New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-09-09
LOCAL MISCELLANY.
SINKING THE VANDERBILT TRACKS.

BUILT.
Tho work of sinking the track from the
Union Depot 10 the Harlem River has been actua! w
n and laborers are now employed in the erection OF
Iridges to be built at Fortynfth. Forty1tn' for'y
,eventh and Forty-eighth-sts The drawings, plans,
and specifications been prepared by the Boaru ol
Engineers consisting OF Allan Campbell Areo '" VI"
ven Edward II. Tracy, and superintendent l. u DUN
bout . ,, ,,,or
IN ass tbropch tunnels of three kndsthe subterTa-
.eap the oyerround, pillar, and the naturai rooA
,npnel These Will be constructed IN accordance WIN
The geographical requirements. The tunnels VIII DC "
feet IN width aud divided into three compartments,
The middle compartment will be 20 rect "lue, anu VIZ
contain the two tracks Of the main road as now iau e
,ne tnnnels will cover the tracks OF the future Kappa
Transit Road the eastern division having the uacA lo'
aQrthern- bound cars and the western DIVISION ioI
bound trains. Each Of these side tunhes "i "
~ feet in width The Rapid Transit Road VIII unite WIN
the main track at Fifty-slxth-st'
The descent begins at Forty nnthst at the rate OF 90
,ee 70 the mile until Fifty Arst-st is reached, when
srade OF &C feet is followed for six blocks At FtIy-
.eyepthst the road is II feet below the grade OF the
avenue short distance south Of this point the luh
pels properly begin. Thence the road continues on
level grade until it reaches Fhty-ninh-s' where II
egns TO ascend at the rate of Is feet to the mile until
s,xtvsixtst is reached when the ascending grade is
increased to 40 feet the mile From that point there
% level grade until Seventyfrstst. is reached Wheh
descending grade begins at the rate OF y feet TO the
mile and continues until seventythird-st. Is reached
Tnis is followed 10 the next crossing, where 1t again
sscends at the Of "a feet to the mile to Eighty
sixthst From this point the grade descends at the
rate Of % feet 10 the mile TO Eighty nntb-st, theh
descends at the rate of 81 feet TO the mile 10 Ninety
thrdst where It changes to "a feet to the me at one
hnndredh-s changes again to 40 feet 10 the niei
nom Onehundred- twentieth TO One-hundreu-ahd-
twenty-nnths it 10 feet to the mile, and thence II
ascends at the rate Of &c feet TO the mile TO Harlem
Bridge
The road win begin to descend at Fortynnth-st and
until IL reaches Fiy-seyenth-st Will be spanned Dy
bridees at every cross street. This will make an over
ground tunnel which will be supplied with air ana hght
Oy openings the top and sides at distances OF 40 feet
From seventy-nnth-st. TO Eghty-siYthst the eXcaya
tons are DC made about two feet below the estao
lished grade Of the railway At Seventy nlntnst the
excavations will be about IA feet and at Elghy-nrstst
atou 30 feet The grade rises at Eghtyhird-st TO Il
feet and at Eghtyeighhs is about 20 feet below the
established grade Of FOurth-ave From Seventy ninthst
10 point about 25 feet south Of Eghtieh-s outside
walls are to be constructed Of gneiss rubbe masonry
three feet below the grade of the railroad and eight leet
wide outside walls above the grade OF the railroad
nre 10 be thick at the bottom and three leet
~ the ton The walls are 10 rise IS feet above the grade
off the railroad Two wroughtron Orders II inches
thick are % be set above the inside walls upon Whch
the beams will rest The iron beams will be placed upon
The walls and outside tracks and Will be IN
length and 81 feet from center
st to the of Eightyhfthst brick tunnels are
10 be erected These be built of gneiss and sup
ported by abutments beneath the arches On the
top OF abutmens the three arches will be built OF
brick ana be 20 inches thick The middle one is to be
clinical The two side arches for the Rapid Transit
Road are each to be semicircuar with span of l6 feet
and rise of feet The external arches TO be 10
inches thick Dranppes for draining the spandres OF
the arches 20 be put IN every 90 feet Inc DrcK
ventiations be COPIED with granite surmounted
with ratings and placed ~ feet from one another
along the entire line.
From Fighty.hfh to Eighty-eighth-st there will be
Elk abutments that the external arches Will rest on
the abutments within. The spandres above the spring
ing lines be filed with cement Tile whole Is to be
pered and covered with felt and roofing cement. The
same of will be continued to Ninetyhrst-
IT, where rock tunnels are to be excavaed Two tunnels
are 10 be built on each side Of the present YOrkye tunnel
They wide at the bottom and IS feet at
the The arches will be semicircular This plan
VII be followed to point 1856 feet north Of Ninety
fourthst. where ellptcal arch VIII be built span
70 feet inches rise feet inches; and sprnging lDe
6 feet and inches above the railroad grade These
arches are similar those south OF the rock tunnel pre-
yiously mentioned. From the north side of Ninety
sxth-st 10 a point about 80 south of Nney-eghth
- roc& excavations TO be made 80 feet in width and
2 feet below the established railroad grade. From
Ninetvcfphth st. TO
tons will made for the retaining walls and founda
tons feet deep From OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES to
excavations OF the road
ted will be feet below the present railroad grade.
From One-huudred-andffteenth TO Onehundredand-
thirty hirsts excavations are be made for the road
bed and retaining walls and for bridges and their found
atiOns
There VII be a stone arched bridge at One hundred
end-socond Il. Upon foundations Of gneiss five feet
below the street grade will be erected bridge OF three
arches. The piers are 10 be 8 feet by feet by
&c feet, and the abutments 8 feet by feet by
s6 feet. Similar bridges to be constructed
"a: Observation-Disclosures nehundrsd-andfourth, One
hundred and1fth. One-hundred-
-and-soventh Observation-Disclosures, Onehundredand-
ninth One-hundred-andtenth, and 'One-hundred-and.
eleyeuthsts At Observation-Disclosures st. there Will
he built q double wrOught-iron post trussbridge,
e. feet span. The trusses TO be s feet high,
and the bridge viii be supported stone abutments
7 feet thick at the grade Of street, feet at the
top IS feet high above the grade Of the street, and
o feet long. bridge Of the character
viii oe built at Northumberland thTteenthst and at
One-huudred-and-Gfteenth and Observation-Disclosures
tecuthsts. there viii be grade crossing panked and
finished With cement. At Observation-Disclosures
ana observation-disclosures fth-sts. there will be
wrought-rOu foot and road bridges Of % feet and
G inches span each The abutments will be OF solid
masonry. and will have coping Il inches thick
Iron foobridges will also be erected at Onehundred
Aud-thirtieth and One-hundred-and thirty hrststs.
ARRANGEMENTS have been made Obyiate Interrupt
ton OF travel while these changes making and the
pans and specifications win be submitted to contractors
who will be invited to send in proposals to the office of
tl,e Fourth-aye Improvement Company on and after
Sept H. at the Grand Central Depot The of this
mammoth work viii be about S0OOOO0 one half OF which
will be borne by the city, and the remainder by the rail
way companies Of which Cornelius Vanderbilt is Pres-
dent.
The depot OF the Rapid Transit Railway which unites
with the steam road at Fy-sIth st., viii be in the City