularly
anxious concerning the possibility OF
big fire at or near this businest street
corner in the city. The nearness of the
Fourth, and the greater danger OF 1lre
just at this time, gives more or less
anxiety to every merchant and proper
ty holder In the vicinity, for the street
paving is entirely torn up and crossed
by a net work of rails and connecting
frogs and joints standing eight inches
i,I r,Io oir q If would
be an utter imposslbilty for fire APP
paratus to cross Chapel street at
Church street. But this matter has
been given most careful attention, the
mayor and Engineer Punderford hav-
ing planned to meet any emergency
that may arise Should an alarm strike
calling the fire department to the cor
ner, or necessitating crossing the
tracks, the entire force of workmen
will drop their job for the moment and
out of ties and heavy pianks
which are stored near at hand. tenn
porary but thoroughly substantial plat
form over the excavation and rails, up
on which the horses and fire apparatus
could quickly and safely pass Mr.. Pun
derford says that he thinks this could
be done inside of five minutes. AT any
rate. he is ready for the test and all
the men have been fully instructed.
The foremen know what to do, In the
a absence of Mr.. Punderford, and Mayor
Studley believes there would be little or
no delay at the corner in case fire
should break out.
Engineer Punderford hopes to put in
a few hours sleep some time to-day.
Up to last midnight he had been on
duty continuously since early Friday
morning. The proper laying of such
tangle of heavy iron work, some of the
pieces of which weigh a ton or more,
Is very careful and exacting work,
and the variation of an eighth of an
inch would mean heavy loss to the
railroad company and the undoing of
all this hard labor. Therefore the en-
gineer realizes his responsibility and
prefers to stick it out though the
weather be hot and the hours long.