The sun., 1903-10-06
SIX YEARS TORN UpSTREETS
WHAT NEW YORK IS PAYING FOR
DITCH CONSTRUCTION.


Bill-Most Pavements Down. but Tom.
porary-Belmont Thinks Wo'll Forget.
One of the engineers employed on the
subway was asked yesterday how soon the
pavement along it's main line might be
expected to be replaced and the streets
engineer took a survey Of the desolation
wrought by the mound builders along Elm
street. Then he said
Its pure guessing, Of course. But I
should say, IL we're lucky, that We might
get straight again along this subway Line
in about two years.
In the spring Of 100. Chief Engineer Par
sons has repeatedly refused to set date
for the probable completion OF work on
the surface. He, too, says 1t is gueSswork.
One engineers guess being about as good
as another's, taking this particular enS!-
nsers az re bs seT Gobna vi" Isy
subway building with something like six
long years of torn up filthy streets. Of de-
layed traffic, OF loss to business and dis
comforts to its inhabitants.
He will be bold engineer who will dare
to propose another general ditching at the
end OF those six years.
As to the probability of the city streets
recovering from the epidemic Of tearing
up which the subway ditohing process
seems to have started. when Mr.. Parsons
was asked few days ago when he thought
there would be q chance Of that, he smiled
his most cheerful smile ard answered
cheerily, Never
The chief engineer g cheerfulnefs regard
ing that prospect is not echoed by the
business men on whom the present condi-
tions infict daily loss. Since THE Sun
printed list OF some Of the torn up streets
and the causes therefor, the Department
Of Highways, the Mayors Office and even
other departments remotely connected
with the tearing up Of the streets have been
urrir" tnHt the mound building he stepped
and the work supposed to have demanded
1t, hurried 20 completion at once.
Th" asphalt companies. which were re-
sponsible for the wrecked condition Of many
streets have since been made to increase
their force of repairers and get along more
quickly Even the Rapid Transit SUBJ
they pleased. have been more carefully
watched.
The result is that the work Of tidying up
the streets has gone along at a more rapid
rate. A merchant who has been keeping
watch on street conditions and used
to make many complaints in vain said
yesterday that he thought the subway
contractors, under the urging Of the news
papers, we're now doing very fairly. They
can't get along any too fast for the men
who are losing money daily by the present
state of things. B.
pie however, that most of the pavements al
ready replaced along the line OF the subway
are merely temporary. After being down
for month or two they will all have to be
torn up again to make way for permanent
paving.
ments laid down settle more or less in the
first few weeks under the traffic they have
to stand. Sometimes this settling amounts
has3seemed to be done once, the street has
to suffer the mess, in a more or less modi-
fed form, all over again. Long-suffering
Park row in front OF the main entrance
to City Hall Park where the pavement was
supposed to have been laid, has had new
trench dug in it within the last few weeks
for the laying OF now surface De-
1t all delays the pre- per cleaning Up OF the
streets and has had much to DO with
the crystallizing Of public sentiment against
more diches. 1t would be hard job to
get the consents of property owners to q
new open cut subway along any thorough
fare In the city,
Whether another ditch is ever cut or not,
there will be none along upper Broadway.
The plan of the Belmont syndicate In with
drawing it's bid for this construction be-
tween Fourteenth and Forty-seoond streets
Ia figured out as being to wait until the main
subway is completed and running.
Then 1t Is supposed that the upper Broad.
way merchants, seeing traffic diverted
toward their rivals downtown, will demand
a subway through their own territory at
any cost-even at the cost Of a ditch.
They won't. E. P. Hatch, Jr.. Of the
firm Of Lord Il Taylor. who has been the
spokesman for many OF the other merchants
In their fight against the Belmont ditchery
project, said day or two ago:
1T is true that the busin ees men OF upper
Broadway arc divided in opinion about
an underground road hero. Some OF them
are against it, whether tho tunnel con-
struction is adopted or not others are
inclined to think that tunnel railroad.
so long as the surface Of the street Is not
they would not seek to stand In tho way Of
building one If it Is for the city's interest
TO have it.
But you may depend on ono thing
we won't be Bankruptcy Row here. We
won't have ditch under any circumstances,
- now or at any other time. On that point
We are united, and the Belmont syndicate
will wait forever If it is waiting for me to
consent to that before 1t will undertake to
complete the subway sy stem"
That is the feeling In Broadway now. and
as the other citizens Of New York climb
through the chaos in some Of its principal
streets they also are saying that there must
be no more ditching anywhere.
RADIUM ATTRACTS A CROWD.