The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-05
rHE FIGHT TO SAVE BROADWAY
BUSINESS MEAS DMfENeE
IEAGTE GAINS RECRUITS.
..,cnar,s and Property owners Deeply
Iutcrcs,ccs--NO Argument for m Open
mich Except u Small Saving OF Thine
Admissions OF Engineer Parsons.

Tho sloran, mo Ditch on Broadway"
u,icb was sounded at the meeting OF Broad
.oy business men on Monday afternoon,
h.s been taken up by shopkeepers, prop
.tv owners and the public at large. II
IL m. face Of IL Contractor Mcdonald
AVID Chief Engineer Parsons insist Oh the
ont and cover process OF tunnel construc-
,ion which has defaoed the surface Of the
o,v along the Subway route for the past
,,,n vcay, il will he done in spite OF one
- ,,io most vigorous and unanimous pro-
te.ts ever made in thus CITY.
Tho orranization Of Broadway business
NO, which was born at Mondays meeting
,o;ncd some twenty new members yester-
sa, and the prospect is that before Sep
,smhcr when the Rapid Transit Commits
sonrrs are to listen to arguments Tor and
AGAINST the planned excavation, it will
,rcu,e practically every business man
and nroprrty owner on that famous thor
,rcbrsrc An immense amount OF In
,orest has been shown in the organization
already. and it is conceded that the right
uav has been adopted to bring to the Com
nisstoners and to the Rapid Transit Con-
.,rctop Company full realization OF
the unanimty Of opinion on the subject
The Executive Committee Of the mer-
chants at the head Of which is AL Hay
man. the theatrical manager, did not hold
q meeting Yesterday, as had been proposed,
I'M, nit 1t off until to-day. when the MEM
bers will gather in Mr.. Haymans Office
in the Empire Theatre building and en-
body in suitable resolutions the objections
10 the excavation which were first voiced
In Tug Sun, and which have since been
taken up on all sides:
The merchants and theatrical men who
900 such a menace TO their interests and
10 the public comfort in the proposal to
tie ND Broadway take a good deal OK en-
confinement from the assurance OF the
Randi Transit Commissioners that full
bearing will be given to their side OF the
case before any final plans for the con-
s,uction Of the branch subway are adopted
Ii is the understanding Of the merchants
that he contractors favor an open cut
and that they will do all in their power
10 get the consent Of the commission to
build the road in this way. August Bel
mont. II was said yesterday, is extremely
anxious to 20 ahead with the open cut,
his idea being that the best service he can
do the people is TO get the subway and all
rs branches finished as soon as possible.
lnlF hpIthIS ~ Dt JIG OtlS al
favor If an open cut. Arrayed against 1t
are arguments that those who make them
believe cannot be answered. There is
first the solid argument that, besides dis
figuring Broadway and making it dan
gerous as we'll as an uncomfortable thor
oughfare, an excavation would ruin the
business OF the street, in which millions of
dollars is invested
Behind this argument is the powerful
that ~ pnl littla saving of time
is to be gained by an excavation. MIR.
Mcdonald has built tunnels at great depth
himself boring them from underneath, and
never disturbing surface conditions.
Therefore he knows as well as anybody
that this form of tunnel construction is
a safe and far and away the best method
for all except those who are in such q hurry
to get the tunnel done that they are willing
10 sacrifice everything else to it-especially
when it is not themselves, but others, who
sTe to be hurt.
NEpgineer Parsons says that the tunnel,
borf at a good depth. will not cost any
h@ev nspney than an excavated tunnel,
am q Number Of engineers have told THE
SyI ssne lsame thing; Especial emphasis
vii pe aitt on this point by the merchants
N UT Protest, and the question will be
as4e ohbuld every interest on Broad
way o. Dot one will escape-be made
10 ,-Er 40 that the tunnel builders may
sa e a lev months Of time on their contract
With equal emphasis will Broadway
folks protest against any move to take
the branch tunnel along some other route
There was some talk yesterday that such
move might be made by the tunnel build
ers Such a course, however, IL not prob.
able in view of the fact that the demand
that Broadway has made is perfectly
reasonable one and should be met
One thing may be depended upon, and
that is that there is to be NO compromise
Broadway has taken the stand originally
outlined in The Sun, and it doesn't propose
10 be swerved TO the right or the left. II
the sympathy Of the general public behind