New-York tribune., 1910-09-02
ASKS FOR BIDDERS ON
GREAT SUBWAY SYSTEM
Triborough Scheme, Involving
S125.OO0,O00. May Be Built
by Private Capital.
CITY's LIMIT S6O,OO0,O0O
Contractors Show Immediate
Interest, and Hopes for
Speedy Start of Work
Run High.

Run High.
Another great step in the direction OF
further ra pid transit facilities for the city
was taken by the Public Service Com
mission yesterday. when it began. adver-
tising for bids for the construction.
equipment maintenance and operation Of
the entire triborough subway system by
private capital and the construction by
municipal money of the greater part of
the Observation-Disclosures avenue route,
the Broa adway-Lafayette route. in Brook
| lyn, and the Canal street crosstown line.
| II is impossible at this time to adver-
tise for bids for the construction by
municipal money of the entire tribor-
ough system, as its estimated cost is
from s120.000.000 to s125,000,000. The
courts have decided that the full amount
of contracts let in any one year are
chargeable against the city debt limit
and not more than s60,000,0O0 is avail
able for subway work this year.
The bids for construction, equipment
and operation by private capital will be
opened on October 20, and those for con-
struction by municipal money on Octo-
Der 81. Before any contract may be let
by the Public Service Commission it
must have the approval of the Board of
| Estimate
1t is understood that the commission
and Acting Mayor Mitchell are hopeful
that bids for construction by municipal
| capital may be so favorable s to bring
about their acceptance. They are await
ing with interest to see what the Inter
borough Rapid Transit Company will do.
The Bradley -Gaffney- Steers Company
told the commission some time ago it
was ready to bid for construction and
operation with it's own money. 1t OBJ
| iected to some of the proposed financial
terms but these terms were modified,
and a bid is expected from 1t.
Invitations Sent Broadcast
| Within three hours from the time II
was announced that the advertising for
bids had begun the representative OF
large steel concern was at the ofhces
of the Public Service Commission TO get
q compIete set of the contract forms
and the specifications.
The invitation of the Public Service
Commission to bidders is to be printed IN
oapers in Chicago. st. Louis. Pittsburg,
| Boston. Philadelphia and Baltimore in
addition 10 the local papers It Is also
to appear in various technical Journals
and notice of the advertisements mas
been sent TO list of one thousand con-
tractors in various parts OF the United
States.
The plans for the entire triborougn
system call for a total railroad OF 44.-l
miles in length with total trackage
of 133 miles That part of the system
,,bicb calls for construction with mu-
nicipal money comprises % miles OF rail-
road with total trackage Of 81 mics
Tb.re are three forms of contract
>o I being book of some five nun
a-od ma pes providing for the construc-
tion. equipment. maintenance ana opei
stion bv private capital of the el'ile
+rihorough system. except for some sliiaii
aor+iors that are already done or uhoer
| construction.
These narts are the Manhattan era
of the Brooklyn loop subway the coh-
etr,,ction OF which is practically coiii-
nleted and that part of the Fouf'h aNe
rre subway running from the Brooklyn
a Of the Manhattan Bridge to Fourth
a,.on,,e and 43d street, in Brooklyn
-,-,;cb ;s now under contract. These
narts will be open for bios. WIN ''ie
other part of the system for equipment
|
maintenance and operation
1ba other parts of the tri-borough
| .-.sre,,, include the Broadway Lexington
subway its extensions to Pelham Bay
! Park and WoodlaWn: the Canal street
| crosstovn subways the Broao"ay-La-
favette avenue subway. in BROOKLYN ana
| .ba two extensions of the Fourth avenue
| subway in Brooklyn. one to Fort Hamll-
| - I'D the other to Coney Island.
.e it is important that all parts of the
system be completed at the same tlne'
the commission in picking out the pdr's
/ of the system to be designated IN the
| ipvitations for construction alone win
municipal money decided to take those
-,b;cr would take the longest to con
struct
Contract form No > provides for the
! construction in this way of the Broad
uax-I,exington subway from the Bat
| .r,, to 14Cth street on the Jerome ave
| me branch, md to Ihlrd avenue on
the Southern boulevard and Westchester
ayenue branch. Contract form No
calls for the construction with municipal
| money of the Broadway-Lafayette line
and the canal street crosstown line.
Reasons for Delays.
The bids have been called for after
| considerable delay. due not only to the
usual red tape. but also to the fact that
the transit committee of the Board of
| Estimate made large number of cril-
| cisn1s of the forms of contract as orig
| jnaIly drawn by the engineers of the
commission. Following a series of con-
| ferences between members Of the COM
mission and Acting Mayor Mitchell. rep
/ ,esentine the transit committee, the diff
! ferences were amicably settled.