Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-05-14

anu INTO an opllclan 3, 10 Sc1 Soii pass -
use in Boston, we found the place crowded
with ladies and misses-circus people
selecting eye glasses. That did not sur
prise us, but not finding Barnums name
over the store door did. The writer will
never forget the electric-hght effects pro-
duced at that show by cross eyed woman
as she tried to get her moneys worth from
! the three circles at once.
While across the Hudson we visited the
Stevens Institute of Technology, school OF
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING,
Under shop.work instructor. 1t has a
mechanical laboratory where chemistry is
taught. etc. A full course occupies four
years, which covers also the French and
German languages and the department Of
bellies lettres. There is here quite collec
ton OF cid euriosities in the line of early
mechanism-one said TO be the veritabie
instrument made by Arago to measure the
velocity of light through different densitles
of atmosphere to be found during Nspo-
Icons expedition into Egypt. Near
by we stepped into the Office OF
| Messrs Spielman & Brush, civil
engineers, and formerly in charge OF
the Hudson river tunnel. We found here
an old friend in the person OF Captain
| Symes, of the Seventh New jersey Regl-
/ ment, aid was induced to step over with
| hirE, but short distance, into jersey City
| limits and visit the Hudson river tunnel
| This work is being constructed under the
charge of D. c. Hoskjn, j. +. Anderson.
Superintendent, by the application Ncom
pressed air. according TO the Hoskin sys-
| tenn. The works for forcing the AR into
the tunnel are located near the river, at
Fifteenth street, Jersey City. We found
here L. G. Fowler, Secretary and Messrs.
e. H. Burlingame and S. Il. Finch,
assistant engineers The latter kindly
volunteered TO show us through the works
and into the tunnel. Putting on miners
suits Mr. Finch led into the building Gov
eripg the engine and works. The register
showed the pressure of the air in the tun-
,, mel to be 20 ponds to the square inch
They commenced the work with Is pounds
to the inch, and as the earth or g soil
and water gave signs of trouble, the pres
sure has been varied, and now varies from
20 to % pounds, according to the condi-
ton OF the tide. The entrance through the
masonry that surrounds the head OF the
tunnel is through drum-shaped
AIR-LoCK
OF some four feet diameter and length
This lock is made Of heavy wrought iron,
and each end has round closely. fitting
door that swings 10 towards the shaft that
leads into the tunnel This air-lock will
hold four men if packed in like sardines
Any one having any physical trouble is
advised to keep out. Those who are sound
in body and weak in mind can enjoy the
trip by special favor of the engineer. Mr.
Finch Z" turned key to sthe lock" and
the air rushed out in much the same man.
ner and noise as that'prodlced by loco
motive disehargipg lis steam, In about
two minutes the air was exhausted from
the lock, the outer door was swung in and
three of us climbed into the place
filled with warm air and steam. The
disease, and he would go back and preach
closed, and the engineer turned another
key of the inner door and the air came into
this dark lock with fearful rush and
noise. When the pressure reached some
Is pounds to the inch the sensation was a
lbIlS uuDi6dsdul, dbQ CUulu Dc leu Ou Vic
the drum of the ear. This could be over
come by filing the lungs with air, closing
the mouth and holding the nose,
and crowding the air from the
lungs into the head. At this moment
the Capt" felt pain in the face and
head, gave the signal, and the engineer
closed the kog again, exhausted the air
from the lock, and "let him out" We
then started again, and in some
four minutes filled the lock with
air from the tunnel, and swung
the inner door into the shaft. We
descended on perpendicular ladder down
the shaft some 40 feet, and found ourselves
in a chamber. like station fronting both
tunnels and lighted with electric light.
These tunnels are to be used for cars only,
the one for the passage of the trains
and the other for their return.
The two tunnels start close together, but
slightly diverge until they are eight feet
apart, and then run parallel. Outside the
tunnel is faced with three-eighth inch
wrought.iron plates, followed by two feet
of brick work, cemented. The size of
each tunnel is Is by l6 feet. The right
hand one is completed 40 feet, and when
entirely finished will be half filed with
"silt. on which is to run the track and
small cars for carrying the silt " to the
dump IN the chamber at the head OF the
tunnel. At the farthest end, or face of
the tunnel we found the "pilot, small
tunnel run in advance OF the main work in
the middle of the face of the main tunnel,
and kept some thirty feet ahead OF the main
work. Il is six feet in diameter, and made
of wrought-iron plates kept in position by
braces. We picked our way by candle
| light among the timbers to the face Of the
| pilot, and found the earth full soft enough
to work well. The silt is put into the
dump at the head of the tunnel, mixed
with water IN the proportion of four cubic
| feet OF earth to one of water, and % fired
out " through a six-inch pipe. When the
! dump is nearly exhausted the stop-cock
| is turned so that the air from the
/ tunnel cannot escape. They are now
getting ready to renew work on the
! left-hand tunnel where the accident &C.
Cured about year ago. The distance
! from the top OF the tunnel to the bottom Of
the riveris twenty fvefeet, and this distance
| is aimed to be continued all the way across
the river. The water in the river varies
| from ten to fifty feet. The east end is at
Broadway and Blocker streets, and they
are now commencing on the New York side.
They have some 800 men at work in three
shifts per day, and viii increase the force as
work progresses and estimate that it will
take some three years to complete
it. Good healthy young men stand
the work well. On coming out
the gauge marked the pressure OF air
in the tunnel to be 2l1 pounds to the
square inch, the thermometer in the tun.
mel showed S5' outside 80, or freezing
point. One of the benefits we received by
the trip was Turkish bath, without the
"rub." We next went
BACK TO NEW YORK,
Now one of the dirtiest cities on this con-
tinent. Little "windrows Of dirt and
straw can be found along the sidewalks Of
Fifth avenue, Broadway and many other
of the principal streets. The Herald
WAN x.ybo has dirt in he ava. .ore