The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-06-10
working Under the hudson.

PROGRESS or THE TUNNEL THAT WILL CONNECT
NEW JERSEY AND NEW YORK.
New YoRK, June Sat the foot Of Fiji
teenth street, Jersey City, low wooden
building has been erected, which has the
appearance OF an oyergrown sbsniy rather
than the beginning OF an important and
difficult work. This building contains the
Office OF the Hudson Tunnel-Rali osd Com
pany, and also the engines, electric genera
tor. and air.cOmpresSor. In the centre OF
the building a shaft thirty feet in diameter
has been sunk to the depth OF sixty feet.
Its lower portion is used as receiving
tank for the mud removed from the tunnel.
About midway down the shaft has been
floored over. Juttiug out from the river side
Of this shaft is what appears TO be large
iron boiler. This is the "air lock-" an air.
tight chamber made OF oBe-h -halfiDch rolled
iron, and six feet In diameter and fifteen
feet In length, through which everything
passes 10 entering or leaving the tunnel.
By its We persons passing in are gradually
accustomed TO the change in air pressure,
about six minutes usually being taken in
the operation. From the air-lOck, which is
n little above the top Of the tunnel proper,
the excavation was extended at gradual
decline until the required depth was reach
ed-aboul sixty feet below high water. The
exterior structure. Nr she'll OF the tunnel,
consists Of a cylinder OF one-half-inch
boiler. plate iron, with lining OF brick two
feet thick securely anchored 10 it. The
river on The line OF the tunnel is about
$500 feet in width, and its bed is largely
composed of blue clay, with mixture OF
sand and other substances.
The excavation is begun at the top, and
carried forward in sections. The plates OF
al. ittrr -
placed in position as fast As sufficient space
is eXcsyated. These plates are two and one
half feet in width By three and six feet in
length. They are bolted together by means
OF angle-iron secured to their edges. The
brick-work is laid as rapidly ss a circle OF
sections is completed. The silt is thrown
back into a pool, into which Is running q
stream OF water forced in from pump In
the shaft by the pressure OF tie condensed
air In the tunnel. This water, carrying
about one half OF the silt, is blown out
through q siX-inch pipe into the receiving
tank. The remaining portion Is carried
into the finished tunnel.
The Office is connected with the tunnel
by telephone, and the electric light is used
both in and out OF the tunnel, work being
carried on throughout the twenty.fsur
hours. An average Of about four feet OF
the tunnel is finished daily.
The top OF the tunnel will have an ave-
rage distance OF about twenty-five feet be-
low the riyer-bed. This makes necessary
a considerable grade, as the river at some
points reaches the depth Of sixty feet. by
the agency Of compressed air, at pressure
OF seventeen 10 twenty pounds TO the
square inch, this mixture OF water, clay,
ana sand i'm the excavation is kept so
-. a. MIGHT hn worked
forward i'm terraces or benches, thus OBJ
WAITING all necessity for staying or braces,
while excayaiing the silt or placing In posi-
tion The upper sections OF the iron casing
so compactly is the silt held that an eX'
periepced workman with q sharp shove
will carve ont and shape the top or sides
as easily as If be were cutting cheese, and
can prepare exactly the place Tor eacl
sheet.
The entrance to the tunnel on the New
Jersey side will be at point ab0nt three
quarters OF mile from the river. The terml
nus In New York has not been settled, putin
tunnel will enter the city at the foot OF lie
ROW street. An underground depot will b'
used. and nowhere will the track be les
than fifteen feet below the surface. Th'
anproacbes on either side will be twenty-siA
feet in width and twenty -four feet in height
with a double track; but under the rlVel
there will be two tunnels, side by SIDE, eaci
eighteen feet In height and sixteen feet II
width, and each containing single track
Work Is now in progress in only one o
these tunnels, but everything is in READINGS:
TO begin the adjoining one in few days
when operations can be begun on the New
York side also. With approved facilities i
is expected that each section will be ad
yanced at rate OF five feet per day.-1rt