The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-23
HOLES INSTEAD OF A DITCH.
WHAT BRITISH SUBWAY INQUIR-
ERS WILL SEE IN BROADWAY.
Mcdonald Had His Contract and Stood
by 1t and tho Rapid Transit CHIEF En-
sineer Had to Let Him do the Work His
Way-But He Must keep the StrectClear

BluccT kHuO I'D Leu kuIIus nO tHc "Os ~ MIC
Way-But He Must Keep the strectCear
When the royal commission gets here
from London to inspect the subway system
the old method OF construction. which
made Fourth avenue a ditch and Forty
| second street highway Of bankruptcy
will not be pointed out as the New York
style. The section from Ann street to
Bowling Green, in lower Broadway. will be
the Illustration.
Maurice Fitzmaurice, who was here a
few weeks ago examining the subway sys-
tenn. is chief engineer Of the London County
Council. and was the engineer Of the Black
wall tunnel under the Thames and the
Assuan Dam in Egypt. He was fore
runner Of the royal commission. which is
to ascertain whether a subway close to the
surface is to b. preferred to deep tunnels
Of the .tupenny tube" style, and whether
they can be built without entirely closing
narrow streets to traffic.
That friction exposed last Thursday at
the meeting Of the Rapid Transit Commits
sion, when Contractor John B. Mcdonald
and Chief Engineer Parsons came together
with contrary understandings OF CONTRACTS
and agreements, has been Strengthened out,
each side ceding something. 1t has served,
however, to bring out interesting points.
According to friends of the contractor.
Mr.. Parsons had been planning 10 require
the subway down lower Broadway to
be built from the two openings in front
of St. Paul's and Trinity churches, pre-
serving the street pavement except at these
points and requiring the work to be done
by tunnelling, the excavated material to be
hauled to these two shafts. This meant
an increase in expenses over the con-
tractors estimates.
Mr.. Mcdonald had taken his contract
contract No. p, and had sublet this piece
Of work to the Degnon-McL Company.
and he did not propose TO submit to any
change of this sort by the chief engineer.
even If Mr.. Parsons did want to show UNI
broken streets to the visiting royal COM
mission.
So the contractor put this question to the
engineer: who is going to pay the Deg
The engineer assured him that this would
| be taken care of later, and he would do all
| he could with the commissioners to have
| satisfactory adjustment made.
But Mr.. Mcdonald was not content with
| such promises. He had a contract 1t
did not provide for tunnelling and, as he
| read it, he could do the work by the slice
| system, as the Boston tunnel was built.
so long as he had the street boarded over
| and ready to accommodate traffic every
morning.
Mr. Mcdonald won out, and In yesterday 8
| SUN it was told how three large shafts are
| to be sunk, one at Trinity. one at st. Paul g
| subshafts In between by which the dirt
may be removed. The expense Of hauling
the dirt to the shaft openings and OF forcing
the tunnel through without taking up the
pavement is thus saved to Mr.. Mcdonald.
{; The overhead bridge at St. Psuls, to
| to be lifted, was painted yesterday. The
| supports were painted steel gray and the
| body black Some Of the hosting machin-
cry was put In place and the chutes through
which the dirt will be conveyed to carts
in the street below were put in. 1t Is under.
the Degnon-McLean Company is willing
TO do the work at the price bid In their
subcontract.
While Engineer Parsons estimated before
the bidding on the extension from the
Post Office to Brooklyn that the cost would
Belmont Donald company Is we'll within
that figure on the sum total of its sub
! contracts and terminal costs.
Some people thought that the Belmont
| syndicate paid high figure for its fran
| chise in Offering to build the tunnel for
| 81 900 900 for tho terminals. 1t was double
| ended proposition anyway. The com
pany has to pay the interest on the bonds
which the city issues for it's part Of the
! work, and per cent. year into a sinking
| fund to pay OF the bonds.
Now, II the Belmont syndicate had asked
! for So, 900 900 for doing the work, it would
have to pay interest on 5000 900 instead
| Of 5000 900, and its contribution to the
sinking fund would be annually twice as
! much as II is now City bonds now bring
az per cent interest. It was only ques-
ton Of borrowing the city's credit or using
! larger share Of its own cash. As the COM
pany really pays the city's part in the end,
1t makes no difference what the bidding
| price was. The Belmont syndicate calcu-
lated that It would be cheapest to pay
interest on but s., 900 900 Of bonds and have
only charge Of per cent. year on that
sum as its rental