The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-01-14
Under the Hudson.
The Great Tunnel that is TO Connect New
York and Jersey City-WOrktng ON the
Tunnel Beneath the Rivers Bank.


A reporter of the New York Herald
stood under the Hudson river $50 feet from
the New jersey shore. He was in the
Hudson tunnel Fifty feet overhead roll
ed the water of the river, some of which
trickled through the great walls of mud
and dripped monotonously into the cham
Der, where, by the electric light, about
twenty men were industriously working
1t was weird scene. The men looked like
spirits, and very dirty ones at that Their
spades were noiseless in the work, even
though a whisper was magnifed by the
compressed air that made visitors head
buzz, but did not seem to affect the men in
the least There were two things that
connected the scene with the realistic world
and forced the belief that it was not all
fancy. One was the presence of Gen. w.
Sooy Smith, the chief engineer of the COM
pany, and the other the telephone, that
looked as natural and comfortable as it
might have looked in the corridor of the
Fifth Avenue. This telephone is moved
forward under the river as the work pro-
crosses, and communicates at the shore end
with the engine room. The jingle Of the
bell by the superintendent on duty at the
"heading" is heard by the engineer Per
haps a corner of the overhanging mud APP
pears to be settling The telephone CON
veys the order to increase or reduce the air
pressure, as necessity requires, and the order
is obeyed instantly The presence of the
telephone seemed to have an assuring look
1t was the only connection with the outside
world, save by long journey through air
locks and chambers and shafts, and up steps
and ladders innumerable to the bottom Of
the great shaft, to the top level of which
the waters hissed and bubbled on the awful
July day of 1880 when so many men lay
buried under tons of clay far below.
There has been a great change since then
in the appearance of everything, and prob
ably the miners worked without thought
of the fact that they were 500 feet further
out than the spot where their comrades had
met death so bravely.
The dirt as fast as dug out was thrown
by the diggers into a sort of trough, through
which a stream of water was constantly
forced by powerful steam pump ON shore.
There were two pipes, one of which forced
the water in, and the other which drew the
mud and water out of the chamber through
the air locks and completed tunnel up to an
enormous tank ON shore, where the mud
settled and the water flowed away into
reservoir to be used again. 1t is an inge-
NOUS apparatus and seemed to work ike a
charm 1t did away with the tedious and
laboriOus method of filling the silt into cars
and dragging it TO the shore end, to be
hoisted to daylight. Its use makes the
work easier and quicker in every way.
One tunnel is now $50 feet from the
New Jersey shore, the other is about 450
feet They are progressing at the rate Of
between three and FIVE feet each dag.
There is no suspension of the work. The
men, divided into SHIFTS, succeed each
other with the regularity Of clockwork
Day and night, week day, holiday and Sun
day, the digging goes on Each foot of
new work is carefully propped and secured
and the tunnel is fully arched and cement
ed for several hundred feet beyond the
point where the unfortunates were killed at
the great eaving in of 1880. One tunnel
is lower than the other and it was found
that an equal pressure of air would not do,
So a system of bulkheads was adopted
which works very satisfactory, both to the
engineers in charge and to the men them
selves, who are very quick to appreciate
anything that Is done for their comfort or
safety. By means of these bulkheads It Is
now possible to do away with compressed
air at the completed or shore end of the
tunnel which is also lighted with electricity.
The entrance is still at the old shaft, al
though the caisson that was sunk after the
accident is about forty feet nearer the river,
A long and winding stairway leads down
the great shaft to the mouth of the old air
lock in wich FIVE or six men were drowned.
This air-lock is now kept open at both ends,
but is hardly large enough for two men
to pass in opposite directions. Passing
through with body bent one comes on
little wooden platform, from which another
pair of stairs lead down about twelve feet
further to the bottom of the tunnel proper.
Here the two tunnels unite, and large
electric light hangs at the junction, casting
fantastic shadows on the shiny walls.
A small railway track leads down each of
the tunnels and car is now drawn to the
first bulkhead with strengthening tiinbers,
brick or anything else that is necessary for
the progress of the work.
Looking out from this point towards the
middle of the river the scene is a peculiar
one, and there is a greater oppressiyeness
about the place than is usual with under
ground work The thought that the river
rolls overhead is uppermost in the mind of
the visitor, and one can imagine the face of
heroic Peter Woodland peering out of the
plate-glass windows of the air-lock.
This is the spot where Woodland stood, "
said one of the superintendents, sswhen he
gave the men directions to pass out, and
this is the spot where he gave his final
command to break out the headlight and
save themselves
The reader Of the Herald viii remember
that Woodland was one of the superinten-
dents at the time of the disaster, and was
heroieally cool and brave even after the
advancing water was up to his chin. His
spirit seems to pervade all the men, and the
reporter never saw laboring men display so
much courtesy towards each other as he
saw down under the river.
Passing forward toward the New York
shore the tunnel is found to be completed
for several hundred feet 1t has all been
brieked and cemented and is dry, with the
exception of certain moisture made by
the condensation of atmosphere. Up to
the bulkhead this state of affairs exists (;
beyond that, through the air locks, the
men are at work digging out the silt and
everybody is wet and muddy. There are
two air-locks leading into the extreme end,
one of which is kept always open, so that
in case of real danger the men may hurry
into it. The longer one remains in the
tunnel however, the more the impression
increases that everything is well ordered
and safe, and that the system of discipline
is very perfect.
1t is expected that under fairly favora-
bic circumstances the work will be compile
ted in about two years and a-half.
The young man who shirks his duties as