Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1874-12-02
A HUGE ENTERPRISE.

- - - - <f~' f<&t& %'sfft*f
Ono of the most gigantic enterprises
ever set on foot in this or any othcr
country, in.the way Of overcoming BY
means of Il tunnel tho obstructions oi
great bodies Of water, Is now in pro-
gress in Now York. The project Is
nothing more or less than to tunnel
the North River, u part Of Manhattan
Island and the East River, thus open
ing thoroughiarc Of land travel from
jersey City to Brooklyn, Long Island,
passing under both the intervening
rivers and through portion and under
n portion ofthc city Of New York } q
The preliminary steps are now in
progress at the foot of Fifteenth street,
Jersey City, where u shaft is being
sunk, under grant Of the Common
Council, with view of determining
the depth at which il will be necessary
to start the grade of the tunnel, as
well as TO ascertain the nature Of the
soil through which It viii have to be
driven. The company for its. con
struction organized last spring, and
filled the articles Of agreement on the
10th Of March, 1874. The organizing
stockholders named in the bill are u.
c. llaskins, California Theo. f. Wood,
New Jersey l.. G. Fowler, California /;
L. L. Park, Vermont; {. Goddard,
New York George Miller, New Jersey;
Jno. +. Ward, Now Jersey Wm, +.
Force, New Jersey Il. NJ. Price, Now
Jersey James l.. Marvin, New Jcr-
scy Jas Wethorel, New Jersey j..
c. Tucker Of New York, and A.. b.
Gibbs. The stock is s3,0O0,000, divid-
cd into 10000 shares of 500 each, and
the charter is good for ninety-ninc
years, The work already done, con
slsting OF surveys, plans, and sound
ings, has cost over $4,000.
As the company Aeclarc that they
have no intention of interfering with
the waters of the rivers, they did not
ask for Congressional legislation per-
Uniting the construction of the tunnel.
They also state that they will not ask
Congress for any aid or subsidy, but
that the work will be pushed to com
lplction entirely by private enterprise
Now il the company will stick to its
declaration, and carry ont their pro
posed undertaking with their own
private means, it will be greatly to
their credit.
OF late years when any unusual
undertaking has been set on foot, it
has been the habit of the projectors
70 hurry Off TO the lobby in Washing
ton, and by judicious distribution Of
bribes, secure enough subsidies and
direct donations to complete their pro
jects, pocket the principal and inter
est, while the tax paying public who
furnished all the means, received
neither benefits nor profits. To find
men really willing, therefore, to risl,
their private means in great undertake
ings that ought undcrall circumstances
to be pushed by private enterprise,
would seem TO indicate that capital is
once more coming back to its Legitimate
sphere, talsingcare of itself instead of
clinging to the skirts Of the governmen.
A bill will be presented to the New
York Legislature this winter asking
that the terminal points of the tunnel
be fixed. AT present It Is proposed to
carry the tunnel from Fifteenth street,
Jersey City, under the North River to
Il point at or nea' Houston street, New
York, thence tnder the city, and
under East Rive, to point near the
Brooklyn Navy Yard. The nature of
the excavations 70 be made viii deter
mine the feasibility of the project by
determining whether its cost will be
within reasonable bounds.
Should there hc a bedrock under the
whole course, similar to that which
crops out further up toward Long Is
land Sound, and forms the Instructions
at Hell Gate, the cost of the enterprise
would be almost beyond computation.
But the projectors claim that the
larger portion Of il will be sand and
shalc excavations. They are so CON
fidcnt that s30OO,O00 will complete
the work, that having sold that amount
"f staol. .L~,- ~-.ii svli pnt
time alone will determine what value
is TO be attached to the opinion of the
engineers as to the nature of the OBJ
structions to be met WITH Pttsbmgh
Post