New-York tribune., 1902-12-29
THE WASTES OF ELM-ST
ANEIGHT YEAR OUTRAGE
Taxpayers Hare Sunk 81, 900, ,0oo
but 1T Still Clogs Traffic

morning. uH0eT q contract, after eight
upheaval and inconvenience. AS told before =,
The Tribune. the grading will be done first sns
then the paving and curbing It is promises
that the street will be ready for use in a -
The cost of the street so far has been baa,-v =.
the taxpayers, and as yet they have had -
service frtm ii. More than this. the street ba,
been a positive hindrance to cross cftv tra45o
acting practically as stone wall for q. r,u bat.
mile of its length
The taxpayers have been mulcted Of 81 nss
III oo for the Improvement that is still 70 sa.,-
the tax payment being as yet the onIv tangibr'
part of the entire EIn-st. crusade
Fhe expenses to the city as shown bv tba
Controllers books. read as follows:
For opening; widening and extending EIn.st
from City Hall Place near Chambers-st 70 1se:
Jones St. opposite Lafayette Place in fbe Ssgt Sjrsgt
Fourteenth m and Fifteenth wards; awards conaTmsd'
Interest paid. $52s. .4s5 IL
Costs, charges and exuenses rafd sont
Total expenses. ss.lS2. Isl 81 'O '1'''00' D"
The awards confirmed to propsrtv o,r-.--
represent the result of legal battle betu-o..'
Albert B. Boardman, representing the ct+v -
condemnation proceedings, and ffty-four t.,
firms. representing the various property o7,
ers concerned OF this S6.132, ,1s1 81 two-tbi-+,
are paid by the city. and the Board OF Esti-
mate and Apportionate has decided that ons-
third shall be paid by the property owners Con-
mad
was met by the city by an issue OF bonds under
Controller Coer
II viii thus be seen that I'D TO date Fyr,-,.
has been sinking fund indeed Future ex-
penses will be small.
MR. CANTOR'S PROMISE
Jacob A. Cantor, President OF the Rorougb ..
| Manhattan, said yesterday to a Tribune rs-
porter:
The expenses from now on will be slight
The Rapid Transit Construction Company does
the paving. The only paving bill to be met b7r
the city will be that Of the old section OF Elm
St. and this will be trifing. We shall be az
| liberal to the property owners as possible, for
they have suffered great Injustice"
The work of grading, paving and curbing the
street will now proceed. the city standing guar
antee that all expenses are met. Later a de-
cision will be made by the Board Of Estimate
and Apportionment as to what portion of the
expense shall be met by the property owners.
Controller Grout said yesterday 10 a Tribune
reporter
There is little chance that the two-thirds city
responsibility and the one-third on property
owners FOR the total expenses Of the Elm-st.
Improvement will be disputed legally"
The plan for Elm-st. was to have it improved
along much the same lines as College Place.
where The good results were manifest 1t was
hoped that Elm-st. would serve to relieve the
Broadway traffic-foot truck and ordinary
driving.
HISTORY OF THE WORK.
On September %. 1895. Joseph o. B. Webster.
then assistant engineer in the Department OF
Public Works. began draft damage map, sur
veyed as in possession. On November A. 1895.
he finished il. On August and p. 1897. the
most important abutting property sales were
made. The wrecking and carrying away OF the
property condemned left the street in dilapi
dated condition which was further complicated
by the beginning Of the subway construction
In the summer OF 1900
AS result of the various schemes for the
streets final destiny, it has been rubbish
heap for five years.
The street to-day for its entire length is a
civic disgrace At certain points IL Is danger
Gus; at other points an obstruction TO inter-
secting lines Of traffic; at all points 1t is use
less. 1t is worth citizens time to traverse
the length Of it. to see what an eyesore can
exist in the heart Of wealthy and beautiful
CITY The tourist should equip himself with
blue jeans and rubber boots. for progress Is not
easy. 1t gives the effect Of a deserted village,
ten years after.
BEGINNING at ChaEabers-st. and proceeding 70
worth-st.. one must take roundabout course
"a what is to be EIm-st. is to-day piled-up
mass Of stone blocks. heaps Of construction
timber many yards Of board fence ana great
hoIlows, where excavating work Is being done.
EIm-st. between Worth. Catharfne Lane ana
Leonard Is a narrow road. three-quarters oI
the width being filed up with girders or tne
subway company. Leonard-st-, east or Elnl-sI'
IS blocked for traffic
CARTRACKs IN FREE SPACE
The street between Leonard and Franklin SIS.
has no east sidewalks. and excavation "orAS
destroy the usefulness OF half the width lnS
rest being taken up with double carIraeN-
Franklin-st. at Elm-st- is blocked TO the east
From Franklin-st. to whte-st there Is no sue
walk in front of the Criminal Courts BuiIdns'
white-st is able to continue as cross street
to the east OF Elm-st.
From white-st. to walker-st there Is TOR paiI
of the distance a board sidewalk The Wlatn u
the street is Uttered with board planklnss. eA-
cept for a cleared space in front of Engine House
No. 81. The Grand and Courtlandt street feii'
Line of horsecars crosses Walker-st- at Elm
st. There is footpath. and pedestrians al.
spattered with muddy snow at this season o.
the year as they dodge between trucks ana
horsecars From walker-st to Canal-st th7
Improved street has no footpath Whate'e''
boilers and an overhead dirt trolley being on 'n7
west side and open work excavations on 'Ne
east side.
Where Canal-st. cuts Elm-st there is proOaDS
the worst crossing in the city Two car'I@A
one east and west. the other coming nortn aN',
turning west intersect making an inoel'1'
track. just built for catching the passing ,e4
wheel. The crossing Itself is a WOODEN "iiN7
which must pass some Of the heaVles' 1N1
most numerous cross city traffic IN the 'i''
There is no accommodation and no room ~
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