St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-05-28
The Hudson River Tunnel.

Inc greatest IedIS OF mOuer0 en-
gineering are the tunnels. Mont Gents,
Hoosac, the Sutro out in Nevada, and
latest, the st. Gothard, are monuments
of skill and toll worthy of comparison
with the most stupendOus works of an
cient Egypt. The tunnel under the
Thames at London may be said to have
inauguTated this particular branch of
engineering, and now that the principal
mountains, which have been for centu-
ries impediments in the way of travel
and traffic, are pierced, the next great
achievements in this direction promise
to be like the first, tunnels under wa
ter.
Leaving out of consideration the tun-
mel beneath the English channel, the
completion of which seems now re-
mote contingency, we have nearer
home in the tunnel under the Hudson
at New York, an undertaking rivaling
in magnitude anything of like nature
attempted in this country. Work on
this tunnel was begun six years ago,
but was delayed by long drawn litiga-
ton, the railroad companies them
selves, what with their heavy invest
ments in depots and boats for crossing
the ferry and their mutual jealousies,
blocking in every way possible the pro-
gress of the scheme. The chief obsta-
cles to the advance of the tunnel are
now, how ever, said to be removed, and
the work is going steadily forward
the Hudson Tunnel railroad company,
with Dewitt G. Haskin as president and
a capital of $I0,000,000.
Ia Al
Thames is but 1000 feet long, the one
under the Hudson will be $500 feet. 1t
is, moreover, designed to be double
barrelled, so to speak-twO tunnels
running side by side and converging
and broadening into each other as Ell
Their side of the river is reached. The
depOts of the New Jersey end of the
tunnel will be a half-mile back from
the river, but the location of the termi-
nus on the New York side has not yet
been fully decided. Excavation, thus
far confined to the Jersey side of the
river, has been pushed forward over 60
feet beyond the outer edge of the
docks. Three gangs of 40 men, working
eight hours each, make progress at the
rate of three feet day, and it is hoped
) by its projectors that the tunnel will be
finished in 1888, or in time to land in
the heart of the city the anticipated
millions of visitors to the international
fair which New York is planning in
honor of the centennial anniversary OF
the recognition of American independ.
: ence.
The methods of construction employ
ed in building the tunnel are CAREFUL,
illustrated in recent number of thu
Scientific American, upon which W.
r draw for some of the more interestin.
9 details. At the foot of fifteenth street
Jersey City, 100 feet from the water,
shaft has been sunk, 80 in diamete
+. and 60 feet in depth. This is LINED
with brick-wOrk four feet thick. TIL,
! river, somewhat shallow on the Jerse,
side, deepens to 60 feet within 1000 fee
, of the New York shore, and the tunne
will be carried on grade some 25 fee
] below the river bed. The digging s,
far has been very easy, and the mixtur,
! Of blue clay and sand is puddled will
water, as it is removed and forced out
: by the pressure of the air through ;
: six-inch pipe. AS the New York sid,
: of the Hudson is approached, however
solid bed of rock. will confront tn,
Il AL iCdtuiO VI ILL
work upon this tunnel, is the use O
y compressed air to keep out water an,
d help uphold the earth. An air-locl
: closes the mouth of the tunnel, and
pressure of from II to 90 pounds to tn
: square inch is maintained inside it
: gates. With some precaution in max
d ing the change from the outside air, tn,
!. labOrers find no difficulty in breathin,
: and working under this increase of tn
ordinary atmospheric pressure tn
t electric light illumines with noon-da,
d brightness their subterranean tasks
= and the handy telephone serves TO
Il communication with the manager
" above ground. Foot by foot as tn
s work is advanced the tunnel is protect
b lively inclosed with bolted sheets 0
= thick boiler iron, making huge irol
cylinder; this in turn is lined com
pletely around with hard-brick wal
. tive feet in thickness, presenting a sub
II stantial arch capable of withstandin,