The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-20
IUNNELLNG, HEH.YEAR STYLE
LOWER BROADWAY MERCHANTS
ARE TIMING 1T.
Maybe At the Present Rate 1t Win Take
Ten Years, - Contractor McDsnald
Said. bot They Don't Cave In 70 the
Ditch PrsDoeltisn Ter All That.

Said. bot They Dent Cave In 70 tho
Ditch PrsDesltisn Ter All That.
The merchants Of lower Broadway were
comforted good deal by Chief Engineer
William Barclay Parsons's statement, pub
lished in The Sua OF yesterday. that the
rapid transit subway builders will not
be allowed to dig n open ditch, but the
merchants and building owners have no
Intention OF being lulled Ito a state OF
over confidence and Of giving up their
close watch on the doings OF Contractor
John B. Mcdonald.
I'VE have no fault to find so far said
shoe dealer at Broadway and Fulton street
yesterday. "but we woa't feel entirely safe
until the job IL dnished.'
When Contractor Mcdonald made his
appeal the other day TO the Rapid Transit
Commissioners for the privilege Of making
an open excavation, ripping up one block
at a time. he declared that under the present
restrictions the work being done in lower
Broadway didn't amount to row OF pins
and that it would take ten years to finish
the job.
That statement, taken in connection
with the way in which the work Is going
on on the lower Broadway section. has
aroused fresh suspicion on the part Of the
merchants. They consider the statement
Q threat and cay the work b not pushed
now.
One reason why progress Is slow Is that
the excavators take two nights on every
week and no day gang has been put to
work
Tie night gang which quit work vest
day morning at clock will not 60 10 work
until z o'clock tomorrow night. Nothing
Is being done In that interval OF sixty
one hours.
There's a chance to lop little of Mr.
McDonald's ten-year EST innate said
Broadway business man yesterday. "They
might work seven days a week, six anyhow,
and there is no reason why there shouldn't
be day shifts as well as night shifts
The street is not opened at night and re-
stored in the day. ime, although that seems
to be the popular notion 8 to how the work
IL being done.
Broadway in frort CT St Paul's Church
where the work is LOW in TTogrHs i've
days . week. he's been plsI NEG over, tuf
that is oily 20 that the excavation may re
got at directly from above in case tf an
fmerge,cy. The tiggers are at work
mt er that plaIkh 6, but the tirt they le-
move is all taken out throt Oh shEft IL the
sidewalk, ten feet vice II tfeen feet
lor E. irectly il. front Of the church.
This tirt is hoist ed Lp TO the floor OF " 9
brio &c which crosses Broadway in froLt Of
the church and left there Until the Lext cay
when it is shot II to carts and taken TO sco~s
at Pier %, East River.
For some res son Lore Of the carttr 8 is
90, ct light. That's ar oth her rel col, the
merchants say why tho work doesn't amount
to row Of pis.
The tirt bin on top Of the brio &c will hold
about fifty cubic yards. There is room on
The bin is filed every night, except sat
urdays and Sundays. Much more dirt
could be removed il there was day gang
at work removing the material excavated
70 the foot Of the shaft.
Another shaft is to be sunk either in fror
Of Trinity Church, at the head Of Wall street
or at Broadway and Pine street.
When that fact became known YESTERDAY
one merchant cheered up and remarked
that with two holes McDona'ds sub-con-
tractor ought 10 finish the job In five years
-or two holes may mean twenty years,
suggested the storekeeper next door. You
can't tell anything about it.
we haven't had any serious trouble yet
from the subway" said Manager Brown OF
the Knox hat store, across the way from
St. Pauls. yesterday. On the day OF the
storm some water leaked into our cellar
from the excavation. but it didn't do any
great damage. We are thankful for wha,
we've rot, and we owe it to The Sun. Il
1t hadn't been for that newspaper there
would be an open ditch in Broadway to-day
BY bammering so hard on the no-ditcf
issue THE SrN has done this year for Brc ad
way what it did for the country in 1895 by
declaring that the only wav to beat Bryan
was to vote for Mckinley
The merchants Of upper Broadway are
still waiting for the Rapid Transit Com
hearing on their protest file d with the Mayor
nearly a month ago.