The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-27
Engineers Will Report at
Once OH Condition of
Other Excavations.
MAYOR AND p. s. {.
OPERATING JOINTLY
Out of Town Men Are Called
In to Assist in lnspec-
tiOn of Tunnels.
DANGER OF ANOTHER
CAVEIN IS ADMITTED
Accidents Due to cut and
Cover" Method Used by
Builders. 1t Is Asserted.


stretches OF the busiest part OF Man
haitian drop into the subway before
ones eyes II was to he expected that
yesterday would be day Of investi-
cations to prevent a recurrence OF
such disasters.
Accordingly there were meetings
from morning until late last night 0.
public officials. headed by the Mayor
on one side and the Public Service
Commissioners on the other. seeking
arst 20 ascertain the cause and to
point out means OF prevention.
The need OF action was plain. be-
cause 1t was admitted by certain au-
thoritative sources that "A repetition Of
the caveins was likely To occur at any
time as long a. the ''cut and cover"
method of building the new subways is
continued. II was asserted further that
" other means OF digging the sub
wavs can be employed i'll Manhattan
because the open cut method would
put thousands OF mel chants along the
line OF construction out Of business.
The chief aim OF the Mayor yester-
day was 20 conserve the safety Of the
hundreds OF thousands OF persons who
pass over the sections where the eX-
esva;ion S going on. With that idea
IN mind lie appointed a committee OF
engineers 20 inspect the snoring in the
p.rts II ;he new subway now being
constructed along broadway from
TweG'y- sixth street 70 point be-
tween Tl.-ty-eighth and ThiIty-ninth
streets and along the Seventh avenue
subway from Commerce street north
" Tnriy-iirst street.
VIII seek Weak spots.
The next step OF the Mayors COM
nittee to-day will be to Inspect the shor'
Wg .u all the subways now building
throughout the city 10 make sure tina,
lac wooden uprights. the transverse ano
TIE longitudinal beams are sufficient,
ttrOug to bear the burden Of the surface
OATS automobiles and pedestrians over
head. II the engineers report TO tn'
Mayor that there are weak spots in M
false ,oidway immediate steps VIII d.
taken to regulate traffic at these points
The Mayor said he took such step'
not In criticism of the Public service
Commission. but as a means OF saie
ruardng the people In the thoroughfares
The Public Service Commission, how
ever, took measures also to have an IN
dependent Investigation OF the accidents
The Commissioners resolved that al
vehiCular traffic except surface car
should he prohibited on streets wher
tho "Cut and cover work Is being done
They also authorized the appointment o
tlree eminent engineers living In othe
cities to study the engineering condition
a, the points where the accidents nap
psned.
street Tranic Restricted.
The Two caveins of last week and tn
fear OF more accidents caused Pohe
Commissioner Woods, acting on IN
Mayors instructions, to issue tram
regulations that. while demanded by IN
exigenCies, caused much confusion yes
terday and threatened to prove set
back to business to-day.
After the accident on Saturday eve
ming Commissioner Woods issued an o'
der excluding all vehicular and surfac
car traffic on Broadway between Thlrty
ninth and Twenty-sixth streets ana
Seventh avenue between Thirty-nrst an
commerce streets. These orders meal
10, only that traffic on Broadway nor'
and south was interrupted but that .
street cars, automobiles or wagons coui
cross Broadway on any street betwee
those points.
Those orders also meant that cal
running south on Sixth avenue wei
stopped AT Thrty-ffth street. and SIX
avenue cars going north WEI
stopped south of Thirty second stree
The Th.rty-fourth, Twenty-eighth al
Twcuty-ninth, Twenty-third, Fourteen
and Eighth street surface lines were C
IN two,
L.Kcwise on Seventh avenue there WI
no traffic of any kind south OF Thirt
FIST rect and for the entire stretch
Commerce street no heavy vehicles al
.p surface cars could travel across tow
To 20 east or west of Seventh aven
~ WAS uecessary to travel either nor
~ T.Irty-tirst street or south Oh .o'
Ncr,r rect,
Af'er the Mayors committee HI
mad" ITS investigation Commission
WoOI. citing at the Mayors behe
..slcI pnstructions to Chief Inspect
".hu .,pcrger to permit the resnmpti
o. Tram. at seventh avenue and Iweh'
ninth ,.,eet, Seventh avenue ana fo'
tet0rA f,reet Tenth street and -Four
s,gce' 20 all vehicles. and Chrtstopf
snr Vest Fourth streets TO street ca
an ipt' vehicles.
Tic Mayor In his letter recomneno
o o., rublic Service Commission Il
.nll me subway excavations W.
strengthened by additional snoring
lra'.. should he permitted across
ln'er .''ons at Thirty-fourth street a
sls' venue and also at Seventh a.
Ass Broadway and Twenty-eigl
Lt..sI