New-York tribune., 1886-11-07
A GREA1 ENTERPRISE ABANDONED.

THE PROTECTED TUNNEL BETWEEN JERSEY CITY
AND NEw-YoRK-DFsER1ED WORKS AND SHAFTS.
ANY one who walks or rides along the upper part Of
West-st cannot nelp noticing the French steam.
ship company's pier at Morton-st odd-ooking.
sockadelike inclosure. with dirty. high board walls
built right cut in the open space between the houses
and the wharves 1t is shut squarely of from the
shipping, however; it has approaches from the
side and connection whatever with the load
ing unloading OF stores.
Ii has, in tact, apparently except for tho
bill poster, fnos excellent market for his the
arical and circus prints its tour big bare Sides
There Is usually no sign of life within, and one
walk the whole way round twice without discovering
the little gate cut in the boards and fitted tightly,
trough which alone entrance possible unless
wants TO climb the ten-foot wall.
Positively no Admittance is painted 1 a scrawly
tand on this door. and beneath it more omlnously,
Beware of the Dogs" Halt dozen ncautious visitors
have been bitten by the beasts inside, and TRIBUNE
reporter whose curiosity drew him 10 through
the fence OF the queer incosme the other day. had
narrow escape also IRON what threatened 10 involve
loss OF pair OF trousers and visit TO DR. Pasteur.
The square, high wall. he found out however. was
built iour or tive years ago by the Hudson River Tun
ne Construction Company, when the scheme OF a rail-
way tunnel from Jersey City to New-iorK VIA hav-
ing its first BOOM" Here the New-iork end
liked a shaft dug, aud borings were started down
under the rivers bank. Some progress made
this side, and then another OF bofings begun
from the Jersey shore The work ran along Tor a
time then slackened then troke oil entirely. and
except for the dingy square incosure ~ Moron.~t.
stocked with dsused and in part useless machinery,
its fellow the other side the shafts ana bOrngs,
filled again with water, and the mere right 10 dg
more, there ~ almost nothing 10 show iof thls
innnite deaf OF pains
The whole plant at Morton-st has dcsper-
ately iOrsaken SINGLE Watchman has the
machinery and the shaft in charge The dirty ward
II disorder. and the various contryances which
served useful purpose other stand about
sleds are wcather-Ooaicn and shaky One might take
the whole thing for sort OF abandoned trucking yard
in fact II IT not Tor the well-shapcd shat with
it's pumping machinery, which opens like deep. black
mouth out IN the middle OF ia square.
The shaft ITSELF though one cannot see TAR down it,
Is sixty ieet deep At the bottom the gradings OF tho
tunnel proper begin From this side OF the Two
circular borings have cen made, each from 2uO %
300 feet long The water near shore IS only twenty
teot in depth, and the slope of the tunncllng is
extremely gradual The borngs thiriy live
feet diameter, but by the time the iron frame work
and the two brick castings have been put IL. their
diameter will have shrunk to twenty Oue feet
On the Jersey side the tunnel had got further
The bOrngs there LOO feet long. and iar
start has been made for future subway With tho
stoppage of the work the water has gradually soaked
back into the tunnel The main works are flooded
nov, and the shafts are partly allied. The pumps and
air-forcmg machines Will have 10 be set gong iOr
time before inspection can he made. There u little
prospect even of that however aud the whole project
OF direct railroad transit westward out OF tAe city
sce destined to lie abey Tor several years 10
come.