The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-07
EACH one BLAMES The OTHER
FOR THE BAD CONDITIONS or
THE CITY STREETS.


Officers Of the Rapid Transit Commission,
Department Of Public Works and Borough
Presidents Office spent part Of yesterday
afternoon shifting TO each other the re-
sponsibility for the present condition Of
the city's streets.
Its the asphalt contracts that Lvings-
ton is always letting. We're all done tear
ing up, unless we ditch lower Broadway,
said Engineer Diehl under the roof OF the
Park Row Building.
-We've paved Elm street between Hous-
ton and Prince and we'll have the rest
of IL done in short order, II those sub
way folks only get a move on. announced
Secretary Blake, in Room II, City Hall.
There were the building strike and the
asphalt strikes and all that rain in June, !"
lamented Engineer Martin Of the Public
Works Department. 1t sesms ~ II God
and man had combined to turn our streets
into one vast chaotic clutter
What put these various guardians Of
municipal welfare thus on the defensive
was what one of them pithily termed the
west Enders wild wall the wall" con-
sisting Of complaint which J. L. Brewer.
chairman Of the grievance committee Of
the West End Association. lodged with the
Grand Jury last June, and which caused
Borough President Cantor and Public
Works Commissioner Livingston to appear
before that body week ago Monday TO
answer questions as to what was going to
be done to smooth out the "City of the
Dreadful Dyke"
At meeting of the West Enders last
Monday Commissioner Livingston came in
for a lot Of frank criticism at Mr.. Brewers
hands.
HE is leaving the city full Of holes. p"
said the chairman Of the grievance COM
mittee.
Chief Engineer Olney Of the Department
OF Public Works took up the cudgels yes
terday in defence. first Of bis superior,
and then Of the department In It's relation
to the streets.
aHoles," he said, .holesl III toll you
something about Mr.. Brewers holes. One
day few months ago the gentleman came
here with a complaint.
My wife stepped on the sidewalk into
the vt rect yesterday and went right into a
Dear me- says I. Did she drownr
No. says he, but che might have got
her feet wet"
Outside of the ditch which, accord
ing to Mr.. Olney, Is a nuisance dependent
for correction only on the Rapid Transit
Commission. the chief cause Of New Yorks
partment's opinion, are the asphalt COM
panies, which have made habit Of grab
bing new contracts from the city and ig-
nOring the terms Of the old ones regarding
free repairs. This the department has
recently shut down on.
The gas, water and electric trenches
throughout the city amount to but hve
miles
Another cause OF confusion Is the per-
mission granted the Rapid Transit people,
under the act, to tunnel away from the
actual line of the trench, so az to move
sewer. water and gas pipes. Complaints
were recently made to the department
Of water bubbling UP at Forty-first street
and First avenue. The spring was found
least one hole caused by the building strike
is that tunnelled under Forty-6rst street
for the Hotel Belmont's cellar.
@The only hold we have on the subway
people, said Mr.. Olney. lis the clause in
the Rapid Transit act forbidding an ex-
cavation to be maintained in front OF any
property for period OF thirty days unless
shall be filed by the board. That was how
the hole by the Franklin statue on Park
row came to be filled up. | knew that the
newspapers didn't stand for that hole and
told Parsons that il he didn't have 1t filled
right up I'd put some reporter on to the
clause. Maybe he didn't get busy
A contract for asphalting twenty-one
streets ia to be let by the Borough Presi-
dent next week Among the most promi-
nent sections are Second avenue between
Seventy fourth and Mghty-third streets
and also between 10th and l27th streets
Lexington avenue between 103d and l1eth
streets. Fourth avenue between Eighth
and Twenty fourth streets and Fifty
second street between Eighth avenue and
the East River.
OF these the only section which repre-
sents the completion Of ditch lump