New-York tribune., 1884-01-26
ESGMEEa W4LrnEs INVESTIGATIONS.
TIE BROADWAY ARCADE ROAD COMPARED WITH
UF LONDON U>D.RGRoCND ROADS.

! TIE BROADWAY ARCADE ROAD COMPARED WITH
THF LONDON U>D.RGROCND ROADS.
The officers of the Broadway Underground
Railway Company preparing circular 10 property
owners ia Broadway. II viii state that tine company
holds charter for tunnel underground railway but
that that work will benefit propertyowners except 1T
the ternini, wh le IL the modification OF
arcade road can be carried out, the capacity of
Broadway artery Of Trade ini travel Will be quad
ruped Real-t,Jte owners invited to examine he
arcade plans and lend tIeir approval 70 tho legislation
necessary to substitute them fo the plans or the tunnel
road.
W. J. McAlpine engneerinchef Of the company, has
submitted elaborate report Of the result Of his nres
cations last Of the underground railways OF Lon
dom they furnish 10 the engineering opjec
- the Broadway arcId project. It shows that the
Inner circle" OF the London roads, twelve miles IN cir
cumfercucc il built under or through the most costly
property In the world four mile. oft with grades from
thirteen to twenty feet below the tide-watcr level
while the Ncw-York road Will pass entirely under the
and with les. than third OF mile OF its grade
below lie level in its deepest place being only i've feet
below low tide The excavations for the NewYork road
will be much difficult than those for the London lines
Where the construction OF the latter required radical
changes In the system OF London IN broadway
the few sewers existing OF small size and can be
easily changed The great superiority In the ventilation
under the Broad 'ay plan Is shown by the fact that
there will be five times many stations with
openings the air in corresponding distance on the
London road besides the continuous opening OF about SIX
feet each side CT the arcade, adjacent 10 he DuRs
With track railway below tue surface 0i broadway
the capacity the arcade would be twice tnat oI the
London rDad and the speed pfdctlcdDc WouIu ~ Wucu
greater. Mr. McAlpine says that the London r9lds nave
been tunneed under many hl5n large bnllllnss, anu
every variety of structure, including r monument OF
King william w. weighing l6S tons Not the least dam
age na- been Orcasioued To the budnS-, WHic IA tnc
New York railway the excavations would not extend 10
within sixteen feet the face line OF any OF thg D9ld-
ugs. Against uudulatug and steep grades III loluOu'
the New York road would have au almost continuous
straight line with light grades. Mr. MeAlpne meet. the
question OF vibration by showing that from 1e most deu
cate tezts wu- found that the runs In the London u
nel- produced less jar motion In the bhldngA
above or adjacent than that ptouu'tu Db
an ordinary vehicle passing IN the street Not only VIII
tho arcade tracks be eli nteen feet distant rom tue face
OF tbe budings but space Will be yllted 40 that no
vibration or lar can possibly he caused by trains IN mo
ton The report mentions, among other INSTANCES tat
the London roads carried under large and heavy
brewery VictOrias the same place tue l0und-
ton had placed at fifteen feet below the level OF the
base WaIs Of some higa buildings in another Gaze the