New-York tribune., 1905-01-20
OUT GO SLOT MACHINES.
An ENGINEER ARRESTED.
InterbOrOugh Took FuIton-St. Sta
tiOn Without a Permit.

Although the Interborough Rapid Transit
Company was operating the Fulton-st. station
OF the subway without the permission of the
Rapid Transit Commission. ii allowed slot ma
chimes TO be installed there. When Chief Engi-
neer Rice ordered them taken out yesterday
and the work Of throwing them out was begun
The InterborOugh had his division engineer ar
. rested. Then. apparently realizing how entirely
without right it IL this case. the company
refused 10 have The engineer taken to police
court and took out the slot machines in record
breaking time.
Incidentally. there was a rather humble letter
presented TO the Commission yesterday craving
pardon for the 'unaccountable oversight" by
which The communication asking permission 10
open the station had not reached the board and
asking that that permission be granted 1t
was granted with formal stipulation made by
Controller Crout that 'the station be used solely
for railroad purposes and not for the sale Of
merchandise or the display of any advertise
ments." The Controller, although he can't get
much action toward the removal of the adver-
tisements from stations covered by contract No.
!. IS determined to that the stations Of con-
tract No. are not defaced
The east platform OF the Fulton-st. station
was opened Immediately after midnight Sun
day night, but no permission had been granted
by the commission. Some time Immediately pre-
ceding the opening numerous slot machines had
been dumped into the station. Chief Engineer
Rice learned of this on Wednesday, and called
the attention Of the Interborough officials to the
fact that they had not a shadow OF right to
maintain tte machines in this station, even II
permission to operate the station had been
granted. They promised 10 remove the ma
chimes.
The removal had not been begun yesterday
morning. so Mr.. Rice ordered George Hallett
Clark, division engineer, 10 have his men throw
them out Mr Clark began. and was arrested
complaint Of the 1nterborough people, but
not taken TO police station. Meantime
Mr.. Rice learned of his plight, and the telephone
wires between his office and Mr.. Bryan's grew
hot The result that Mr.. Clark was re
leased, M Bryan took out the slot machines,
and Mr.. Rice made formal report TO President
Orr OF the commission.
Nothing was done about the advertising signs
in the old stations yesterday, because Mr. Bel
mont is again out Of town-this time at Chi
cago When the secretary OF the commission
called at his Office yesterday he was told that
Mr.. Belmont would be away the rest Of the
week he had been having conferences with
Ward & Cow relative TO the signs. ii was said,
and would probably make a reply 10 the COM
mission before its next meeting.
A letter from Calvin Tomkins president Of
the Municipal Art Society was read yester-
days meeting. asking why the commission had
not prohibited signs in the tunnel which Will
liam G. McAdoO is 10 build from New-Jersey
and up Sixth-ave.
'It's peculiar" remarked Controller Grout.
that IN all the legislation relating to rapid
transit no has introduced bill relegatiug
the powers Of the Rapid Transit Commission to
the Municipal Art Society. Apparently, Mr.
TOmkins does not realize that the McAdoO
tunnel Is private enterprise, not TO be built
with city money. 1 sympathiZe with the work
the art society IS trying 10 do, bur really its
communications are sometimes drawn SO they
are positively offensive"