The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-27

While the municipal officials were
busily seeking yesterday 10 prevent fur
ther danger to persons passing over
the subway excavations the Public Ser
vice Commissioners gathered IN "A special
meeting in temporary headquarters on
the second floor of the Hotel Normandie.
They decided to do two things: first.
to recommend to the Mayor that all
traffic, excepting street cars be sus-
pended on "Cut and cover work, except
where steel has been erected secondly.
to retain three engineers from other
cities ITO examine the present construc-
tion and the field. scope and plan OF
future construction and report TO the
commission on methods that have been
or should be taken to secure safety.
The three men whom Alfrel craven,
chief engineer of the Public Service
Commission, was authorized to retain
are Edmund :. Davis. chief engineer or
the Boston subway Aenry II. Quimby,
chief engineer Uf the new Phlladelph!a
subway, and u. &. Jackling, mining
engineer. who has offices in san Fran
cisco and this city.
Mr.. Quimby was reached in Philadel-
phia by long distance telephone and hur-
! ried to this city. He had been here a
u
! cavein in Seventh avenue. message
! was sent TO Mr.. Davis in Boston and an
| other to Mr.. JaCklng, who at present
! is i'm Salt Lake city.
! All the Commissioners were AT the
| meeting Immediately after the meet
! ing at a part of which Mayor Mitchell
was present, Chairman Mccall went out
on "A tour Of inspection of the sections
of the subway under investga zion. The
sta,, .
cred in the Normandae last night to read
the Mayors letter and to take action
on it
Persons connected with the Public
Service Commission who discussed yes
| terday the cause OF the Broadway cave
| i'm and the accident on Wednesday IN
Seventh avenue said frankly that they
were due chiefly "a the "cut ana cover
method OF subway construction.
By this method The streets are tun'
nelled and the steel concrete construc'
lion work is done without interfering
with the traffic or the business alont
the thoroughfare. For that reason II II
more popular than the old method o
"open cut" which entailed the CLOSING
OF the street for months and stoppinl
practically all business.
The "open cut method was used II
the construction OF the greater part o
|
mendous opposition from business mel
along Fourth avenue and FortSsecon'
street Many concerns asserted tina
| their business was ruined by the CLOS
, ing OF the thoroughfares. Accordingly
, the "cut and cover" method was resorte
, TO. and was adopted finally by the run
lie Service Commission as the ohiy prac
tic,l means OF building subways In sue
a place as Manhattan.
commission, said last night that the con
mission had issued statements repeal
, edly telling OF the dangers incident |
: tba .cut and cover" method and hlntln
, that such accidents could be expecte'
4 He said that the method was hlghi
:, dangerous, especially In view OF III
/, rreacherous condition OF the rock formf
n ton such as eNists at p'o""""' "'
, Thirty-eighth street.
: ..rhe system has been used, ne sal'
q .hecause the people objected to havlr
,raffic tied up by the open cut metno
. which was used mostly on the Ola SUI
n way. 49,. ..,,,, 90 ou, m
{ cover on the old subway from the po
:, office TO the Battery and In BrookiSh' al
q o,,ary one was delighted. 1t Is the san
n ,s,sr, that was used successfully an
II a'ithout accident in the Boston SUI
u,ay The Public Service Commissit
g made IL obligatory in the new subway
dsference TO the wishes or the people
n "The subway excavations are COZ
q ,.n, source of danger which is beir
:, souyht all the time. The working cono
- lions are very difficult because OF u
:. sand. the varying conditions OF sou ~
rock. aulcksands SC. which may ne
a countered at any time. We are hheiy
ar nave slides at any time, Just AS IN
a., Do mn