New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-24
SUBWAY D|CCERS READY
1000 Veterans Of the PennSyl'
yania Tunnel Wait Call to DRILL
BLASTING IN TWO WEEKS
Bradley, the Contractor, Ignores
Hemming and Having and
Prepares for the Job.

Two weeks from to-day the Bradley CON
,-ec,lnr COMPANY aims 10 begin digging
tho new Lexington avenue subway al Sth
street During the week work on all four
~ the sections 20 be constructed by the
Bradley company will be begun, and this
I'm spite OF the Mayors opinion that the
subway situation is "Oh. what mess
other members OF the Board o. Estimate
and Apportonnent showed no inclination
10 reply Yesterday 10 the Mayors diatrihe
The Mayor may have meant 20 BE- sarcastic
when he said.
of course. all the Intelligent newspaper
writers know that no contract was given
10 the Brooklyn Rapid Transit company
or the Interborough or Friday. 4 contract
for the construction Of the Lexington ave-
nue. subway was given 10 Bradley & 60.
on bids received about nine months ago.
No contract for operation was M az all.
How could II be-
The Mayor thinks that eventually not the
BROOKLYN Rapid Transit but the INTERIOR
ough VIII operate the Lexington avenue
subway. that both companies viii fall heir
= the operation OF those parts Of the new
subway system which would naturally SUD
Element their present systems
r. have tried" said he. Ito have the
1nterborough put in one-haf the money
for the construction Of the extensions 10
IS present subway system and then have
g. operate its whole system. extending into
al the I've horouFhs for one fare Of I've
cents How and why that has been frus-
frated thus far Is as plain 70 YOU as 10 mo
The accumulated hate. spite and preiu-
last several wears were IN the way, and
have not Yet died out. And then there
was petty. contemplate political prejudice,
which should have no place in city gov
eminent. and then. alas there was igno-
rance. downright ignorance. Of the rapid
transit law and ~ what had beer done by
able men under it
When the Bradley Contracting Company
gets through with the construction Of the
Lexington avenue subway which the MAY
or thinks Will he in two or three years
bids FOR operation VIII be called for the
Mayor explained He said no one could
teU who the successful bidder would he
End he even suggested that by that time
the city itself might undertake operation.
Controller Prendergast doesn't want 70
add to the vain Eestculation Of the sub
way scene ny replying To the Mayor. and
furthermore he thinks the Mayors words
not worth noticing He will confer With
Nessrs Mitchell. McAneny et al to-mor-
row. end possibly ny Wednesday. az the
next meeting Of the Board Of Estimate.
some spokesman may free HIS mind and
theirs
But in the mean time the Bradley Con-
tracing Company will proceed with It's
preparations 10 make the dirt fly. just
across the North River. al Homestead. n.
J. large force Of men began work yes
torday getting ready the machinery in the
contracting company's yard for shipment
20 Manhattan A portable COMPRISING
plant sufficient 70 drive all the drills and
pumps. tunnel cars and cables comprise
the necessary equipment.
The entire plant Of the company will he
n operation before the end OF the first
month Of work" Frank Bradley. president
~ the contracting company, said yester-
day. Absolutely everything is IN readi-
ress-both men and equipment. When ire
work is I'm full swing there Will be four
thousand men az work nearly all veter-
ans from the Pennsylvania Station work
with a thousand horses and feet OF
barcos and towboats. Nearly every inch
OF the route will have TO be blasted
through hard rock. out when the work is
finished a new record will have been set
for subway construction"
Besides the men Immediately available
for digging the Lexington avenue subway
arc those vino Will soon be released from
the Fourth avenue subway in Brooklyn
ON that work are also $50 horses. nearly
three hundred trucks repair shops brick
yards. many bargeS. twelve electric cable
wal- twenty derricks and fifteen pumps.
The average length of each Lexington ave
uuo section is fourteen blocks. Each sec
tior VIII Rave its own superintendent and
engineer. twenty foremen under the super
irtendent and thirty laborers TO each fore
man.