The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-08-18
THE HUDSON TUNNEL.
Work Suspended With a Possibility
Of Non-ResumptiOn.

A New York paper this morning pub
lished the sensational announcement of
the probability Of permanent abandon
ment of the Hudson tunnelling scheme,
after sixteen years of persistent work.
The tunnel, too. is now within sixteen or
seventeen hundred feet OF completion
Work was suspended on July 10. The
money Tor the prosecution of the work
gave ont on that date. 1t Is said that
representatives Of the company are trying
to secure more funds abroad. They hnd
il difficult, because of the troubles that for
some time have gradually thickened
around the unfortunate enterprise Even
II completed it is doubtful il it Will be
safe passage for laundering, shaking
trains. Cracks, it is said, have
already appeared on the top of
the shaft, and the structure is also said
10 have settled in some places at least
three inches. The fact that the shell
must, while subject to rust, be forever
hidden from inspection. too. makes ones
blood creep 10 think OF a possible
breaking in of the wafer under such an
enormous pressure and drowning train
loads of passengers like rats IN hole.
The contractor who is said TO have Kept
up the expense OF boring the great hole
has threatened to withdraw unless he is
guaranteed against further loss.
Four thousand OF the required nfty-siX
hundred feet have been bored; but even
the heretofore confident contractor be-
gins to recognize different condition of
affairs from those which have heretofore
confronted him.
on THE NEW YORK SIDE.
About sixteen hundred feet from the
New York side the tunnel strikes bed
OF rock the top of which is only twenty
i've feet from the bottom OF the
river. Originally it was in
tended to bore straight through
blasting and ideas eff economy, perhaps
led to the abandonment OF this idea, and
the plan now on foot, IL carried out, Is TO
run the tunnel over the top Of it. This
leaves only about a five foot thickness OF
silt between the tunnel and the bottom OF
the river, which is not regarded as
enough protection against the enormous
pressure above. The proposed plan OF
dumping twenty Thousand cubic yards OF
clay above the shaft to make a mound
over the line OF the tunnel Is not REGARDED
by all competent engineers as snInclent
protection, inasmuch as the strong cur
rent is apt 70 wash away the clay as 1t is
dumped from the scows, and besides the
government will scarcely permit the
placing of such Golfer dam in the chan
nell
Then, again, the entire structure is
sheathed in iron. IL has been demonstrat-
ed time and again that rust will eat
through the hull OF an iron ship under
water IN year.
About fifteen months ago workmen in
the shaft were suddenly startled one
night by a series of sharp, swapping
noises and ran pell-n2eu out OF the tube,
under the impression that the entire roof
was about to give way. An investigation
by Superintendent Noir that a number
of the one and a quarter inch iron plates
above had cracked lengthwise of the
tunnel and had to be strength
ened by extra iron buckles" are
braces on each plate. But the
lower buckles" must be removed
before the tunnell can be used The old
parts of the tunnel have remained nrm
and solid; but the fact that the tube has
settled in some places at least three inches
indicates that it may settle more under
the weight of passing trains.