Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1882-02-23
UNDER THE PALISADES.



| the Hudson.
The work Of constructing the New
York, Ontario and Western railroad
tunnel through the Palisades, from
Weehawken to Durham, is being Wig
orously pushed forward. There are
[ now employed in all it's branches near
ly 300 men, and another month will
see the number increased to at least
1000 This force is divided into two
gangs, one for the day and the other for
the night, and the work Of mining
away the hard trap rock is continually
carried on by the light Of electric
lamps. There are five shafts, and all
have been sunk the required depths.
In all of them the Headings" have
been turned. Shaft No. is $50 feet
deep, shaft No. is 165 feet deep, shaft
No. is is 165 feet deep, shaft No. is
140 feet deep, shaft No. is but eighty
five feet deep, but its headings are 125
feet long. The height of the tunnel is
twenty-seven feet, and it is being made
wide enough to permit the laying Of
two tracks. Forty miners are employed
at each shaft, and these are divided into
two gangs Of twenty each. The cage
that lowers the miners to their work
and hoists them out again runs as easily
and noiselessly as any elevator in this
city. The drills are worked by means
of compressed air. Over the surface
of the Palisades an elevated railroad
has been constructed. Three locomo
tives are used in drawing the trains of
stone cars. These cars are small and
are lowered down into the tunnel,
where they are loaded. When loaded
an electric bell notifies the engineer
above, and he proceeds to hoist the car
to the surface. When train Of ten or
dozen cars has been made up the To-
comotive draws them to the edge of
the Palisades, where they are dumped
and their contents go laundering down
the steep precipice to the meadows be-
low, distance of 200 and odd feet.
Below the hill, on the Hudson river
side, is located the massive steam
machinery for forcing the compressed
air with which the drills are worked to
the hill top above. There are four
double air compressors, and the air is
driven through eight-inch iron pipes
laid over the ground and connecting
with each shaft. In blasting the rock
dozen or more two and half inch
holes are drilled four or five feet in
depth, and into each is placed a cart
ridge of dynamite and giant powder.
The holes are then tamped and the
ends of the cartridges connected by
wire with each other. A wire connect
ing with an electric battery located on
the surface of the hill is then hooked
on to the cartridge wire, and the work
men are hoisted up to the surface. An
operator touches brass button, and in
tw;nkling follows dull rumbling
report, and thousands of tons Of rock
are loosened. The electric fluid that
discharges the blast, and which illumi
mates the deep cavern below is general
ed in little wooden shanty down by
the rivers edge. The entire length eff
the tunnel is through solid rock. There
has been but one fatal accident since
the work began last spring, and that
was the result of the mans own care
lessness.
A years time will yet be required to
complete the work. When it is com.
pleted five ferries will run from it to
as many points in this city. Ar i'm
mense grain elevator, the largest in the
world, it is said, will be erected near
the eastern terminus. Exactly over its
eastern approach is the historic spot
where the famous duel between Alexan-
der Hamilton and Aaron Burr was
fought in 1904. On the same spot were
also about the same time fought duels
between Aaron Burr and John B.
Church; between Dewitt Clinton and
John Swartwout between Commodore
Perry and Captain Heath; between
George J. Eacker and Philip Hamilton !;
between Benjamin Price and Major
Green; between William L. Graham, an
editor of the Courier and Enquirer of
this city, and Mr.. Barton, of Philadel-
phia, and others of lesser note. The
Hon. James J. Casey has drafted bill
which he will present to the New Jer-
sey legislature asking for an appropria-
tion for the erection OF monument to
mark this historic spot.-Ne,s York
Commercial.