The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-04-16
OUR BIG DEPOT.
Detailed Description of the
Splendid Structure
Now Nearly
Complete.
CoNVENIENCEs FOR PASSENGERS.
The Restaurant, the Waiting
Rooms, the Great Train
Shed and the Busi-
ness Offices.
CoNVENIENCEs FOR PASSENGERS.
BRIDGES TO THE PERRYBOATS.

The new passenger station OF the F6nn-
sylvania Railroad Company in this city is
rapidly approaching completion. and
when finished will be one of the largest
and best appointed buildings of the kind
in the country, and its interior finish will
compare favorably with that of any
building of the kind for artistic beauty.
A reporter was shown through the new
building by Martin L. Gardener, the en-
gineer, who has had charge of the work
from the beginning.
Before inspecting the building the re-
porter was taken out to see the method
by which the company has elevated its
tracks in this city and the massive man
ner in which the work is DONE Begin
ming at Brunswick street, near where the
Point of Rocks used 10 be, the tracks be-
gin to be elevated, rising gradually as
thev go east until they reach height OF
thirteen feet at the train shed. This
elevation is made by heavy filling and
pile work, the whole being held in place
by massive retaining walls and abut-
ments. This does away with all grade
crossings of streets in Jersey City. It
enables trains to enter the train sned
thirteen feet above the street and passen-
gers are thus landed on the upper decks
of ferry boats.
now THE BIG TRAIN SHED IS BUILT.
The train shed is a very large, substan-
tial and we'll lighted structure. 1t is SO
feet long, 256 feet wide, and its extreme
heighth is l12 feet. 1t is built Of massive
wrought-iron arches, extending from the
tops OF the foundation piers up to the
summit of the building, forming an arch
ed roof, with heavy trusses. The top and
about half Of the roof is of heavy nam
mered glass The roof Is one Of the larg-
est in the country in span and length.
The shed stands thirteen feet above the
street. and is filled In with solid earth and
masonry. 1t contains twelve tracks.
The train shed Tests upon forty-eght
massive piers, twenty-four on ench side.
These consist of grillaGe of Piles driven
down sixty feet into the earth, sawed off
even and then capped with 12x12 inch
yellow pine timbers. On the. grillage
thus formed a heavy course of mason
ry is placed. The base course Of the ma
sonry is eight and half feet wide, taper
ing off to six feet at the top. This mason
ry is surmounted by blue stone caps five
feet square and twenty inches thick. On
the caps of the piers the iron truss shoes.
which uphold the roof. rest. All rhe
weight of the roof is sustained by these
piers. The foundation of this building
was built by B. M. and j. T. Stanley, of
Newark, who also built the elevated ap-
proaches to the shed. The iron work of the
shed was erected by Andy Brann, of
Philadelphia.
CONVENIENT FOR PASSENGERS.
East of the train shed Is the new pas
senger depot, a mammoth two-story struc-
ture of iron frame. The exterior is COW
cred with corrugated galvanized iron, and
the interior finished in chestnut shell
lacked. This building is surrounded on
all four sides by broad lobbes. The south
lobby will be used by passengers alight-
ing from trains and going to the ferry
boats. The north lobby will be used by
passengers coming In from the ferry to
the trains. The east lobby will be used
in getting to the ferryboats from the south
lobby. and the western lobby will be used
By passengers going from the waiting
room 10 the trains, aud will greatly re-
lieve the waiting-room, especially in the
summer time. The doors of the waiting
room will always be open 80 that those
who desire to do SO may pass into the
west lobby. but the gates leading from
that lobby into the train-shed will not be
opened until just before train time. Pas
senRers for either the Cortlandt or Des-
brosses street ferries or the Brooklyn
annex will, after leaving the trains, pass
down the south lobby to the end OF de-
pot building, ana then turning either to
the right or tine left in the east lobby, will
go to the boats, entering them on the
upper deck, and On the arrival of the
boats at the New York slips, will pass off
onto the second story of the ferry build
ing, and thence over West street on a
bridge, avoiding all the annoyance of
crossing that dirty and crowded
thoroughfare, and making ones way
through the jam of vehicles Passengers
coming from New York will have their
choice on reaching the depot building in
Jersey City of going into the main wait
ing room through the east lobby or taking
the north lobby directly TO the trains and
avoiding all crowds. In the passageway
leading to the waiting-room are stair
ways, SO that those who wish to use the
lower decks of the boats may do so and
yet reach the trains on the arrival of the
boats at jersey CITY,
FEATURES OF THE INTERIOR
The passenger depot Is 1S9 feet long. 81
feet wide and 60 feet high in the clear of
the second story. 1t has a Gothic arched
roof of iron frame. In the centre of the
roof is double skylignt. The upper, or
outer, portion is of heavy hammered
glass and the lower. or inner. of stained
and white huted glass 50 arranged as to
give very pleasing effect of light. The
building is divided into maln waiting
room. ladies' room. gentlemen's smoking
room, restaurant, main ticket Office, Pull
news staud and barber shop The
main waiting room is "a feet square
aud Is provided with several rows of
double settees of polished oak. 1t will
seat 500 persons. The entire building is
heaied with steam radiators. The ceiling
of all the rooms In this building is of
shellacked chestnut, tastefully pRneled,
aud the entire interior of all the rooms Is
OF this wood The carving and finish of
all the woodwork is very handsome
There are no glaring. contrasts of color.
no striking effects, but harmony aud
good taste prevail all through the struc-
ture. Suspended from the ceiling in the
centre of the main waiting room is an
enormous brass chandelier of artistic de-
sign, which is the largest in the country.
1t contains eighty-fiye incandescent elec-
trio lamps of thirty-two candle power
each. Iu addition to this, there are
brackets around The sides of the room at
intervals of eight feet, intended for both
gas and electric lights.
THE RESTAURANT WELL EQUIPPED.
In the extreme southeast corner of the
maiu waiting room Is the Western Union
Telegraph office, separated from the main
j ON by handson 9 partition of polished
ch ,stnut and French plate glass. On the
south end of the main waiting room and
separated from it by an artistically carved
eriile-work screen of chestnut is the
restaurant This latter apartment is
divided into two sections, one for the
lunch counter and one for the restaurant