New-York tribune., 1908-12-26
CALL PLANS DANGEROUS
DEL4Y TO SUBWAY LOOP.
Engineers Say Municipal Building
R,,iIt as Planned WouId Be Unsafe.

-, .-~s-as-s consulted on the plans Of the
Bridge Department for the new Eslunlcspa4 OOilus
xrHie, Is To contain the terminal station OF the
h-ssre loon subway say that as the plans no"
-a~,5 rev are dangerous. They say that to make
.bs ss aon coo building the foundation must Do
carried down to bed rock, work which woulo c'S'
1he citv several hundred thousand dollars more
and would postPons the operation o. LIS '00P
longer than at first expected
II she changes IN ths plans which they Deem
necessary for the safety OF the building are mace
New Workers VIII see subway almost reaoy ioi
operation held up for year or more @4e
melton of the subway loop. which Is expecaeO ~
cut down the traffic on the Brooklyn Brloee py 81
most x per cent IS regarded as one OF the Ilos'
urgent of the transit Improvements now
vrsv The changes which engineers say siiouiu 10
made n the department plans c2-I 1o1 49, % &C.
with q weight of eight tons square ZOO" oH
soil thar the sJperiatendent OF buildings ana en-
sineers say has only sustaining power OF ''iee
four tons. -. g..
one of the engineers who says that the plans 'oF
The terminal building as they now stand are un-
&c g T Kennard Thomson. who has been en-
MOVED by the Canadian Pacific Railway ano ~
regarded as an authority on caisson work
-T-re plens for the new municipal terIIl'hal IA
h,,ilaing." he said yesterday. ARE unsafe Buiit
- s15cb 8 weight on such soil the building would
1.a g constant menace. The additional cost OF sliA
ing 10 bed rock would be less than the COST ol
l,aen3nr the building IN repair II Il is ouit as
MANNED From tie moment 1t rose ABOVE SIOci4o
-rnT-
a b,,y7iy,,y rrilt on sand or almost anything out
good hard nan or rock will settle more or less All
the material in lower Manhattan is what Is KNOWN
as New York Quicksand- A building IN the open
might possibly settle uniformly wltnout oaiI1s,
r,7+ Il IS only q question Of time before 1uhhe1
80 q building on such q foundation as planned
for the terminal building would draw consioeF-
able quantity Of the quicksand before the leak was
noticed, and then = disastrous collapse "oui0
result"
,-.,.,a &, .~-rs Peal Estate Record and
Guide" last summer AIr. Thomson said:
Al present our subways are near the surface; but
sooner later the principal raIWays i WI hf fii
have 10 be at a lower level than the uptown sub
wavx and as both may be double deck they VIII VIII
be far below the water line. and any serious leak leak
during the construction at s1cn d GISAN Net''-4
would be q very dangerous n4IteF'
The delay which would be caused by the Tor
-,-la-rr OF new foundation plans and the sinking
OF the caissons TO bed rock Mr.. Thompson said.
would be great The sinking OF the caissons would
be g slow job because Of the friction On one Joo
,r this CITY where careful records were kept, It
s found that the friction varied from 150 TO go
pounds q square foot OF exposed surface through
New York ouicksand Bed rock Is US reet oe!o"
water level according 10 the estimates OF the bIloge
department engineers
i 3s asserted bv Bridge Commissioner Stevenson
sbar several buildings have been erected on SAND
similar 10 that which Il is proposed TO bulIa tne
terminal The superintendent OF buildings ana N
q. pendent engineers say there are several pis
.,55-,r-s m spc1 foundation but mat their weight
s. far less than eight tons TO the square fooI
Among these structures are the Lawyers 1Ilie
& Trust with q weight Of 81 Ionsi MAIDEN 41aiie
F,7i1di-x SO tons; St Paul Building 40 tons; bar
clsv Building tons: and the Royal 4hsur@Hee
F3r,i1aing TO 81 tons. The GerTnan-AineTlcaI
building and the Royal Queen Building Win
weight imposed OF seven tons 10 the foot are DUN
On hard pan. -.
The plans Of the bridge department 1or 'n9
municipal terminal building are imposslhle' sa1o
en engineer who is familiar with the plans yes
1erdav They call for a weight OF elsht tons 10
=Fa square foot 10 be imposed on soil that saOulo
moi he called on TO pear more than two tons 10
allow three tons TO be imposed on such son "ouiu
he rerfo5JsIv close the absolute limit or sa1ely
F,,per1ntendent Murphy in the Conscientious oiS-
charge of his duty could not approve such plans
t7-orn rock 10 water level is % feet st the site
chosen and while it will not take long TO oraft
-,sv, 1lars and TO advertise again for bids the
nj, NJ extending the foundation TO rock VIII take
-,,,cb lime and cost money The building TO De
&c ,77-,sr 20 down 10 bed rock The sinking OF
- foundations viii cost a. least $4,000 more
49,, expected Il the plans had called for a sa1e
s-5s+ion at first the building would be ready by
ne tine ;he loop IS finished