The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-14
R. r, BOARD AGAINST DITCHING
ans ON PARSONS TO FIND A
RITTER WAY ~ BROADWAY.
,,r,,s Tartilly the Great Inconvenience
' n the Open cut and Talks OF "Drift-
,nx In" which Means Blocking the slde
.,rcc,s-- Merchants Now An I'm Line.

",.oc,sN merchants Now An I'm line.
!, yas made clear at yesterdays nesting
=, fine Rapid Transit Commission that
,,,,ret Belmont's threat that unless he
I'D huild a subway down Broadway
". IN. ditching process he would build
rothing, will not prevent proper considera-
Wv, NV the commission OF the interests OF
,be property owners along the route OF the
nronosed extension of the underground
railroad system,
Az WINS told in THE Sun yesterday
Mr Belmont has the idea that only his
oomnony can construct an underground
s.Uroad under Broadway, between Four
,aonth and Forty second streets, and that
Il he withdraws from the scheme IL Will
Gall through because no one else can proftt
obv compete for the contract. This stand
ia regarded by the opponents OF the ditch
inc process as pure bluff, and the prob
ohlty is that Mr.. Belmont will not get
aw,v with it. The Rapid Transit Com
m,,soners presented resolution yester-
div in which it was recognized that the
r,etbods hitherto followed in subway con-
s,r,ction have caused loss to property
owners and the commission chief engineer
is called upon to do away. II possible with
the evils OF which complaint has been made,
This was the resolution
Whereas experience has demonstrated that
the construction of the un foreground subway
in New York has ocCasioned great neon
yenience to many of the property owners
and others doing business along its route,
therefore be 1t -
Rcsoired. That it is the sense of the Com
missioners here present as II doubtless ~ouid
h. Of all the Commissioners were they III
attendance, that In all future operations
advantage be taken of every known engineer
ipp method which will tend to obvate the
evils complained Of and be 1t further
Resoircd That the engineer-in-chief OF TINS
commission be and ne Is hereby directed to
make careful inquiry and report without
DELAY as 10 every new met. I'D in the direction
indicated, to the end that Gl future construc-
ton BE- conducted either by drifting IN
from the side streets or by the erection OF
such superstructural supports as will prevent
az far as possible interference with the sur
face Of the thoroughfares through which
the necessary subways are to pass.
Although the resolution was framed
with view TO meet the objections OF the
Broadway property owners, It does not
provide for the building Of an underground
railroad by the tunnelling process. Should
the drifting in" proposition be adopted
i, will mean that shafts will be sunk in
side streets As these shafts will neces-
sariv have TO be sunk In the middle of
the roadways the side streets will be
blocked Proof OF this Is to be found in
,Ioraemon street, Brooklyn. where a shaft
for the new Brooklyn tunnel has been dug,
In consequence Of the upheaval Of the
street and Of the noise ocoasoned by the
carting away OF the excavated material,
the residents OF the street have almost
entirely deserted their homes.
The resolution. because Of its reference
-superstructural supports is nom
committal, but it Is expected to have the
effect Of impressing upon Engineer Par
sons the necessity for 80 amending his
pians az not to require the tearing up OF
tho surface Of Broadway.
John H. Starin, who presided over the
commission yesterday in the absence Of
Alexander f. Orr, presented the resolution,
AT the close OF the meeting he said:
.The Rapid Transit Commission is as
much averse as any one TO blockading
such thoroughfare as Broadway
am hopeful that we will be able to find
method of building the subway without
disturbing the surface and at the same
time to provide for a railroad that can be
operated in connection with the present
subway
Il may state frankly that while / ad-
vocate a subway near the surface | am
opposed to the disturbance Of the surface
Of the roadway. think that our engineers
ought to be able to meet that problem
am in entire sympathy with the merchants
Of Broadway in their contention that the
surface Of such an important thoroughfare
should not be interfered with, and am iu-
cIined TO believe that eventually it will be
found that the subway can be constructed
without tying up traffic on Broadway
The one name missing from the list OF
Broadway tenants in the protest to the
Mayor against a ditch in Broadway was
added yesterday afternoon. George Taylor
of Atken, Son 4 Co. attended the meeting
of the committee Of fifty at the Fifth Ave-
nue. Hotel. When Chairman AL Hayman
explained the nature Of the protest Mr.
Taylor said: "Our firm did not sign the
protest because we thought it might mean
a hostility to a subway in Broadway; but
now that we understand it / shall take
pleasure in adding the name to the docu-
ment"
As Mr.. TAYLOR wrote the signature Chair
man Hayman announced that this was the
one missing signature on the protest and
that now every tenant and property owner
in the flfty-three blocks on both sides of
Broadway was in line against the ditch
In opening the meeting Mr.. Havman
sad Mr.. Belmont and the marlborough
company are quoted in to-dry's papers
as saying that if they cannot ditch Broad
way they will not go through Broadway
nut will endeavOr 10 go through Seventh
avenue or abandon the subway project
between Forty-second street and Four
teenth street altogether. How can Mr..
Belmont and the marlborough company
dictate to the people how this Improvement
shall be made?
These people formed a construct on
company which is building a subway.
lhNy also formed a company to operate
Y when It ia done. They have leased the
elevated roads and have given guarantee
o' per cent. dividends thereon, and are
now controlling the highways overhead
and underground For the sake OF some
small profit they want to construct this
branch IN a manner that threatens TO bank