The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-27
If YOU COIpLANOP HBDIrCH
TO HE'LL WITH THE PCDLIC Is
TEE RESPONSE you MEET.


Experiences q - lnquiree Abeat Upassn
Park Row % TIE napaa TrAnsat once
And That's the Only Piace Where
the Pubic Can Seek . Kennedy.
A number Of Park row business men.
weary Of the open trench maintained there
bv the subway contractors for long weeks
after the eXcavating has been finished and
the structure within built, have been writing
20 the Bureau OF Highways and the Commits
sioner of Public Works in the last few
weeks, asking those departments Of the city
government II they can't make the con-
tractors complete their job. In particular.
the agent Of the Times Building, thinking OF
the danger in an unsecurely fenced hole 70
crowds about the bulletin boards on election
night, has asked that something be done
speedily to prevent the possibility Of an
accident
Another Of the complaining business msn
is the proprietor Of restaurant further
along toward Broadway. All Of these men
quoted the clause in the Rapid Trsnsi: con-
tract which binds the contractors to cover
in any excavation maintained for longer
period than thirty days. unless tho adjoin-
ing property owners have consented In
writing to let the hole remain open. No
body in Park row has given such consent
The letters have remained with the Public
Works Department for few days. Then
the complaining property owners have
received formal acknowledgment from the
department. With the added information
that the attention Of the chief engineer Of
the Rapid Transit Commission has been
called to the condition OF the street In frost
OF your premises"
The uselessnees Of that has made the
complainants angry clear through. Some
Of them have gone up to the Department
Of Public Works to say that it is useless to
call the attention Of the Rapid Transit Com
missions chief engineer to anything his
contractors may do and to ask why tho Com
pays to look after its streets, can't remedy
. manifest violation Of . city agreement
by which hundreds Of citizens suffer. They
have discovered that the greatly abused
Commissioner Of Public Works simply
can't help IT,
1T is an outrage the chief Inspector
Of the Department Of Public Works told
one inquirer. .The hole ought to have
been closed up long ago. II it were our
business I'd have It done this afternoon.
But we are powerless in the matter.
The Rapid Transit act is probably the
most sweeping measure affecting this city
that the Legislature ever passed. 1t prac-
tically hands over the streets along the line
OF subway from end to end to the Rapid
Transit Commissioners, and through them
to the contractors. during the period Of
construction. They do what they please.
The only time We have a word to say is
when the work is all done and the pavements
are replaced. That must be done to the
satisfaction Of the Commissioner Of Public
Works before the contractor can get his
money. SO on the strength Of that we try
to exert a sort Of moral suasion. It works
this way:
AS a matter Of courtesy to the citizens
who complain, We pass their complaints
on to William Barclay Parsons, the
chief engineer Of the Rapid Transit Com
mission. We haven't the least right to talk
to these people about what they are doing
in the streets. The Legislature has given
them absolute discretion But we do it,
and guess that's the end OF the complaints
The last We received about Park row was
sent to Mr.. Parsons on Oct. 10, that Is about
a week ago.
'ReplyF No, We haven't received any
and we don't expect to. II you want to
write TO the Rapid Transit Commission.
After that you can get q lawyer and fight
EN-, a. that man Earl did. They piled
paving stones around his door and he made
Court Of Appeals, but he beat 'em finally"
The citizen who wanted to know and who
supposed he had citizens right to informa-
ton about these things, did 60 up to the
Rapid Transit engineers Office yesterday
TO ask II Park row would be in proper shape
for the crowds on election night. This
was his experiences:
Mr.. Parsons was not In. Mr.. Parsons's
assistant was not in. Mr.. Parsons's secre-
tary was not IN either. The citizen pro-
pounded his inquiry to clerk in the outer
office who seemed willing to assist in q search
for proper information. The clerk turned
to q dapper little superior clerk who had
entered with bundle Of papers.
Perhaps you can give hte gentleman
the Information he wants about Park row.
.To hell with the gentleman who wants
to know about Park row. responded the
dapper clerk:
Tho late William b Vanderbilt once
public protested against the doings Of his
railroad. The 4to hell with the public
spirit has extended to the Chief Ditcher's
clerks.
On the edge Of City Hall Park, opposite
Frankfort street, there Ia a big mound
Of timbers, broken gas and water pipes
and earth taken out Of the subway ex-
cavation extending from that point north.
This obstruction is distinct altogether from
the open trench along the opposite side Of
Park row, beyond the Franklin statue,
concerning which 80 many complaints
have been made The pile partly blocks
the lane through the park leading to the
terminal Of the elevated and Bridge rail-
roads
Chief Engineer Parsons was asked by a
Sun reporter last Friday how long the pile
would stay there. He said:
with the exception Of the one spot
opposite Frankfort street, Park row has
been cleared The timbers. which now
obstruct the passageways to the park.
we're used az underpinnings to support
the Park row pavement. The subway
in this section has been completed with
the exception of . small stretch where 1t
goes under the old fire house. The work.
men are bringing to the surface the under
plnning nz1erials faster than they can be
oarted away but can promise that within
a few days Park row will be absolutely
clear"
NJ Parsons did not say how many days
= few would be. The pile was as big AZ
ever yesterday.