New-York tribune., 1909-03-30
HEDLEY BUILT CONDUIT
TESTTFTES BEFORE p. S. T..
Says York Has Begun Months
Before Nc1dO0 Implication.

The ,,,-sterio,is hole which the marlborough
Rapid Transit Company mas d. z at the HFanu
Central Station 10 connect the present subway
with the Steinway or Belmont tunnel was probed
deeply yesterday by the Public Service cufnmls-
sion at a hearing held TO Investigate why ans ty
what authority the InterboTough underto--1 thls
subterranean job The Lcle in question, WllicE Is
apparently conduit for feed cables, extends from
the second 10 the fourth level and efectuaIE
blocks the third level on which the McAdoo tun-
r7el people want into 42d street.
The result Of the investigation seemed 10 show
that tie marlborough had gone ahead and built
tie conduit without obtaining permit from any
body II not proved, however. that 1t was
constructed to block the McAdoo people or any
body else as il was shown that the work was be-
gun months before the Mcsdoo application Tor
extension nod with the commission After
much talk both sides the hearing was ad-
sourned until Thursday.
Frank Hedley. vice-president and general man
ager Of the Interborough, the star witness for
the company. He backed Up by George IL
Pegram, the Intorhorough's chies engineer. and
Alfred A Gardner, the company's general counsel
William r. Wilcox, chairman Of the commission,
presided, and with him sat Commissioners Eustis,
McI,arron and Bassett Henry & Seaman. the
commissions chief engineer, and Oliver {. Semple
Le Roy T Harkness and a. H Walker, Of coun-
sci, were also hand
Mr. Seaman said he made a Of the StelnWay
tunnel last week and examined the conduit in
question. It was in the north tube he said, near
the OF the loop and extended upward at
angle Of 45 degrees. II five to six feet in
diameter. he testified. for distance of forty feet
Its rise 50 far was about twenty feet. Then the
conduit Nidened 10 eight or ten feet in diameter
and ascended for about hundred feet more at
angle of Is degrees. IT comes into The subway
at nIanhole aboIt thirty feet south of The
southern line Of 42d street. Nr. Seaman said he
found all the construction work completed and
the first section OF the conduit lined
Asked if the conduit would interfere with the pro
posed McAcoo extel-son. Mr.. Seaman said that 1t
would. il passed through the area desired by the
McAdoo company for its Grand Central station
Mr.. Seaman thought that the conduit could not
have been built in less than three months which
exploGes the theory that the Interborough began
work after the McAdoo application had been
fled
Mr. IadIev said that he had given the order TO
construct The duct some years ago OF more"
and had supposed that the work done at that
time. 4 year age. he said, he found the conduit
had not been built and al ordered Mr.. Pegraln
70 90 ahead with the work He said that he had
given the order q trustee Of the New York q
Long Island Railroad Company. which built the
Steinway tunnel and not official OF the Inter
borough He said that Mr.. Bryan who was then
president Of the InterbOrough had approved OF the
work. Nj Pegram is chief engineer Tor ooth COM
panies.
Nfr Iedlev testified that the conduit was for feed
cables could in his opinion be used for the
transfer Of passengers between the present subway
and the Steinway tunnel lie SAID tlal II WAS lleC-
essarv 10 carry power 10 the Steinway tube for
lighting purposes and 10 work the pumps He
added that power Was carried to the trolley lines IN
Queens by cables under the East River These
submarine cables. he said. not reliable There
fore il was great advantage to he able TO trans
nit mower through the Steinway tube when needed
for use on the Queens surface lines
Nj Hedley said that the conduit could be changed
50 as not TO interfere with the McAdoo plans
Asked if the Interborough w2s willing to make
whatever changes might be needed, he said: we
are willing TO do anything that Will increase the
facilities Of the travelling public in New York pro-
vsded il as part of a comprehensive transit
scheme
II also came out AZ the hearing that the S1en"aF
ny nel loon occupied d part Cf Park avenue, for
which the company is understood TO have no fran
chise AIr Hedley. closing. made a long state
ment in which he reiterated President IheoooFe =
Sbonts's announcement that the lnterboroush was
not crnosed to the McAdoo extension. except from
an engineering point Of view.