New Britain herald., 1915-09-28
SUBWAY CAVE.IN
 GESTURES BUSINESS v
Broadway Merchants Lose Trade
 Through Traffic Restriction

mercnanIS IeIr TOT the HrSC Il1ne /eS- terday the effect on their business of the police orders prohibiting vehicular traffic from Thirty-fourth to Thirty ninth streets, and keeping pedestrians within a restricted area. Most of the shopkeepers were loud in their pro- tests against the closing of the dis trict affected by Saturdays cave-in, eager to learn means of redress for the sales they have lost, and anxious to know how soon the streets would be opened. Department stores as far south as Thirtyfourth street were hurt by the orders and business fell far below normal
 The smaller merchants fear that if the covered cut method of tunnelling is continued in the district where the rock is known to be treacherous, other cave-ins will occur; they also feel that if the open-cut method-that used in part of the Interborough subway should be employed, a repetition of the failures which accompanied that construction would inevitably follow.
 Shopkeepers complained yesterday that customers were being kept from their places because of timidity which the two recent accidents have caused. To offset this several put up signs an- nouncing that they were open for bus mess and that it was safe to walk to their stores. The merchants also con- tend that the strict inquiries made by patrolmen at Thirty-seventh and Thirty-ninth streets keep some of their customers from entering the zone. .4a /
 Macy's Complains.
 Jesse I. Straus, of R. H. Macy & Co.,, said the business of that store was greatly affected by the cave-in. He saw no reason why automobiles were not allowed to come to the front of the store if the timbers were propped up according to the or iar-s given Sunday, which made possible the operation of the Sixth avenue and the Thirty-fourth street trolleys.
 Many of our customers he con- tinued, "come here in automobiles These people can now enter only fro II Thirty-fourth street. Why should thcy not be allowed to come up on Br ,ad- way? I am glad the ropes in front Of the store have been taken down, f r they impeded traffic, but We have felt a decrease because of the vehicular order"
 w. A. saks, of saks & Co.,, would 
 firm had been hampered by tho shunting of automobiles from Broad way.
 "But it has not helped us any," he declared. "Our interest comes after public safety, and I am glad that care has been taken first to safeguard lives. How much we have been af- fected I cannot tell. Of course, au- tomobiles cannot stop in front of the store, but the trolleys are running.
 Cave-in District Isolated.
 At Gimble Brothers it was said that a diminution of trade had been mo- ticed, as the main arteries of traffic which bring customers to the store the. Thirty-fourth street and Sixth avenue surface cars and the Sixth avenue "L"-were being operated.
 shopkeepers between Thirty-seventh and Thirty ninth streets were affected most. Pedestrians were allowed yes- terday on the east side of Broadway with the exception of the block be- tween Thirty-seventh and thirty ninth streets only if they had business there.
 Customers have been timid all summer because of the planking,'' said H. A. Hoskins, of Hanan & Co.,, whose building is just across from the cavein, "and just as trade is begin ming to pick up this accident comes. Few want to get inside thelines to come to the store, although we have done better than we expected. It would not surprise me if the shifting of business from this district would be a result of the disaster. The women seem to be less timid than the men. Saturday night We did no busi- ness, and today has fallen below last years average"
 Bankruptcies Predicted.
 This was in general the tone of the statements from other storekeepers who are closest to the scene of the cave-in. Henry Silberfeld, whose jewelry store is directly in front of it, and half of whose sidewalk was torn away, did not even dress his windows yesterday, knowing that buyers would not venture near the hole in the middle of Broadway. A cigar stors near by was closed all day, and several merchants declared they would not remain open last night, as the persons who walked on Broadway did so out of curiosity and not be- cause they wanted to buy goods.
 One protested against the stationing of policemen in front of his door, while another predicted that bank ruptcies would follow if the excava- tion were allowed to remain un- covered long. At Schraft's candy l store it was said that much food had l been prepared for the noon lunch, ] but that diners would not venture as far as the shop, fearing that Broad l way below the scene of the Saturday | accident might again cave in.
 The Broadway association appealed l