The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1883-03-08
LETTER FROM NEW YORK.
The Hudson River Tunnel, a Work
OF Ten Years-Ben Buffers Strong
Points for the Presidency Touched
IIDOn.

the Brooklyn bridge, and now l will
tell them something about the Hud'
son river tunnel. When the reader
is appraised of the fact that the river
is one mile wide between New York
city and Jersey City, and from thirty
to sixty feet deep, he will readily
comprehend the magnitude of con-
structing a tunnel from one city tC
the other, which would besafe and
possess a capacity sufficient to ac,
commOdate railroad trains, street
cars and vehicles of every descrip-
ton, and a walk for pedes-
TRANS. This great enterprise
was begun in 1873, and there is a fair
prospect that it will be finished in
one year from this date. But for an
accident which happened in July,
1880. which resulted in the death OF
twenty men, the tunnel would have
been finished ere this. The work OF
construction was begun on the Jersey
City side and has been completed to
the center of the river and now from
thirty to forty feet is being added to
its length from that side each week.
For the past eighteen months con-
force has also been at work
from this side, making fair Roadway.
About 800 men and many teams are
employed, and the work goes on night
and day, there being three relief
gangs" which work eight hours
each. In the contraction of the
tunnel an iron shell, which
is twenty-six feet in width
and twenty-four feet high, is forced
forward and left standing. Then this
shell is lined with wall of brick and
cement three feet thick, the construc-
ton and completion of the tunnel
being continued at the same time. No
accident worthy of mention has occur
red since the one of 1880, and all OBJ
stacles have steadily been overcome.
The idea of working with compressed
air, forced in at the shaft, has proven
eminently satisfactory, and after the
completion of the tunnel compressed
air will be forced through it. The en-
tire length of the tunnel will be about
1900 feet, about one mile under the
river and nearly three-quarters of a
mile on either side. Its mouth on the
New York side will be at Washington
square, above Fourth street, and about
one mile and half up town from the
postoffice, and four blocks distant
from Broadway. The extension
grade of the tunnel on the Jersey side
is two feet in one hundred feet, and
on the New York side it is three feet
in one hundred for 1900 feet. 1t is
expected that trains will pass through
the tunnel in six minutes, and that
400 trains can pass through in every
twenty-fOur hours. Freight trains
will only run through it at night, and
all trains will be run by smoke-con-
Stunning engines made especially for
the purpose. The completion of the
tunnel will be great saving of time
and trouble, as travellers can be land
ed in the very heart of New York
without change of cars, and all
freights received and shipped as well,
at a great saving of time, expense and
trouble. The cost of the tunnel have
not learned, but it will run into the
millions.
Newspapers insist on discussing
Ben. Butler rs probable candidate
for the presidency on the Democratic
ticket. and some of them claim that
he persevered to win the governors
office of Massachusetts in order to
place himself squarely on the track
for the great race of 1884. Well, it
would be queer thing to see Ben.
Butler, possessing and protesting no
fealty to any party, carry off first
prize from national convention, and
then go prancing around the country
with a blue ribbon pinned to his
lapel and the word Democrat branded
on his dorooping eye-lid. But Ben
is irrepressible; and if he has made up
his mind to run. other candidates
will find the job of "horning" him
off the track a. decidedly inter
esting one, and not easy to accom-
plish. The coming contest promises
to be somewhat different from that of
1880. Then the Republicans, having
the greatest confidence in their ability
to win the race, were much troubled
to find candidate that could har-
moniZe all disaffected elements and
bring out the full strength of their
party. In the coming contest the
Democrats will occupy about that
position, while their opponents will
be content to head their ticket with
a good man that has no record to he
assaulted. Possibly the Republicans
will even hold back their convention
until after the Democrats have met
and nominated, that they may better
know the best thing. for them to do.
At present they are at sea, and long
way out at that. But let us scruteniZe
Butler little, and see what points
he has to make him favorite for the
nomination. OF course he is not
going in" on his good looks, for
he has never been accused of
being handsome. If he sue
coed he must do it on
his record as apublic man and by his
force and power as leader. The
Wings were his first love, but he soon
found them too aristocratic and old
fogish for his young heart. Then he
plunged headlong lin the Democratic
camp and because full-fledged
Democrat of the Gen. Jackson "by
the eternal" sort. Later he enlisted
in Freesoilism and leaned lovingly
towards Abolitionism. Still later,
and in the contest of questions which
brought on the war, he doomed up in
the Charleston convention of 1860 on
the side of the ultra Secessionists,
standing to Jefferson Davis "like a
little man." Soon after the war be-
gan, Ben. became a war Democrat,
and a little later he faded and bloom
ed out into u fulI-siZed spread eagle
Republican, and made considerable
reputation for himself as such in the
war. at New Orleans and in congress
AT present Ben. is perhaps more OF
a Democrat than anything else, but
there is sort of independence about
his Democracy that does not have
exactly the right flavor. Perhaps he
may improve that to suit the party
taste, or may be he may even attempt
to change the taste to suit the flavor
and his ideas of things generally
The fact Is, no one can ever tell what
Ben is going to do next, but every
body knows that he is evidently op
posed to being suppressed or sat dowr
upon. Some people would Just like
to see him president to see what hs
would do, and it is very evident thai
he would be elected if he could gel
the support of all those with whom
he has associated politically; but
there is the trouble, for it sometime:
happens that the very men that /;
candidate has associated with
are just the ones that will
vote the earliest and Offences
for the other fellow. Perhaps Bel
imagines that the Greenbackers
whom four years ago he was chuck
ing under the chin, and whom nov
he has chucked into the ditch, ar
fainting for an opportunity to SHOW
their love for and gratitude to him
Perhaps he thinks that Bayard, ant
Thurman, and Tilden, and all tn
rest of the great leaders and defend
Il ars of tho liam ocratic MARTY are any