New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-06-22
THE SrNKEy TRlC6S no HARLEM

TRAINS RUNNING OVER TIKI ENTIRE FOURTH AVE
ME ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS FACILITIES OF
TRAVEL. TO BE PROVIDED
On Sunday the first train to run all the way
from the Grand Central Depot to the Harlem River upon
the sunkcn tracks the Fourth Avenue Improve
nent passed. over the line. Although the entire roadway
is not yet completed the work is Ear enough advanced to
permit the running Of all the trains.
The distance between the Harlem River ana Forty
secon9st is about 4i4 miles. The work OF sinking the
track was begun thu Fail of 1879 the contract being
awarded to Mcssrs. Dillon, Clyde Co for $6}9J,070
The undertaking under the supervision OF Boa OF
Engineers consisting Of l. c. BuokhOut Of the Harlem
Railroad Company (who was also engineer oI the Gahi
Central Depot experimenting en- ineer, with W. L.
Dearborn as resident engineer and F. S. CuTtss prin-
cp assistant ana four division assistants The work has
been carried on uninterruptcdy until the present time,
although 0r BuckhOu died some months ago On sunday
an extra force at work. making connections
and usting the track. The ree WORK which crossed
Harlem lts Ted across the suuken track at Oneun-
drcdnd wcnty elst and followed the wost side Of
the avenue the river. Much OF this had to be taken
away especially the portion which led across the sunken
track Considerable labor required IN order 10 get II
AWAY in time Tie trains had been running for several
DAYS to the vaduct leading across the Harlem flats.
through the tunnels aud on the sanken tracks There
they branched the treste work. aud kept on that
for the remainder OF the distance 10 tie Harlem River
Tie trains going out from the station ut Fortysecond-
ST. take the west track and those Hrrvin, come In on the
east track thus making the train pass to the left instead
OF 10 the right, the law directs. Hence there IL ne
cs,ty Of the tracks crossing each other This they doat
Fiftythrd-st, in the form Of letter Y, and not by
GRADUAL approach AT the point where the crossing Is
made a house has been erected for signal man.
The system of electric signals which operated at the
Grand Central station terminates at Fifty-fourths be
ynnd this crossing point thus rendering IT impossible,
except through grosscst negligence that accident
sond occur At this point In fact, although this
iug has been uecd since The staOhhOse was open
in November ISL accident has ever occurred at tins
l-oint.
After leaving tins place. the tracks run into the
Hrs, tunnel, which begins at Fy-sxth-st., and is Of the
kind known hei I'm" tunnels; that l., the roof i com
posed OF fiat iron beams. filled in with brick work Siin
Of this tunnel tracks crossed at the ntcTsecins
~ the with iron bird yeS OF which are ony
or foot me majority however neng road
tends to point little south OF ,sMtyseyentn-
tunnels are used because there IL not suhclcrt
depth of earth between the roof Of the tunnel and the
surface above Ia construct arch Whcrevcr there isa
sufficient depth an arched roof Is made The arch Fooi
tunncl extends little beyond SEVENTY iirsst ne old
Nineyfonrhst leading directly To the viaduc crossing
the Harlem hats winch II 4Jt3 !eet long Az us great
Il feet inch the street grade The viaduc is
bilt piles. OF which 19S,O00 ct were driven IN tho
One-hundrc -and-tfteenth and One-hundred-aud-six
tcenss this yaduct ends and leads again into an Open
through to the Harlem River
The tracks, from Foltyecondst. to the Harlem River
"A
fcctly straight nj the grade through the various tun
icls and varies considerably From Forty ifth-st
Fort falls then rises to Fyseyenthst
Ftyninth. IL IL level and thence 10 Seventh
e-St II rises the extent OF ID feet inches.
Seventy first Seventy third-st. again falls
and j. then level to Seventy Ourtl-st. From this point
To Elsy-sixti-st. IL 81 feet inches, and rom
thence 10 One-Mundrcdand-twe nintlst 1t fails 60
fect inches aitor which it riScs steadily 10 Harlem
bridge At FIFTY XIh-st the tracks 10 feet inches
below the grade AT SiXtyscven hist. 20 feet Dc
low and AT NnctysiXth-st. % feet below.
Although present only tracks laid. In
tended To have four tracks. For the additional tracks
each side OF the main tunnels smaller tunnel Is built
When these tracks completed which, il expected,
will lc in September next local rapid transit
he run and ii anticipated that the trip between tho
Grand Central station and Harlem will b. made In eight
minutes. The local trains will be through the side
tunnels. Station houses will be constructed at Fifty
ninthst AT sevcnty-sccond-st., Eghty-sixth st. One
huniredand-teDth and One hnndred-andtwenyit ls,s.
The tracks not yet completely ballasted. and II -
necessary that the trains should nj present go rather
slowly. They still therefore running the old time
table expected that next week the week after
a new timetable win he issued, reducing tho running
time 10 Harlem by several minutes.