The sun., 1903-08-01
A Protest Made None Too soon

A Protest Made None Too soon.
The chief engineer of the Rapid Transit
| Comm ission instances the little piece Of
the subway in Park row between Mali and
Ann streets, where construction is now
proceeding, as afYording an illustration Of
a method OF excavation which causes no
public Inconvenience. Near by, along the
City Hall Park, however, there are un-
! slightly and troublesome evidences Of the
work on the subway, and they would be
serious incOnVeniences were IL not for the
| open space Of the park Park row in that
neighborhood, moreover, has 80 long and
| 80 grievously suffered from the digging
| of the subway that the selection OF the
single block the chief engineer instances
for his illust ration is unfortunate.
lna crowded and busy rhoroughfare no
broader than is Broadway in the district
below Forty-second street through which
il has been proposed to carry the subway,
distractions like those Park row has been
! obliged to endure so long, and still suffers
from, would interrup, trade and travel
to an extent causing serious loss to busi-
ness interests and great hardship to
the general public.
The chief engineer SAYS. moreover,
that the route of he proposed extension
is not vet finally decided on by the COM
mission. that the plans have not yet
been fully settled and that, accordingly
ia .stA A nf IN Al
thing that may never take place. For
that very reason there ought TO be and
there is discussion. II the public had
not been reused TO protest il cannot be
doubted that the Broadway route would
have been selected and the plans made
ready as matter OF course.
Al last the public are CRYING out against
being compelled to make any further
sacrifices of their convenience and inter
ests simply in order to help along the
builders of the subway. They have
learned by woful experience what they
have to expect if the method OF con-
struction in the extension shall be similar
to that which is pursued i'll the original
cut, and they are raising their voices in
time to prevent he hardship it was pro-
posed to put on them.
The truth is hat il will be impossible to
dig a trench as Il subway in any part OF
the busy and populous town without pro-
ducing costly and long-continued dis
turbance of public interests The pres
ent method of construction has been ex-
oeedinglv credtable to the engineer and
the contractor. for by it a minimum of
damage has been done to the streets. For
an enterprise of so great difficulty and
magnitude it has been executed with far
less damage to public interests during it's
progress than the citizens might reasona-
bly, have expected. 1t has been SO we'll
done that any considera BILE Improvement
in the building Of further subways is
hardly possible; vet as the people of New
York know to their sorrow, their interests
have been damaged seriously, even under
such highly skilful engineering. Not only
has the town been defaCed, but the actual
loss and Inconvenience from the obstruc-
ton of travel in the streets have been too
great to make the thought of their repe-
tition tolerabe
Comptroller CIRCUIT acknowledges that
when the proposed exte nsion was planned,
several months ago, the only route under
consideration was Broadway. and, appar-
emily, the only method was the open cut
of the present subway; but he says that
the final decision as to those matters will
not be made by the Rapid Transit Com
mission before September and that, ac-
cordingly, there is ample time for the
presentation of objections 1t seems,
then, that the subject was not brought
prominently TO the attention of the peo-
pie of New York any too soon. The case
will not now go by default The citizens
will have chance to present their side