New-York tribune., 1908-12-29
E. s. MURPHY IGNORED
BRIDGE CO1UuIooIO4Nb I'm
AW4RDS CONTRACT.
Despite AdUerse Report on Terminal
Building, Bid for Foundation on
Sand Is accepted.

" +-a faca OF the absolute refusal OF Edward
8 Murphy superintendent Of buildings TO ap-
prove Of the plans Of the Bridge Department
for the foundation Of the municipal and subway
terminal building at the Brooklyn Bridge. on
the ground that too great a weight was 70 oe
iroDosed on a bed OF fine sand. Bridge Cornmls-
sioner stevenson has awarded the contract foF
II This was done on December "a. TO the J. n
GRAY company which made a oSd OF S9S''oV"'
which was S17s.750 lower than that OF the next
one. made by J. c. Rodgers Gahney & steers
bid SS74 900. The bids we're opened on DecsH-
Der 3.
After Superintendent Murphy had refused 20
approve Of the plans and his board OF exam
fners had also turned them down. COMMISSIONS
Stevenson submitted the case to the CORPORA
ton CounseTs office where IL was passed over
TO Assistant Corporation Counsel Sterhns- H9
sent his opinion to the commissioner. ne salo
Yesterday the day before Christmas. and ths
award was made apparently Immediately on
its receipt by the Bridge Department In view
Of possible litigation Mr. Sterling refused u
state its contents.
Commissioner Stevenson was asked yesterday
If the opinion Of Mr.. Sterling had been received
"In view Of the announcement. he said that
the department. may be involved in litigation,
cannot say anything about that"
Have you heard anything from Mr. Sterling
at ALP
any opinion rendered in such case" he replied
Everything of that sort must come from the
Corporation Counsels Office"
When asked about his opinion and whsther
it had been rendered yet 10 the Bridge DEPART
rnent. Mr.. Sterling at once said that he had
it ready Thursday. and presumed it had been
mailed that day to the Bridge Commissioners
He did not care to say, however. what had been
his opinion That had to be revealed BY the
announcement in the city Record that the
contract was awarded on December "a
''The opinion Of Corporation Counsel in such
a matter is privileged" he said Il do not care
to make this public. When city department.
is attacked and it would appear that II was
being forced into liquidation, it would be highly
unwise for me to say anything You would not
ask such questions Of private lawyer When
efforts are being made TO stir up trouble IN a
city department I do not want TO furnish the
attack with ammunition
Mr. Murphy was at a meeting in the City Hall
last night to act on the Building Code He
would not disclose his next step. II any, to pre-
vent the erection Of a building which he and
his board of examiners have decided would b
unsafe with such weight imposed on sandy
soil. Everything TO be said he said has
been said and I have nothing to add now.
The foundation plans for the terminal building
call for a weight of eight tons a square foot to
be imposed on sand. Superintendent Murphy
said after disappearing the plans that he would
not allow a private individual erect build
ing on such soil with an imposed weight much
greater than three tons IF they want to build
on that site it will have to be bed rock and
nothing less he said
With the prospect of the Building Super1n-
tendent going TO the courts to prevent the erec-
ton OF the building. and the possibility OF a
taxpayers suit for the same purpose, the delay
in the completion o. the subway loop. which is
E3-iI
far off To go down to bed rock will cost at
least 100000 more than the present plans call
for it is said and the delay in time VIII be
enormous. since the foundations will have to
be carried down soma seventy-five feet further,
or 135 feet In all to bed rock
The Bridge Commissioner contends that the
special act passed In 1907. authorizing the
building takes 1t out OF the hands Of the Su-
perintendent Of Buildings. and although the
plans for the foundation have been disapproved.
he still can go ahead It said last night
that MI Murphy would certainly test the con
stitutonality Of such Interpretation Of the
act in question. which would probably mean
months of litigation and the consequent long
delay in the much needed relief OF the Brook
lyn Bridge.
The bridge is said to be taxed about as much
now as IT possibly can be within a reasonabls
degree OF safety A large gang Of men is con-
stantIy at work upon IT and watching care
fully for the slightest need OF repairs. In ad-
dition to the removal OF large part OF the
strain an estimated decrease OF nearly 35 per
cent the delay viii compel the scores OF thou
sands using the bridge to submit to the present
rush hour crushes for many months II seems
probable that while the Bridge Commissioner
is still arguing in the courts that weight OF
eight tons on sand is safe. and the Superintend-
en- Of Buildings is arguing that he has the legal
right to insist that the foundations be carried
down to bed rock. New York and Brooklyn
residents. in great need OF transit relief. Will
have for a long time the spectacle OF a prsctt-
cally completed subway with terminal sta
ton before their eyes
The plans Of the building drawn by Nc
Kim Mead & White. the architects and their
engineers and others consulted. reported that
the foundation plans were inadequate. Their
reports were transmitted Mr. Stevenson
When it was reported in The Tribune that the
foundation plans called for a weight OF eight
tons on fine sand other engineers declared with
Mr. Murphy that such a weight was unsafe and
that soil or such character would not support
a weight greater than from three 70 four tons
to the square foot.
THREE BOYS KILLED BY TRAIN.
York Penn Dec. 2S-Three bCys were Sills0
near this city tonight by a sOuthbOund passenger
train the Northern Central Railroad They
were returning TO their homes after dav spent in
skating is said that the boys were snow balHnS
a northbound freight train and did not notice ths