The sun., 1903-08-01
vO NEED TO RIP UP BROADWAY
srp rpOyC REASONS PUT FORTH For
RORyNG 4 DEEP TUNNEL.
u.rcban,s and Property Owners Hope 10
convince the subway Engineers That
m OPEN Ditch which VIII Wreck
I,usincss Is Needless Nuisance.

I,uJncss Is Needless Nuisance.
nne Of the most gratifying assurances
,..t the Rapid Transit Commission has
,i.,n 10 the public since subway work
ror,n in this city three years ago, was the
,on,i-,ffical announcement yesterday from
,i,n otf,ce Of Chief Engineer William Barclay
Goreous that no definite plans for the
b,i)ding Of the branch tunnel under Broad
,rov from Forty-sccond street to Union
sn,,are will! be adopted until all.o objections
), tbe present form Of subway construction
have been heard,
This will be good news for the merchants
md property owners on Broadway, who,
chile they favor the branch tunnel, are
strongly opposed to having as an accom-
,orir,ent TO its construction the tearing
nm of the street, the blockading of the
crossings and all the other Inconvenience
and obstacles to business which the
method adopted with the main tunnel
would entail
This decision Of the engineers means
that due consideration will be given to the
proposition, which ia daily growing in
favor. of having the branch tunnel bored
at considerable depth, instead of being
dig out from the top.
The proposition Of THE SUN that the
Broadway branch be built in this way
and the necessity Of tying up the main
business avenue of the city be thus avoided
il gaining in favor among Broadway mer-
chants and among those engineers in the
citv who have given especial attention
+, the subject Of tunnel construction.
inst at present it is difficult TO ascertain
how strong is the opposition Of Chief En-
sinoor Parsons Contractor Mcdonald and
some Of tho others to a deep tunnel. They
arc unwilling to discuss a matter which is
.fiil in abeyance and will remain so until
Septamber However, Mr.. Mcdonald
makos no secret OF the fact that he is satis-
f ID with the way in which the main sub
wav Is being built. that he and his sub-con-
tractors are proud Of what has been accom-
rshed, and that a method which has met
with such success in the rest of the city
ought to be f. llowed in Building new tunnels
Mr Mcdonald discounts the annoyance
il will be to Broadway TO have the street
opened He docs not think it will hurt
business, and he does not think traffic
will ne seriously disturbed.
Mr. Parsons. although reluctant to COM
nit himself on matter on which he has
still to make an official report, is satisfied
also that a method that has worked so
well in the rest of the city ought to he fol-
lowed on Broadway. However, both Mr.
Mcdonald and Mr. Parsons are open to
conviction.
Engineers Of standing say that no argu-
ment can he advanced against the deep
iunnpl On the other hand, the argu-
ments in favor Of it are powerful and can
nor he disputed. In the first place, Broad
way wants the tunnel. 1t Goesn want
it switched over to Seventh avenue, and
It does not want the Rapid Transit Com
missioners to deduce from its objections
to an open ditch that it would rather some
other route should be selected II wants
the tunnel itself, and believes it ought to
have it.
But Broadway asks that business and
traffic be not disturbed. and it points out
a simple way In which this can be accom-
plished. II there were anything expert
mental about boring a deep tunnel under
the objection 10 it might be
we'll founded.
But there is nothing experimental about
I. The character OF the work done in
ways have been built on the true tunnel
principle, without any disturbance OF the
pavement beyond what was necessary
FOR the sinking OF shafts to remove dirt
and rock, demonstrates that the branch
on Broadway can be built without any
Interference with business.
Neither Mr. Mcdonald nor Mr.. Parsons
disputes for moment the entire practica-
biiiry Of the proposition to tunnel Broad
way al a. great depth. That it can be done
at about the same expense as to dig out an
ion t1,aHy ar SlR,aif hs, Il,
objection. and it il a noteworthy fact that
II is not advanced by any OF the advocates
Of the open cut, is that to bore the tunnel
would require about half as much more
time as it would to cut il out by the old
method
In view of the fact that deep tunnel
would take longer to build. it is only fair
10 point ort some Of the advantages to be
gained by it. In the first place, a deep tun-
nel means that there will be no disturbance
Of the water mhins, gas pipes, electric
condIit- and the maze OF other pipes and
wires, the moving Of which always entails
danger, Inconvenience and expense. Then
comes the main advantage, an undisturhed
Broadway. save for here and there shaft.
VI" broadway merchants say that Ia
block Broadway for months, leaving only
i''e alleys of traffic. would be ruinous to
n'l-iness, and they look with great appre-
>"ntion on the apparent favor with which
an excavation seems TO I've viewed by those
"h" VII DroU6bly have the final say. The
news that heir objections are to be heard
Nil' Ee very welcome to them.
II Is regarded as important by all that
me method Of building the tunnel should
=" settled : suon as possible. Until tis.
Broadway folks will be disturbed and un-
Gpiy Meanwhile, however, the men
with hlg interests, who would suffer most
y Sro2dTaF should be torn up. are organ
, 'nG ana are preparing strong arguments
IN taYo- of tie deep tunnel.
one strong point in favor OF the deep
Nnnolis tHe character of the route For the
greater par oF the way from Forty-second
SfeeL ~ Union Square Broadway is solid
Fock. Mr Parsons has made no eXami-
nation recently, but about ten years ago
y partial examination was made, and the
information thus gained had been added
10 N the. digging for the foundations of
DIG, buildings, II is known that the solid
rock extends 10 Madison Square, where
mere Is sand to a great depth. There is
some sand al Union Square, too, but the
greater part OF he route is rock, making
NS Ao't favorable condition for tunnclling
, Mr Parsons thinks that a tunnel near
ne surface can he constructed without
serious menace to traffic. The Broadway
merchants say that this is impossible, and
hey, point 70 the plans for tho extension
o, o, me tunnel under Broadway from the
rost Office TO the Battery, which is to be
an open cut like the rest Of the subway
~ PROOF. Here the work is to be done al
night and in short sections, There are
,t 70 De two gangs OF men, and the pavement
Is 70 be taken up and deposited on the
West sidewalk, which will be practically
blocked. A temporary surface of planks
and timbers will then be laid, over which
.ucks can travel by day, but which can
as @,asuY be removed at night when the men