The sun., 1873-05-16
THE GREAT wORK ron HARLEM.
Fourth Aveuus no Ionuer 20 be an impass-
able Chrsm-The Railroad to be sunk
and Covered by solid Arches and sus-
ain initial stone and Iron Bridges.

Fourth Aveuue no bonHer 20 ." an impHss-
able Chrsui-Tke Railroad TO be Sun,
snd Covered by solid Arches and sub
inptiai stohr and Iro, Bridges.
The work Of sinking the track and widen
ing the bedway of tho New York Central Rail
road from Furty-ninth street to Harlem to make
room for two more tracks, IL boing vigorously
pushed forward, and gangs Of men are AT work
on all parts Of the line. From Forty ninth to
Eighty sixth street the grade Is to he lowered
considerably In some places a. much as from
fifteen to seventeen feet. The present grade
at certain points betwcon those streets IA the
heaviest ON the road, the incline being sirty-'iS
and half feet to the mile. when the excava-
lions shall have been completed tho grade VIII
be from twenty-five to forty feet TO the mile.
At Seventy-nnih street the excavations will he
nearly fourteen feet, at Eighty-nrst street about
thirty feet, at Eighty-third street twcnty-ono
foot. ~ Eighty-sixth street twenty feet and nj
Eighty eighth street (wherc the tunnel begins
twenty feet below the grade " Fourth ave
nue.. At all these points excavations have been
begun on both sides Of the track, the business
ef the road being carried ON In the mean time
- usual. The contractors for the whole work
IRE Dillon and clyde. They have sub-let most
VI it.
From Elghty-eighth to Ninety-sevcnth street
The lodges are almost solid. and the old tunnel
no in use is nfty-nve feet below the grade VI
Fourth avenue. and is cut through solid rock.
At this point will be by far tho heaviest work on
The line. The contractors have already sunk Ave
ihsfts three Of which ars being worked but
Iuch Ia the hardness Of the rock that their pro-
Eress is slow. Two tunnels, one on each side Of
the roadway now In use. are to he blasted out.
Ihoy are to he eighteen feet six inches wide at
the bottom, and eighteen feet high ia the centre,
with semi-cirCular arches.
THE NEW TUNNELS.
OF the three shafts now wording two arc
worked by hand, and one by a GO-horsc power
mir COMPRISING engine. The shaft IA on the
east side Of Fourth avenue, few feet south 81
tended 10y Mr. Brinknell, an cid railroad con-
tractor. lie has nfty-eight men at work, and the
drilling and huiSting are done by machinery.
Since November last, when the shaft was sunk,
only 2lS feet of the tunnel have been ckcavnted.
but this Is to be accounted for 10y the hardnes. &
workmen labor The blasting must I've done
with the utmost care, because OF the proximity
OF the old tunnel, through which the cars are
being run day and night. An incautious blast
might he. productive II great delay to the bust
ness Of the road, or PERHAPS pf the loss of hu-
man lfc. To avoid this the work IA necessarily
conducted with slowncss and caution. The
incN-third street shaft - htty-nve feet deep
Its centre being thirty six feet from the centre
Of the oid tunnel. The material taken out IL q
good quality of gneiss. which j. being removed
at the rate ut forty yards, or eighty tons a dty
The holsting apparatus resembles u hotel cle-
yator, but i hui-ted and lowered 10y q wire rope
which IL COilCu around "A drum 10y the power ul
the engine. Rocks weighing two tons and oveI
are huiStcd on this machine, whose bed j. on cai
wheels nttin- into u track, along which the cal
THE BLASTING.
Under the contract the blasts must be made
with gunpowdrr instead ui nitrn-Elvccrnc ~
adopted because uf belief entertained 10y some
of the engineers that the powerful shock caused
by the latter explosive would throw down the
dividing WALL between the Did and new tunnels
with uitro-syccrino u charge Of half pound
would di-place ~ much material ~ two pound
aud half Of gunrowdcr. The blasts IN th'
main shaft are composed uf two to two ana
half pounds ot powder, the hulos being hurcd
from fifteen inches t. ~" ic"t deep, with two
inch dnll. From mst,tn tptwellc e holes are bored
for a blast, all ruhuins "bliquyl% toward com
within the past few days the air In the new
tunnel has been foul and almost suifucating at
times. and few Of the men who have remained
ln 1t too long have boon pru-trdtcd. Tomorrow
Mir Bnnhnsll and his gang viii reach new
ihaft, which VIII create draft through TIA,
tunnel and render tho work safer.
The tunnel on the west side Of Fourth avenue
Is being bored more slowly than that ON th'
EAST although gangs are working In two.~halts
They have cxcaydted III feet. II Is expected
that both tunnels will he cat through before The
Isl Of January This can he accomplished if Q
iurcc sufficient to e>ca,tte lUl feet month j.
put on. The material taNcn from the tunncl- b.
be broken 10y stone cru her ami used III
eillasting.
HEAVY CUTTING.
beyond Ninety fourth street, n far ~ Ninety
seventh street Is cutting through The soil,
Ihis IL o. hr enlarged eighteen feet ON b9ti
sides, ana the utt"rill taken ont will %" used b.
building side " H. hctwrcu Fourth avenue an.
lhc roadway. The nlelHng hes already he'i
made ON III" west side Tor JhtV' forty feet, an
n',n aig "!thins On h'tu -iiy, "i the rold'
IAafp curve. and the .dN"d from 10th stree
e" l2Th -tr"et b. tou.p'ta.Iy SUPPORTED ON
!, high o. forty fce' fr..Y m. ground Tn
lrr-tlc-wurk has % du .ihi' track. the outer raj
Oh both side rr-ttu. vi... "a f.v iucic g. uf n.
tHI IIH .Nt.H alfH rlntrr I I.
resident engineer. "'u-it'.s ~" trcstlc-wur.
,afe, and SAY, he has >-o,i beneath It when
vibration of the timhrr-. The only danger 10 L.,
spprehended, he say. Is th' breaking Of ca
wheel, or locomotive jumping the track
In such an event nothing les than u miracle
could save train from destruction. To aNuil
accident the ears are run very slowly over th'
lrestie-.
The trc-tlc-work wa put W. at the Expense 90
the contractors, and at their own Request. I
cost Ssihu, aud viii he used until the new road
way on the west side l. lowered t. about th
grade uf the tunnel Then 1t will he remove,
aud a solid hedway constructed.
IMPROVEMENTS IN HARLEM
In Harlem the track Is to bc sunk below m
street at about the same grade u, AT Forty. Mint
street, and the wuik l. partially conn leted from
18th t. lNth street. Here. as In Fourth avenue
tho railway viii he arched and covered over ii
The same manner Hs the Fourth avenue cit
railroad is covered IN Parl. avenue.
At points where the railroad l. not Coyere
there are t. he bridges across the streets. iha
nj lU!d street will have three archc- the contr
Ine to have "A span Of 20 feet aud "A rs
Of II. II will be built of stone, as wi
similar structures at l1'd, l0ith, and lWh
streets. The bridge at lWth street will hay
four arches, aud the bridge, at 10Th, luStl
10Th. lltth, and nth streets are 10 have ,hre
arches each. Two forfool pasaengcrs and one f.
vehicles. At ll2th street there Is to be an iru
bridge with a span of Gi feet, ana similar -tr,l
tture is to be thrown across ll3th street I'GIid,
these there are TO be bridges at Nth, ll5tl
I2jth, l3Uth, and l'l,t streets, and numerous 10,
brd -cs Al other points.
The contractors have agreed 10 finish the woI
In two years, but the engineers DOUBT their abb
lty to do II in less than three. They have oy,
Ath0usand men at work, aud will soon increa
the force
Something Tor the Superintcnicl, OF Huil
iugs ia Rend