The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-07-14
FEAR SUBWAY WOULD
SINK TWO BUILDINGS
Owners Of Chesebrough and
Battery Park Blocks Seek
Restraining Order.
SAY SOIL WOULD SHRINK
Service Commission Must Show
Cause Why an Injunction
Should Not Be Granted.

Fear that the Chesebrough Building, at
IS to 10 State street. and tho Battery
Park Building. 81 to "a State street. will
State street according to the plans APP
proved by the Public Service Commission,
was expressed yesterday in an appllca-
ton by tho Chcsebrough Building Com
pany. owner of both buildings, for an
injunction restraining the Public Service
Commission from letting the contract for
the construction of tho section of the new
subway TO Brooklyn under State street.
Justice Giegerich signed an order d.
recting the commission TO show cause to-
morrow why the injunction should not be
granted.
The possibility that II tho subway is
constructed as planned both buildings,
which are 80 per cent. occupied by ten
ants, including many steamship com
panies and foreign consulates, will sink
was expressed In an affidavit by Marshall
w Brown, a civil engineer. who Is an
expert on building foundations. and was
general superintendent of the construc-
ton OF tho Pennsylvania tunnels through
Thirty second and Thirty-third streets.
Mr.. Brown said ne has faSniliart1ed him
self with mo foundations Of tho Cheese
DrOhsh III D1tNVfy pbifuhi8o, WihfN>ih
have frontage of ESQ feet on State
street. Tho concentrated weight Of the
two bufIdinge n carried on steel columns,
supported by an iron shoe resting on CON-
crete mats, which in turn rest on tho earth
eleven feet below tho surface of the street.
The engineer said that the earth al
the depth OF eleven feet consists Of fine
sand, gravel and clay, which il saturated
with water. Sound rock IL not found
until depth of slNty-six feet from the
street level Is reached and any shrlnkage
caused by dSawing water from the soil
underneath - two buildings would result,
IN the settliSg OF the buildings. The
subway plans call for an excavation
forty-one feet beloE the street level. or
thirty feet below the foundation OF the
two buildings and A1irty-three feet below
high water Pumping operations would
be necessary IN the subway construction
| Mr. Brown said. which would necessarily
draw all the water from the surrounding
soil and inevitably endanger the stability
OF the ground on which the surrounding
| buildings stand.
William H. Chesebrough vice president
| of the Chesebrough Building Company
| said that his company owns 10 per cent
| OF all the property fronting on Stat,
| street except the Custom House and tina
| when his father. Robert A. Chesebrough
president OF the company. first invested
| In State street property the location con
tanned only rum shops. immigrant board
| ing houses and burned cotton ware
| house. It IL said that Il was due to hi
| almost unaided work that the immigran
| bureau was removed from Castle Gardei
10 Ellis Island. The Chesebrough com
pany has invested 100000 on Stat
street. says the son, and the investmen
will be permanently injured and perhap
| destroyed by the unlawful and unauthor
lied construction of the subway undc
| State street"