The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-12
Battling With Rock and Ice on Ninth
and Eighth Avenues.
PROGRESS on THE METROPOLITAN EXTENSION.
Stirring Scenes in Building the Structure
to the Harlem River.

metropolis than is presented all along the west side
extension of the Metropolitan a." Reference has
already been made in the HERALD to the magnificent
energy and extraordinary rapidity with which
this great work has been pushed. in the heart
of an unusually severe winter. from Ninth
avenue and Eighty-third street to Eighth
nue. and 12oth street. Ordinarily this part OF the
city in midwinter is strangely deserted On Ninth
avenue between Eighty and 10th streets. there
is hardly building. the ground is banked up high
with snow or deeply frozen over, and the avenue
which has neither been graded paved looks like
some dcsolate country road. Now all is activity
and hustle here. and the whole extent of the avenue
between the points mentioned is lined with busy
workmcn. who appear to be invulnerabe to the cold.
Excavations being dug, bricks hauled stones
pulled along rock is drilled and blasted
raised by dcrrick barrels of transported
stone is broken, and the whole is in that per-
feet condition of chsos which Sixth and Third
avenue presented not long ago. only aggravated by
the snow and ice, which have been left accumulated
several feet deep, uninterrupted their aggregation
is by the traffic of vehicles The foreman of each
section walks about encased in long ulster and seal
skin cap beating his chest to keep himself warm.
and. when asked whether this not rather
breezy work yesterday. of these gentlemen
piled that it was rather warm, considering"
on NINTH AVENUE
The Metropolitan IL Company have opened an Office
at of the few buildings the line of this Ninth
avenue section-namcly over grocery shop at 1O6th
street. This is the Official centre from which half a
dozen crack engineers and dozen experienced in
spectors and foremen issue forth every morning and
from which also that most welcome of all personages,
the paymastcr, starts upon his round. The aborers
who employed here picked from the
gangs formerly engaged upon the construction of the
Sixth avenue IL railway, and it may easily be
imagined what godsend this work has proved to
them and their families in this cruel winter. But il
is terribly hard work. The excavations vary in
depth from fifteen to thrty-hve feet. and in
places near 10th street, where the soil has been
filed in, the frost penetrates easily that the
ground is frozen four feet deep. Let the reader
realize the suerinss of these men, when that
Friday week ago. they tried TO cut their way through
four feet of ice in of these excavations! And
yet the work goes brsvcly on. and Mr.. Warehouse.
Of the engineers in charge stated that $40
excavations 100 had already been opened in the very
few days that have elapsed since which the
tract has been awarded Some Of the men, with
frozen, benumbed hands and frosty lips, would still
insist upon keeping at work. seeing they did the
anxiety OF their superors carry out the companys
motto. ION to High Bridget" Great rocks weighing
half ton have to be raised by Of derrcks
difficult have been of these excavations that
it has taken eight picked men as much as full week
to dig hole. sa.
TIE HUNDRED AND TENTH STREET CURVE.
At 10th street the line from Ninth into
Eighth avenue, and here the company have pur-
chased large blocks of land in order to obtain per-
fectly and smooth But 10th ut this
point presents grave engineering difficulties between
Ninth and Eighth avenues. At Ninth avenue tho
street has risen the abrupt height of steep hill
and from here there rapid and dangerous descent
toward Eighth avenue. In order to overcome this
it will be found necessary to raise the piers of the
foundations toward Eighth avenue high above tho
ground the total height of these piers upon which tho
columns yet at this point being not less than
fepf 40 vpvrll nok uolV- tn fhaca
piers rising above the street the ground will
have to be filled up considerably. Altogether. how
some high points. From Eighty-third street tho
grade continuously upward to the summit ut Tooth
street. where the columns will reach the exceptional
height OF forty five feet
EIGHTH AVENUE.
From 10th street the line passes out into the
Eighth avenue. where it then has clean sweep of
several miles to the river what is properly called
River avenue. Here the ground does not look quito
so chaotic a. on Ninth avenue. and there evidently
has been far less contention with rock and icetwo
OF the bitterst enoes of rapid transit this winter.
AT roth street.-the present limit OF the workthere
Is always crowd of extra workmcn waiting ito get
u chance. and il there is regular employment for
them they at least enjoy the sight of the ina array OF
scighs that como dashing along from st. Nicholas
avenue ut arattling gait Mr. Conover, hale. hearty
old gentleman is in charge the work. and he gave
the writer somo interesting information to it's
magnitude. Between Eighty third and 10th streets,
900 excavations have to be dug and the 400 piers which
they are to sustain will require nearly ten million
bricks and twenty Thousand barrels of cement Eigh-
teen hundred foundation blue flag stones also
ossary which have 10 be- quarricd and cut especially
for the holes Already thousand barrels Of
cement and two million bricks the ground. In
reference to the stones Mr. Conovcr that during
the frosty weather quarryng could be DONE which
now would naturally somewhat delay the work. Al
ready over l.9oV men are employed and this number
will shortly be increased 10 over 100. They begin
work seven. when there Is hardly daylight, and,
they do not knock or until haltpast Eve in the
evening. How heartily they must enjoy their hot
suppers upon returning home!
RESORTS.
While the writer was watching the work yesterday.
near 10th street il amusing to the throngs
of ladies' and gentlemen stop their slcighs and
iously inquire about the progress OF the undertaking.
They drove their slcighs down between the
tinns and appeared TO inspect their condition with
the very greatest interest Then there many
spectators ana curious sghtsccrs VINO had Syxiled
or walk down from their residences near the Harlem
River and Washington Heights. All these peo-
pie wcro talking curiously about the effects
OF tho extension next summer: whether the road
would really induce the building OF hand
some residences all along its hnc whether
Bridge, to which people would flock they have
hitherto hccked TO- Concy Island. &c. The general
opinion seemed t DC that Whoever had the forcsg hit
and enterprise 20 purchase land here for the build
ing Of nice and moderately costly cottages. and sii
moro particularly, for the establishment OF popular
summer gardens, with music anu other popular at
fractions. would make fortune during the coming
summer. who will 90 through the inconvcnienee
and tedum of trip to COMFY Island, said one gem
lcman. 'whcn short ride this delightful road
VIII bring him comfortably and without any change
OF cars or boats, Tor ten cents. to the most lovely
and picturesque scenes on Manhattan 1slands
Generally speaking thcre Is always great Diff
nculty about getting back from Concy Island
the evening, and people worn out with the trip.
But 10 ride this road to the Harlem River aud to
return any hour you please will b, mere pastime
and IL only attractive resorts are established by sons
shrewd. farsccing men along that beautiful river
front you will SEQ that next summer they will take
half the crowds away from Conoy island similar
opinions were exprcssed also by others with whom
the writer convcrsed. and the residents of this por-
ton OF the west side evidently sanguno that the
opening of the Metropolitan extension next July
viii DO the signal OF new era tor them. and trans