New-York tribune., 1906-12-28
TEARS UP TRACKS.
AHE4RN TAKES ACTION.
Remo0es Part of CentraHs Rails in
Tscelfth ACenuc.

Borough President Ahearn took drastic action
yesterday on the subject of the removal Of the
New York Central Railroads tracks in Eleventh
and Twelfth avenues, and at / o'clock sent his
engineer and twenty men 20 tear up the tracks.
They ripped up in all about ninety feet OF the
spur IN Twelfth avenue. which leads to the rail-
reads piers, and were stopped only by the pres
snoe OF cars on the remainder OF the spur To-
day they VIII begin their work again, and will
not stop. President AheaTn said until all the
railroads tracks for which II no longer has a
franchise have been ripped up.
We are going to have those tracks up if we
have 70 DO the work ourselves" said President
Ahearn last night, land I have stationed police
men there at night TO guard the place and see
thar no attempts are made TO relay them. The
Board OF Estimate and Apportionment ordered
the New York Central TO have those tracks up
by December 81. and they haven't made move
70 obey. SO now they viii have TO take their
medicine in lunches"
An act passed by the Legislature last
winter giving the board the right to order the
removal OF all tracks OF steam railroads oper-
ated on the surface of streets IN Manhattan
franchises for which have expired. and providing
for the substitution of subwsys. the plans for
which should be drawn up by the Rapid Transit
Commissioners with the concurrence Of the
railroad company affected. In accordance with
this measure. the board ordered the removal OF
the New York CentraI's freight tracks in Elev-
enth and Twelfth avenues and the substitution
Of some other system.
This action was the result of long fight,
which has been going on for thirty years be-
tween the citizens of the West Side and the New
York Central. whose surface tracks have caused
much loss of life.
The Rev. John P. Chidwick. who has been ac-
tive in pushing the fight against the tracks IN
u-a1ff said ST
they have been taken UP. They never had any
right 10 be there. ] am very glad indeed that
they are at last removed"
Ira A. Place. general counsel for the New
York Central. said he had not yet been officially
informed OF Borough President Ahearns action,
and until he was ne would make no statement.
President Newman could not be reached last
The West Side Taxpayers Association the
clergy and private citizens have all put their
shoulders against the huge inertia Of the rail
roads entrenched position. and have met with
one defeat after another and with many dis
couragements- Although the railroads fran
cfiSe Tor these surface tracks lapsed some time
ago the divided authority Of city and Of state
and the innumerable technicalities Of law, tho
aid Of which lawyers employed by the railroad
mere a invoke rosfrona1 tha 5av
ment in spite Of the fragrant wrong. But
accident after accident occurred, and as nearly
every day ordinary street traffic was subjected
70 long delays blocked by strings OF cars which
had no legal right in the street, the citizens ana
The associations renewed their fight
bin for the removal Of the tracks was intro
duced in the Legislature two winters ago and
died in the Assembly. The agitation was kept
up. however. during the following summer and
when the Legislature met again the bill
reintroduced- In the mean time. committee of
fifty citizens had called the Mayor and asked
him 70 bring condeD1natory proceedings TO con-
fscate the railroads franchise. The new bill.
which Was introduced by Senator Martin SAKE,
passed the Assembly without dissenting vote
on February 2l and the Senate February -.
Il was signed by Governor E.ggins on March %.