, 1880-06-12

Progress Of the Tunnel Tint VIII Con.
Mcct Now Jersey and Now York.

NtW York THbAnf, JansA
At the foot Of Fifteenth street, jersey City,
a low woodoi. building lus been erected,
which li5ls tho appearance Of all overgrown
shunty rather TIM, tho beginning of ~, I'LL
purtant aud difficult work. This building
contains tha ofllceof the Hudson Tunnel 1sall-
runl Company, a,tl also tho engines, electric
generator, and air compressor. In the centre
Ut the building a shaft thirty feet IN diameter
l,as been sunk to tic depth Ut sixty feet. Its
lower portion Is used us u receiving tank
ncl. About midway down tho SHIFT Inns betn
1luored over. Jutting out fUll tho river si.fe
Ut tl1Is shalt Is whit .a1Ipears to be iargu
Iron Go1k,r.. 'rlls Is the mir lock,',, MI air,
tight chamber tliAtle OF onc-lialt-illcll rolled
in longtll+ through which everything psrsses
in entering Or leaving tho ttintiel, Dy It's
use perspiis passing III aro gradually ac-
custo1neA t, tho chntigu III mir pressure,
nnoat six MINUTES sa"l1y 'sa eS,nE tskg Si IN Tug
little above the top Of the tunnel proper, the
excavation was uxtelldetl ut II ,rNttllal ttu-
cline until TIC required deptl, WINS rca@sctl,- @
atout sixty feet below ligl, waiter. The W
slsts Of II cylinder Of One-f,ilf 1ncls tUitel-
plate iron, with n liniiW Of brick two feet
iitck securely anchored to It. The river On
the line Of the tunllel IL nbout, 5,5oO feet III
NlNClls t4Ill IL EVl3 GUtHp0fCN VI U4llE EihtA
with mixture If stlld tiat other INSTANCES:
carried forward III sections. T1le plates Of
whicl, the iron casing Is composed hre placed
in position MS fast US sufficient sln1ct, Is cScn.
vNtett. These plates nre two and nlle-hAlf
feet III width by three and sfx feet III length.
They are bultel together bylneans 0f nngle-
iron secured To their edges. Tile brlckwork
is laid rs rapidly as i circlo of. sections is
completed. The silt Is thrown back Into q
pool, Into which II running O strrAul Ut wntcr
forced Ill from pump Il. tic shut by tho
pressure ot tho condensed alr III the tunnel.
This water, cArrylng about 0ne-tlnff Ut the
slit, Is blown o,tt through nstx-incl, pipe into
carried Into the finished tunnel.
Tll0 01livu Is connected with the tunnel by
telephone and thu electric light IL used beti!
in and ont ot tho tllnnel. w1rk belug carried
nyerage Of about four feet Of tunnel Is till-
isl,et daily. .....
The top Of tic tunnel will hnve m average
distance OF about twenty-five feet below tho
cradle grade, as tho river ut some points
reaches tile depth Of sixty feet. Hy the
agency Of compressed n!r, at a pressure Of
seventeen to twenty pounds to tic. sluare
inel,, tl.ls n!ixtHrs u watcr, clsy ,a1d salldl.
TINT IL might be wnrked forward 1T TERRACES
or benches, thus obyfattng all necessity for
staying Or brnces willis excnvating thu silt Or
| placing In position thu unpor sections Of tho
iron casing. SO c0mpactly is the slit held
TINT al Experienced workman, with sharp
si!oyel, Will curve out alsl sl.spe thu top Or
sides III easily Us II he were cutting clseese,
ard can prepare oxactly the place for eacli
| sheet.
The entrance to the tunnel on the New
Jersey side will be at a pUfnt about tilree-
| quarters OF u mile from tho river. Tho ter
! 1nlnrs IN Now York hos not been settltti,
| but the tunnel will enter tho city ut the foul
| Of Leruy street. An underground lcpot will
| l,c used. al.d nowhere VII Tug track bs less
/ proacllcs on either slo will bo twellty-slx
feet In width and twenty-folir feet IN hight
with ttuuble truck; but under the river
tl,pru will be two tunnels, sttte by side, inch
elghteet, fcut III hight ai,d sixteen feet tl1
width. and each containing . single truck,
these tunnels, bit everything is III rcailncss
| to begin the adjoining one In few days,
when operations Gun be begun on the New
York slle also. With Improved facilities Il
Is expected that each section will be ad
yanced ut q rate of five feet per day.