The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-04
PLAN TO USE CARS TO
CUT COST OF STORMS
FetherstOn Considers Utilizing
CrosstOwn Lines to Cut
Long Haul.
WILL MEAN BIG SAVING
Three Recent SnOwfalls Cause
Total Expense to City
of S2,5O0,OO0.
WILL MEAN BIG SAVING

This plan for the removal OF snow In
the future was presented to Commissioner
Fetherston yesterday: Stop passenger
traf,c on crosstown car lines and use
such lines for the moving Of nat cars,
on which carts could dump the snow
removed from the ma. avenues. The fiat
cars could then be run to the waterfront.
where the snow could be dumped into the
river.
Comml ssioner Fethers,on saw some
flaws In the scheme. but thought wei!
enough OF 1t to call n special meeting
of the traction experts to consider Its
Possibilities. This meeting will be
held on Friday afternoon at 1880. The
Commissioner has invited each street
railroad company OF the three boroughs
under his Jurisdiction to send a repre-
sentative. The whole snow removal prob
lem VIII be discussed then.
II the tract on experts md that the
scheme In practicable, II will be worked
out in detail and will be part OF the
recomme nd atoms which Comm ssioner
Estimate some time next summer. when
he expects to be able to submit plans for
the best snow removal system in the
world.
Would End Chief Dimculty.
In support OF the plan to use the cross
| town lines Commiss oner Fetherston was
| told yesterday that in the first few days
after snowstorms such as those OF Feb
| ruary IA, February 10 and last Sum
day the crosstown cars in Manhattan do
not make much money for the companies.
as they do not carry many pas
sengers They are stalled so frequently
and for such long periods that most
people who usually use them prefer to
walk.
All men who are directing tho snow
removal work agree that their chief DIFF
Rculty Is the long haul to the dumps and
that the use OF nat cars on crosstown
lines would remove this difficulty.
II was pointed out to Commissioner
Fetherston that the cost OF purchasing
| the fiat cars would be soon earned II
the scheme was practicable In other ways
His expert thought that nat car would
cost about $1,000 and that 400 nat cars
would be enough for the crosstown
streets In Manhattan. The use OF more
| nat cars might cause congestion.
The cost Of clearing away the snows Of
February ~. February 10 and Sunday
and Monday will be about 81 100000. II 10
estimated. II the city spent 100000 for
fat cars, II was said. the short hauls
| would enable contractors TO remove the
snow for much less than Sc cents cubic
yard. and the difference In cost in snow
storm OF the present size would more thai,
pay for the fiat cars.
Most OF the cross.own streets use stor-
age battery cars, which are not affected
by weather. supporters OF the new plan
say. and this adds to the practicability OF
the scheme.
Problem of Tracks TO River.
The chief difficulty which Commissioner
Fetherston found with the plan was that
many Of tie crosstown streets on which
trolley lines operate are not open on the
river front. At East Fourteenth. East
Twenty-third. East Thirty-fourth and East
Forty second streets the car tracks end
from 20 to $50 feet short OF the river,
and at the end OF some OF the crosstown
lines, like the Chambers street line. there
are no open spaces near the end OF the
trolley line. He admitted that the cost
Of building short spurs out to the river
edge would not be great.
| THE scheme Ii a fine one" said the
Commissioner. but Of course II In so new
to me that l cannot unqualifedly indorse
II Just now,
1.-THE nat car IL an enormous help In
removing snow, although there are none
In Manhattan. But the Brooklyn Rapid
Transit Company has number OF fiat
cars. and the work of snow removing In
Brooklyn is far ahead Of that In Man.
haitian and The Bronx. The Brooklyn
| company has q freight service all the
year. 80 II can use fiat cars for other pur-
poses than renewing snow,
There would be lot OF expense in
adopting the scheme to use the crosstown
lines The hat cars would cost lot. We
would have TO pay for a place to store
them all the year around. and the only
use we would GET out OF them would he
In heavy snowfal!s Then there would be
the cost or extending the tracks 10 the
river edge. Tho river front where some
Of the crosstown lines end 10 built up 80
That the scheme could not be adopted In
Its entirety.
These are the objections to the scheme,
and they are the only ones that can
sec. 1t Ia possible that the storage bat
terry cars would not be powerful enough
to draw the fiat cars. but l believe that
they could do the work. This 10 one of
the questions ! will have to ask the trac-
tion experts 1T the meeting next Friday.
THE scheme could be adopted now on