The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-30
mo DITCH" CRY HEARD AGAIN
SEVENTH AVENUE BUSINESS MEN
ORGANIZE TO FIGHT.
They'll Send a Protest to the Mayor This
Week and. n Necessary, Go to Court
Not Opposed TO a Deep Tunnrl--Isroa,l-
way Merchants Ready 10 Hclp Them

( way merchants Neauy 10 Hclp lhen.
limitations from Chief Engineer Par
sons that the Rapid Transit Commission
might evade the ditch issue in upper Broad
way by changing the route to Seventh
avenue have aroused the merchants and
property owners on Seventh avenue, and
they have organized to fight in the same
fashion as the Broadway business men.
A protest has been drawn up and largely
signed by the interests along Seventh ave-
nue., 1t will be presented TO the Mayor.
who is expected home tomorrow The
idea of q ditch in front of their places Of
business has created panic among the
merchants.
Richard H. Stearns, president of the
Hotel Navarro Company, which runs the
hotel at Seventh avenue and Thirty
eighth street, is president of the organ
ization. He has appointed an executive
committee, consisting of S. W F Draper
manager of the New York Transfer Com
pany; w. NJ V. Hoffman. representing
the Hoffman estate; Charles W Dabb, vice
president Of the Hotel Navarro Company
Carlton X, Mabley of the Smith & Mabley
Automobile Company; Fl. G Williams of
the Hotel York, Proctor Smith Of the Pan
hard & Lavassor Automobile Company,
c. G.. Hickok and Sylvanus Reed Stokes.
This committee held a meeting at the
Navarro yesterday morning. 1t was
agreed that as the Broadway men will
present their protest to the Mayor on
Monday it would be advisable to wait
until day or two later before making
Seventh avenues protest known. The
protest was drawn up, and il reads as fol-
lows
To His Honor, Mayor Lo,r.
We, the Undersigned property owners
and business men on seventh avenue. be-
tween forty-second street and Fourteenth
street. having been appointed a committee
to act for tn" seventh Avenue Business Mems
Association, hereby present protest against
test for the owners and tenants located on
SAID avenue against any interruption to bust
ness or tearing up OF that thOroughlarc in
the event OF the Rapid lranslt Commission
deciding to construct spur Of the under
ground road on tAdt avenue.
An open ditch or cut would mean ruin
TO the merchants of said avenue Warned
by the suffering and LOSSES CAUSED to prop
"rty owners and tenants, not only on Forty
second street and Fourth avenue but on
upper Broadway, we demand through you,
as our right, that the subway he constructed
by tunneIlnS, not by dItchinG.
Al Hayman, president of the Broadway
No-citch Association, has said that he
woui glaGly help Seventh avenue to fight
ag in the same desolatilg process That
threatens Broadway and it is expected
that the two a. soCittiors will work together.
"Our protest is brief but EMPHATIC"
said Chairman StearLs after the meeting.
We want to Impress on the Rapid IraLsit
COmmiss ion that wa are not TO be uupeu.
We have seen the ruil carried along Fourth
avenue, Forty-second street and other
thorouglftres by the ditcui & system and
we me n to fight any such plan for Seventh
ave rue.
I'VE are not opposed to an underground
road in our street built by methOCs that
will not disturb the surface Of tho street
IN Interfere with bust ess We would
ouor no objection to deep tunnel and
woull do everything in our power to help
project that would not damage our prop
crtv and destroy our busiless.
"TO ditch seventh avenue would be to
bankrupt hundre Is of small merchants
They have not the resources to stand such
a strain If the Seventh avenue route is
chosen and ditch planned we will rot rest
with a protest to the Mayor, but will take
the question to the courts to ascertain if
our business interests can be destroyed
to make thi Igs easier for a 60 tractor"
Between the twin protests Engi0eer !
Plrson fines no avenue for his ditch |
scheme Meanwhile he is supposed TO he |
obeving the j. structio' nf the Rapid Tran |
sit Comm sion to n ak, careful inquiry |
and ascertain If some process cannot be |
nmplove other than the one which has !
brought so much inconvenience and loss |
In New York