New-York tribune., 1910-02-01
LIDO ASIPLEASE'
SO SATS MR. HEDLEY,
OF THE SUBW1T.
Washington Heights Residents
Not Hopeful Of Better
-
iSerTlCe. ~

Andrew J. Shipnan, as counsel for me
WASHINGTON Heights Taxpayers Asso-
ciation. Frank Hedley. general manager
of the Interborough Rapid Transit Com
pany. and James L. Quackenbush, coun-
sci for the latter. had several warm
tilts Yesterday before John E. Eustis. Of
the Public Service Commission, who was
holding a hearing on the complaint o1
Reginald Pelham Bolton. secretary OF
the association. regarding the SUBWAY
service above 96th street.
Mr. Eustis. after the discussion, which
at times verged on the personal, referred
to past and present conditions in the city
government in way that brought
smile all around. He said that he hoped
the political period had passed and that
the business era in subway building had
come.
Mr. Hedley at the beginning Of the
hearing attributed the crowdlng COM
planned of by Mr.. Bolton and Mr. Ship
man to lack Cf cars, those ordered to
supply the deficiency not having beer re-
ceived.
when YOU get more cars, will you run
more, or longer trains?' asked Mr.. Ship
man.
Il will study the situation, so as to find
out the best way to distribute the new
cars, considering the needs of the entire
system. and then-do as I please an
swered Mr.. Hedey.
Mr. Hedley has unwittingly made
bad break which gives away the whole
Interborough policy" Mr.. Shipman said.
He will do as he pleases, and that is
the way the Interborough always does
just as it pleases.'
MR., EUsTIs HAS HIS SAY.
Subject to some slight supervision by
the commission interjected Mr.. Eustis.
Very much So Mr.. Hedley answered
with q smile.
Mr.. Shipman had asked that the COM
pany be required TO run its local trains
as far as Dyckman street during the
rush hours instead of only to 13ith
street. He told of his experiences and
said that the trains were always over
crowded as run now. Commissioner
Eustis confirmed what Mr. Shipman had
said and asked Mr.. Hedley whether it
would be possible to remedy the situa-
ton.
With our present equipment it is i'm
possible' answered the Interborough's
general manager. II believe that the
people who use the Leuox avenue branch
service are entitled 10 Just as good SER
vice as those along the Broadway route
Lenox avenue has only 55 per cent Of
the equipment. while so per cent of the
travel is on that section"
Mr.. HedIey declined to say how MANY
additional cars would be necessary to
send the local trains further north with
out increasing the interval between
trains, declaring that he did not know
and would not guess about il. The gen.
eraI manager could give no information
as TO when more rolling stock would be
available. Mr.. Eustis said that he knew
that $50 new cars had been ordered in
the last year, forty-thTee had been de-
livered for service on the elevated roads
and the others had been promised since
last October.
THE commission knows positively,
from its inspectors Mr.. Eustis said,
that every subway car available and in
a condition to be used is in operation
during The rush hours every day"
CALLS SERVICE INEFFICIENT.
Mr.. Shipman at this point declared
that the Interborough service was no.
toriousIy bad and inefficient, and that
this was common knowledge among rail-
road men He said the company had no
train schedule, and referred to engi-
neers who were members of the Taxpay-
crs' Association. to bear him out To all
Of this Mr. Hedley replied that If Mr..
Shipman knew what he was talking
bout he would not have have so much
To say.
One Of the engineers in the associa-
ton said that he would like to have the
train sheet for some recent day. or the
dsys of January - and %, which takes
in the time a man was killed at 18th
street
MI Quackenbush jumped up and OBJ
iected saying that nothing should be in
iected into the hearing which might pos
siblv have a bearing upon the liability
Of the company for the accident. He
was sustained by Commissioner Eustis.
There followed a discussion regarding
the delay in making the improvements
at aeth street. authorized about a year
ago. Mr.. Hedey said that after the
speed control system had been perfected
il appeared 70 be hardly necessary to
expend 100000 to abolish the grade
crossings there. and furthermore he had
aIwavs had his doubts regarding the
safety of the proposed improvements
Regarding the improvements in the ser
vice when additional cars had been re-
ceived, he said that express trains, which
now ran past 96th street at the rate of
one every los seconds. would then be run
every ninety seconds.
Mr. Shipman referred to the urgency
of the situation, with large apartment
houses building in that part Of the city
right along, and concluded with the re-
mark that additional subvays might not
be built for ten or fifteen years
we are hoping that the political Pc
riod has passed and that we have now
entered upon the business period of sub
way construction Mr.. Eustis said, as he
adjourned the hearing until March IA