The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-01-05
FOURTH AVENUE IMPROVEMENTS.

The Work and When it Will BE Fine
ished-Two New Tunnels Through the
Rock In YOrkvilIe.
The residents Of Harlem and Westchester county,
who live far enough from the city to have none Of
its advantages and all the country's incOnven-
fence, will doubtless be glad to learn that the
Fourth avenue improvement Is being rapidly
pushed forward, and If the contractors funl their
proposals, rapid transit will be living reality in
about three years. When the bill authorizing the
construction Of this road was passed last Fall the
agitation in Westchester and Harlem ceased,
and yet the minds Of the people were NOT
easy. for they did not think that the
work would be completed for many years. "The
Let-us-alOncs" of Harlem, who fought SO hard
against the improvement Of Fourth avenue, or, at
least, that part OF it running through their ter
ritory, have become reconcled, and think that
perhaps 1t Is just well their efforts were in vain.
These wiseacres, in their memorials to the Legis.
lature, stated that they considered the lowering
OF the Fourth avenue grade nothing less than
weak invention of the enemy to depreciate the
value of their property; but now they say 1t may
improve 1t in the long run. Regardless OF the
goes bravely on, and the fact OF its having been
begun has awakened again the intense interest
which was felt pending the passage OF the act by
As already stated In the HERALD the tracks have
been removed IRON l20th street to the Harlem
River) to the east side OF the avenue, that the
work of excavating the bed tor the new road would
not interfere with the running OF the trains. To-
doy the tracks will be removed nom the centre OF
the avenue to the east side, from ll6th to l2oth
street.
The contract or changing the level OF the road
from Seventy ninth street to Harlem, has been
awarded to Messrs. Dillon, Clyde Co., the builders
OF the Union Pacific road, and Messrs Fair
child Ward are at present arching tho
road on Forty-nfth, Forty-sixth Forty
seventh, Forty-eighth and Fortv-ninth streets.
On these streets the present level Is to remain un-
altered and the streets are to be thrown 1t by
bridges are OF solid masonry and the bridges are to
be OF iron. Mr. Tracy, one OF the engineers esti-
mates that the work will be finished In about two
months. Owing to the severe frost but little has
been done. AT the upper end Of the road excava-,
tons have been begun at 10th street and l2Sth
street, but the ground has been so hard az to
render digging next to impossible, and the rain
and thaw OF last Friday has made small mud ponds
Of the excavations that had been made.
IN YORKvILLE
the work has been rapidly progressing for tho
and Nncty-thrd streets and two small tunnels are
being constructed on either hdc OF the old one.
The drilling Is done by steam drills and the con-
tractors hope to have completed the tunnels in
As none OF the proposals which were submjt,eo
for the Improvement OF the avenue between FORTY
ninth and seventy nintb streets were satisfsctnrv
to the Board OF Engineets they have rcadvertIseT
the work, and proposals for tho same viii he.
opened at their once Grand Central debot IN.
Monday, January 49, f half-past ono r. NJ