New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-05-25
4 SCRAP-HEAP STREET.
POOR OLD FORTY-SECOND.
Bat Don't Lose Hemt-See Deg
mons Promise.


Forty-sccond-st from Fourth to Sixth ave VIII be
restored by my company to its normal condition. with
nothing 10 obsruct traffic, by week from next natur-
DAY night. This promise can be depended upon Inc
worst Of everything in sight just now but we are
mailing rapid progress, and the merchants ana DINERS
interested wait longer than ten days,
and possibly get everything shipshape little
before.
Forty-second-st., between Fourth and Sixth
aves is at its worst. II is broken and torn up
just where II is most used. Never in the his
Tory of that much travelled thOroughfare have
conditions been so distressing now. and
they are 10 continue for nearly two weeks, at
least.
Merchants and householders along the street
say that the responsibility for the chaotic and
dangerous condition rests the Rapid Transit
Commission. John B. Mcdonald. the tunnel gen.
eral contractor. and the Degnon- Mclean Con-
tracing Company, the firm in actual control Of
The construction and reconstruction. both under
and on the surface Of the street.
District Attorney Jerome has received
plants about the nuisance and the Merchants
and Manufacturers Board Of Trade and the
borough authorities have begun inquiry into
the torn-up condition of the street. The Dis
trict Attorney says that his Office has nothing
70 do with it. and that IT is extremely doubtful
about the subject being presented 10 the grand
jury.
Mayor McClellan's attention has been drawn
10 the dangerous state of affairs in the street
complained Of and unless there is an improve
ment right away he viii ask the Rapid Transit
Commission TO take prompt action. and. II nee
essary. take the work away from the Degnon-
Mclean Contracting Company and have the
Strengthening up done emergency work.
PERILs OF TRAFFIC.
The policemen detailed TO protect foot pas
~, h.,-a Is1 a3N,,If Toclr
for the last two or three weeks. and eye
witnesses say that escapes from serious injury
have been frequent 1t is impossible to reach
with horse and wagon any building between
Fifth and Sixth Granite blocks. sur
mounted by freshly shovelled dirt make a bar
ricade seven feet in height. This shuts off'the
shopkeepers from getting supplies sending
out goods. unless they pack them out coolie
fashion
The scandalous condition Of Forty-second-st.
between the points referred to is much worse
than It ever has been. The street has been
broken up almost continuously for the last ten
wears. In the last six years the merchants and
other business men have not at any time been
free from dirt heaps and contractors imple-
ments. The present condition of the street is
worse than at any time in days gone by.
Tribune reporter Michael ]. Degnon,
head of the Degnon- Mclean Contracting Com
yesterday. Following was part of the CONVEX
ton:
Mr.. Degnon. the business men in Forty-sec-
ond-st between Fourth and Sixth aves., are
greatly wrought UP about the torn-up condition
Of the street and consequent damage to them
in running their business They say that your
firm is responsible for H."
Things are at their worst-or rather they
look TO be at their worst in Forty-second-st"
said Mr.. Degnon. There viii not be much. II
any, Improvement for the next ten days. By
week from Saturday night the street will be re-
stored, and everything will be in good shape
egain. We put in n hard days work there on
Sunday On account Of the traffic being light on
Sunday the city authorities gave a permit TO
close Fifth-ave. for several hours. We put in
about three hundred loads Of earth and graded
things up so that win not have 10 hold up
traffic at Fitth-ave and Forty-second-st. again.
CITY PUTTING IN WATER MAINS.
Things look bad now because the city is put
ting in two Pinch water mains. one on each
side Of Forty-second-st This is purely city
work. but we took the contract because II was
right on top OF our tunnel work, and we didn't
want things torn up after got all through
with the subway. We tackled It at this time, so
as TO get It all off our hands at once The pine
is in on the south side Of the street. and the
north side. This is what is provoking the criti-
cism. Between Fifth and Fourth ayes We were
halted in this work Of putting in the Pinch
pipe on the south side Of the street by an order
from the Water Department OF the city We
had to bring the pipe to near the surface OF the
street and il is so close TO the top of the ground
that the city engineers feared TO trust a cast
iron pipe. They ordered several sections Of
wrought iron pipe put in. and We had TO get
this in Pittsburg. It was a special order and
We had 10 wait for IT. It is now in transit to
this city, and putting It in will not take long
AFTER We get IL here Getting the big water mains
all in shape before the tunnel is covered over Is
the right thing 10 do. because all the business
places and houses on the north side Of the
street viii connect with the new main. It's a
wonder TO ne that there haven't been more de-
lays on the FoTty-second-st. section II was q
very hard piece Of work. and the severe winter
made 1t impossible 10 90 anything while the
frost was In the ground 90 depth Of four feet
III stand by the prediction that things win be
IN good shape by week from Saturday night"
Mr.. Degnon's optimism is not shared by
Charles y. Green. an engineer in the employ of
the Rapid Transit Commission assigned TO the
Forty-second-st. work. Mr.. Green was in front
Of the Lincoln National Bank between Fourth
and Fifth ayes, yesterday afternoon. when he
was asked about the closing up Of the work on
the south side OF the street there being q big
hole there at present
WROUGHT IRON PIPE ORDERED
The insertion OF the wrought iron pipe I'm the
Finch water main has delayed the work of
covering the street on the south side at this
point SAID Mr.. Green. The city engineers
have brought the l2-inch main so close 70 the
TfTfa ecF4 ~