Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-03-31
AYOR SMITH FORCED TWINING "BOBTAIL" IRA

ut therefore. is my duty as a cltizer
to inform the people Of Philadelphia with
relation to this subway I deliberately
charge:
First. After carefully weighing my
words that Mayor Smith insisted the City
Hall section of the Broad street subway
be shifted from rs present location under
City Hail. which was designated by the
Department Of city Transit, and which
was found necessary by the state Public
Service Commission to be proper for the
service, accommodation, convenience and
safety of the public.
Second That the new location OF the
City Hall section of the Broad street sub
| way around the westerly side of the City
| Hall, as designated in Mr.. Twintng's $
| report, makes necessary the curtailment
| of the City Hall section of the Broad
street subway from four-track struc-
| ture to two-track structure, because
| it is impossible to get the required curva-
ture for four tracks from the new loca-
tion into South Broad street at South
| Penn Square
| Third That this curtailment Of the
! CITY Hall section of the Broad street
| subway made necessary radical changes
in the citys plans for transit develop
ment, and that the proposed changes Will
greatly and seriously impair the useful
| ness of the high-speed system to the
citizens of Philadelphia.
Fourth That Mir Twining as con-
sulting engineer of the Department of
City Transit. frequently has assured me
there is no risk in building the four-traclS
structure and station designed beneath
the City Hall, and that after his report
went to press. he stlll was firmly OF that
opinion. Notwithstanding the statement
made by him in that report. which was
submitted yesterday. that one of his OBJ
iections to the present location of the City
ITn11 Of Ip al
station, is liability of damage to the
City Hail.
Fifth That II. H. Quimby chief en-
gneer of the Department of City Transit,
while planning the four-traCk subway
structure with station beneath the city
Hail. assured me most unreservedly on
many occasions the construction OF that
section as designed would not be dam
gerous In the slightest degree, and that
he was still firmly of that opinion on
January 3, 1916.
AMPLE EVIDENCE AVAILABLE.
"Ample evidence is available and can |
be produced which will demonstrate that |
IL is perfectly safe beyond any reasonable |
question of doubt to build the four.track |
City Hall section of the Broad street sub
way beneath the City Hall as originally |
recommended. and am glad to see that !
the special commission appointed by the |
Mayor went so far as to state in its re.
port that as n result of our examinations
we are of the opinion that the construc.
tion of fourtracl subway under the City
Hall. unless obstacles now unforeseen are
encountered, can probably be accomplished
by the exercise Of extreme care and the
expenditure Of considerable time
"The construction of the four-track sec
ton of the Broad street subway and trans
fer station beneath the City Hall as
originally recommended is essential to the
Of frnF Fneit linn
and to eliminate the four-track City Hall
station section would serve no useful pub
lie purpose.
"The Twining plan, in my opinion, Is
titally defective in the following respects:
First A four-tract subway structure Is
provided for in Broad street between Erie
md Ridge avenues, with two.track sub
way structure extending from Ridge ave-
Tue down Broad street to Spruce, and a
wo-traclS subway structure extending !
lown Ridge avenue from Broad to Sth
treet down sth to Walnut and out Wal
With the Broad street subway at Broad
nd Walnut streets. which is on a lower
evel at that point.
THUS the provision made in the
riginal plan for Il continuation of the
subway from North Broad
treet directly through to Spruce street
5 abandoned, where the two additional
racks are most needed to make effective
Xpress service feasible between outlying
districts served by the Broad street sub
way and the business district, and be-
ween North and South Philadelphia.
The absence cf track connection be-
ween the Broad street subway and the
subway under Walnut street would for
I'll times, deprive the people of South !
of the privilege of reach
ng points served by the subway under
Walnut street, Sth street and Ridge ve-
lue. throughout the business district, with
'ut change Of cars and stair climbing, at !
III. Twining's proposed station at Broad {
md Walnut streets.
81 believe that the privilege which Is I
o be accorded passengers from North !
Of travelling either directly g
through south on Broad street or around
~ way of Ridge avenue, sth and Wal l
tut streets, without change of cars,
hould be accorded the people of South
THE building of two-traclt subway
tructure in Broad street between Ridge
avenue and Spruce street instead of a .
our-track structure makes il impossible
o bring the Parkway-North Goth street. I
RoNborough line into the west side of the {
elivery loop at City Hall station, from I
which point. under the original plan. the
trains would be routed through /
o either South Philadelphia; or south, |
nder Broad street, to Locust; east, un- S
er Locust; north, under Sth: west. un- (
Ter Arch, and north. under Broad, re- a
urnlng by the same route. I
Under Mr.. Twining's plan the Park /
'ay-North 29th street-Roxborough trains 7
'ould be routed in through the Parkway, d
0 10th. south on 10th to Walnut, east
n Walnut TO Sth thence under Sth to e
ddge avenue. under Ridge avenue to 5
'road street and north on Broad street, n
eturning by the same route. +
THE northwestern section of the city I
Iould be better served by delivery at City 4
lall station and at Chestnut street sta p
on under Broad street, with the privi- 4
'ge or travelling through TO South Phila- e
elphia without change of cars, or to n
oints in the business district without a
hange OF cars. Alternate trains could a
g operated over these two routes under e
le original plan. c
'Mr. Twining proposes that an extension a
the two-track subway be made in the d
lture south from Spruce street to League p
sland, and proposes that an extension a
arving the Woodland avenue Darby dis
rict shall be branched from the South n
Iroad street subway west over Federal d
treet. This will bring about an objec- tl
Onable condition, for il will create n
Rsnsht DIT MA Al 0n