The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-21
STREETS NOBODY CLEARS Up.
THE DITCH HAS COCNTERPARTS
THROUGHOUT THE EAST SIDE.
Little Done TO Remedy This Towns Torn Up
Pavements Despite the Many Com.
plants About Them--Aspliait Com.
panies Only Half Equipped for Work.

E1veinents Despite the Many Com.
plants About Then,-Aspliait Com.
panles Only Half Equipped for Work.
Complaints about the condition of Park
row and other city thoroughfares along
the line OF the subway ditch we're reported
yesterday to be passing from desk to desk
IN the Department Of Highways, seeking
some city official who would dare to tell
a rapid transit contractor to obey the law
and keep within the conditions Of his con-
tract.
These complaints to the Highways De-
partment, which is supposed to be charged
with the duty OF seeing that the streets
are kept in proper repair. have boon grow
ing more numerous in the last few months,
as winter approaches and the chances of
hurryng the work Of cleaning up after
ditching grow simmer. They haven't
been prolific Of results yet, to put it mildly.
because the department has troubles of
its own. apart from the disgraoeful con-
ditions along the ditch banks.
Az THE Sun told several weeks ago,
IL 10 many long year since the street pave
ments Of New York, ditch route inclusive,
have been in q more thoroughly demoral-
lied condition than this summer found
them in. The asphalt companies were far
behind with repairs. being engaged In the
more profitable work Of laying down pave
ments in new streets, and every corpora
ton having new projects concerning the
city below streets had seized the oppor-
tunity for tearing up spree to increase
the mess. Seeing the subway contractors
doing as they pleased, other contractors
followed suit.
Conditions have improved very little
since then, though when, after long endur-
anoe, general cry arose about the wretched
state OF the city pavements. the asphalt
companies were hustled away from their
profitable new work and made to get busy
repairing tho ravages OF traffic upon the
III laid pavements of past years. They
have done something toward mending
conditions. but it has not been much
THE fact u.s." a man with every oppor-
tunity OF knowing what is being done in
city paving told The Sun reporter Yesterday,
"the companies haven't half enough plant
and equipment for their work They're
playing penny-wise and pound-foolish
policy, and they' keep at it till the CITY
insists on their performances coming a
little nearer to promises than they have
done till now.
The companies are half equipped and
undermanned for the work they have to do,
but they won't spend more money on plants
till the city has forfeited few contracts
and collected damages for non-fulfilment
OF pledges. But the present department
will have to be stirred UP good deal be-
fore It can be moved to do that
Besides the mess al along the line Of the
ditch. which seems to get no better, pave
f., md ,Iyn
sides of town are in a very bad way Grand
street east of the Bowery and large section
OF lower Second avenue are torn up while
the motive power of the Grand street car
line is being changed to the under
trolley system. Crosby street is in q SINH
lar state from the same cause, and all over
this most crowded section of town there
are literally miles of bad and uptorn pave
ments awaiting restoration.
Conditions like these. in the most crowded
part Of town are dangerous to health. The
streets cannot be cleaned properly, where
street cleaning is more necessity
than anywhere else, vile odors increase
and many thousand people directly suffer
Taking the lower East Side and the cor
respcr ding region or'v few blocks west
Of Broadway alcre, here are some of the
other g. rec s in which vest erday the pave
rnents were torn up altogether for some
eason or other, or were in such bad con-
dition that the existing ravements hardly
count ed Mt all.
East Eleventh street between First and
Second avenues Elizabeth street between
Prince and Houston Marion street between
Broome and Spring Mott between the same
cross streets. Mulberry street h. tween Prince
and Houston; Delaney street b,tM,.n Ridge
and Pitt streets; the northeast corner Of
Willett and Delaney stre",s Rlvington
street batween Willett and Maugu streets,
Stanton street. near Hamilton Fish Park.
the corner OF Sheriff and Riv,ngton streets;
Columbia street between Rivington ard
Stanton streets; Mercer street Bleeckpr:
Third and Wooster streets, Thompson and
Blocker; Sullivan and Bleecker and the whole
length OF Thompson street between the car
tracks.
The ditch is responsible for the vile con-
dition of Elm street along the five blocks
north Of Canal street but the Depart ment
OF Highways is blamed for not compelling
the ditchers to clear it for pavement long
ago. Work on the subway at this point
has been finished for months
"If Tammany had better record the
Wigwam spellbinders could make lot OF
votes out Of the present condition Of the
ct reefs. par icularly on the East Side,'
said an Fast Side property owner vest erday.
But folks remember, unfortunately for
Mcclellan, that things were even worse
under the Wigwam, AZ d the Tigers former
friend, Jake Cantor, is the great authority
on st reefs in this borough anyway. But