The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-07-21

The Rocks and the Sand Beds, the La
bOrerS' Work and the Road Bed.
How the Great Sewers Are
Avoided.
The Commodore in Earnest and
the Work To Be Prose-
cuted at Once.

SO much has been said and written during past
years about rapid transit" and how this, that and
the other set of capitalists, who may have obtained
underground privileges from the Legislature, were
ready to begin work. and, in fact, would begin II
this or that unforeseen difficulty had not all Of q
sudden sprung up. that 1t is quite possible that
even now that Commodore Vanderbilt possesses
| the right OF way to bnrr0w from one end OF the
town to the other. people win be slow to believe
that even he really ''means business" Still, the
agreeable fact of the matter is that the Commodore
instead Of following In the footsteps OF those who
have been privileged before him and who never did
any harder underground railroad work than
| printing exhibit circulars hand press has
actually set
THE RAPID TRANSIT WHEELS
In motion. In other words he has, or rather the
men engaged by him have, already completed all
the surveys OF the route ana the plans and specih
cations for the work to be done have been made
out A HERALD reporter called at the Forty second
street depot yesterday with the view of learning all
about the 'prelimin ariesr and the actual work as
wel II should he borne in mind that the entire
engineering, 80 to speak, OF "the Fourth avenue
Improvement and the underground road Is under
the direction and active supervision OF Mr.. Buck
hOut, formerly superintendent OF the Harlem Rail-
road. large room on the second floor OF the
Grand Depot has been for weeks past mOnopOzed
by the draughtsmen Of the underground road
and when the reporter, accompanied by Mr..
Buckhout, entered the apartment he found himself
amidst scene Of map and pencil confusion posi-
lively bewiderng. Long tables reaching across
the rOOm at distances OF three or four feet one
from the other, were covered with maps, drawings
sketches and working draughts of the various
sections depota, st0ppages ana connections of the
underground road The draughtsmen were all
busy engaged In giving the finishing touches to
their "tasks," and the piles Of pastebOard cris-
crossed and bespangled with
LINES WITHIN LINES
and outlines Inc applicable, that met the gaze at
| every turn In the room reminded one Of printing
office where job had been taken to reprint all the
daily newspapers published during the last century.
| To be candid. there was an evidence OF downright
labor on all sides that was unmistakable, and Mr.
BuckOut, as he moved about from table to table and
picked plan after plan OF the various sections Of
the road, showed quite plainly that the work was q
thorough and systematic one, which he had at his
finger ends ana not by any means a show affair. to
blind peoples eyes to the real objects Of the priv-
| legged few of the Commodore's party.
when will the underground road be
pletedY" inquired the reporter, as he and the
gineer passed to the table where combination OF
the plans or rather elimination OF the engineers
best efforts were being put in colors Oh the paste
board.
"In two years., was mis- reply
"DO you mean to say that two years from now
the rapid transit underground system Will he in
~ do; you know there many things which
| may interfere with the progress of the work; but
| all things being equal or rather, To put IL more
| practically no extraordinary distractions to the
work not now foreseen being met with, we will
| have
THE ROAD IN GOOD RUNNING ORDER
two years from the present tme:''
"That IL promising great deal"
az know It Is; but you see promises have been
the great currency for years past with the men
who pretended to have at heart the interests
of the rapid transit idea in the metropolis,
and II is determination not to follow
in their wake. Now, all you have to
do to find out how plans being made out
and how we are endeavoring to perfect everything
connected with the building OF the road. is simply
to make tour of this room and examine for your
self the work done in preliminary way.n
Mr.. Buckh0uts suggestion was at once adopted,
nut the work on paper was so technical that it will
not bear detailed description at least at present.
IL is sufficient to say that the plans and workings
generally showed that when the actual work on the
road would be begun the pathway OF the sub-cn
gneers would be very easy one, in that they
FOLLOW THE TRACK
made by their chief, and come out all right in the
long run, no matter what section they might be
apo Won intend.n asked the reporter. after his
superficial examination OF the details OF the
draughtsmen's work, lido you intend to begin the
actual working OF the road makers at any particu-
"fhat is all arranged Already he replied. ave
have come to the conclusion that the best way to
prosecute the work Is to divide 1t into detas-that
Is, take hold OF the road by divisions sections.
To accomplish everything tremendously the work
will be split up into mile sections, each hall mile
along the route to be examined and worked up
simultaneously. BY this plan, you see, the work
along the entire route of the road Will be going on
about equally at the same time"
"But IL will not be possible to prosecute the work
in every section with the same vigor Z"
ooh, no; but You see all that can be satisfactorily
a
VIII require more time and labor, but that fact VIII
by means make the work on the various sections
an unequal one. A large and efficient number OF
workmen on the rocky portion can get along quite
as rapidly as can be desired. when a smaller mum.
Der will be diligently engaged working their way
through the sand portion"
"Wherc do you expect to ina
THE RocKIEsT PORTIONS ?"
"Well, do not expect anything, TO speak can.
ddy, for the that we have had all the ground
surveyed in the most thorough manner, ana we
know to dot Just what KIND OF ground we have 10
contend with from one end OF the route to the
other From Thirteenth TO Eighteenth street anu
from Thirty strees 10 T we o thar
points along the route; but, assure you we have
nothing nothing to lear and we VIII cut our way through
sis it the intention Of the engineers to tunnel
wherever they meet with rock wv
at Is not and will tell you why. You see the
grade OF the road necessarily has to vary consider
ably and lt WILL therefore, be much easier task
for us to make open cuts, get down 10 Whatever yer
in good order cover over the cut with substantial
arches,
.But while cutting the ground in this way will
the public suffer In the matter Of transit across
blocks ~
mot In the slightest. After ground has been
broken at any point
TEMPORARY BRIDGES
will be constructed, and no stoppage OF the business
traffic OF the city take place owing to the work."
| "You say the grade varies on the road. TO what
| extent 7"
lit starts from the City Hall at a down grade Of
thirty seven feet to the mile. The grade rom Canal
! to Grand IL down coming up town, and an upward
| incline Is made from Canal to Grand"
"H0w about the Canal street sewer about which
| there has been 80 much TALK"
"Why we avoid II altogether IL IS west OF the
| BOwery and 30 we do not come near It."
"And the sewer at Pearl strecty'
THAT we 30 under, and our plans are such as you
can ace by this map iInap exhbited that the sewer
is made all the more servlceabe by our improve