The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-11-28
UNDER SKY sCRAPERs.

Although 1t is the purpose of the Brook
Ign, New York & Jersey City Terminal /
railway company to ultimately build
tunnel from Brooklyn under the East
river. beneath the great skyscrappers on
the most crowded part of the island of
Manhattan and again below the North
river to the great railway terminals in
Jersey City, one-half of the work will be
completed before the other half is begun.
The first half will begin on the Brook
Ign side and will extend across to the
New York shore at a point between the
Fulton and Wall. streets ferries, a short
distance below the Brooklyn bridge.
Thence the tunnel will be continued be-
meath Maiden lane. Broadway and Cort-
land streets to connect with the great
railway ferries. 1t will be necessary to
keep the tunnel some 60 or 10 feet below
the surface to avoid the foundations OF
the great skyscrapers, some of which eX-
| tend down nearly to that depth. FROM
/ the character of the soil, however. which
| will almost entirely do away with the
necessity for rock tunneling, the pro
| iectors OF the scheme do not anticipate
| much difficulty on account of the I'M
usual depths. The plans for the work
! have all been drawn by the English en-
! gineer who constructed the existing tun-
/ mel under East river for the gas COM
panies. They have been passed upon by
a committee of five of the most prominent
l engineers in America and pronounced per-
fectly feasible.
The work will begin in Brooklyn. where
a shaft will be sunk near the river, large
enough to admit the machinery necessary
for the work, and to serve afterWard as
a station. At the depth of 70 feet two
gangs of men will be set to work. One
will tunnel inward beneath the city OF
Brooklyn, where q subway similar In gen
eral construction to the Boston subway
is to extend under the most crowded part
of the city distance of between two and
three miles. This will be a steel arch
dOuble-track passa geWay. 10 feet high by
q in width. and will admit of the passage
of double line of cars.
GREAT TUNNEL SHIELD.
The most interesting part of the work,
however will be in charge of the other
force of men, who will carry the tunnel
beneath the East river. When the old
years ago it was a failure because of
the imDossibility of keeping the water
and water-soaked earth from caving in
on the workmen. the accident Wh len
work killing q men in a single cave-in.
Modern methods and the use of com com
pressed air have, however, made the
silt and sand beneath the two great New
York rivers the cheaDest and easiest
kind of soil through which to dig.
A great shield of the dimensions Of the
tunnel will be thrust out beneath the
bottom of the river. Inside this will be
! a couple of alright compartments into
which compressed air will be forced by
Two pumps on the surface. This will
equalize the pressure within and with
out the tunnel and will prevent either
earth or water from rushing in. on the
workmen. The earth will be taken out
by pick and shovel and hauled away by
a hosting engine to the surface.
AS fast the workmen remove the
soil about the rim of the shield the latter
will be driven forward by hydraulic jacks.
so that the man will constantly have .
roof over their heads. Behind them will
come another force of men constructing
the wall of the tunnel proper This viii
consist of steel plates. 10X1S inches IN
fiat dimensions. and an inch and quarter
thick. As fast as each plate is fastened
on the ends will be "grouted'' on the
outside. by water cement and a covering
of cement will be spread on to make ii
perfectly waterproof. Inside there will be
another lining of cement which will be
kept freshly painted to make the interior
of the tunnel dry and pleasant. Electric
: lights will be put in and the whole IN
lighted. The usual damp and dreary If
: feet of an underground passageway will
, be entirely done away with
LENGTH AND COST.
: The ventilation of the tunnel will be
provided for by shafts with suction
pumps at each end. 1t is not expected
that these will need to be regularly op.
T Grated. for the rapid passage of cars
l through the tunnel will change the an
. every three minutes: but whenever the
! pumps are needed all the air in the tun-
mel can be pumped out and the. place
thoroughly renovated in eight minutes
instead Of a single passage large enough Jug,
e for a double line of track. the pipe tun
! nels viii be built side by side so thai
the line of cars through each one vii
always be travelling the same way ~ This nj;
does not increase the cost. On the New
! York sid side doubIe-vaulted subway, sim
e liar to that in Brooklyn, will be bull
: with stations and elevators reaching III
The length of the tunnel beneath thu
East river will be a little oyer 1000 feet
the Naw York subway. will be abo1u
E three-quarters of a mile long, and tn
: North river tunnel, when constructed, vii
. be about 4,5O0 feet in length. The Brook
Ign subway will be the longest section o
, | the system. running for something lik
= two miles beneath that city. The tota
length of the system, when completed